The Debbie Nigro Show

Debbie was the winner of the prestigious ‘Best Nationally Syndicated Talk Show of The Year’ – three years in a row, from American Women in Radio & Television. Nobody sees the glass of Cabernet half full like Debbie. She is fresh air with a magnetic flare.

Tis’ the Season for Re-Connecting with People Who Matter 12/01/2023

Tis’ the Season for Re-Connecting with People Who Matter The holiday season is a wonderful time to reconnect with important people in our lives we don't see often. It’s always fun when you’ve been thinking about one of those people, and they connect with you first. One of those people in my life is ‘Monty’ Delaney and I kept writing his name down on my things to do list to call him. “Monty’ (short for Montgomery) is an all-around great guy with a heart as big as his 6 ’6’ frame. Besides being a warm wonderful person I've known for many years, he was also once an attorney who never failed to show up on the dime whenever I needed him. Often to help me handle my former ongoing ‘parking ticket problem’. The ‘problem’ was, I’d forget to pay the damn tickets and they’d add up and then I’d land in ‘negotiations'. Oh and he'd also show up for that speeding ticket problem. LOL. Happy to report I’ve learned my lesson and now I don’t get parking tickets anymore and I drive like an old lady… but I still love seeing Monty. Just not in court. Last I saw him actually, I had some fun on his radio show. He’s got a lot to talk about. Monty served as a police officer in the South Bronx for nearly nine years until a back injury led to his retirement from the police force. He spent a significant amount of time in traction and swimming pools for rehabilitation. During this time, he was also in law school, which he had to pause and later return to. he did, and after years of practicing law, a heart issue arose and Monty decided it was time to close his practice and focus on his more creative endeavors. Monty is a talented singer-songwriter. He became involved in the music scene, playing at coffee houses back when, and has made some great albums. His 1996 album "Walking in the Light" was inspired by various societal and personal reflections and continues to be played across the country and he takes pride in its lasting appeal. It was produced by Rex Fowler of Aztec Two-Step, which was oddly the first musical group I saw perform in person when I arrived as a freshman at Ithaca College. Monty had given me one of those CD’s and somehow it landed lodged inside the back sleeve of my cars front seat. No clue why. I accidentally found it last week when I went to the car wash and was cleaning out my car. I don’t have a CD player in my car, so I just put it on my front seat to remind me to call Monty. Then after the car wash, I made a cemetery stop to get out of the car to say a holiday hello to my immediate family in the family plot. (It's what Italian girls do.) What are the chances that when I got back in the car, there on my phone sitting on the car seat next to the “Walking In The Light” CD was a text from… MONTY! Really? What are the chances? Naturally I called him immediately to report the serendipity, and we had some laughs as his lovely wife listened in, and we caught up about lots of things and he told me about his new book of poetry out now called "A Musings”. It’s a collection of poems he wrote over the years while waiting in courtrooms. I invited Monty to stop by the radio studio this week to bring his new book and bring his lovely wife Connie, but sadly he woke up sick the day we planned it and so he called in to the show instead. I think you’ll enjoy the podcast of our live lighthearted and authentic conversation of two friends catching up on The Debbie Nigro Show. The show is filled with laughter, personal anecdotes, and our shared history that underscores my point about of the importance of connections and the value of personal relationships. We will get together 'in person' when he feels better. I hope I’ve sparked you to reconnect with someone important to you, that you haven’t seen or spoken to in awhile this holiday season. Let me know. /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/28886693

An 88-year-old Guy Is My Version of "American Idol" 12/01/2023

An 88-year-old Guy Is My Version of "American Idol" If you want to meet a guy with an inspiring life and attitude, meet James Flaherty. 'Jim’ who’s 88, gets my weekly newsletter which happened to land in his email while he was sitting in the airport in Cabo San Lucas. He wrote me back while waiting for a plane back home to N.Y. and told me he'd just spent a week at the 'Modern Elder Academy'. Sounded interesting so I wrote him back I wanted him to come on my show and report on what went on there. I had featured Jim Flaherty on my show earlier in the year after chancing upon a book he wrote that I spotted on an old wooden table in an old wooden General Store in Amenia, N.Y. I was sparked that day by the cover of “Dear Old Friends” but what really cracked me up and made me buy the book, is that while quickly scanning it I read he had started writing it in his 40s and finally finished it in his 80s. My kinda procrastinator! Jim has a big fun brain. Before becoming a writer, he worked in advertising, and his life, he says, was just like to the TV series "Mad Men”. Jim also built and ran a successful country inn and conference center called Troutbeck in Amenia NY for 30 years. It’s spectacular in case you’re ever headed in that direction. Why is Jim my ‘America idol’? Because at 88 he’s vibrant and positive, with no regrets and a belief that every day is a miracle. And because he wrote to me while I was sitting home pathetically with a heating pad on my lower back, while his spunky 88 year old self flew his butt to Baja, Mexico to attend a curious midlife wisdom school. I seriously need to learn from whatever he's doing. Jim's second book out now, "Embrace Your Age," is getting attention for its empowering message too, especially the importance of waking up with ‘purpose’. Jim wakes up every day doing some deep breathing exercises and thinking of ways to help others. So what was Jim’s ‘Modern Elder Academy Experience’ all about? He describes it as a place for navigating transitions and cultivating purpose in midlife and beyond. The age range of attendees at the Academy varied he said, with most being in their 60s and some in their 50s and 70s. Jim says midlife crises can occur between ages 40 and 70 and pointed out being 88, that he was the oldest person there that week. The highlight he said, was the comradery and the sense of community and connection formed there. He felt he left with having formed a whole new group of friends. Jim says, it's a place for navigating transitions and cultivating purpose in midlife and beyond. By the way, Forbes did a story on the Modern Elder Academy a few years ago and called it ‘The Cool School For Midlifers’. I read that it's the world’s first midlife wisdom school where you can unlock old hopes and discover new dreams in person beachside in Baja or in the creative corridor Santa Fe, or online from home in your pajamas. Sounds cool to me. Ya gotta love Jim Flaherty's energy and spirit. As for his future at 88? Well, he may teach a workshop at the Modern Elder Academy, but he’s also looking for an agent to sell his TV series, screenplay, and two novels. Oh, and he wants me to come visit him back up in Amenia and take a swim in his indoor swimming pool. LOL .OK fine, fine, Jim, whatever youre doing I want to do too. Enjoy this podcast of our live radio conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show. It’s truly an uplifting and motivational discussion on aging gracefully, finding purpose, and staying active and engaged in life's later years. It's about the cool way to get old. /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/28884198

Why Put Your Money In The Red Salvation Army Kettle? 11/24/2023

Why Put Your Money In The Red Salvation Army Kettle? Thanksgiving kicks off the annual bell ringing next to all those red Salvation Army donation kettles. This year's message. They need you more than ever. The Salvation Army is going to be serving the needs this year of close to 24 million people here in the United States. In case you didn’t know it, the donations that you give in your area, stay in your area, to help the local people that really need help. Kenneth Hodder, the National Commander of the Salvation Army, a dynamic guy with a Harvard education and a great personality, stopped by my radio show to bring us all up to speed on his organization, which is the largest social services organization in the United States. Roughly 5,000 Salvation Army officers, about 60,000 employees, and about 3 million volunteers are continuously working to help meet the needs of those in difficult situations. “The economic impact of the pandemic continues to be a key issue to which the Salvation Army is addressing itself”, say Kenneth. “Right now, about 92 million Americans have had difficulty paying their most basic household expenses in the past week. Homelessness has grown by double digits. The coming freezing weather of winter threatens all sorts of people on the street, and there are those that might lose their homes as a result of evictions or loss of utilities. So there are a lot of reasons to become involved in meeting the needs of your neighbors. Money put in the kettle is going to stay in that community. People should know that they are helping the people in need, in their area, whenever they give to the Salvation Army.” If you or someone you know needs help and you see someone who's in a Salvation Army uniform, just tell them what you need! They’ll call the local Salvation Army who will do whatever they can to assist you. They’re always ready to help. “We're seeing an increasing number of volunteers, says Commander Kenneth Hodder, “and I’m inviting all your listeners to volunteer this year for a kettle. Donating a couple of hours of your time, can buy several nights of shelter for someone. It can provide several dozen meals for a family. You can make a huge difference having a lot of fun standing out on the street corner ringing a bell, bring your spouse, bring your pet, bring your children, join your corporate group. It's a great thing to do in the holiday season. It will make you feel good, and you'll make a real difference.” You can check out the volunteering options at SalvationArmyUSA.org, which are generally done in about two-hour segments. 82 cents of every dollar donated goes directly toward funding Salvation Army initiatives and it stays within the community in which it was given. My personal suggestion to Kenneth, was that he hurry up and figure out how someone could just walk up to those red kettles and swipe a credit card across, because as we all know, people hardly carry cash anymore. He said he would get right ‘on it’! Meanwhile you can donate in several ways online as well. If you want more information, again, it's SalvationArmyUSA.org /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/28782928

American Christmas: Bringing Holiday Magic to Life 365 Days of the Year 11/07/2023

American Christmas: Bringing Holiday Magic to Life 365 Days of the Year We’re already into Christmas? Didn’t I just take off my Halloween Costume? If like me, you’ve been feeling that the holiday season has been arriving earlier and earlier each year, it’s not your imagination. It has in fact been speeding up, because the businesses and destinations that invest in holiday displays invest a lot, says Dan Casterella, the Chief Executive Officer of American Christmas, and they want to capitalize on their investments. American Christmas is the company behind the scenes creating the breathtaking holiday displays in 6 states including the iconic locations in NYC, like Saks Fifth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, Macy's, and Radio City Music Hall. I invited CEO Dan Casterella to stop by my radio show for a warm chat to give us all a peek behind the curtains in the world of American Christmas. The Business of Christmas: Located in Mount Vernon, New York, (my hometown) American Christmas is the company responsible for decorating some of the most famous holiday locations in the United States. But they're not just about tinsel and lights; they create immersive holiday experiences that enchant visitors and spread festive cheer. The feel-good power they have created there is undeniable. Anyone of any age who could use a lift should stop by. From School to Christmas Wonderland: Chief Executive Officer, Dan Castarella, has been part of this magical world for over two decades. His journey into the Christmas business began when he started decorating homes in high school and, after a short stint in college, decided to leave college and join American Christmas. His parents were honestly not thrilled with his choice, but his passion and talent for bringing the holiday spirit to life have paid off. (And now they get free Christmas Decorations) Creating the Magic: American Christmas isn't just about decking the halls; it's a year-round operation. With a 15-month planning cycle for some clients, and two weeks for others depending on the type and scale of the job, the process is both meticulous and expansive. It takes hundreds of employees working across multiple states, including New York, Texas, California, Florida, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., to make these holiday displays a reality. The end goal is to help clients create a holiday brand identity and gift a spectacular experience to their communities. Dan said, “For us, it’s Christmas 365. The day our takedown season is done, we start again refurbishing for the following year. Everyone thinks we see Santa Claus all year long, and it's anything but that. It’s mostly spreadsheets and a lot of marketing conversations.” Bringing the Holiday To You: For the second year in a row, American Christmas is offering the public a chance to experience their holiday magic with an event called "Holiday Lane." Located at 30 Warren Place in Mount Vernon, it's an immersive holiday experience that allows visitors to walk through a magical Christmas experience, pick up festive decorations, and even meet Santa Claus. It's open Wednesday to Sunday, making it accessible for families and anyone in need of a dose of holiday spirit. Santa will be there every Wednesday and Friday night at Holiday Lane from 6 to roughly 8pm. Dan says, “We have a showroom for our commercial clients that’s about 4,000 square feet and we open that up to the general public. You can buy tickets online to come and experience what we do at American Christmas. The tickets are inexpensive, because we’re trying to be family friendly and we’re donating 100% of the proceeds to three nonprofit charities in Mount Vernon, New York. The Mount Vernon Boys & Girls Club, Northeast STEM Starter Academy of Mt. Vernon, and Youth Community Outreach Program of Mount Vernon. Year-Round Christmas: The holiday season lasts for just a few weeks, but the work at American Christmas is a year-round endeavor. Planning, designing, and building take months, ensuring that the magic happens on time. Then it all boils down to a very hectic nine-week season when everything comes to life. Color Trends and Decorating Styles: Each year, American Christmas helps its clients embrace various color themes and decorating styles. This year pink has been a popular choice, inspired by the Barbie. Trend. But natural woodlands themes, traditional reds, and golds, and even New Orleans-style Mardi Gras displays have their place in the holiday lineup. Their Christmas store on premise is just fabulous and you’ll wish you knew about it sooner if you didn’t know about it already . There’s Some New Christmas Technology: “The new thing”, says Dan, “is RGB technology where we can control the lights and build a show around the Christmas Lights. It’s not that popular in New York because New Yorkers like to keep Christmas traditional with ribbons, bows, and ornaments but it’s popular for us around the country. This year for example we have a 50-foot tree at the Tanger Outlet in Tennessee that’s an RGB show with programmable alights and we run a three-minute loop with a show on the tree.” Holding the Holiday Line: American Christmas does end for most of their clients by January 15th when the company finalizes their ‘take down’ portion of process for all the decorations they’ve put up. However, we all have seen some outdoor trees stay wrapped with white lights throughout the winter, bringing much needed warmth and joy to the dark months which is fine by me. A Business That Spreads Joy: The holiday season may start earlier each year, but the goal is to spread joy and create memorable experiences. Something we could all use a little more of these days for sure. The work of American Christmas brings a touch of magic to all of our lives. American Christmas is more than just a company; it's a team of dedicated professionals who spend all year working to make the holiday season unforgettable. From design to installation and takedown, their business keeps the magic of Christmas alive year after year. If you find yourself in Mount Vernon, N.Y., don't miss the chance to visit Holiday Lane and experience the enchantment for yourself. I hope you enjoy this podcast of my live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show with Dan Casterella, the Chief Executive Officer of American Christmas. It's uplifting! /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/28543892

Kailen Rosenberg Might Be Your Answer To Finding Real Love 11/02/2023

Kailen Rosenberg Might Be Your Answer To Finding Real Love Kailen Rosenberg known to millions as Oprah’s love ambassador on the award-winning series (OWN and BBC Worldwide) joined me on Halloween to talk about finding real love. So happens just before she joined me on the radio, I had read a story in the NY Post about the number of people who were wearing 'sexy' Halloween Costumes in the hope of getting lucky with a sweet treat of the human kind by nights end. The results of a survey taken by a sex positive dating app named 'Pure' said 72 % women and 43% of men would be wearing 'sexy' Halloween costumes this year. I’m sure for some that was fun, but most people are out there searching for a real connection, not a one night ‘boo’, and it takes more than a sexy costume to find real love. If you are looking for real love, Kailen Rosenberg might be your answer. What makes her such a love guru? Well, Kailen's been in the love, dating, and relationships industry for almost 30 years. She’s also had to follow her own advice and shares her own journey to finding love. Kailen’s the author of the best-selling Simon & Schuster book "Real Love, Right Now: A Celebrity Love Architect's Thirty-Day Blueprint for Finding Your Soul Mate - and So Much More!” . The book is a guide for anyone seeking an authentic and meaningful connection in a world often characterized by superficiality and false closeness. Honestly, ‘30 Days to Real Love’ sounded to me a little like a pitch to go on some kind of diet. We all do know, if you actually follow a diet for 30 days, results actually happen. I was wondering, is Kailen’s 30-day love strategy one that actually works, like a diet, if you follow it? “It's pretty identical”, she said. “I mean, it really, really is. It's about honing in on what you really want instead of just thinking about it and dreaming about it all the time and then looking at the reality of what has been blocking it”. She went on to say, “And we know if we sit and we're silent enough for even a moment to get really raw and honest and real with ourselves, to look at how and where we are blocking love, whether it's from fear, from the past, past relationships, childhood, whatever, it is that has basically shown us or told us that love really isn't real. Or it can't happen. Or if it does it's only painful and it's only going to end in demise, which you know sadly too many people really end up believing that to a certain extent. Then we end up blocking it energetically and so we get in our own way and we end up through the way we dress, the faces that we have, the way we speak to others. “ “And so we're constantly out there either attracting love or repelling love, she said. “And so, in 30 days, it's really about getting centered, getting present, learning to really love yourself, to really understand and know your true value, to honor that. And then energetically, you're putting out a totally different vibe, and the next thing you know, people from all directions are seeing you differently and they're attracted to you, and you’re now also attracted to yourself in a very different way. So, it's a cool experience. It really is and yeah, it does work.” Kailen is also the founder and CEO of the world's first holistic wellness, love, and social club platform for extraordinary singles: My LOVE DESIGN®. There, Kailen provides exclusive invitations to expert-led events, covering a wide range of topics such as love, beauty, home design, spirituality, finances, and more. Her first of its kind, invite only, luxury dating, wellness experience is an in-person event with Modern Luxury magazine happening in Houston on November 14th, 2023. All singles attending have been vetted. Next stop for a Kailen Rosenberg event, will be New York City and then more events across the country. Kailen’s really excited about it all because she says, “it's just time for a change. Dating and friends are just exhausting.” As for age? Kailen says that becomes far more irrelevant and so her focus isn't on younger, older, or same age, it's just on finding the right one. Finally, I did have to ask …how many people did this smarty pants love guru help find Real Love? Kailen said, she stopped counting after 500 marriages. Feel free to share this podcast of my warm live radio conversation with Kailen Rosenberg about what she’s doing to help singles find genuine love. It might be of real interest to someone you know who is looking for real love. /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/28496024

Pet Parents Get Ready for What’s Coming with AI! Your Dog Will Talk To You? 10/26/2023

Pet Parents Get Ready for What’s Coming with AI! Your Dog Will Talk To You? Will pets be able to tell you what their bodies need? What kind of toys they want? In a human voice? Soon apparently, if Founder Andy Gibbs vision for the very first company to bring ‘Generative AI’ to life in the $120B pet industry comes to fruition. It all started the day Andy’s’ wife noticed his dog Roland’s water bowl was empty and hollered to him “Can’t you make a smart water bowl that tells me when it’s empty and needs to be refilled?” Andy was sparked and started researching why dogs need water and decided he needed to track their water intake. He found out there’s water in canned food, but there's no water in kibble. Then that train of thought took him into food, and then from there he learned of the global problem involving the number of pets who are overweight. Then he moved fast. In 7 weeks, he had filed the first 10 patents. (Andy knows a thing or two about patents as that was his business for years and he already owns about 4 or 5 dozen patents but none till now in the pet industry.) The Fidotek Founder is obviously excited about his current venture. Andy says, “There's no single company in the pet industry that is taking the Apple approach to delivering the pet version of the Apple Watch, the iTunes, the software. So, in the same way Apple has created an entire new ecosystem around watch, or as they did around the iPhone, we're taking the same approach. It's a very holistic hardware, software, and content approach to the entire pet industry. So we're not selling a pet service, we're not selling software, we're selling the experience of a pet parent to know everything about their dog and give the dog the power to become a participating member of the family.” You may have read that the world’s oldest dog passed away this week in Portugal at the age of 31. A Guinness Book Record age for a dog. His long life was attributed to fresh air, fresh food, and a calm environment. Could AI figure out how all dogs can live that long? Fidotek Corp the Generative AI bioscience company focused on 120 million US pets will likely be figuring out how all pets can live longer and stay healthy and much more. Andy said, “We are taking a scientific approach to that and helping dogs live happier, healthier and hopefully longer. When we look at the 59% that are obese, if we can bring those dogs down to healthy weight, they're going to live at least three years longer than their overweight peers. So, we're giving them three years and that's real debilitating conditions as they get older, diabetes, organ failure and so forth. Our artificial intelligence can identify the earliest onset from diabetes even before symptoms start to appear. So, if we can get that pet into the vet months or a year earlier for treatment, it might be as simple as changing their food. “ Its Next-Gen AI platform is poised to be the single-most consequential ecosystem digitally transforming multiple verticals in the burgeoning pet industry. Fidotek is planning things like; Personalized Web3 Retail, Pet Diagnostics, Pet Health Insurance, Advanced Telemedicine, and Drug Development. His planned pet veterinary ca re insurance he says, is going to change the entire pet industry as we know it.And as an industry patent leader, no single company currently offers a comparable solution. None, says Andy Gibbs, Founder & CEO who joined me from Arizona to share his excitement about what’s coming with Fidotek. Enjoy this lively podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show. You can listen to show weekdays 11-12noon ET in the NY/CT area at 1490 WGCH or just go to WGCH.com and hit ‘listen live’ from anywhere. No Poltics, Always Relevant ...smart, warm and fun. /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/28430123

Halloween is The Candy Industry’s Super Bowl 10/26/2023

Halloween is The Candy Industry’s Super Bowl Halloween is the big showcase moment for the candy and confection industry. Kind of like their Super Bowl. The industry generates $42 billion in retail sales every year and employs 58,000 people working in 1600 manufacturing facilities across all 50 states, with another 635,000 jobs in related fields. Sweet! I invited Carly Schildhaus from the National Confectioners Association, to join me for a conversation about some sweet insights from a survey they just took about all things Halloween, including the list of the top three candies this year, and how much candy you’re supposed to give out to each kid who stops by trick or treating. Carly said, “It’s special for the confectionery industry to see what an important part chocolate and candy play in this holiday season for generations and generations.” The National Confectioners Association (NCA) conducted a survey to get a better understanding of current consumer attitudes and behaviors related to Halloween around the country. Here’s what they found: *60% of Parents Steal Halloween Candy from Their Kids Stash! I thought the # would be higher myself. Lol *98 % of Americans will welcome trick-or-treaters with chocolate and candy this year. *2/3 of people give out 2 or 3 pieces of candy to each trick or treater. *The Top Three Most Popular Candies this year are: 1) Chocolate 2) Gummy’s 3) Candy Corn The NCA encourages parents and caretakers to check the candy before any kids eat any they’ve brought home. They have a page about safety all parents and caretakers should review. Good insights in this fun podcast of the live conversation with Carly Schildhaus of the NCA on The Debbie Nigro Show. PS: I personally think the National Confectioners Association should talk with the United States School System to make the day after Halloween a day off. I'll vote for that idea! /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/28429682

'The Joy Strategist' Gives You Permission To Change But Can You? 10/18/2023

'The Joy Strategist' Gives You Permission To Change But Can You? Music Industry Executive Grace Harry wants to show you how to break through whatever creative or emotional rut is keeping you from tapping into your ability to feel true joy in your life. She knows how to guide creative people because that’s what she did for 30 years while guiding musicians and artists at Island Def Jam and Jive Records. Now Grace Harry is “The Joy Strategist’ - sharing her authentic self and what she learned to help you get you to where she had to get herself… back to center, dismantling your ego and culturally conditioned limiting beliefs. Grace said, “I realized I had to get off the ride. And it wasn't the ride to penalize anyone else, it was more where I wasn't taking full responsibility for my own, you know, being the chief energy officer of my own life. And so if I have gotten this place in life where I've achieved all these things from other people's version of success, why did I feel so joyless? And what kind of strategy could I put in place to change that? Because I believe very clearly that your children do as you do, not as you say, and I would never want them to have even more crap in their family karma backpack than I'd already given them.” I thought Grace’s comment about ‘family crap in the backpack ‘ was a loud one. Giving yourself permission to see yourself in a new way is what Grace is trying to get at. I think we all have struggled with this at some point, We have preconceived notions of who our parents want us to grow up to be, our friends expect us to be, and who we expect ourselves to be. When in fact it may not be who we are supposed to be, and at what point do you realize you have permission to change…and can you? Because there are always relationships involved, finances involved, other people involved that your choices will affect. Which is exactly why I don't own a Tiki Bar on some island!...Yet. LOL Good thought provoking book and conversation you might want to explore. Meet Grace Harry in this podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show on WGCH Radio. If you want to catch the show it airs Weekdays 11-12noon ET in the NY/CT area on 1490 on the dial. But you can listen from anywhere, just hit the ‘Listen Live’ button on WGCH.com /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/28355927

Did You Know You Have to ASK for a Liver Cancer Screening? Catching it Early is KEY 10/11/2023

I'm Italian American But Was Wavering on 'Columbus' I Needed To Get The Facts 10/11/2023

I'm Italian American But Was Wavering on 'Columbus' I Needed To Get The Facts Hearing Negative Information About Someone You Thought Was Cool Is Always a Bummer. Changes how you feel about them for sure. Which is why I needed to talk about Christopher Columbus. I've always celebrated my Italian American Heritage on Columbus Day. That one day a year, to have fun with and honor all my fellow Italian Americans here in the U.S. and honor all the Italian Immigrants who came over and worked so hard with their hands to help build this country. I'm aware Italian immigrants were persecuted badly, but I'm not sure everybody knows just how bad. Bad. Growing up people took the liberty of making fun of my being 'Italian" more times than I can count. And there were many oportunities closed off to me along the way, because of my ethicity that I just came to accept. But I am proud of my heritage, as we all should be proud of our heritage, and I loved the whole big Italian family thing growing up and all the big Italian food. Italians by the way think food is love, so there was hummungous love which led to bigger sized clothes, but oh well. Anyway recently I felt needed a better education about Christopher Columbus. I was thinking if he was that bad a guy, I want nothing to do with him. I was also thinking OK, maybe we just change the name of Columbus Day to 'Italian Heritage Day' and not 'Indigenous Peoples Day' because even though I love Indigenous people and didnt want to hurt their feelings, I found out Indigenous People already have a day, so I figured ... we could just work it out and call it a day. Not that simple. I decided I'd better educate myself more on all fronts. Good thing I did! I had a fabulous conversation with Andre D'Amino, a successful business leader from N.J. and President of The Italian American One Voice Coalition (IAOVC), the largest independent Italian American anti-bias educational organization. He's not in favor of changing 'Columbus Day' to anything else and he shared some FACTS why we shoudn't. He was clear many of the negative things people have heard recently about Christopher Columbus are not true. He said one of the the most important reasons we should keep Columbus Day as is, is because Columbus was the one who opened up the connection between the western world and this part of the world, uniting it all together. That was big. Enjoy this podcast of our interesting Live conversaton on 'The Debbie Nigro Show'. I think you'll enjoy learning some things I learned. If you'd rather listen to the transcript it is below. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT 0:00:00 And now, back to the Debbie Nigro Show! 0:00:32 Rock and roll back to the Debbie Nigro show Hi guys, how are you doing today? Happy Columbus Day… Although I used to be happier on Columbus Day before all the conversation about… like Okay, this wasn't the best guy in the world… And maybe we should topple over statues of him… But we're still gonna have a parade. I'm a proud Italian American girl, daughter, family girl. Italians have always been about family. And I’m just really am confused. So I want to understand more. And there's this amazing organization called the Italian American One Voice Coalition, the only national organization solely dedicated to defending Italian-American heritage and culture through education. And there's a terrific guy who is their president who's come from a unique family of inventors, Italian American inventors, and just very interesting. Andre D'Amino is joining me. Hey, Andre, how are you? 1 0:01:29 Hi, Debbie. Good to be with you today. 2 0:01:31 You know, I was wavering on whether I wanted to get into a discussion about Columbus on my radio show because I don't do politics, I don't do controversy, but I am wanting to understand more about what's going on. And I know this is what you do all day long in terms of defending the heritage and I'm such a proud Italian American girl, but when did this start going wrong about Columbus? Can you just tell me that? When was he 1 0:01:57 no longer cool? Well yeah, in fact I can tell you there was a very big uh... real start to this was when as a guy by the name of Howard is in who's a self-declared marxist an anarchist they wanted to destroy America and he did it by fabricating facts about our history and his history book which believe it or not is still being used in schools starts with Columbus where he made up false accusations and incorrect information and editor all kinds of things and he's been totally debunked by scholars and primary sources. But you know you want to attack America and you know he started with Columbus and now of course they're going after Jefferson Washington and others, but it did all start with Columbus amendment and unfortunately, it's been indoctrinated now in the past generation, because that book came out in nineteen early nineteen eighties and uh... there's even a Howards in the kit education project which continues the work of Howards and be against our country. So listen, Columbus Day in Columbus is an important, iconic symbol to Italian-Americans, which has a great history, not only for Italian-Americans, but actually the world, because of what he accomplished by uniting the continents and bringing the world together. So, I do really wish you a happy Columbus Day. That's what today is. 2 0:03:09 I'm like, well, he did it for Spain. Didn't Spain say, okay, go here, here's the money and go. And I'm joking to myself driving up, of course they'd ask an Italian to get it done. But yeah, so he didn't really come to the United States. You're a fact guy. You're here to give us facts today, right? He went, where did he go, to the Bahamas? 1 0:03:33 Well, he went to an island called Hispaniola, which is actually where the Dominican Republic is in Haiti okay that's really that he never landed in what we call the United States now or even in uh... you know the middle part of uh... the the the continent it was down that area in the islands uh... he made a total of four voyages there and what was important I know they say well Leif Erikson and others were here before but the most important thing was that after Columbus arrived he opened up the connection between the western world in this part of the world. And that's why he's, it's really a seminal act of our world, uniting it all together, bringing Western culture to this part of the world. 2 0:04:10 Okay, cool. So, now we have this controversy where people are knocking over statues, and there's a lot of statues that have been knocked over around the world, not just Columbus. So, we're smart, you and I, we're smart people, we appreciate education, and so we know a decent person will know that he did some indecent things, but so did many people in history and at what point do you say, okay, now we don't like him anymore, we're smarter, this never would work in our day and age we have to knock over that statue, I mean, to what do you say about that? 1 0:04:42 Well, first off, let's talk about that era this was no Garden of Eden when Columbus got to this part of the world there was slavery child mutilations sacrifices cannibalism uh... and you know of course Columbus was a man of his times. You know we can't put five hundred years ago to today's standards we can't do it to the indigenous people and we can't do it to columbus but the things are saying about Columbus are just not true i'll give you a great example okay they claim that he attacked the tiny no tribes totally false as a matter of fact he protected the tiny milk tribe who was being hunted down by the carib tribe were cannibals and to prove that point is actually an indigenous person by the name of rafael ortiz who traces his lineage back to the tiny no tribe and he wrote four books defending columbus to correct that falsehood that howard's input out there and there's many other things like that you know for example he brought slavery to this part of the world. Totally not true. The indigenous people had plenty of slavery before he got here. Another one was that he brought disease and pestilence. He brought germs over. They didn't know what germs were back 500 years ago. So that's totally not true. And we could go fact for fact for fact of the things they're claiming Columbus did that he just did not do. 2 0:06:00 It's so exhausting trying to control the information that flows that's not correct in the world. Correct. Right. And it happens in multiple areas every day these days and it's exacerbated by the internet and the ability for information to flow so quickly. But I want to just take a minute on the indigenous people. I was here talking earlier in the show before you got on. I love the indigenous people. I want to celebrate them. I feel so bad about everything that happened to them that was wrong. And I'm an empath. I feel bad about things that happen bad to anybody, right? But why do you think they, or whoever they is, decided to take Columbus Day and say, okay, forget that. It's going to be Indigenous Peoples Day. Why couldn't they just say, fine, we'll have Italian Heritage Day, and then we'll also have Indigenous Peoples Day. What was the smasharoo? 1 0:06:49 Well, first off, let me tell you that i agree with you about celebrating indigenous people i i want to be right along with them celebrating but did you know Debbie that they've already got August ninth it is International uh... Indigenous Peoples day declared by United Nations great the day of the Thanksgiving which is called Native American Day and the whole month of November is for Native Americans right and I can tell you that since it's International Indigenous Peoples day on August ninth why take away a celebration for Italian Americans for indigenous people. Let's celebrate separately don't pick right against the other right and that's a little like a good mother an example that just occurred in a pop cup Florida they were considering eliminating Columbus Day they make an Indigenous Peoples Day and just like you're doing they listen to me I wrote to all the county commissioners are wrote to the to come to the uh... council people and explain to them that there is an international indigenous people's day on August 9th. And two weeks ago, that town did the right thing and preserved Columbus Day and declared August 9th as Indigenous Peoples Day. And that's the way we can join together. And don't forget also, Debbie, don't forget, Columbus Day is still a federal holiday. Indigenous Peoples Day is not. But we've got nothing against indigenous people, but don't pit one group against the other. 2 0:08:00 I agree, I agree, I agree. I want to point out that Columbus Day was dedicated by President Benjamin Harrison in 1892 and that was following the lynching in New Orleans of 11 Italian Americans. They were accused of a crime they did not commit and the day was made a federally recognized holiday by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1937 to honor the contributions of Italian Americans It’s incredible how persecuted Italian-Americans were. And it was really a tough time when they came here for a better life, like most people do, and they're still doing, hoping for a better chance. And you know, it always breaks your heart wondering how brave people had to be to leave their country, to go to another country to try and find a new life. That's, you know, amazing. But yeah, the Italians were not treated very well. I read the story of the Kensico Dam. You know, Italians built dams. They came here because they were industrious and they were masons and they could build but they were the like the low low low on the totem pole yes low low low like there was no lower than Italians and they were paid I remember this reading the story I have one guy conned them all to come and he said they were gonna pay him $25 a week or whatever and then he took the money back and they were like just trying to like figure it out you know. So here we are Columbus all right you know I wouldn't hang around with him now knowing he had some faults. Let's face it, you're telling me the facts of the... he didn't do bad things, but he didn't sound like the guy I wanted to invite to my dinner party. But anyway, why can't we change Columbus Day to Italian Heritage Day, or is that off the 5 0:09:26 table? 1 0:09:27 No, we totally disagree with that, Debbie. I have to tell you candidly, is that Columbus really is someone that did something that no one else really did. He united the world together and of course let's look specifically at columbus day specifically in the united states you said in eighteen ninety two president harrison declared the first quorum to stand before him to anniversary columbus arrival in this part of world but he did that to quell the problems that were occurring because italian americans were treated so poorly in fact it was almost going to be a war between italy in the united states because of all the lynchings of italian americans around the country and that's why this side of tab columbus day look at you know my own family my grandfather who had owned fishing boats when he was in sicily we keep a cold in the streets were paid with gold in the united states he came here in the early nineteen hundreds we got here he couldn't get any work ended up working on the docks of new york and he was paid less than the chinese less than the african-americans and he he told me that you know he used to be spit upon by the others, but when Columbus Day rolled around, he felt that that was a very proud day for Italian-Americans. Our ancestors, our heritage is there with Columbus Day. We shouldn't capitulate and give in just because there's this false stuff going up about Columbus Day. 2 0:10:40 We shouldn't do it. Okay, okay, that's why you're here. I needed some education. I was reading about the documentary, which I have not seen, The Italian-Americans, that was on PBS, and it was 150 years of history and what they mentioned as I was doing my kind of background homework this morning is something that happened in my life I don't know about yours we didn't speak Italian it was sort of like no no no you got to blend in that is not cool and I was very annoyed and I'm more annoyed now that I'm older that I don't have a second language because it was like keep that quiet how about your family well actually I'm actually a 1 0:11:12 combination of both because what I was born in Brooklyn and not only was everybody in my area from Sicily But they wrote from Argento the same place where parents came from so I actually didn't speak English as a kid Really folks Sicily Sicily. It's my first language However, just like you when my parents moved into New Jersey and when I was about six years old They wanted to assimilate and be American My father was so proud to be an American citizen and that's why they told me don't speak Italian out of the house So I thought it was something wrong about being Italian later on I realized it was just them wanting to be put me to be part of American society And I got my patriotism from my father, but I still do speak Italian. Oh you do. I'm a little jealous 2 0:11:52 I speak Italian food like I can speak a lot you know which nobody knows what I'm saying unless they go what I go calamari Italians um Italian American have their own language when it comes to food, right? What do you call it? Ricotta or ricotta? 1 0:12:06 It's ricotta if you say it properly in Italian, but I know a lot of people say ricotta. 2 0:12:10 Ricotta, right. And the calamar, you say that? Calamard, yep. It's good to laugh. You know, Italians can make fun of themselves, you know that, right? Sure. 6 0:12:20 But nobody else can make fun of us. 1 0:12:21 Well, you know, unfortunately, like our organization, the Italian American One Voice Coalition, we have to really do stand up against the stereotyping that's up there because unfortunately italian-americans are the last ethnicity that it's okay to bash you know we see so much stereotyping that still occurs every time you see an italian-american on a movie or tv show he's either a mobster, a mafioso, or a bimbo, or a buffoon and you know i challenge you debbie and your audience to come up with a positive portrayal of an italian-american in a popular tv show or movie you just can't do it I know. 2 0:12:50 I need a new show. 5 0:12:51 I was just invited. 1 0:12:52 I'm very proud to share this with you and also my audience. 2 0:12:53 I just got an invitation from the Italian consulate in New York City to come be a speaker 4 0:12:54 in November of Italian American Women's Success Stories. 2 0:12:55 I was really, really flattered. I'm like, how did you find me? I want to do my part to keep the heritage and culture going, as we all do from time to time. I'm going to be a speaker in November of Italian American Women's Success Stories Women's Success Stories. I want to do my part to keep the heritage and culture going, as we all do from wherever we have come. Right? I mean, we all have our family pride. But yeah, the whole Godfather story, it always blows my head that that's what keeps being shown. And you know who loves it more than anything else? The Italians, even though they know that's not how they want to be perceived. 1 0:13:39 Well of course the Godfather movies, you know, great cinema, we can't take away the fact of what they are as cinema, but it did really start in 1972, start this kind of craze about Italian American mobsters and mafiosi. You know, one thing, that was back in history, the one that actually hurts us more is The Sopranos because it took, it takes that and puts it in modern day suburbia. And that's what's really unfortunate. And you know, when they look at Italian Americans, they look at those shows and there's so much more accomplishment by Italian Americans. 2 0:14:06 Yeah, I gotta just continue this conversation some other time with you. But boy, oh boy, did you come at the right time to this show today. I can't thank you enough, Andre. Domino, I'm saying your name correctly, right? The president of the Italian American One Voice Coalition. Really nice to meet you. I'd like to have you back another time to talk about your family's company and all the inventions along the way that we've run out of time for now. But continued great success to you and have a great Columbus Day. 1 0:14:32 Thank you, Debbie. Happy Columbus Day. 2 0:14:34 Pleasure. Nice to meet you. All right, when we come back here on the show, I think we should talk about more of what Italians have invented. I got you through the Castro convertible sofa, Mr. Coffee in the Jacuzzi. Can you imagine what I'm going to tell you about next. Oh, you have to come back and that'll be in just a moment here on the Debbie Nigro show. Transcribed with Cockatoo /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/28293371

A Company Was Born out of A Mother's Struggle To Give Birth 10/03/2023

A Company Was Born out of A Mother's Struggle To Give Birth Repurposing Sterile IVF Needles is how now Mom of twins, Jamie Kushner Blicher coped with her infertility journey. Jamie an artist, who was emotionally struggling with what seemed like a never-ending process, took those one of those damn IVF needles one day, pumped it full of ink, and pushed out all her emotions onto a canvas! She then shared her art on social media without explaining. And that was how her company 'Glitter Enthusiast' was born. When she did share the heavy secret backstory of her art, a large and incredibly encouraging community cheered her on. Today, Jamie is proud to report that she is a mother of two incredible twin boys. This Glitter Enthusiast’s mission is to educate, support, and empower all women, but especially the 1 in 4 who are going through their own infertility journey. A portion of every sale of Jamie's art which is INCREDIBLE, is donated to RESOLVE, a national non-profit organization providing free/low-cost support and educational programs to meet the needs of women and men diagnosed with infertility. A self-taught artist, Jamie is using IVF tools to make art and conversation. Since 2016, she's been using her art to help bring calm and happiness to others who have gone through or are still going through their infertility journeys. In 2017, her work was exhibited in Washington, D.C. through The ART of Infertility, a non-profit group striving to break the silence around the experience of infertility through art and storytelling. Jamie also has made several prints available exclusively to lifestyle brand Oliver Gal. You can purchase these prints through various major retailers from Amazon to Neiman Marcus or directly through Oliver Gal. Or you can commission her to make something special for you. Many Fertility Clinics are commissioning her work! Jamie lives with her husband, her twin boys, and their labradoodle named Gem in their very noisy house in Rockville, Maryland. Meet Jamie Kushner Blicher in this podcast of our live conversation on /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/28210112

How's Shipping Those Lobster Rolls Around The Country Going? 09/28/2023

How's Shipping Those Lobster Rolls Around The Country Going? Did You Catch National Lobster Day? The people at GOLDBELLY reminded me in an email. GOLDBELLY ships Americas Most Iconic Foods Nationwide. When I saw my friend Andrea Anthony's Restaurant pop up in the email, the famous LUNCH Lobster Roll, in the Hamptons, I was curious to know how her new expansion into shipping Lobster Roll's to people all over the country through GOLDBELLY was going. She'll tell you herself in this fun podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show. Andrea is the most hands on businesswoman I've ever met. Refreshing to know in this day and age of virtual communication, where messages and emails often go unanswered for a while if not forever. If you try and get in touch directly with Andrea with a question or a problem, she's going to get back to you asap. Someone even left a review about just that point about her on GOLDBELLY. These kind of reviews matter to a company’s success. "Everything about it was excellent. I had a question about freezing the lobster and I left a message and Andrea called me back, which is unbelievable these days. I would definitely do business with this company again. Margaret P. from Tarpon Springs, FL12/26/22 Verified Purchase Andrea Anthony is all about sincerity and quality in all she does. She’s sets a fabulous example for how business owners and brands should be communicating with customers. Terrific woman. And her Lobster Rolls are... 'to die for'. BTW LUNCH Lobster Roll restaurant was the first to introduce the lobster roll to Long Island and the New York City Area. Over the years, The Lobster Roll and its neon sign (which proudly proclaims “LUNCH”) became Amagansett landmarks, and regulars began affectionately referring to it as simply Lunch. They now have a second location in Southampton, NY. Though you may have missed National Lobster Day it’s still a fun idea to order a Lobster Roll Kit through GOLDBELLY for yourself or as a gift for someone you want to make smile. Meet Andrea Anthony in this podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show. /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/28167887

Learn From This Guy How He Invented a Product & Licensed it! 09/28/2023

Etiquette For Communicating With Others With Disabilities 09/28/2023

Etiquette For Communicating With Others With Disabilities I love to talk to strangers and wanted to know how to better communicate with those with disabilities. What's the proper etiquette for communicating with others in wheelchairs, those with speech difficulties or cognitive impairments, or people with hearing or vision loss? The Disability Rights and Resource Center has some thoughtful tips, like when speaking to a person in wheelchair, if the conversation lasts more than a few minutes, sit down or kneel to get yourself on the same level as the person in the wheelchair. When speaking to a person who has a speech difficulty, if you don’t understand them don’t pretend to. Repeat as much as you do understand, the persons reaction will guide and clue you in. When communicating with someone with a cognitive impairment one suggestion is to use a calm voice and be re-assuring, use short sentences and simple concrete words. If you’re with someone who has hearing loss, look directly at the person and speak slowly and expressively. If they wear a hearing aid keep in mind hearing aids increase volume not clarity of words. Use sign language if you and the person are familiar with it. You’ can find more ‘Disability Etiquette Tips’ on drrcva.org. Meanwhile, I had been thinking about this subject on the very night I happened to catch Tom Willis, born without arms, throw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium with his feet, marking the 29th MLB ballpark in which he’s thrown a first pitch. Tom learned to use his ABILITIES to offset his disability. Tom is the President and Founder of the Pitch for Awareness National Tour. He’s pitching his message of the awareness of the abilities of persons with disabilities. He’s a powerful keynote motivational speaker who says … ‘No Hands - No Arms- No Problem” . Tom meets with people who want to turn Obstacles into Opportunities, Challenges into Championships, and make the Impossible … Possible! He says Impossible = I aM POSSIBLE! I was so inspired and touched by this man and could think of no message more important to post. GO TOM! While thinking about the subject of how to better communicate with those with disabilities, I also wanted to shine a light on a wonderful organization called ‘Positive Exposure’ which is building a more equitable, compassionate world for individuals and communities at risk of stigma and exclusion. I invited ‘Positive Exposure’ Founder an award-winning photographer, Rick Guidotti to join me on The Debbie Nigro Show today to get his take on how best to communicate with those with disabilities. Rick said,” We all share the same need: The need to be seen. The need to be heard. The need to belong”. I hope you take a few minutes to listen to Rick Guidotti on this podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show. It’s meaningful. /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/28167263

LifeVac Founder Donating Life Saving Choking Rescue Device to EVERY School in US! 09/15/2023

LifeVac Founder Donating Life Saving Choking Rescue Device to EVERY School in US! LifeVac Founder Arthur Lih Is Donating One Of His Life Saving Choking Rescue Devices to EVERY School in the US. THAT'S AMAZING so I'm helping share this news to make sure every school takes advantage of this generous gift. LifeVac Helps Prevent Senseless Choking Deaths. And Arthur Lih who invented the life saving device thinks every school in the US should have one on hand…in case. ‘School budgets’ or lack of budgets, were holding up progress on implementing the idea, so passionate Arthur Lih got frustrated and said, never mind, I’ll do it myself and donate one to every school in the U.S. I don’t care what it costs. It's gonna cost him millions, but Arthur Lih doesn’t care. He’s obsessed with making sure as many people as possible have access one of these life-saving devices that could mean the difference between life and death, in minutes, for anyone at any age. Arthur set out on the Life Vac mission some years ago when he was nearby a woman in a hospital weeping following the death of her young son. A grape had become lodged in the child’s windpipe and the Heimlich Maneuver did not work. Arthur, the father of a similar aged child at the time, was deeply pained and deeply affected by the tragedy that he felt could have been avoided. So, he set out to do something! Arthur, who had a little bit of a background in making things, invented a simple apparatus that could clear an airway in basically a single suction pull, in the hopes that no child would ever die a senseless choking death again. Arthur’s goal and LifeVacs' goal, is to save as many lives as possible throughout the world. They’re doing a great job. So far 1290 lives have been saved by having a LifeVac on hand! At LifeVac, research and development headquarters in Springfield Gardens, NY, there is actually a “Wall of Saves” featuring people of all ages who lives were saved thanks to LifeVac. Those lives include, among others, a 3 yr old little girl who choked on a peanut, a 90 yr old woman in a Senior Living Facility who choked on a food, an 82 yr old man who choked on a carrot, a 2 1/2 yr old girl who choked on a grape, a 7 yr old girl who choked on bacon, and a 1 yr old girl who choked on a hot dog. The list of ‘saves’ continues to grow. Just recently LifeVac Europe reported that a 70-year-old man at a private hospital in the North East of England choked on a piece of chicken, causing a complete airway obstruction. On the 2nd application LifeVac successfully dislodged the obstruction saving his life. Arthur Lih says, “We have now touched the lives of almost 1300 individuals and their families. Together we are making a difference one life at a time.” Incredible rescues around the world thanks to LifeVac’s upper airway clearing device which is they say, the safest, simplest method to save an aspirating person. Again, Arthur Lih is DONATING A LIFEVAC TO EVERY SCHOOL IN THE US. Please make sure someone from your school, your child’s school or a school near you gets in touch with LifeVac to get their free LifeVac Choking Rescue Device Kit. LifeVac.net [email protected] 1 516-962-2554 /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/28044411

What’s ‘ENOUGH’ Money For You? 09/15/2023

What’s ‘ENOUGH’ Money For You? Harvard MBA and Financial Wellness Expert Manisha Thakor is an awesome financial advisor. I met her years ago and never forgot how genuine and passionate she was about helping people understand their finances. She was compelled to figure out how to help people unlock the secret to finding their ‘enough’ with respect to money, and she candidly shares her own journey out of the Cult of Never Enough. A painful mindset she explains, that tells you the money you earn, the accomplishments you achieve, and praise you receive is always insufficient. Her new book is called “MoneyZen - The Secret to Finding Your Enough”, written with investigative journalist Lisa Sweetingham, sets out to understand ‘why’ so many of us develop toxic relationships around work, money and success at the expense of our emotional well-being and crucially, how to flip the mental script. There’s a money-happiness paradox. Yes, making more money can lead to greater life satisfaction, but it only works if you already possess emotional well-being she says. Manisha wrote MoneyZen to share the powerful blueprint she developed on that journey one that can be used by anyone of any age income or profession, to stop surviving as a human doing and start thriving as a human being. There are lots of inspiring stories in the book from people who share their experiences escaping the Cult of Never Enough. And women should especially benefit from reading the book as Manisha has always had a sweet spot for helping women and she knows how to make understanding investing simple! MoneyZen is for anyone who needs to let go of their self-sabotaging behaviors preventing them from living the life that makes their heart sing. Meet Manisha Thakor in this podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show. BTW: you can listen to the show live form anywhere 11-12noon ET at WGCH.com More about Manisha’s background at moneyzen.com /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/28042218

Random Run In: A Baptist Minister Swinging A Weighted Hula Hoop? 09/15/2023

Random Run In: A Baptist Minister Swinging A Weighted Hula Hoop? I was taking a walk at the Kensico Dam in Valhalla, NY when I spotted a woman working out swinging ‘sumthin' in the distance. I was curious what the heck she was doing and wanted to ask her. So, I walked over and saw she was swinging a contraption around her waist and hips, similar to what we used to do as kids with that old Skip-It toy you’d swing around your ankle and jump over with your other leg. 'Weighted Hula Hoops' she said are a Tik Tok Trend. Who Knew? I instantly felt I might need one too! LOL I got to talking with Dr. Karen Blacks, who said according to her app, her 20 minutes of 'hula hooping' was the same as walking 2 miles, plus it tightens your core, she said. A few laughs later, I find out like me, Dr. Blacks enjoys talking to strangers, so I told her about my upcoming little book, “How To Talk To Strangers, Advice From A Professional Stranger Talker.” Then she told me she wrote a book called 'Experiencing God in The Ordinary'. Then she mentioned she was excited she was being ordained at a Baptist Minister that weekend, then… I invited her on my show to share the big hula hoop discovery and celebrate her accomplishment! Meanwhile, next day Amazon delivered my own 'weighted hula hoop’. I chose blue. It was pretty easy to figure out how to size it to my waist and attach the weighted thingy. What was challenging was figuring ‘where’ to hula. I tried it inside my house and almost cleared all the glasses off my bar. I was too embarrassed to let my neighbors see me hula swinging outside my house, so I waited till almost dark and tried it out for like 2 minutes. Then I put it in my car and figured I’d just keep it there for when I went walking and do it in a random park. But every time I was about to take it out and swing it around, I thought I’d look stupid, so I didn’t. One day just as I walked into a CVS drugstore, my phone rang, and it was my bestie Mo calling from the parking lot telling me that I’d just parked next to her and walked past her car without noticing. I knew she was in a funky mood, so I thought I’d cheer her up on the way back out, and make her laugh by showing off my moves with my new hula hoop in the parking lot while she watched from inside her car. That was a good laugh. Anyway, I finally found the perfect spot to do my hula exercise, a hideaway grassy area in my local park. The other day after walking I put it on, and got my weighted hula hooping swinging up to 5 minutes and found myself sweating. Even crazier, I checked my ‘steps’ on my iPhone and sure enough it was like I had walked another half mile. I’m getting the hang of it now. Last night after walking, right around dusk when I got back to my car in a mostly empty parking lot, I figured no one would notice me hula swinging. So I put it on, and hula hooped with my phone in my hand to just again see if it counted as ‘steps’. Out of the corner of my eye I saw random woman walking in the distance toward her parked car but paid her no mind, until she turned and started walking toward me and I knew why. In her Norwegian accent she said,… ‘What’ is that thing you’re doing?” I was laughing while still hooping as I told her, I had done the same exact thing when I saw the random Baptist Minister swinging her weighted hula hoop. Now the Norwegian lady wanted to get one too. So, while still swinging away, I gave her the name of it to look it up on Amazon. Anyway, I decided some of you after reading this story, might get a kick out of the idea and want to try a weighted hula hoop too. I got my 'Dumoyi Smart Weighted Fit Hoop on Amazon'. Let me know if you get one. LOL Meanwhile listen in and have some laughs and meet my latest 'Random Run In' Dr. Karen Blacks in this podcast of our live conversation from The Debbie Nigro Show. When she's not 'hula hooping' at the dam, Dr. Karen Blacks serves as the Associate Minister, and Minister of Women's Initiatives at Antioch Baptist Church in Bedford Hills, New York. Dr. Blacks is also the founder of Women of God in the World, a welcoming community of over 10,000 women from 30+ countries. Dr. Blacks holds a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry from New York Theological Seminary and a Certificate of Specialization in Leadership and Management from Harvard Business School Online. She also has a heart for volunteering and can be found distributing food to those in need in the White Plains community. She serves on the Town of Bedford Prison Relations Advisory Committee, is a member of the Westchester NY Black Women's Political Caucus and is on the board of the Women's Empowerment Forum located in Liberia, Africa. /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/28040286

LaughMD: Proving to be The Best Medicine in Hospitals 08/16/2023

LaughMD: Proving to be The Best Medicine in Hospitals Frank Chindano is the Founder & CEO of LaughMD, sure knows a thing or two about comedy and the power of humor. Frank’s comedy career resume is a riot. He’s been a writer for SNL, worked on Ghostbusters, and has garnered some 30+ awards for writing and producing comedy videos for HBO, Showtime, CBS, PBS, Comedy Central and more. In addition, he’s a certified humor professional as part of the Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor, Frank launched LaughMD, the worlds’ first mobile comedy channel and it’s a huge hit with patients and health care workers in hospitals and health facilities around the country. LaughMD iPads are a digital therapeutic healing tool. LaughMD Has PROOF They’re The Best Medicine! SERIOUSLY. 500 scientific studies show positive health benefits of humor and laughter. If you saw the movie Patch Adam’s with Robin Williams, you’ll understand why the real Patch Adam’s is on Franks’ LaughMD advisory board. Dr. Patch Adam’s is a medical doctor and a clown who has devoted over 40 years of his life to changing Americas healthcare system and has traveled the world sharing his message that laughter, joy and creativity are an integral part of the healing process. Health care providers and patients are raving how the LaughMD content is lowering their stress and pain. No joke! Franks says, when you laugh your breathing gets better, your heart rate slows, your blood pressure goes down, all kinds of things happen to you when you laugh, all kinds of good things! Your endorphins, your serotonin, your dopamine go up, your cortisol and your adrenaline go down. So, you feel less pain and you are in a better mood and so that promotes healing. You heal more quickly, literally. Frank also says, the nurses love it too, because their job is so incredibly stressful that according to National Public Radio about half of them are going to be planning on leaving the profession in the next two years because there's so much stress. They don’t have to convince me. I’m positive my sense of humor is what got me through my own 2 bouts of cancer. My favorite line I used every time I arrived for chemo treatment wearing a wig was, “Hi I’m here for the modeling assignment.” I ‘get’ and wholeheartedly support Frank Chindano and LaughMD. Frank says, “Ask your doctors, ask your health officials, ask your hospitals to please subscribe because we don't sell to the public, we sell to the institutions, health care institutions, dialysis, cancer clinics, drug and alcohol recovery, that sort of thing. Those are our customers. So if you work there, please, my phone number is on the website and if you're a customer there, even better.:” Right now LaughMD is an app but they’re raising funding so that they can do it in virtual reality, and hook up with medical devices so people can see their biometrics change in real time. Tune in to this podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show and meet Frank Chindano and help spread the word to other healthcare facilities about the healing power of LaughMD. /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/27768984

NBC Universal Studio Exec. Shares How To Build Professional Relationships 08/10/2023

NBC Universal Studio Exec. Shares How To Build Professional Relationships Michael Swanson Sr. VP Production NBC Universal Studio Group, was just featured in the Forbes Magazine article called, ‘How To Build Your Network” by Maya Richard-Craven. Michael who’s a giver by nature, was called on for his expert advice. He shared that ‘helping other people is a great way to form long- term relationships”. When it comes to creating professional relationships, Michael says, “Go out of your way to be of service with a genuine motive and an earnest heart”. “Then over time, someone may ask if there is anything you need." Since 85% of jobs are filled through networking rather than traditional hiring, (yes, it’s true), then Michael’s advice should help lead you in the right direction to build your career. Michael’s own professional journey has been one of working his way up through hard work, and is filled with many accomplishments. Being of service to many along his jounrey has surely led to the many professional relationships he has come to enjoy. Besides being an Emmy Award winner, and a Hollywood TV studio executive, film producer and theatre producer, Michael is also a visionary entrepreneur and President and CEO of the entertainment company, Faith Filmworks. At NBC Universal, he’s the studio executive responsible for the production of Universal Television's Parks and Recreation, Hacks, The Good Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Good Girls, Never Have I Ever, Community and Master of None. And throughout his distinguished career in entertainment, Michael has produced movies to critical and audience acclaim including All About You, All About Us, For the Love of Ruth, To Hell and Back, Andraé Crouch: Making The Journey, Two Seasons, Notre Dame First Time Fans: Legacy, The Wayman Tisdale Story and Fannie. He's a guy many in the professional entertinament business aspire to meet, but if you do meet him, please don't ask if he has a card! Or a QR Code! LOL Michael said, " I find that a little off-putting. I think it's more important to really engage a person and get to know him or her, ask questions, but in a very genuine and authentic way as opposed to kind of bouncing around collecting information and calculating in your head what's the best way he or she can help boost my career or advance my career so I can climb the ladder. Frankly in my opinion it's just the opposite. How can we be of service to others? I find that when you are in service to others in a genuine way, with an authentic heart and no ulterior motives, but really just want to help and learn, then I think there comes an opportunity where that executive or that person can eventually reach back out to you and say, you know what, you're doing such a great job. Is there anything I can do for you? How can I help? And then it becomes a more authentic relationship and it can even perhaps turn into a long-term mentoring relationship. And I think that's the best way to navigate a career because it's a little bit more personal. It's not about just taking from someone but learning how to be of service to others." I’m personally aware that networking is challenging for people who don’t have ‘connections or ‘experience’ in their fields yet, but I always champion the idea of finding ways to meet the people you want to meet, especially in your desired industry, ‘in person’. I think ‘in person’ matters for connecting genuinely with people. For getting them to ‘see’ who you really are. How do you think I got Michael Swanson on my show today right after Forbes got him? I had the good fortune to meet Michael ‘in person’ when he was in NY from LA when The Temptations and The Four Tops performed at the Westbury Music Fair in Long Island NY. Michael, is involved with the Tony Award Winning Broadway smash hit musical ‘Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations’ and is also co-producing the upcoming Four Tops Musical, ‘I’ll Be There’ with my buddy Paul Lambert and Duke Fakir. Duke is the only surviving member of the group. Michael is a beautiful human with a beautiful family. He serves on the board of directors for Wedgwood Circle, Notre Dame’s Performing Arts Advisory Council, Success Through Education Program, FEAST and is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. A South Side of Chicago native, Michael resides in Los Angeles with his wife of 29 years, filmmaker and screenwriter Christine Swanson, and their four children. Michael Swanson joined me live from LA on The Debbie Nigro Show to share much more of his warm advice about how to build your professional ‘relationships’. Enjoy the podcast of our conversation. If you prefer to read, the Audio Transcript is below. ************************************************************************ AUDIO TRANSCRIPT 0:00:00 And now, back to the Debbie Nigro Show! 2 0:00:24 Okay, life is all about relationships. Let me explain, okay? Actually, I'll let somebody else explain. Hi everybody, I'm Debbie Nigro. I am so excited to introduce you to my next guest. You know, I always say meeting people in person matters, right? I really do think it totally matters, especially in this virtual world we live in. I met Michael the night I went to see The Four Tops and also the Temptations at Westbury Music Fair in Long Island back when. It was a wildly fabulous night. I met Michael and met his lovely son. What a gentleman. There was something very special about him and there's something very special about him that you guys are going to sense and find out about right now. Michael is a giver by nature. He's not only some big wig Hollywood TV studio executive and film producer and theater producer, which he is all those things, but he is a guy who's created relationships over time that have been really heartfelt and he's spending some time right now educating others on how to do it. Forbes just did a story on how to build a network of professional relationships. He was their first person. They went to interview him as an expert. What Michael said that really just needs to be shared because he's a giver by nature, I mentioned that, is that helping other people is a great way to form long-term relationships. So more about that, but first, welcome Michael and thanks for helping me out by coming on my show today. 1 0:02:10 Good morning, Debbie. It's so wonderful to be with you. Thanks for having me. 2 0:02:13 You're welcome. So you, being the first guy that Forbes called about relationships, probably took a moment, sat back and thought, wow, all my life's work has mattered because I know this matters to you. You have incredibly important advice to people about giving before taking. 1 0:02:31 Yes, yes. I think we are all called to be of service. One thing about networking and mentoring which Forbes wanted to focus on is how do you do it? What's the best way for someone who has had a long career and they wanted me to give advice and some tips. My whole thing is not about going to networking events and some of the less savvy networkers may their first question may become, �Do you have a card? 2 0:03:01 Does anybody have a card anymore? 1 0:03:04 Yeah, I know, right? QR codes. Can I scan your QR codes? I found that a little off-putting. I think it's more important to really engage a person and get to know him or her, ask questions, but in a very genuine and authentic way as opposed to kind of bouncing around collecting information and calculating in your head what's the best way he or she can help boost my career or advance my career so I can climb the ladder. Frankly in my opinion it's just the opposite. How can we be of service to others? I find that when you are in service to others in a genuine way, with an authentic heart and no ulterior motives, but really just want to help and learn, then I think there comes an opportunity where that executive or that person can eventually reach back out to you and say, you know what, you're doing such a great job. Is there anything I can do for you? How can I help? And then it becomes a more authentic relationship and it can even perhaps turn into a long-term mentoring relationship. And I think that's the best way to navigate a career because it's a little bit more personal. It's not about just taking from someone but learning how to be of service to others. 2 0:04:23 If somebody didn't know you and know that you are this heartfelt guy that you are and just saw your title, Hollywood TV studio executive, film producer, theater producer, and they were a young person trying to get into the business. They might be very intimidated by approaching a gentleman like yourself. You're giving some good advice, but how would you like someone to approach you if they were trying to get to know you? 1 0:04:48 My advice would be to simply be yourself. When I meet with a lot of especially recent college graduates or young professionals, that's my advice. There is only one you in this entire world who God has created. So be yourself because no one can be better at you being yourself than you. And then I find that you will relax, you will get centered, you can be yourself and communicate without trying to morph into someone else who you think you're supposed to be to move ahead. 2 0:05:21 Has anybody ever tried to impress you by doing something really out of the box to get your 6 0:05:26 attention? 4 0:05:29 Probably Debbie. But I don't know. 1 0:05:33 I can't think of anything right now. 2 0:05:36 I guess I'm thinking of something funny and I'll share it with you because you did you know one of the key points that was Made in the article and that you know I made Promoting your being on the show today It says that 85% of jobs are filled through networking rather than traditional hiring which is very loud It's a big number and what came to mind is you know a father Always tries to help a daughter or a son and my father God rest his soul He's dead 40 years now once went and repaved some guy's driveway and put in all new shrubs for a guy who wasn't in the TV business because he wanted to make sure he knew who I was by the time I called him. The guy woke up like, what? He didn't even know who I was. So I'm just saying that's funny but people do crazy things to try and get attention to create a relationship and that's the only reason I brought it up. But if in fact 85% right of all the jobs are filled through networking rather than traditional hiring. Like why do people even bother with these, you know, sending resumes into a virtual, you know, hole, a black hole? 1 0:06:36 Yeah, it can become very, rejection is hard for any of us, right? And so when you apply for a job, and even repeatedly sometimes, and you get that rejection or that disappointment, it can be deflating, it can be discouraging, it can even sometimes become depressing because it's like, I've done everything, what can I do? But I have hope in that 15%. You didn't say 100%, you said 85%. So stay positive, is my advice. Stay encouraged and keep submitting. Also, this is one thing that I like to say, which has been true in my life, God will take you to where He needs you to be when He needs you to be there. Sometimes we get rejections or we don't get that job or we don't get that meeting or we don't get that promotion. Sometimes perhaps it's for our own protection. We just may not know that. I'm a big believer, believe it or not, in failure. I think failure is your friend. The key is to learn from your failures, learn from your mistakes, learn from the setbacks, because all of those things are equipping you and preparing you for where you ultimately will end up. So it's not always a bad thing. You know, it's like adding tools to your toolbox that informs how you proceed. So life is hard, right? There are challenges, there are ups and downs, but stay encouraged is the advice that I always get. And importantly, you have to know that things take time. Things take time. Hang in there. Don't get discouraged. Most overnight successes are about ten years. It takes about ten years. 2 0:08:25 At least. Right? 9 0:08:27 I think I'm just peaking, Michael. 4 0:08:28 I love that. 8 0:08:29 That's okay because you know what, Debbie? 2 0:08:30 All of the experience and all of the knowledge and all of the things that you've learned 4 0:08:31 and now you've continued to hone your craft all of these years, it just makes you even 5 0:08:32 more prepared for where you are now. 7 0:08:33 Yes. 1 0:08:34 And have an even bigger platform. So I'm okay with that. I think we live in a microwave society now. Yep. And I think we live in a microwave society now. And I think we live in a microwave society now. And I think we live in a microwave society now. And I think we live in a microwave society now. And I think we live in a microwave society now. And I think we live in a microwave society now. And I think we live in a microwave society now. And I think we live in a microwave society now. 5 0:08:46 And I think we live in a microwave society now. 1 0:08:47 And I think we live in a microwave society now. And I think we live in a microwave society now. And I think we live in a microwave society now. And I think we live in a microwave society now. And I think we live in a microwave society now. And I think we live in a microwave society now. It's okay to put things in the crockpot. Let things simmer. I like that. Let things simmer. 6 0:08:59 Let things simmer. 2 0:09:00 I like that. Let things simmer. Let things simmer. Let things simmer. Let things simmer. Let things simmer. Let things simmer. Let things simmer. Let things simmer. Let things simmer. Let things simmer. Let things simmer. Let things simmer. Let things simmer. Let things simmer. Let things simmer. Let things simmer. works, your celebrated entertainment production company. But you're also the production executive on so many shows that we all love and know, Parks and Recreation, The Good Plays, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Master of None, Good Girls, Never Have I Ever, you've been out there in the movie world, Oh My Gosh, All About You, All About Us, For the Love of Ruth, it goes on, Broadway, Ain't Too Proud, The Life and Times of the Temptations, and then of course the upcoming Four Tops musical with Duke Fakir, the only living member producer and your co-producer. I'm excited to know you. I have to think that as you look back at your life and you are having this conversation with me about how important relationships are to going forward in a career, who is loud in your head right now that helped you along the way? Somebody that did something nice for you in your business? 1 0:10:02 Oh yeah, well you know so many people, Jerry D'Acanio, Clay Mattel, Adrian Backus, there are so many people who have impacted my life, my career. Mentors who I've had, Erwin McManus, pastors along the way like Charles Stanley. You don't always have to know. I know all those folks or know of them, but most of them I've had personal relationships with. But I also want to share, you don't have to know them personally. You can have a mentor or someone who can be very influential in your life or your career by reading his or her book, by listening to their podcast, their interviews, by kind of studying their business decisions, if they are entrepreneurs, kind of seeing what pivots they made when the landscape was changing. So you can learn from everyone, even if you've never met him or her along the way. Excellent. That has really impacted my career and my life as a husband, father, friend, executive and entrepreneur. 2 0:11:12 Excellent advice. And we do live in a world where there is an exorbitant amount of information for everybody to tap into free of charge if they have the energy and the desire, right? Absolutely. Let's talk about your family real quick. I know you have a beautiful wife you married to a long time who's also a great talent, Christine Swanson, and then you have four kids. This is a beautiful life you're living. And I've met one of your sons who was adorable. Which one was that? 1 0:11:35 That was Cole. That was our oldest son, Cole Swanson, who recently graduated from college and now he is doing his thing. He is also in the entertainment industry. He graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Art and focused on directing. So we have another filmmaker in the family. 2 0:11:50 Awesome. And the other kids, are they in the business? Are they coming up behind you? 1 0:11:55 I think they are, Debbie. You know, I have a rising sophomore at Stanford University who will probably major in filmmaking and business. I think he has a great producer's mind. My third son, Luke, that was Kenji who is at Stanford, my third son Luke recently completed the acting and theater workshop this summer at USC. Although he is a rising senior in high school, he wants to study acting and he would say be an on-screen actor to make it clear. I said, well you have to start in theater, that's where you really get your training. And then my daughter Julia is entering high school and she is just as smart as anyone. I think it would be great to have an entertainment attorney in the family, so who knows what her career path would be. But Christine, my wife, and I are blessed to have wonderful children. We've been married 29 years, about a week ago. I'm really grateful and just trying to raise some grounded children in Hollywood. 2 0:12:52 Wow, that is a huge accomplishment. So Michael Swanson, you're doing great. Thank you so much for being my guest today. I remembered your good energy when I met you in person. I knew that you would be accommodating and love to share your information about what you said in Forbes, which is how to build a network of professional relationships. Remember, helping other people is a great way to form long-term relationships. Go out of your way to be of service with a genuine motive and an earnest heart. Michael Swanson, NBCUniversal Senior VP of Production, you have a terrific day. Thank you, Debbie. 1 0:13:24 You too. Thanks for having me. 6 0:13:26 See you again soon, I hope. 2 0:13:27 Okay, real soon. 1 0:13:28 Bye-bye. 5 0:13:29 Bye-bye. Bye-bye. /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/27714459

Melissa Stevens: 'THE Gal 'Everybody Wants To Fish With 08/09/2023

Melissa Stevens: 'THE Gal 'Everybody Wants To Fish With Melissa Stevens Dad finally agreed to go fishing with her so she could finally show him what she does for a living. Her Dad happened to show me some photos when he returned, and I was blown away. OMG! I’ve never seen any woman reel in fish this big! I had to meet her. Melissa will tell you herself she’s not the only woman out there fishing at this level, she's just the only one I know about. I am aware that more women than ever are taking up fishing and that's a good thing. Research shows women who fish are happier and healthier. If that’s the case Melissa must be freakin ecstatic. The fish she caught when her Dad went along was a Swordfish weighing about 90 to 110 pounds and was about 6 ½ feet tall from the tip of his tail to the end of the bill. Yes, this woman catches fish much bigger than she is. The fish in the shot of her leaning back on the boat, the photo with blood all over the bottom of the boat (gag me) is a large tuna. Then there’s that a 302-pound swordfish she’s posed with. And a shot with her posing with what looks to me like a giant goldfish. Those are American Red Snappers. Melissa said the biggest fish she ever caught on a rod and reel personally, was roughly a 900 pound bluefin tuna out of a fishery in Nova Scotia where they were not permitted to remove them from. And the largest fish she ever caught commercial fishing, working on a commercial boat, was... a 940 pound swordfish! I asked her. “How the heck do you even pull these fish with your arms? "I mean, what kind of unusual strength do you have?” “Most of my strength” , said Melisa, “comes from pure stubbornness.” I'm was left speechless seeing what Melissa has been doing for a living for the past 14 years, and I had to wonder, what would inspire a young woman to go in this direction? Melissa said, “Mom and I grew up watching a lot of this sport fishing on television, most specifically a show called Walker's Kay Chronicles. It's the show that really started off sport fishing in the public eye. And I always wanted to be on the boat my whole life and instead of taking the traditional route after high school, I dug my heels in and I went fishing.” So yes, Melissa’s gone fishing and living her dream! I too loved watching sport fishing shows as little girl, and I too am living my dream, telling other peoples fish tales. LOL Oh and Melissa's 'quite the catch herself', but dating her means you'll have to understand she smells like a fish a lot. LOL We laughed about that. Melissa is from CT, lives in Fla. and fishes often in Venice, Louisiana. If you want to go fishing with her, which many people do, you can book a fishing trip with her at Southern Catch Outfitters in Venice, Louisiana. Melissa says, "People come from all over the world come to fish in Venice." Most of their customer basis is from the Gulf Coast area, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Northern Florida, just because it is a very easy drive. But she said, they’re only an hour and 15 minutes from New Orleans airport and there is a direct flight from LaGuardia Airport in NY right there. So they do have quite a few customers from the tri-state area that join them. Enjoy this podcast of our live radio conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show. If you'd rather read than listen - the audio treanscript is below. In case you want to know more about Melissa Stevens check out: https://www.southerncatchoutfitters.com/ Melissa Stevens Facebook Page: Southbound Tackle I like to follow her 'catches' on Instagram: @SouthboundTackle ********************************************************* AUDIO TRANSCRIPT: 0:00:00 It's time for the Debbie Nigro Show with Debbie Nigro, who says she's still a babe, or at least she thinks she still is. That's right, attitude is everything, and Debbie's delusionally young. No one sees the glass of Cabernet half full like Debbie. She's fresh air with a magnetic flair, but some day has arrived, and as far as she's It's time to roll. 4 0:00:24 They say when you cast off, you never know what you'll reel in. Research shows the real catch isn't something you can hold or see, but something you can feel. Yes, it's about happiness and grit and learning patience and it's very good for your health. 1 0:00:48 Fishing it is, and women who fish have all these things going on. They're being encouraged to get out there, fish more. I don't know if you guys know any women who fish. I don't know many. I love the idea of it. I don't bait and I don't like getting in the way of a big fish coming on board. But, you know, I like the idea of it. I saw a photo of a girl. I'll call her a woman because she is a young beautiful woman, that blew my head. I was like, what am I looking at here? She was holding a catch of a day that was bigger than any fish I've ever seen. I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. And then it just kept going on, picture after picture after picture of this woman, young woman, catching gigundo fish. Like she is the girl that all the guys want to fish with. And I happened to see the picture because I know her dad. And he had just returned from the first time he ever went fishing with her. He said, she said, Dad, why don't you come fishing? So Melissa Stevens is supposed to be joining me today. I don't know if she's still in the water, on the sea, wherever she is. She's definitely checking in. Bob, you stay alert. Hopefully she's supposed to be on the air. Staying alert. Okay. I mean, you just don't mess with a girl who can lift a fish this big. If you want to go on my social media and see what I'm talking about, I highly encourage you to go over to the Debbie Nigro Show Facebook page and you can go over to my Instagram at The Real Debbie Nigro and you will just not believe your eyes. I just can't believe your eyes. I used to watch Wide World of Fishing when I was a young girl. It was on Sunday mornings after like, I don't know, there was nothing on Sunday mornings. It was just like a wide world of fishing. It was always that opened up with an icon and a brand image of a giant swordfish. A big swordfish. I thought that I should do that. I thought I should catch a giant swordfish. Maybe it was a marlin. I don't know. It looked the same to me. I know they're not the same, but that's what I started my day with on Sunday, as a little chubby little girl, like, oh, this is cool. And I imagined myself sitting there trying to do it. One time I did get a chance to go on a boat in Florida and sit in what they call kind of like a, almost like a shark catching sulky, if you will. You know, a big fish sulky that's on the back of a boat and facing out, you get strapped in. 3 0:03:29 It's like, wow! 1 0:03:30 Caught nothing, but I felt like it. Like I felt I had the experience. But what this woman does is beyond. So hopefully she'll be coming up shortly. It led me to do some homework really about fishing and the psychology of it and in particular the research has shown that women should really look into this. It has a very profound impact on a woman's life, fishing and boating. The senior director of marketing for an organization that I just found out about today is really out there. It's called Take Me Fishing. What they're trying to do is confront the barriers and inspire women everywhere to challenge themselves, to try something new, to help them find their best self while supporting a more inclusive fishing and boating environment. Despite record levels of female participation in fishing, almost half of the female anglers do not feel respected by the broader angling community, with more than one in three feeling stereotyped, right? 9 0:04:28 Hey, Deb, how about we let Melissa tell us about it herself? 1 0:04:32 She's right here now. Oh, thank. She got off the boat to call me? Thank goodness. Melissa Stevens, you, you, you unbelievable girl, you. I am like bowing down. Hi, welcome. Hello, thank you. Thank you for having me on. I appreciate it. Honestly, I've been a champion of women doing everything since I was born. I was always like, what can't we do? Why can't we do it? But I was just starting to talk about how there's a campaign to get more women fishing and that there's sort of been a stereotype, I guess, about women not having the presence in the fishing industry. So when I saw this picture that your father showed me, he goes, I just got back from seeing my daughter. We went out fishing. I was like, what am I looking at? And there you were with a giant how big was that swordfish? The one we caught the other day with my dad was about a between we never weighted it but about 90 to 110 pounds. And how tall was it you know I saw it over your head over your father's head. Yeah. How high did it get? 2 0:05:34 Probably about 6 1⁄2 foot on that fish. I couldn't believe it. 1 0:05:40 That's from the tip of his tail to the end of the bill. Melissa, you brave girl. The second picture I put up is you leaning back on the boat with a fish bigger than you, kind of blood all over the bottom of the boat. I'm assuming it's that large. What kind of fish? 2 0:05:53 I haven't looked at it, but I'm assuming it's that large tuna. 1 0:05:56 Yeah, that looks like a large tuna. And then you sent me a picture, you told me I had permission to use, of another fish that, I don't know, I never saw anything this big, is that another swordfish? 2 0:06:08 Oh, that's a 302-pound swordfish. 1 0:06:13 And then those big, looks like giant goldfish, what are those? 2 0:06:17 Those are American red snappers. 1 0:06:21 It's just, I'm speechless seeing what you do. Is this what you do for a living every day It's been about 14 years of me doing this is my daily job What would inspire a young woman like yourself to go in this direction? What was it in your life that led you to doing this very fortunately I live my childhood dream. 2 0:06:40 Mom I grew up watching a lot of this sport fishing on television most specifically a show called Walker's Kay Chronicles. It's really, it was the show that really started off sport fishing in the public eye. Wow. And I always wanted to be on the boat my whole life and instead of taking the traditional route after high school, I dug my heels in and I went fishing. I just think it's incredible. You missed the park. 1 0:07:15 Yeah, I used to watch fishing shows too. That's why I really was attracted to what you're doing. I mean, I used to fantasize about doing what you're doing. I don't know where that came from. It was the only show on Sunday morning, Wild World of Fishing. But you're doing it. Are you one of the few women catching fish this big? At this point in my career, I am not. 2 0:07:37 In the beginning, there was probably about overall four of us in the entire community that were fishing at this level. In the last five years, it has really become more available for women. Yeah, maybe more, more than a month. I've never really, I've never been in it to be a martyr for women. I've never been in it to pound the way and pave the road. So, there's always been space for women in this career if you've been willing to put your head down and work hard. That is really the only way to get, the only way to get far in this career is to dedicate your life to it and show everybody around you how good you are. 1 0:08:30 Unbelievable. 2 0:08:31 There's no... no pictures do the justice. The people need to see the hard work. 1 0:08:37 Yeah. I'm just jealous you get all that fresh air every day. Now I know you're from Greenwich but you moved to Florida but you fished a lot in Venice, Louisiana. Is that where the big action is? 2 0:08:47 My current home port of fishing is Venice. I have been very fortunate that my career has taken me around most of the globe and I have done some of the best fishing on earth. But as far as consistency and truly just incredible nature, Venice, Louisiana is one of the most impressive fishing destinations that I have ever been to in my life. Which is why I chose to stay there for a while. 1 0:09:20 And the water is of the Gulf of Mexico. I can see that just from the way you're catching, who would even know that it existed? Is there something you want to... you came in a little late on the segment. Do you have any more time to hang out and talk a little bit more or you got to go? 2 0:09:33 I have plenty of time, absolutely. 1 0:09:35 Okay, cool. We have to take a little break and when you guys come back I'm talking to Melissa Stevens she is a world-class fisher woman am I saying it right angler what do you what do you an angler I am a fisherman much like a fireman a postman a mailman I'm a fisherman it is a the ocean doesn't know if you're a man or a woman it just wants to work hard that's great so stay with me because I have a lot more that I want to share about you to the audience where they can find you and follow you because it just made my day to see what you're doing. Okay, everybody, you're listening to the Debbie Nigro Show and I guess Melissa Stevens and we'll be back in just a moment. 3 0:10:25 And now, back to the Debbie Nigro Show. 1 0:10:32 Hi guys, I'm Debbie Nigro. You know, I love fascinating personalities, right? People who are unique, doing unique things. And I happen to come across a photo of this guest right now that I'm enjoying meeting, Melissa Stevens, when her dad showed me a picture of him going fishing with her for the first time. And she's like next to these gigantic, like world record size fish. And I wanted to invite her on the show, introduce her to you guys, tell you where you can find her because they, she and her cohorts actually take people out on charters to go fish with them in Venice, Louisiana. You're going to want to know about this if you're into this sort of thing. So, Melissa, are you breaking world records with what I'm seeing you catch this year? 2 0:11:23 Oh man, Debbie, I wish that I was, but I am not. I am not. The hope is that we can get close and try to push the limits of what we can catch where we are, but that's the cool thing about being on the water it could happen anywhere at any time so every day we're hunting for them but I have yet to put a legitimate world record. I mean what what's the heaviest fish you ever pulled up? The heaviest fish that I've ever caught on a rod and reel personally myself is about a 900 pound bluefin tuna out of a fishery in Nova Scotia where we were not permitted to remove them from 8 0:12:06 the water. 2 0:12:07 So that's an approximation of about 900 pounds. And the largest fish I've ever caught commercial fishing, working on a commercial boat, was a 940 pound swordfish. How do you even pull this with your arms? I mean, what kind of strength do you have? Most of my strength comes from pure stubbornness. 1 0:12:35 Wow, you are stubborn! 4 0:12:37 Yes. 1 0:12:39 Incredible, incredible, incredible. I was reading this morning that... 2 0:12:43 Handling fish of that size is heavily technique-driven, not so much a strength thing as far as it is understanding how to handle it. 1 0:12:53 Yeah, so say you catch a 900 pound fish, how many people do you need on the boat with you to help you pull it up into the boat? 2 0:13:02 With the right equipment it could be two of us, but if we don't have that it could take quite a few, five, six people. 1 0:13:09 Wow. And then you know, tuna is in high demand obviously as is swordfish and when you catch giant tuna and we'll talk about tuna let's stick with that what is the market for that like are people 2 0:13:22 clamoring to get their hands on it? So as of right now my current job is solely charter fishing the fish that we catch during the day goes home with the 1 0:13:31 customer and usually they slide a piece of the water. I've never tasted anything. Swordfish, you know, that's not on as many menus as it used to be. 2 0:13:46 What's going on with the swordfish out there? The sword fishery is as good as it's ever been. There has been a lot of restrictions placed on some of the commercial boats, specifically the longliners, on where they can fish. So the frequency in which they've been sword fishing and catching them for the commercial longline boats because of where they're allowed to fish has kind of hampered the amount of swordfish that they've been catching. But also, swordfish do contain a very high level of mercury. And that will scare some people away. But that 90 to 120 pound range fish that my father and I caught, you could eat that all 1 0:14:35 day with not the worry of the mercury. So interesting. What about seasickness? What you guys do all day long? How do you do that? I fortunately in the last almost 15 years have never been seasick. 7 0:14:52 Good. 2 0:14:53 But I have been graced with the opportunity to watch thousands of people to get seasick. 1 0:14:59 Gosh, that's the worst. 2 0:15:02 Depending on the customer, we don't really, there's nothing you can really do. Seasickness, you can kind of tell usually before we leave the dock even who's going 6 0:15:12 to get seasick. 2 0:15:13 It's very mentally driven. Now there are a group of people who just cannot handle any kind of motion. My brother is one of those people specifically where we could be in the car and the car could swerve funny and he could get sick. But most people the seasickness comes from hyping it up in their head that they're going to get seasick. Wow. Okay. There is some things you can do in order to, you know, stave it off, but once it happens, it's very hard to shake it until we get to 1 0:15:48 land. Okay, let's not talk about that anymore, because even the thought of people getting nauseous makes me nauseous, Melissa. I can't even talk about it. Yes, but that, but I'm 2 0:15:57 trying to say is that that thought in your mind is what will drive it in the first place. 1 0:16:03 Okay, we're done with that topic. Let's talk about the blood that comes out of the fish. I can't look at blood. How do you look at all that blood? 2 0:16:09 Oh, I tell our customers that my Captain John has a duty to fulfill my daily bloodlust and that we gotta go catch some fish. So for me, it is a byproduct of the joy of fishing and I could not possibly care less about it. 1 0:16:26 How many days a week do you eat fish after doing all this fishing? I eat little fish pieces with tuna blood every day. Oh gosh. Did you hear what my question? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cut you off. How many days do you eat fish after all this fishing? How many days a week do I eat fish? 2 0:16:39 Yeah. Oh, probably one or two days because you have to mix it up a little bit. It would be too much if I ate fish every single day. 1 0:16:50 Right. But there's people who do that. And I know that it's obviously one of the healthier things to do. 2 0:16:55 My captain's mother is a pescatarian. All she eats is fish. So every few months we ship her a box. Pescatarian. 1 0:17:03 Nice and new where we brought into this century. I don't think they had pescatarians. Maybe they did. They just didn't call it that. So who's coming to rent these charters? Where are people coming from? 2 0:17:18 If you have any knowledge of great fishing and you know Venice, we have people coming from all over the world. Most of our customer basis is from the Gulf Coast area, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Northern Florida, just because it is a very easy drive. But that being said we are only an hour and 15 minutes from New Orleans airport and there is a direct flight from LaGuardia right there. So we do have quite a few customers from the tri-state area that join us. 1 0:17:51 Wow, you have full day offshore fishing and overnights that I guess you start out and you're there surprising the fish when they wake up? 2 0:18:00 We leave the dock about noon, we get back about noon the next day. 1 0:18:04 Yeah. Are there some fish that are... /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/27712410

A.I. In AMERICA: “The Roaring New Twenties’ What the Public Should Know! 08/09/2023

A.I. In AMERICA: “The Roaring New Twenties’ What the Public Should Know! A.I. In America, Everything from Celebrity Likenesses to Officiating Over Weddings & More is happening very quickly. You have seen references to A.I Technology in the media almost every day. Most recently with regard to the announcement of actor, Bruce Willis, allowing his A.I. likeness to be used by Deepfake in a commercial venture and potential films. And, also recently the ruling in Denver, Colorado that couples can use an artificial intelligence bot as their officiant, while other countries have banned the idea. “The Roaring New Twenties” - ‘Prosper in Volatile Times’, is an insightful guide to surviving and prospering in The New Roaring Twenties. Written by Paul Zane Pilzer, author of 13 New York Times best-selling book in 25 languages, and Stephen P. Jarchow, who has been involved in the production and distribution of over 250 films and TV series, resulting in two Academy Awards and five Emmy nominations, they have come together to shine a light on one of the hottest topics today in the news and affecting the world today – A.I. Technology. As exciting and futuristic as this all sounds, authors Pilzer and Jarchow contend that our civilization faces a very real danger from “zero-day” cyber-attacks and manipulative algorithms. What should the public know? Stephen P. Jarchow dropped by The Debbie Nigro Show to tell you what he knows about that you should know about in this podcast of our live radio conversation. If you’d rather read about what Stephen had to say the audio transcript of our conversation is below. ABOUT THE AUTHORS Paul Zane Pilzer is an economist, social entrepreneur, and the New York Times best-selling author of 13 books published in 25 languages. He graduated from Lehigh University in three years and received his MBA from the Wharton School in 15 months. He became Citibank’s youngest office at age 22 and its youngest vice president at 25 and became an adjunct professor at New York University at age 24 where he was voted “best teacher” five times. Pilzer served as an appointed economic advisor in two White House administrations and has started and/or taken public six companies. His career has been featured in more than 100 publications, including on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, once said that he was “amazed at Pilzer’s business capacity and his ability to put it into laymen’s terms.” Stephen P. Jarchow received his BBA, MS and JD from the University of Wisconsin. He has been involved in the production and/or distribution of over 250 motion pictures and television series. Jarchow’s films have won two Academy Awards. He has been nominated for five Emmy Awards, winning in 2021 for “Girls Voices Now.” Jarchow has been a principal in more than 100 real estate ventures and is the author of five books on real estate finance. *************************************************************************** AUDIO TRANSCRIPT 0:00:00 And now, back to the Debbie Nigro Show! 3 0:00:03 Hi guys, welcome back to the Debbie Nigro Show Really a pleasure always to be with you guys As all you're over there and I'm over here all the time, you know Pretty soon we're gonna, I don't know, artificial intelligence Will somehow get you involved with things you never got involved with… 1 0:00:30 Or get other people involved. And I I don't like the idea of cloning myself into an artificial intelligence version or making a version of me They're doing that you know. Taking people's voices like my own and saying okay. We'll make you do commercials We'll just give us your voice, and we'll do what we want with it. I don't like it But lots of likenesses are being used in commercial ventures one of which I put brought up earlier in the show, Bruce Willis, allowing his artificial intelligence likeness to be used in a commercial venture and potential films. My gosh, right? There are a lot of celebrity likeness stories. I even put up an artificial intelligence wedding ceremony. I was like, what? Yeah, there's a bot, you know, B-O-T, officiating a wedding, and it's in a little video, I think the first one I've ever seen, that I put up on my Debbie Nigro Show Facebook page. Anyway, you're hearing a lot about artificial intelligence technology in the media, you're hearing every day. So yeah, there's a book out, it's called The Roaring New 20s, okay, The New Roaring 20s, The New Roaring 20s. It's a guide that we might all benefit from reading. It's all about surviving and prospering during these crazy times. And it was written by Paul Zane Pilsner, author of 13 New York Times bestselling books in 29 languages. I don't know how people do this. And Stephen Jarchow, who's been involved in the production and distribution of over 250 films and television shows and series. He's had a couple of Academy Awards, five Emmy nominations. So together they sat and they said, okay, we have to talk about this. It's one of the hottest topics today in the news. It's affecting the world. And yes, it sounds exciting. Yes, it sounds futuristic. But they are a little worried that we face as a civilization a pretty big danger from some things we haven't even thought about yet. Cyberattacks, manipulative algorithms. I mean, you know, it's crazy, right? So what should we as the public know? And I've invited Stephen to join me on the show today. We have Stephen Bobby on the line. 5 0:02:57 Yes, we do. 1 0:02:58 Hello, Stephen. 4 0:02:59 Hello. 2 0:03:00 How are you doing? 1 0:03:02 Very nice to meet you. How are you? 2 0:03:04 I'm fine. Just so you know, the title is The New Roaring Twenties. You had it right the first time. 1 0:03:11 Yes, I'm The New Roaring Twenties. Prosper in volatile times, technology driven wealth. It's fantastic and I'm very happy to have you. You spent a lot of time talking about this and writing this together, which must have been an intense time for you. You maybe want to talk about actually writing something like this. 2 0:03:32 Well, Paul and I have known each other for 40 years, since 1982, and we've been good friends and we've participated together in investments in this country and overseas, particularly in Russia in the 1990s, and really know each other pretty well and exchange ideas and enjoy each other's company. Paul had decided to write this book when his children, he has four, decided to ask questions about what the future, the next ten years will hold, particularly with respect to technology and artificial intelligence. Paul was ill last year and he and his wife called me and asked me if I would finish the book for him, which I worked on for about three or four months pretty intensively. The work you have in front of you is the result. It was a labor of love because Paul has been my great friend and also it was an opportunity to communicate some thoughts on subjects that are going to impact all of us over the next decade. 1 0:04:58 First of all, I'm very sorry that he was not well and my thoughts and prayers to him. You as a good friend and obviously a confidant of his, amazing that you jumped in on this, but it's always really fabulous when you have somebody you can talk to about big ideas and not everybody has that. So you are bringing a perspective to people who don't have somebody like you or Paul to talk to about this. If you had to throw out one key thought that comes to mind in the beginning of questions that have been posed or the public might want to know, what do you want the public to know? What's the first thing you want the public to know about what is going on that you guys know? 2 0:05:41 Well, if I may, let me suggest two things that seem to be top line stories. The first is that technology, particularly technology with artificial intelligence, is going to change pretty much everything we do and the way we live our lives. It's going to create great wealth. It's also going to create a stratification where people who have trained themselves and have experience with technology and artificial intelligence will benefit more than those who do not. The related point is that artificial intelligence is something that has been around since the 1950s, and it's a part of our everyday life already in that we use every day a number of AI applications, web search engines like Google search, recommendation systems for YouTube, Amazon, Netflix. We use AI to understand human speech with Siri and Alexa. We have self-driving cars to a certain extent. And then, most recently, chat to GPT and its ability to begin to create content. And this is what is called generative AI, which uses large language models, that is access to hundreds of millions or even more data points in order to actually create content and relay that content in text, code, and images. So this is a dramatic step forward and it's going to accelerate the rate of change significantly so that things that typically took five to ten years will now probably take less than a year. 1 0:07:50 Wow. I would like to ask you a question. I want to jump in on this because of your background. 2 0:07:55 Please jump in. 1 0:07:56 Yes, because of your background, I don't know many people who have made as many films as you have made, or TV series, 250. When I brought up Bruce Willis, allowing his artificial intelligence likeness to be used in a commercial venture, maybe some films, he's probably not the only person who has been approached for this. What is your feeling about this concept? 2 0:08:23 It's going to be a fascinating area. The law at this point is somewhat ambiguous. There is a right of publicity to your image, which has value and so can be licensed, much as Bruce's family has done. That's going to be of value where it becomes a little more ambiguous is what about lesser-known actors or extras, you know, can their images be used using AI to, you know, create a crowd scene, create a situation, and what about an actor who performs in and AI is used to manipulate what they say or what they do. How is that dealt with and what are the legal implications? And the honest answer to your question is no one knows really at this point. We do know that there's a right of publicity, there's a right of privacy and there is law related to that, but these are areas that are ambiguous and kind of a gray space. So we're going to see a lot of litigation related to this, a lot of conversations. Screen Actors Guild in particular view this as a priority and they are working to establish their own guidelines for their personnel. And this is one of the areas that's being discussed and negotiated in the current labor strife that exists where the radio guild and the screen actors guilds are both on strike. 1 0:10:24 go up in strike. Yeah, they have to get ahead of this. It's absolutely necessary based on how fast things are moving that there have to be some rules put in place in advance or this whole thing is just going to go haywire and you know as it is it's a tough industry for people to break into and get a chance in films and television series and if there's artificial intelligence replacing the few jobs that get you know at any given time that is very uncool so I think I think that's great news. Talk about the yeah there's an upside there's a downside hopefully technology with artificial intelligence is changing our time on this planet as humans for the better but there are some dark possibilities okay that pose extreme risks and you even point out that artificial intelligence has the potential to be deadly. I really don't want to hear that, but go ahead. 2 0:11:16 It is depressing to hear. You know, we live in a world where there's all sorts of things going on that are a little anxiety provoking and this just adds to it and perhaps is the seminal worry of the next decade. On the positive side, briefly, artificial intelligence is going to speed up and replace a lot of repetitive work. There's going to be tremendous applications from a medical standpoint. It's going to assist us in protecting our infrastructure, the power grid, and air traffic controllers. It will help with simulations, models, drugs, molecular combinations, forecasting, all sorts of things that are going to be positive. But on the other hand, it's a dual-purpose technology, which is true of a lot of things. We humans are sort of dual-purpose. We can do good or bad. fire, atomic energy, all of these things are dual purpose. Algorithms make mistakes, and we've already seen the issues related to social media and the corrosive effect that that has had on our democracy and our ability to understand understand what is really going on in the world and social media is sort of an early and kind of unsophisticated form of artificial intelligence. Right now, our military and the military of most other countries is weaponizing artificial working around the clock, very aggressively, to create autonomous weapons systems, whereby the decision to fire, kill someone, is going to be, or to drop a bomb, is going to be determined by an algorithm. 1 0:13:31 Unfortunately, boy, Stephen, I want to read your book and I will read it all the way through. I hope everybody listening will read it as well. It's really kind of fascinating. The New Roaring Twenties, well thought out. Prosper and Volatile Times, it sounds like the upside is to read the book. Technology Driven Wealth, Paul Zane Pilsner and Stephen P. Jartow. Thank you so much, Stephen. I really wish we had more time together, but you can come back any time. I really wish we had more time together, but you can come back any time. My pleasure. #2023 /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/27706074

Donna my book coach is an open book about her experience with Mounjaro. 08/09/2023

Donna my book coach is an open book about her experience with Mounjaro. Donna Kozik my book coach takes Mounjaro the diabetes drug that the U.S. FDA will likely approve for weight loss later this year. Mounjaro is supposedly the most powerful of all the buzzy weight loss drugs you’ve been hearing about like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus that have the ability to both control blood sugar and cause weight loss. Made by Eli Lilly, studies have shown this diabetes drug can lower body mass at its highest dose by up to 15%. According to the American Diabetes Association, sometimes losing just 5% -7% of your body weight is enough to imporove diabetes control. For someone who weighs 200 poinds this is a weight loss of just 10-15 pounds. Donna is an open book about taking Mounjaro and is excited to share her A1C dropped nearly 5 points to put her in the diabetes under control range. Part of her story is also that she hasn’t lost any weight yet. Enjoy the podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show about Donna’s experience with Mounjaro. For those of you who would rather read about it the audio transcript is below BTW: Donna’s been helping me get my new book done and out there ‘any minute’ lol. She's had extreme patience with me. She’s the best! Four out of five people want to write a book . The ones who decide to get it done, like me, need a ‘Donna’. Tell her I sent you at doneforyoupublishing.com ******************************************************************************************** AUDIO TRANSCRIPT: 0:00:00 And now, back to the Debbie Nigro Show. 0:00:18 I listen the more I learn, and then I share with you guys, and then I ask you to listen some more, because then we learn together. Hey, everybody, I'm Debbie Nigro. Wellness is my topic of the day today. I do a whole show once a week on wellness stuff. And of course, there's a lot of buzz continuing about all these drugs out there for weight loss. You've heard the buzz, right, about Ozempic, Lugovy, Riebelsis, but it seems the most powerful of all these buzzy weight loss drugs is called Mounjaro. It's made by Eli Lilly and it's a diabetes drug that can lower your body mass and it's pretty darn effective. So much so that I got a gal pal I want to introduce to you who loves talking about this because it really helped her a lot. This is Donna Kozik you're about to meet. We're going out west to the other part of the United States. She's a very special person in my life who I've never met. Can you imagine? Book coach helping me. We're about to nail that book together finally after five years, but right now she's alive and well and doing so great because she takes Manjaro and she's going to share the excitement about that. Hey Donna, how are you buddy? Hey Debbie. What's going on over there? 2 0:01:35 Oh, it's a sunny day here in San Diego. Can you believe that? 1 0:01:39 No, I can't. We've had a lot of challenges with weather. How's the weather out there? We're struggling over here on the East Coast. Lots of rain and clouds and smoke from wildfires in Canada. What's going on overall in San Diego? Where I supposedly think there's supposed to be sunshine 364 days a year. 2 0:01:56 Yeah, but you know we're coming off of a really cloudy spring. In fact, one of my clients told me that San Diego was the most cloudy city in the United States outside of one in Alaska during April and May. So go figure. 6 0:02:11 Really? 1 0:02:12 Because that's really a bad sign. I always thought San Diego was the place if I was going to move, I would move there because of how much sunshine they had. 2 0:02:20 Yeah, well, it's sunny now, but we had a cloudy spring just to throw everybody off a little bit. 1 0:02:27 Yeah, you want to keep people away just for a little bit. Donna, I loved communicating with you and thanks so much. I told everybody the latest statistics that four and five people want to write a book, only one out of five ever gets it done. I told them that if they're the one who really wants to get it done, they should call you. They need a Donna. And I thank you for standing by me and helping me forward. And we'll talk about that in another show, but part of my excitement of knowing you is seeing you get well. I didn't know you weren't well, but you seem to be getting weller since I've met you and this manjaro is part of the reason? 2 0:03:02 Yeah, you know, like a lot of people, I've struggled with my weight actually my entire life. I was thinking about our conversation this morning. I went on my first diet when I was five years old when some teachers told my parents that I was overweight and also 12 teenage years, it's just my entire life and I've tried all the programs, Weight Watchers and just all kinds of them and just have never been able to find a solution that not only helps me with weight loss but now helps me with controlling my A1C with diabetes. More importantly, Debbie, what I have found in Manjaro has really helped me physically not crave food. And this is something brand new that no other program has ever helped me with. 1 0:03:55 Really? That's kind of what I'm getting at, that people don't desire to eat because eating for many people like you and me, Donna, is emotional. It's like, you know, you're not hungry, but you love the food, so you just, for whatever reason, you're happy, you're sad, you're celebrating, you're miserable. There's always a reason to eat if you're an emotional eater. And I, too, struggled with my weight since I was a little girl. You know, my mother used to try and make melba toast and, you know, try and get me to lose weight at like eight years old. It's just a psycho existence. It's frustrating, right? So this is exciting. You did say to me that yes, your A1C went down and for people who don't know, that's a way of measuring blood sugar, right? And that's most people have type 2 diabetes. The A1C test measures your average blood sugar level over the past couple of months, the higher your level, the higher your risk of developing diabetes-related problems. And people who have been taking Manjaro, correct me if I'm wrong, it's helping their A1C levels go down to where it's not dangerous. Are you out of danger? 2 0:04:59 Yes, I'm out of danger. On three months of Manjaro, my A1C dropped almost five points and went into what's considered 5 0:05:11 controllable levels. 2 0:05:12 Yeah. Yeah, just a huge relief with that. 1 0:05:17 Wow. But you did say, and this is crazy because I assumed you'd be losing weight as well, that you didn't lose any weight, which I found a little surprising since this is supposed to do that too. Talk to that. 2 0:05:29 Yeah, so it is a little surprising, but there's one thing I want to mention first, and I talked about all those different programs and you mentioned about emotional eating which I totally understand and you know kind of growing up with when things are feeling bad or sad or whatever you go make a sandwich like it was just the answer to everything. But for the first time, Manjaro, what it has helped me with is actually feeling normal and this is something that I have talked to coaches and counselors and nutritionist about for years. It's like, why can't I eat, or it seems like I eat like a normal person, but normal people can have cookies in the house and not eat them, or they can leave a plate with food still on it. And there was a part of me that I just could never understand that and I could never do it until I started this drug, where it fills up my stomach and I feel differently about food. I think differently about food and that to me is the real power of these types of weight loss drugs. 1 0:06:37 Amazing. Oh, it's terrible. The FDA, and you're probably aware of this too, is about to approve this particular drug from Eli Lilly, which they're calling the most powerful of them all in the category that is the same as Ozempic and Wachovian rebelsis because they've really seen the ability for it to both control blood sugar and cause weight loss. They said at the highest dose, and I want to ask you about your dose, that people who have taken this have shown to lower their body mass by up to 15 percent. What dose 2 0:07:15 are you taking? Yes, so you start off at 2.5 and it goes up to 15 and I'm currently on 10. Some doctors, frankly I've been educating my doctor a little bit about it because she can't know everything about everything in some regards and also we're so well educated because of commercials and articles that we can read ourselves that the weight loss generally comes later as you increase your dose. So that's one thing that's giving me a little bit of hope. Also that but some doctors will say, well your A1C is down so let's not increase the dose. But from what I understand the power of the drug is that when it comes to that weight loss is as you grow the dosage because what it does is it works with the hormones in your stomach to make you feel full and it kind of mimics sleep 1 0:08:32 surgery with the idea that the food leaves your stomach at a slower rate and so then 2 0:08:39 that's part of what helps you eat less. that effect can lessen unless you increase the drug to the 15, the dose of 15. 4 0:08:52 Yeah, wow. 2 0:08:53 Have you been on other diabetes medications before Mount Jaro? I'm just curious. 1 0:08:58 Yes, I actually tried Ozempic. I was on Ozempic and it was effective for a little bit of time, but then that effectiveness 2 0:08:54 wonders for her so she encouraged me to ask my doctor about it. Okay, very cool 1 0:09:00 and then you know you're watching, you've heard that if people go off this then they seem to gain weight back or I don't think that once you're on a diabetes drug you can just go off it you have to have a replacement for the drug so you feel like this is your answer and you're going to continue on. There are other drugs obviously. 2 0:09:18 Right. Everybody's like, you know, concerned. Like, well, do you have to be on this drug forever? I'm like, I don't care if I do, if it works. Now, I do take other medications for my diabetes and when my A1C dropped, I was able to eliminate one of them and I believe when I lose weight I'll be able to eliminate others and then we'll see about this one but you know I'm going to worry about today today and think about tomorrow tomorrow. 1 0:09:48 Very interesting because people who do lower their A1C and bring it down like you're doing and you know start losing the weight then their diabetes sometimes just goes away. I mean it's just incredible. So this is a very interesting time in the world. We have a major problem in this country and my own dad, and I've mentioned it on the show before, Don, passed away at the age of 55 from complications of diabetes. So I watched a man suffer that nobody wants to see suffer when it doesn't go right. You know, it was just terrible. And it's just, you know, staying in the lane for the new science, right? And then being able to get the drug. Had you had any problems getting Mount Jara because there was as I understand it a supply chain backlog that was keeping people who needed it for diabetes from getting it because everybody was racing to get it for weight loss. What was your experience with that? 2 0:10:39 Yes, that is true and that there was a or there is a run on these drugs and I'll kind of leave that kind of talk, it's just like well you want to get it to the people who need it primarily and focus on that. I wasn't able to fulfill my prescription from through one store so 1 0:11:26 myself and a couple of friends, we called all the pharmacies in the San Diego 2 0:11:17 This is when I needed the 7.5 and I was able to find a pharmacy that has it and they seem to continue to have it. 1 0:11:25 Oh, that's incredible and yes, I appreciate your story. I was actually reading today how to get Monjaro in 2023, which, you know, it's a brand name for what a drug called, am I saying this right, terzepatide? I don't know if I'm saying it right. Anyway, they said a lot of it you can get online. I was like, what? And yeah, telehealth can prescribe this. I didn't know. I didn't know this at all. Did you? 2 0:11:53 No. You know, people are kind of trying different things. And you know, actually, Debbie, I think it's good that patients and people in general can be more educated now and Actually ask doctors about it and things like that. This is the Wild West When it comes to weight loss drugs and I'm certain we'll find our way eventually But I think it's a good thing that we are we can we can ask about these things. I Do too. I really do I think 1 0:12:19 Diabetes and obesity and just people who struggle with their weight their entire lives is like it just keeps them from living the life they really should be living on this planet. If we were able to help crack this incredible challenging code here, boy, a lot of people would have better lives and better times and experiences and less illness and less mental illness because it's a lot combined in there. It really is. It's about self-esteem and confidence and everything, right? Everything. It's just a meaningful time. 2 0:12:53 We could talk for a few hours plus probably about this. Yep. There's just one thing I just want to encourage people who are listening to this and that is if you are feeling frustrated with your way to, of course, diabetic care to seek out answers and solutions and this could be one of them for you. And I think just as a society, we have been just saying for years calories in, calories out but it doesn't work that way and every individual could be different. And so find the solutions that work for you not only with medicine but also emotional emotional help, nutritional help, physical kind of things, it's all combined. And keep seeking those answers because I believe they're out there for you. 1 0:13:48 Yeah, great point Donna. Last question for you dear. Nobody likes to talk about the downside of things they are hopeful about, but did you have any side effects from Mount Jaro that you didn't see coming or you knew were possible? 2 0:14:01 Yeah, a little bit of digestive issues, but those went away after I was on it for about 1 0:14:08 60 days. All right, awesome. Donna Kozik, tell everybody what the name of your company is in case they need your help because I'm so glad I have you in my life. Anybody who wants to write a book and wants to actually get it done, she's an amazing buddy to have, book writing and publishing coach for her company. It's doneforyoupublishing.com, am I right? 2 0:14:28 we're calling it now? Yes, done for you publishing.com you can pick up your own publishing checklist there. Debbie I'm so excited about publishing your book I can't wait to talk to you about that next time. I can't believe we're not 1 0:14:41 getting it done it's called how to talk to strangers advice from a professional stranger talker and we had a lot of laughs about it hopefully we'll have more Don I love you wish you continued great health and thanks for taking the time on the show today. 2 0:14:52 Love you too, Debbie, anytime. Love you too, Debbie, anytime. /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/27705105

Random Run In : MAINE Man with a Lock on 'Personality' 07/18/2023

'Random Run In' : Margie McCartney From The Pedicure Chair Next To Me 07/14/2023

'Random Run In' : Margie McCartney From The Pedicure Chair Next To Me Random Run In: I met Margie McCartney in the pedicure chair next to me an hour before leaving on my road trip to Canada last week. She was ‘back home’ in Pelham, NY visiting her sweet elderly mom and cracked me up with her story of how her mom had no full-length mirror to be able to check out her outfit, so she climbed up on ‘something’ in the bathroom to see if she looked OK…and then couldn’t get down. Lol. My kind of boomer humor! Anyway, I showed her all my bandaged boo boos, and we laughed about not getting younger, as we must try to, because as we all know if we don’t laugh about it, it’s not gonna to be that funny. Meanwhile, I told Margie I was excited about going to Canada, and then she told me she just returned from an exciting Scavenger Hunt around the world and named all the countries. I was like wow OK, that sounds cooler. I told her she’s a perfect example of why I love talking to strangers and told her about my new upcoming book “How To Talk To Strangers: Advice From A Professional Stranger Talker”. Then she told me about HER book “And Then…Networking Lessons from an Extraordinary Life Still In Progress” and her upcoming Ted Talk about "Bursting Your Own Bubble' and including more people in your life by expanding your connections. Seriously? What are the chances she’s got a similar themed book too? Kindred Spirits for sure. Then I invited her on my show so you could meet my new stranger friend Margie McCartney from Chicago, and hear her stories, and so we could both share the encouragement for you to try and step up your conversations with 'new people' so you can learn new things and add more enjoyment to your life. BTW: Margie McCartney is an accomplished Sales Executive & Director Of Global Sales with over 20 years of experience delivering a proven best-in-class track record of driving record setting results for travel, hospitality and events. She’s looking for her next adventure. Enjoy this fun podcast of our live radio interview on The Debbie Nigro Show airing live weekdays in the NY/CT area 11-12 noon ET on WGCH Radio or listen live from anywhere on WGCH.com. Live Radio Interviews Become Podcast Interviews and appear after here. If you’d rather read than listen, below is the audio transcript. Transcript 0:00:00 And now, back to the Debbie Nigro Show. 1 0:00:03 Hey guys, I'm Debbie Nigro. Great to be back in town with you guys. I went on a big road trip to Canada and right before I left, I happened to be getting a pedicure manicure. You know a girl's got to get that done before the trip, right? And I meet this girl, Margie McCartney. She's in the pedicure chair next to me. I could tell she's talkative. I think she was talking more than me. Anyway, she's back home visiting her mom who lived in Pelham, New York where she grew up. Margie's from Chicago and she starts to tell me some crazy story about how she's gotta get dressed, but her mother doesn't have a full-length mirror, so to check out her outfit, somehow, she climbed up on something in the bathroom to see if she looked good, right, and then she couldn't get down, so I'm dying. I'm like, oh my God, this is my kind of humor, sounds like me. Anyway, I laughed a little bit about not getting younger. I told her I was excited to go to Canada, then she trumps me and tells me she just comes back from an exciting scavenger hunt around the world. I'm like, wow. Then I tell her she's a perfect example of why I love talking to strangers. And I tell her about my new book, “How to Talk to Strangers, Advice From a Professional Stranger Talker”. Then she tries to beat me again. She says, oh, I got a book called, and then, Networking Lessons from an Extraordinary Life Still in Progress. And I'm like, all right, look, look, look. There's kindred stuff going on here. You got to be on my show. So here she is, live from Chicago, Margie McCartney. Hi, Debbie. Thanks for the warm introduction. Margie, what's going on? Well, I think I told you I spent about six and a half hours at LaGuardia yesterday trying to get back to Chicago, but I am here and excited to be on your show today. You didn't know. That was some wild weather. We had a lot of flooding here. Was it just as bad in Chicago? Well, I was on Long Island for the 4th of July and it was supposed to be kind of rainy but it actually turned out to be really nice. Yeah, it was just the flights when everybody was trying to get out of town. I'm glad you got out but you look like you're having fun at LaGuardia. You sent me a picture with a bunch of people laughing. Well you got to make a mistake in every situation as we know. Yeah Margie were they all strangers those people in the picture from LaGuardia with you drinking the rosé? Yes. I love you. Two were from Austin and two were from Los Angeles and they had their kids with them and yeah we just started chatting and one thing led to another. It was like let's do a Facebook picture and so we all took a picture and I had to share it with everybody. But hey we made it home and my husband picked me up and we grabbed a late dinner and got up early today and excited about having the chance to do a conversation with you and whoever is out there listening. Yeah, Margie, I really wanted to invite you because I know that you know what I am passionate about and you are the same, which is communicating with people along life's path that you never would have met before, who you learn something from or spark something to and increase your connections in life, which is the meaning of a full life. So I know that you get that. I know that's what your book is about. I did read a little bit of it. I didn't have time to read the whole book, but somebody had said, Margie, you collect people like some people collect china, and I really understand that. So your book is meaningful to me, and I'm going to finish reading it, and hopefully you'll read mine. But let's talk about how that plays into your travels around the world and weigh in on why people should do more of what you and I do. Well, I just think and the whole reason I wrote the book was because my friends kept telling me my whole life, you've got to write a book, you've got to write a book. And one of my best friends from Bethany College, Alan Tate said, when you write that book Margie and this is like over 30 years ago, he said, you got to call it and then because when you tell a story, it's never just how you jumped in a taxi. It's always how you jumped in a taxi and then and when you think about it, the end then is really the meat of any story. You're making me laugh with that one. It's really funny because that's actually amongst my college girlfriends. That's a really loud two words because I told them the story about romance a million years ago with this one particular guy I was crazy about and then I started to tell him the story I go and then we left …and they're like well where was the rest of the story? So yeah you're out in Chicago smart girl I am sales executive director I'm sorry I'm talking over your excuse me I'm just giving you a professional introduction now for what you really do to earn a living which is Margie is an amazing sales executive, director of global sales, 20 years of experience, best in class track record, record setting results for the travel hospitality and event business but kind of looking for the next adventure. 2 0:05:05 Do you want to speak to that? 1 0:05:06 Well, just the lead into that with the writing of the book, I was with the same firm, a destination management company, for 15 years, and then like so many other people, lost my job during COVID, and that's when I pivoted and wrote the book. And then right now I think I mentioned to you that I am in a thought leadership program and working on a TEDx speech about bursting your own bubble, which means going out there and meeting new people and making your circle bigger and that's what I really love about anything in life with jobs. I mean when you're in sales in the hospitality industry to make your client shine in front of their boss is always a gift. I love that in hotels when a client would come up at the end of a program and say, hey you know my boss just came up to me and said that everything was perfect. That's our reward in our industry. It's just making people happy and that's why I think I always knew that the hospitality industry was made for me because I always like bringing people together. I've planned lots of trips both personally and professionally all over the world and some of the people that I've met in my life have become family to me in random places like I've got a Ethiopian cab driver who basically saved my life coming home from O'Hare in 2017 whose kids now call me Aunt Margie. I mean you just you just never know where that next great connection is gonna come from sort of Like, you know meeting you Yeah, and meeting you I should do a segment on my show. I do it on occasion it's called random run-ins and people love it and they love the the stories that come from you know, Accidental or maybe who knows meant to be connections. I loved your story about the scavenger hunt I'm not sure I understand exactly what it was. I know you traveled around the world on a scavenger hunt What was that about? Yeah about ten years ago, I got an email from the founder of the global scavenger hunt and Inviting me to participate in this event and it was three weeks so I had to figure out how to get three weeks off of work and it wasn't cheap, but it was worth every penny and And it started in San Francisco in April and we got back to Montreal after going to 15 countries in three weeks and averaging 25,000 steps a day. Plus, I tore the ligaments in my foot. And we ended up winning the bronze medal, which was a huge, huge thrill for all of us. And we had no idea where we were going and, in each destination, we'd get a book and it would say, you know, you can take a train two hours to such and such a place, and they would give you activities to do there, but you're only in this city for two days. So, you have to, it was very strategic about where you were gonna go, what you were gonna do, how many points everything was worth. So, in Istanbul, I jumped into the Black Sea at 5.30 in the morning for 250 team points. And that was our last destination before we got back to North America. I was very proud of that. 9 0:08:01 I had to go on. 1 0:08:02 Yeah, my teammate was Kathleen Wood who's my old boss from the National Restaurant Association back in the 90s. We've been friends ever since. You know and the same thing about bursting your own bubble and reaching out to people that are different ages than you. There was a young waiter at a restaurant in Tbilisi, Georgia which was my favorite city, that and Istanbul, who once we found somebody who spoke English we're like, okay, we need to find this, we need to find this, we need to find this, we need to find this, and he was like, okay, you need to go to this park for that, you need to go there, so he was really, really helpful. And I'll never forget, Kathleen gave this 20-year-old kid a crisp 100 US dollar bill as a gratuity at the end, and he's like, I think you've made a mistake, and she's like, no, I didn't, and he cried. It was something. And then so the opposite side. Sorry, go ahead. 2 0:09:09 Amazing, you know, currency, of course, 1 0:09:11 American currency has much bigger value in places. I mean, I just went to Canada and obviously the dollar is worth like 25% more there, which is, you know, I don't know the Russian or the Georgian value, but I get the meaning of an American dollar in some places. But you know, language and documenting, I mean, what you just did is out of control, fabulous. Do you speak any other languages? That's about it. That's all I got. But a big smile and a firm handshake goes a long way. I learned that very early on in my life from my father. And I listened to some of your shows last week, and I noticed that you are a big fan of your Dad too. Aren't we lucky? Yeah, we were very, very lucky. It's funny, along my travels to Canada I met three young girls, lovely, two of whom were foster kids and who grew up, their friendship started when they went back later in life to volunteer at a foster home so the kids would know that their lives were going to turn out okay. They didn't have proper fathers to guide them. You just never know what someone's experience is going to be but what comes of the experience they do have; you learn a little something at each juncture. I'm sure you learned a lot from traveling around the world. Was there one general theme from traveling so much around the world about connecting with new people that you picked up on? I would say from this most recent trip when we were in Uzbekistan, there were women my age and older, though kind of hard to tell over there, and they found out we were Americans and they were running over to get their picture taken with us, like the Americans, the Americans. And then when Kathleen and I were leaving a tower in Istanbul, this fourth-grade school bus was there and they heard us speaking, they were like Americans, Americans, and they were literally running after us like we were Elvis to get selfies taken with me in the cab window. It was insane. I wish I had thought to take a picture of them, but I was so sort of taken back, but it was really like, you know, the Americans, the Americans, and not everybody feels that way, I know, but it was pretty cool to have those two experiences back-to-back while I was on the global scavenger hunt. That's crazy. I'm really enlightening. Was there any place around the world where you felt uncomfortable being American? Well, I, my girlfriend Susan Keary, who I actually met in a taxi in New York in 1984, she and I went to the Olympics in Sydney, Australia and we were the minority and I always wanted to go to the Olympics, but I wanted to go somewhere where we were not the majority of the people. And so we went to Sydney, Australia, which I love Australia, they love Americans, they speak English, and they like to have a good time. That's like the trifecta for me. And anyway, we got these great seats through a client of Susan's. We were like in the second row of the opening ceremonies, and we were wrapped in our American flags. And Susan went to get us a couple beers and when she came back, I could tell she was upset. I said, Susan, what happened? She goes, the guy at the end of the row told me to take my flag off. And I was like, I got really upset. And we were sort of like halfway between going to the right or the left so instead of going to the right by the jerk I decided to go to the left but I went to the ladies room and while I was in the ladies room I'm thinking to myself who does that guy think he is like this is the Olympics so I very deliberately on my way back made sure I went past this guy who was sitting with his eight-year- old son I think and I said excuse me sir could you move your feet so I can get to my chair and he said only if you take your flag off, which I was expecting. So, I went into my little speech, and I said, I just want you to know that my father fought with Patton against Hitler so that I had the honor of wearing this flag and I have flown halfway around the world for this international celebration of humanity. So, with no disrespect intended, please move your feet so I can get to my chair. I got a standing ovation, but my favorite part was his eight-year-old son looked at him like, you're such a loser dad. Oh no, not... that was bad for the kid and the father to have to have that moment. Anyway, great story. I'm sure you're full of stories. In this book that I'm holding here that you've written, “Networking Lessons from Extraordinary Life Still in Progress”, and good for you, the still in progress part, me too. It's good to get up in the morning, right, and get another shot. Yep. Yep. Margie McCartney, in this book, what is somebody going to get out of it when they read it? Because I'm happy to promote it for you. Oh, you're so kind. I've had several people come up to me and tell me, like, I carry a book around me, I've referred to it, it's really helped me in many ways, which if everybody else comes up and says, we hated your book, like, that was enough to make me feel great. A couple of people have told me that they've read it twice. At the end of each chapter, there's a little sort of questionnaire about like if there's a story at the end of the story like what can you do in your life to to change things around and make them better based on the story that was in that chapter. There's a variety of chapters everything from it starts off 10803 which is Pelham zip code, golf and the people you meet on the course of life, all sorts of examples of reaching out to strangers and how that's blessed me tenfold across my life. Unbelievable connection you and I had in that pedicure chair side by side. 8 0:14:08 I know. 1 0:14:08 Now you're on the show and yeah, happy to be a new stranger friend to you and vice versa. Grateful to have met you. 7 0:14:15 Yeah, me too. 1 0:14:16 Thank you so much Margie. 6 0:14:17 We're out of time. 2 0:14:18 You did good though. 1 0:14:18 You talked just as much as me. Margie McCartney wrote the book “And Then, Networking Lessons from an Extraordinary Life Still in Progress. She's a superstar, a global sales superstar in the travel and hospitality industry. On to her next adventure. You might want to check in with her if there's something that she can help you with at mccartneypartners at gmail.com. You have a stellar day, Margie. Thanks, dear. You too. 5 0:14:43 Bye bye. 4 0:14:43 Bye bye. 3 0:14:43 That was fun. 1 0:14:44 OK, guys, come on back. We'll talk about why you should get your passport sooner than later if you're going to travel. 2 0:14:53 There's a backup. A huge, huge backup. /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/27464763

PBS Kids EVP GM: "We're Making 'Good for the Brain' Content" 07/05/2023

PBS Kids EVP GM: "We're Making 'Good for the Brain' Content" So many kids are in front of so many screens filling their heads with so much content. Are you watching ‘what’ they’re watching? It matters. We're living in a world where it's very hard to control what our kids are watching on screens. Moms and Grandmas and baby-sitters have all been guilty at times of plopping children in front of a screen to ‘buy time’, rather than really sit there and monitor exactly what they're watching. If you’re a parent or caretaker of children you need to be aware of ‘what’ they’re watching because it totally influences how young children think, behave and feel. Both good and bad. I'm a PBS fan. They're the number one children's education media brand and Sarah DeWitt is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of PBS KIDS. She's responsible for the strategic direction of the very dynamic PBS KIDS media service that supports kids 2 to 8, their parents, teachers, caregivers, grandparents, and all the local communities. I invited her to join me to talk about the latest greatest at PBS KIDS and what they know and are utilizing from all the behavioral research time they've invested, in creating 'good for the brain' content. Sarah says, “We know that when kids are watching shows that are really thoughtful and created so that they are learning from them, that it really can model good behavior. It can get kids more interested in learning. It can help them actually learn some really important skills." "Summertime is a time where often kids kind of have some learning loss between the school years, but media can be a great way to help reinforce some of those things that kids learn in school, or if your kid hasn't started school yet, say a four-year-old getting ready to go to preschool, media can really help with school readiness and get kids kind of in that mindset if you make some good choices and kind of really pay attention to what kids are watching.“ Sarah says, for example for a four-year-old, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood is really a great show. It's based on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood and all of that research that he did on that show where we know kids really can learn from the media. Daniel Tiger is helping kids recognize how they fit into the world, how they manage their own emotions, but it also gives kids great songs, give parents great songs that can reinforce those lessons at home. (Sarahs kids, 8 and 11, grew up watching Daniel Tiger and just last night at dinner, she said, one of them sang, you gotta try new foods cause they might taste good. LOL Good job PBS!) Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and Sesame Street, address pre-school confusions between friends and miscommunications. For kids who are a little older, shows like ‘Arthur ‘do a great job addressing things like bullying and being scared or needing to talk to a grown-up. Sarah says, a really important media habit that they want people to set up that they try to model in their shows, is that when kids watch something or play something or listen to something, they should talk about it with their family, positive or negative. Even if adults haven’t watched the shows their kids watched themselves, they should get in the habit of asking questions about those shows and get their kids to talk about what they’re watching. How kids show up to other kids is a very big thing. And again, a lot of parents don't realize, I'm sure, that some of the stuff their kids are watching on other networks, on their screens, by accident, on YouTube, whatever that platform is, that parents have no clue about, might be creating negative behavior. PBS KIDS works with child development experts and also subject matter experts so that every one of their shows is based on a curriculum and based on learning frameworks. Curious George for example, is based on an engineering curriculum. George is really curious, he takes things apart and puts them back together. “When you talk about child development and identity”, says Sarah, “there are a couple of shows that I think are doing this really well right now. We have a show called Alma's Way. It's created by Sonia Manzano, who was Maria on Sesame Street. This is all about thinking through problems. Alma is playing with other kids, working with other kids. She lives in the Bronx. She's Puerto Rican. And sometimes she messes up. And she has to stop and really think through that problem in order to decide what she's going to do next. “ “Another one that I think is really great is called Rosie's Rules. This one is based on a social studies curriculum. So when you're talking about young kids, that is about who am I in relationship to the members of my family? So like, what does it mean that I am a sister? And how am I a good sister? And how am I a sister to my older step-sister and a sister to my younger brother? But then also getting to the next level of like, what does it mean that I'm in a community? How do I get mail? Who take the garbage out? So it gets into those things as well. “ PBS KIDS work with experts to help them think about the best, most age-appropriate way to introduce some of these ideas and to give kids a foundation that they can then build on as they grow up. As new technology such as AI is being introduced, Sara DeWitt says, "now is the time to have a deeper, more open dialogue about positive digital media experiences for young children, and how we can use these tools to form good media habits that can address topics like children’s mental health, school readiness, critical thinking, and ultimately, the importance of human connection." PBS KIDS is making their good-for-the-brain content available to all kids, regardless of access to internet, age of devices, differing learning styles and abilities, and more. If you have or care for young children, I encourage you to take a listen to this short podcast of my warm live conversation with Sarah Dewitt EVP & GM PBS KIDS on The Debbie Nigro Show. Adults need to educate themsleves about how best to educate their children. /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/27372624

'CARE-eoke' Singing Machine & Ryan Seacrest Foundation Bringing Joy of Music to Children’s Hospitals 06/30/2023

'CARE-eoke' Singing Machine & Ryan Seacrest Foundation Bringing Joy of Music to Children’s Hospitals Yes News Hit This Week Ryan Seacrest Will Be The New Host of Wheel Of Fortune But Did You Know He Builds Broadcast Media Centers named ‘Seacrest Studios’ in Pediatric Hospitals To Provide A Positive Distraction To Hospitalized Kids? Yes he does! And Genna Rosenberg, an impact-driven toy and licensing industry leader saw a partnership opportunity for her client ‘Singing Machine Company’, the world leader in karaoke products to collaborate with him on something meaningful. Now the new CARE-eoke By Singing Machine initiative and the Ryan Seacrest Foundation are on a joint mission to bring the joy of music to children’s hospitals nationwide. Genna checked in on the show live from Italy where she and her husband are both celebrating 'big' birthdays with their kids. We planned on doing this show before word spread just before we went live about Ryan Seacrest taking over Wheel of Fortune from Pat Sajak, who's retiring after the shows 41st season launches in September. The timeliness of the news that put his name out there everywhere and made us both smile, as timing is everything when you want to get peoples attention for sharing important information. Oddly the name Ryan was everywhere that day as Genna menrtioned she and her hubby were just about to board Ryanair! LOL The Ryan Seacrest Foundation (RSF) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) dedicated to inspiring today’s youth through entertainment and education-focused initiatives. RSF’s primary initiative is to build broadcast media centers — Seacrest Studios — within pediatric hospitals for patients to explore the creative realms of radio, television and new media. Currently there are Seacrest Studios at hospitals in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Orange County, Philadelphia and Washington D.C, Nashville, Orlando and Memphis. Two new studios are scheduled to open this year in Queens, NY at Cohen Children’s Medical Center and Salt Lake City, UT at Primary Children’s Hospital. For more information, visit ryanseacrestfoundation.org Genna Rosenberg’s’ PR and marketing agency is called GennComm and her Licensing ThinkTank GennComm ImaGENNation has created an entire division around social innovation this year, called GoodWorks X GennComm, to serve the industry she's loved for 30 years /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/27333426

How 'You' Can Overcome Impossible According To Chef Robert Irvine 06/09/2023

How 'You' Can Overcome Impossible According To Chef Robert Irvine Overcoming Impossible. "For anyone who ever loooked up at the stars in the night sky, thought of the thing they wanted most, and whispered "Someday..." Chef Robert Irvine (Food Network Star Restaurant: Impossible) shares his hindsight to give you foresight in his latest book ‘Overcoming Impossible’ . People all over the world always ask this world class chef, entrepreneur, and passionate supporter of our nation’s military, the same two questions. They want to know how he made it. And …They want his advice on how they can make it too! Chef Irvine’s story is not impossible to tell, but as he puts it in the book, his entire back story is not entirely relevant right now as times have changed a lot since he launched his career. He went from cooking in a ship’s galley in the British Royal Navy to working in a big fancy restaurant, to his TV stardom in shows like 'Dinner: Impossible 'and 'Restaurant: Impossible' and then parlayed it all into a family of brands and companies. Truth is, he admits, he’s been kicked around a lot. And his path has taught him a lot about things like evergreen obstacles, the types of people you’ll meet along the way, the ones you need to surround yourself with and the ones to avoid. He learned about the cyclical nature of marketplaces, how to manage egos, how to pitch & sell, and most importantly…how to deal with failure! And he felt compelled to share what he learned with you. There’s no better teacher than failure, he said. Enjoy Chef Robert Irvine in this podcast conversation of our live chat on The Debbie Nigro Show or if you'd rather read the transcript it's posted below. His new book ‘Overcoming Impossible’ is available on Amazon. ****************************************************************************************** TRANSCRIPT Of The Podcast 0:00:00 It's time for the Debbie Nigro Show with Debbie Nigro, who says she's still a babe, or at least she thinks she still is. That's right, attitude is everything, and Debbie's delusionally young. No one sees the glass of Cabernet half full like Debbie. She's fresh air with a magnetic flair. Some day has arrived, and as far as she's concerned, it's time to roll. 6 0:00:25 Hey, I am here to share today and you guys hopefully will enjoy listening. 4 0:00:28 Hi everybody. I'm Debbie Nigro. I am very very excited about my next guest coming up. 6 0:00:32 He's got a new book out called overcoming impossible, which is what 2 0:00:36 most of us do every day. We try to do he's done it and he's got some really good advice. You've probably seen him more than once on the Food Network. He's the star, Chef Robert Irvine. And he shares his hindsight to give you foresight about things that people keep asking him about. The people always ask him the same question. They want to know how he made it and they want his advice on how they can make it too. And just before I bring him on, I want to just quote what I saw on the top of his book. A quote was there and it made me smile. It said, For anyone who ever looked up at the stars in the night sky, thought of the thing they always wanted most and whispered, Someday, what do I always say? Someday has arrived. Hello, Robert Irvine. Chef, welcome to my show. 5 0:01:34 Oh, thank you. 1 0:01:35 Listen, the glass is never half full or half empty with you. 2 0:01:40 It's so fun that you said yes to come back on the show. I was very honored to have you the first time around when I included you in the story about what an incredible Wall Street company is doing called Robert Ryan to give back to veterans with a percentage of their profit to my friend Brian Rathjen introduced me to you because he donates to your passionate cause which is veterans and I know that's what you live for. So thank you for coming back, but I really love this book, Overcoming Impossible. I really think you've got something to say. And those who don't know Robert's background, he basically says, don't worry about that. That's old news. You know, the world has changed. Yeah, I was a chef in the British Royal Navy. Yeah, I worked at fancy restaurants. Yes, I'm a TV star. Yes, I parlayed the whole thing into a whole bunch of brands and companies, but honestly, what taught me the most was, failing and I have some things I want to share. So I just, I'm so happy you are here and talking about this. Thank you. 1 0:02:36 You're welcome and thanks for having me back and you're right, Ryan and Robert's great supporters of my foundation, Robert Irvine Foundation. So they are great men. Yeah, the book was really, because I was getting 2,000 emails and opportunities to fix restaurants a week, failing restaurants, and we can only do one. You know, Food Network would pick five, then eventually pick one, and I would go and do it. But in my real world, I also work with big companies that have the same issues as small mom-and-pop businesses, just on a larger scale. So I wrote the book, it took me a year, and Matt Tuthill is my co-writer who writes my magazine, these are my full-time staff. But it's really about the four things that make you successful that I failed at, and I write down a lot of failures, or L's as I call them, and W's, but the first thing is empathetic leadership. You know, what does that actually mean? Know your people. Does one of your people's mom have cancer or is their son autistic? What are they going through on a daily basis before they come to work? 2 0:03:51 It's so important because you need the people to appreciate that you appreciate them and they'll work so much harder for you. 1 0:03:59 Absolutely, and you'll get it. But not many people do get it, which is unfortunate. But it's a big part of success. So that's the first part of the book. And then I go into egos and how egos get in the way. And I can tell you from a standpoint of my own, when I started, I thought I was the best chef, the best this, the best this. And in fact, I was nothing close to the best. 2 0:04:24 That's okay, I'm delusional too, it's alright. 1 0:04:28 Yeah, but we all are at some point, and that got in the way of me. It took me to get married, and then my wife to kick me about a little bit, and realize that it's not about me, it's about other people. And losing the egos of not only yourself, but also the people that work with you. One of the things that I talk about, and I talk about a lot, especially in the military space, is we hire people that are smarter than us. Why do we do that? Well, because they can lead us and teach us. You know, if I'm an A personality, I want a double A alongside me. And those that are insecure, A's hire B's because they don't want to be made look a fool of or they don't want to listen or, that's a big mistake. I see it in big companies. 2 0:05:14 You know, you really, one of the loudest things you said was ego. I'm an entrepreneur and I've been through a lot of rounds of good, bad and ugly. I love that you are talking a little bit about how you got kicked around because people always assume if somebody has made it that somehow they missed that whole phase of getting kicked around, but you did. You talk about the ego getting in the way of success for many people. I've seen it a million times, especially with entrepreneurs who are so passionate about what they think they know that they don't want to give it up or listen to anybody else. What advice do you have to people who work with, let's say, egomaniacs? How do you break through to somebody whose ego is too big? 1 0:05:54 There's one word, listen. I was one of those people, so I can attest to getting kicked around and beaten up and thrown out and spat out on many occasions and the companies that I started and failed. I think you have to listen to the people around you. I'm not saying take everything to heart because some people want you to fail. But listen and at least be open-minded enough to listen to a different scenario or objective to what you have or thought process. I think that's the biggest thing and it's really interesting when you do fail a couple of times and it's okay to fail. You just can't fail at the same thing twice. 2 0:06:38 Ah, gotcha. You know, I noticed that you took this time in your life to write a book, a whole year, to talk to aspiring entrepreneurs, would-be restauranteurs, you know, all kinds of business people and people who are stuck somewhere in the corporate world that they don't want to be, and a lot of those come up and tell you they want something else, they want something more, and they don't just want more money. So what do you say to them? 1 0:07:00 I say you have to follow your passion. I have a lot of friends who are doctors, that are scientists, that are intel guys, that are just fed up. It's not about money, it's about finding a job. And I say job because I don't have a job, I have a passion, but finding something that you are passionate about, that you, you love getting up for every day and going to do it. Right. And I think that we all need money, regardless of whatever, whatever, what's enough money and wants enough happiness, right? Because there's not money. 2 0:07:38 The happiest people I've ever seen along the way have the least, I swear to you. It's simplicity and I think money complicates things, but we need it to do for ourselves and for people we love, right? I was getting a kick out of reading your lifestyle. Obviously, you've got a million things going on, so you stopped to write a book, but you never really are in one place. You're always in hotel rooms and I'm so excited about that. 1 0:08:01 I want to live in a hotel. Do you like that life? Well I travel 345 days a year. Wow. 150 of them just with the military. I just come back from Scotland with a thousand, literally two days ago. I didn't even come home. I came from Scotland with a thousand coalition wounded marching 54 miles across the Scottish Highlands for brother and sisterhood, you know, injured and ill, wounded from not only 150 from the States, but from all our coalition partners. And I have to tell you something, yes. Everybody should do it regardless of the mileage. Every couple of miles, you know, we have the Ukrainians, we have the Poles, we have the Germans, we have all of been in Afghanistan, Iraq, and wars and all those kind of things. And just to listen to the similarities, stories, and life hardships, and stop every two miles, dry a leg off, put it back on. I gotta tell you, it's life-altering. So I came back from there, went straight to a hospital, funnily enough, in Virginia, then to Orlando, and I actually came home late last night and I'll leave again in the morning. I like the lifestyle. I like to be on the go. My life purpose has changed. It's not about me, whereas I told you that ego was all about me with the car and the house and early on in my career. That went about 10 years ago and I really threw myself into helping others, not only on Restaurant Impossible and kids with cancer and military and all those kind of things. So my life mission has kind of changed. 2 0:09:44 Okay, I have to stop you. Most of that. You said you don't have any more time and our segment is up. I could talk to you all day for the whole hour, but I'm going to let you go because I know you're tired. This was more than I could, I'd hoped you would just get up and be on my show. So everybody who is paying attention, please check out Chef Robert Irvine's new book, Overcoming Impossible. So everybody who is paying attention, please check out Chef Robert Irvine's new book, Overcoming Impossible. He's very, very inspirational and worth your time. /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/27090972

SMARTfit: Groundbreaking gamified system that simultaneously strengthens the brain and body. 06/09/2023

SMARTfit: Groundbreaking gamified system that simultaneously strengthens the brain and body. VERY SMART! SMARTfit, a gamified system that simultaneously strengthens the brain and body is one of a kind. Why is it so groundbreaking? It's dual-tasking neuro-rehabilitation & fitness technology which 'rapidly' enhances cognitive function & physical mobility by training the brain & body to work more efficiently together. The technology is cutting edge. It's attracting huge interest from those in the areas of physical & occupational therapy, long-term care, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing facilities. Also wellness facilities, those in pediatrics who help kids with sensory processing disorders, and therpaists who focus on 'return to play' sports rehabilitation. Courtney Robert’s, one of those tireless and brave nurses who stayed on the Covid front lines, is now on team SMARTfit. SMARTfit created the technology now being sold nationally through NEUROfitUSA in Long Beach, NY. Courtney is passionate SMARTFit is a game changer and she joined me live on The Debbie Nigro Show to share why those in the healthcare field and in the school systems should pay attention to this groundbreaking technology. Enjoy the podcast of our conversation above but if you'd rather read the story the transcript of our live conversation is below. *********************************************************************************************** TRANSCRIPT Of Audio Interview 0:00:00 And now, back to the Debbie Nigro Show. 0:00:03 Oh my gosh, I'm in the house. Hi everybody, I'm Debbie Nigro. 0:00:27 Good to be with you guys this morning. You know, I love smart stuff. And I read about something very smart as a result of being turned on to it by the gal who's in studio with me right now, Courtney Roberts. Hi, Courtney. 1 0:01:00 Hey, how you doing? 2 0:01:01 Boy, you're cute and so nursey. I love your nursey outfit. I feel safe because I'm neurotic and I always like being next to a nurse. Thank you for doing what you've been doing for everybody in life and through the pandemic. You know, I talked to your mom is how I met you and she said you were in there with the, you know, on the front lines of COVID. I go, what a girl, man. What a girl. Thank you. You're welcome. From all of us who needed you all. OK, so we're here because you found something that really intrigued you. Yeah, that was that you're passionate about now. It's a new technology called Smart Fit. And from what I understand, and I did my homework, which is, you know, good because I like to know what I'm talking about. It's a gamified system that simultaneously strengthens the brain and the body. Yes. And it's one-of-a-kind and it's for neuro rehabilitation and fitness and what it does for you know for lots of different applications is rapidly and that's the word enhance cognitive function and physical mobility by training the brain and the body to work more efficiently together. So I'm looking at all the pictures I put up and guys you might want to check this out at at the real Debbie Nigro on Instagram and also on my Facebook page the Debbie Nigro show to see the technology visually it's um how to describe it 1 0:02:13 because you'll better describe it than me. You know what it really depends on what generation you are but if you're a millennial I like to say do you remember Dance Dance Revolution if you're a Gen Xer I like to say, do you remember Whack-A-Mole? 2 0:02:28 That's a really great, awesome explanation. I'm a boomer. 9 0:02:34 What are you? 1 0:02:34 I'm a millennial. 4 0:02:36 Oh, good. 2 0:02:37 But I like the generational interaction and explanation. I think it's important to share how important this is across generations who struggle with different things, even children who have issues with sensory issues and people who are going through sports rehab and seniors who are trying to keep their balance and assisted living facilities who are trying to make sure that their residents stay healthy and function. And what this is doing is revolutionary from what you've educated me about. 1 0:03:11 Correct. I really love this technology and it's incredibly versatile. So you can have everything from early intervention, children, kids love it, to adult professional athletes and then of course, you know, your senior, your sophisticated populations as I like to say, where you're working on dementia, you're working on Parkinson's, you can work on MS, you can work on different aspects. It's fantastic for learning differences. Kids with autism, adults with autism, anybody with autism really responds to 2 0:03:46 this technology. So what people get would buy one of these machines or rent one of the machines or go to a place that has one of these machines and sign up for specific classes or you're looking for therapists to get this and bring it on board or schools or what are you looking and hoping to be the outcome of this conversation? 1 0:04:05 I mean all the things and again that goes into the absolute versatility of this machine. So yes, it can be used for personal use. Therapists can use it. You can use it just for fitness and wellness classes. We also have a franchise model that we're launching as well. It's great in schools. It's great in children's daycares, adult daycares, medical settings, physical therapy offices. I mean it's great for everyone and it's great for every setting. If you've got a body and you got 2 0:04:34 a brain, it's for you. I got a body and a brain. I don't know if they don't always work together anymore as evidenced by the big boo-boos I keep getting. I guess I'm a candidate. Yeah, we'll get you on Smart Fit. It really did intrigue me because you know I'm an athlete by by nature. Certainly. But as time is going on I'm not spending as much time doing that athlete stuff and I find myself being a little concerned about being one of those people. Like, oh look at her, she should have taken better care of herself. And it's just about balance and coordination and strength. Who has taken this already? Who has it in place and is using 1 0:05:06 it? Actually, the school districts in New Rochelle has it. In my hometown? Yeah, right down the street from us. So they have it. They have I think some older models We also have a great physical therapy office Hands of Hope that has it in Brooklyn. Shout to them. They're great. Yeah 2 0:05:23 But this is a national launch. Yes, and you guys as I understand it under the umbrella of Neurofit, yes, which is a national distribution arm of Smart Fit. You guys are handling that out of Long Beach, New York. That's correct. 1 0:05:40 Okay, so what's going on in Long Beach, New York? So we have a beautiful multifunctional office where we have all the different Smart Fit models. There's about three different types, four different types, and we're using it for wellness classes. So you can drop in, take a class, you can come in and do physical therapy. You can also come in and if you're an organization that's interested in seeing 6 0:06:05 this 1 0:06:06 you can come in and we can tour you, show you and demonstrate the machinery and then also we do Zoom demos, so if you can't make it you can always do a Zoom. 2 0:06:16 What kind of companies have been responding to this? Are you getting the reaction from the long-term health care facilities, from the rehab locations? Because this is fascinating to me. 8 0:06:28 Correct. 2 0:06:29 Yeah. It's just about educating people. Yeah. And getting the word out about it, which I'm helping you do right now, because I said, wow, I never heard of this. 1 0:06:35 Yeah, it's relatively new, and that's one of the things that we're trying to do, is we're trying to get this concept of dual tasking that promotes neuroplasticity and helps build more, better, stronger neural pathways in conjunction with the physical movement. 2 0:06:50 So you're saying that by using the brain and the body together, which this machine forces you to do in a really fun way, your body responds in a very different way than just doing physical exercise or just doing a mental exercise. Correct. 1 0:07:02 So, you know, when having this really fun, novel experience, you get these, like, endorphins going, right? I know about endorphins and fun and novel. So, you know, your dopamine, your serotonin, and your adrenaline, epinephrine, so all these chemicals come together and they start working on your brain and they do these neurochemical changes in your brain and you start getting more and different pathways. So the way that I like to think about it is... 2 0:07:29 In the hippocampus, by the way. 1 0:07:32 Everywhere. 7 0:07:33 Wait a minute, stop there. 1 0:07:34 Even if executive functioning in the front of the brain. 2 0:07:35 Really? Because I always thought, I know it was a big no-it-all about the brain, Bob's helping, you know, we can take a different road to work and let's create a new pathway in your hippocampus, you know. It's like walking on the same rug all the time. Let's take a new rug, you know, and you wear out a rug from doing the same thing over and over. You're just saying that it affects all the different pathways of the brain? 6 0:07:54 Yes. 1 0:07:55 So, it's, because it's a game, it's got visual effects, it's got sound effects, you've got that tactile response. So you're working on, executive functioning is made up of seven or eight different type of categories. And so not only are you working on learning different things and if you're a kid you can go in and learn your colors on it, learn your multiplication, learn your ABCs, right? 2 0:08:20 That would be so fun for kids. 1 0:08:21 Right, I mean you can go up to square roots. But you're also exercising your eyes and tracking and using sports vision. You're also doing organization, cognitive flexibility, impulse control, great for kids with ADD that have to do impulse control. So you're working on executive functioning as well. So it's using a lot of different portions of your brain. Also using right and left, using both your hands, you're using your feet, you're moving on three different planes of motion. So it's a really dynamic machine. So you're using multiple parts of your brain, which lies the challenge. And I go on and I go on this stability machine called a Cortex and I call it the flying saucer. It's on these ball bearings and it goes in 360 directions and it mimics the feeling of surfing. And so here I am trying to do this whack-a-mole game. And, um... 2 0:09:18 While you're surfing. 1 0:09:19 While I'm surfing. 2 0:09:20 My kind of girl. 1 0:09:21 And trying to use, and listening to the sounds and the cues and here I am, you know, back and forth, wobbling all over the place. I'm trying to balance my body, but use my brain. And it's, and you're, once you get a hold of your balance, then you gotta use your brain and you're trying to use all these things all at once. And you're just straight cheesing on the thing. You know, you're just smiling all the time. 2 0:09:39 That's great. 1 0:09:40 And it's just, it's so much fun. 2 0:09:41 So there are three size machines I happen to see. Is anybody promoting it to be in anybody's home? 1 0:09:47 Could someone own one of these things? 5 0:09:49 Yeah, absolutely. 2 0:09:50 If I had a kid who had some issues, I'd want to have one of these in my house. Yes. Okay, that's number one. Yeah. Are you promoting it to, again, does it fit everywhere? And like, is it an assistant living facility or? Yes. Yeah, they fit everywhere. Yes. 1 0:10:04 And they don't look too big. No, they're not They're not terribly big. They're adjustable. You can adjust the height So if you have a decent wall space, I'd say like a 6x6 wall space you can do that Our most most portable model is the strike pods. That's great for schools. It's Pretty affordable. It's an investment, but it's pretty affordable when it comes to equipment, you can move it around, you can use those pods and put it against, or around rather, our larger models and get a 360 type of setup. 2 0:10:36 Yeah, the schools should really look into this. This is big time game changer for a lot of the kids who would find this fascinating and also, you know, just enjoyable while they're getting, you know, increasing their ability to do all things better, I would imagine, right? 1 0:10:50 You can take them outside, they run on battery. So you just plug them into the wall, and a USB charger, you take them out, you can play them on the beach, you can play them in the parks, great for parks and recreation. 2 0:11:00 Oh, that's very cool. 1 0:11:01 Yeah, get the kids up and do it in a relay, it's fantastic for individuals, and it's great for groups. 2 0:11:07 I read that it was invented by a woman. 1 0:11:09 Yes, Kathy. 2 0:11:10 Yeah, I want to give a shout out to her. Oh yeah. Obviously, her idea wasn't just an idea, she took it to this whole level. Yeah. And where is home base for this company? 1 0:11:18 I'm California. Ventura. Very cool. So she's out. She's out my old place where I did all my COVID work. Where is that? California. Yeah. So I came back from California to New York. Well, I mean, I lived I lived right down the street from you. And then I went out. They were looking for nurses. And that's right. Yeah. And I got in with a traveling first response like crisis nursing agency. 2 0:11:43 Do you have PTSD from that experience? 1 0:11:46 No I miss it. 2 0:11:47 Really? I miss it. What kind of woman are you? Holy cow. 1 0:11:51 Crazy woman. 4 0:11:52 That's why I got into nursing. 2 0:11:53 I mean I would have been a great nurse because I have the heart for it. Yeah. 1 0:11:57 I just don't have the guts for it. 2 0:11:58 Yeah. And you must have giant guts. 1 0:12:00 You know what, I worked with a really fantastic group of people, a fantastic doctor, Dr. Ryan, who's no longer with us unfortunately. He suffered an incident over in Africa. But we were all in it together and there was this fantastic camaraderie. And I was working alongside the military and it was just such a new experience and it really brought back my confidence. As a nurse I had worked in the hospital scene and gotten really ground down with that. And so to get out and really do something where it mattered in a big way. Yeah, it really mattered and we were really we were truly rescuing people. We were going in when everybody was running out because I was so scared. I know, I got chills thinking about 2 0:12:44 back to it. It's almost like what was that as we all try and act normal again, when it was hardly normal. Yeah. And it's hard to recover from what we just have all been through. Yeah. I think what you're working on now is very meaningful. Yeah. And for you to take a pivot, if you will. Yeah. And go from that feeling of, wow, what you did and thinking this is something. Yeah. I could tell you have a high integrity. This is this is you got my attention. 1 0:13:11 I think this is going to get out of get us out of the issues that came with lockdown and kovat Especially with the kiddos being isolated for so long. Let me tell you something 2 0:13:20 I am concerned about the kids because they missed a natural evolution Yeah in their timeline. Yeah of growth personally in and in connection with other children, I mean they've missed this opportunity to to figure out how it goes and it's going to carry on. So you think this is helpful? 1 0:13:40 Yeah, I mean, so we've got to catch the kids up, okay, in terms of their physical, their emotional, their intellectual abilities and being able to, I mean, there's just something, there's like a je ne sais quoi talking to the teachers. We have so many teachers in our neighborhood. So I think it's really going to help the kids progress and get them back where they need to be after COVID. 2 0:14:06 Wow. Nobody has said a louder statement to me this week, and I'm very concerned about it. Thank you so much for getting in touch. 3 0:14:13 Yeah. 2 0:14:14 Thank you to your mom. Just give her a shout out. Yeah, Mom. Thanks, Mom. Hey, Sandy. Pennsylvania. It was odd how she and I just met and we had a nice glass of wine and we fell in love and became friends. So congratulations to you. Where can everybody find out more about Smart Fit and reach you? Go ahead. 1 0:14:30 Yeah, so they can give us a call at 888-445-7666. You can give us a call there. You can also reach out at support at neurofitusa.com. You can also reach us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube underneath neurofitusa. 2 0:14:51 Wonderful spokesperson for your company. Thank you. So nice having you and thank you so much for the education. I'll be sharing this with So nice having you and thank you so much for the education. I'll be sharing this with other people who could use it. /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/27090771

The Skinny On Ozempic & Addictions 06/02/2023

When Mom & Dad Say ‘Fine’ ‘Fine’ We’ll Come Run Your Pro Frisbee Team. 05/25/2023

When Mom & Dad Say ‘Fine’ ‘Fine’ We’ll Come Run Your Pro Frisbee Team. Trending: The American Ultimate Disc League and team New York Empire ! That’s right ‘Professional Frisbee’ is a big thing and getting bigger. Matthew Stevens, a professional ultimate disc player, for the New York Empire wanted to help his team better reach their potential, so in 2018 he asked his business savvy parents Barbara and Paul Stevens, to come help run his team. They didn't see that coming but they did! Because who says no to their kid? Paul owns a busy real estate construction company in N.Y. and Barbara worked her way up to become the President of a prominant Insurance company with four locations in CT. Paul funds the team and Barbara runs it. (She yells from the stands on game days kinda like Rebecca the team owner in Ted Lasso) The two of them must know what they’re doing because the New York Empire won the championship in 2019 and 2022 and are currently one game out of 1st place this year. Even sister Melissa has joined the operation. The team is 53 and 6. They've won two AUDL Championships and have had two 15-0 perfect seasons. Right now they're the number one team in the AUDL. The AUDL is the 'American Ultimate Disc League ' which has 24 teams in US & Canada. Think fast paced football, soccer and ballet combined. More like football in that to score, you have to get the disc to someone in the end zone except a player can’t run with the disc, he must pass it. (Impressive to me as the last frisbee I threw is still in someone’s bushes.) They travel the country competing, and thousands show up for a fun night out. There are 30 players on the roster and four quarters in the game, 12 minutes each. The team also engages the fans who show up with music and what they call ‘activations’. An activation, said Barbara, is when you bring the crowd onto the field to do somehting, either throw a fisbeee or chase a frisbee, any kind for fun for the kids who attend. They even do things like ball hop games, so if you'relooking for someplace to go to entertain your kids this might be it! Depending on their age they even use some kids as disc runners, letting them run up and down the field getting the discs that go out of bounds and throwing them back to the ref. (Too bad my mother didn't know about this when I was a chubby little kid she might have opted for me to chase frisbees vs sending me to dancing school.) The New York Empire games are very much a fun family atmosphere. The team has even done exibitions at half time for The NY Giants and Minnesota Vikings. Paul and Barbara Stevens would love more people to come out to their home games. Home base is the Joseph F. Fosina Field in New Rochelle, NY. and games take place on Satrurday evenings at 7pm. Captain Lawrence Brewing is their main sponsor and they have a food truck and snacks and a DJ to keep the crowd engaged. Kids under 12 are always free- Adult tickets are $12. Check out their website at to find out more. You can also check out the sport on Audl.TV. Enjoy the fun podcast of my live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show with Paul & Barbara Stevens owners of New York Empire. /episode/index/show/thedebbienigroshow/id/26947044

The Debbie Nigro Show

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