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Everyday people following their passions.
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That's probably like one of the highlights of my life so far.
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Just being able to be creative like that.
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Something I've always wanted.
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And then I decided to get another hive, and that turned into a lot of hives.
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As long as I can do that, I want to be a good citizen.
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Help people out.
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Putting themselves out there, taking chances, and navigating challenges along the way.
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I absolutely identified with having stage right because, you know, anytime I went on stage, I just felt like I was having a heart attack.
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Very first lap, very first practice session, I crashed, turned the car upside down, made a spectacle of myself, and I got back on that horse and started riding again.
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As they pursue what makes them happy and brings them joy.
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As long as people are having a good time and I have the opportunity to put smiles on people's faces, I love what I do.
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I have done things that I never thought I could do.
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To have somebody tell me how real it looks and how, you know, from their actual memory.
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Because that's telling me I captured what I was trying to get.
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Welcome to Assorted Conversations.
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I'm your host, Helen.
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As summer is winding down and folks are trying to squeeze every last bit of fun into summer vacations, I found myself with an unexpected gap in my scheduling.
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So this week, you've just got me.
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I'm always grateful for your listenership and support of the podcast because I love doing it and finding unique stories to share with you.
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On the flip side, I'm also grateful for all the wonderful people who have spent time sharing their stories with us to inform, entertain, and inspire.
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So this week, I'm dedicating some time to not only talk about some of my 2026 guests and the impact they had on me, but to also highlight all of their products and services that they offer beyond just saying the link is in the show notes.
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So let's get started.
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When Jeff Revilla joined me for episode 48, we talked about his infinite seat theater concept and the idea that a small room doesn't have to mean a small audience.
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Jeff spent years thinking about how to combine the energy and connection of a live event with the reach of streaming before finally bringing the idea to life.
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What stayed with me from Jeff's story was this think bigger than the room you're in.
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Sometimes an idea needs time to develop, but eventually you have to stop talking about it and see if it can actually work.
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So if you're a podcaster or a creator, or even the owner of a space where people can gather, take a look at what Jeff is doing with the Infinite Seat Theater and Padoti Live.
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He's creating opportunities for independent creators, independent space owners to bring their shows in front of live audiences while reaching people well beyond the seats in the room.
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Now he's based in Pittsburgh, and if you're not local to Pittsburgh, please still reach out to him.
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He gave me some great ideas of how I could potentially bring a live assorted conversations experience to folks in my local area.
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Again, if you own a coffee shop, if you own a bookstore, some small area where folks can gather, it might make sense to reach out to an independent creator in your area and see if you can collaborate and bring their audience to you and share your customers with them.
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Jeff, Jeff just has this great way about him.
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And if you can't participate live in Pittsburgh, then certainly reach out to him because he can help you start getting the wheels turning if this is something you're interested in on the part of being a venue, or if you're a local creator looking for something else.
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Episode 49 was proof that you never know where a hobby might take you.
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Monica Marlat rediscovered something she had always enjoyed, putting together puzzles, and turned it into puzzled about everything, combining puzzles with photography, stop-motion video, travel, and an entire community of people who share her passion.
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My takeaway from Monica was a hobby doesn't have to accomplish anything to be worthwhile.
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But sometimes when you follow what you genuinely enjoy, it grows into something you never expected.
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One of the best ways to support Monica is simply to follow puzzled by everything and enjoy the incredibly creative way she brings puzzles to life.
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She also hosts puzzle socials aboard Royal Caribbean cruises, bringing people together in person through the hobby she loves.
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She has recently become more active on YouTube, so make sure to check out her YouTube channel.
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Amy Riley joined me for episode 50 and completely changed the way I thought about aphrodisiac foods.
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We weren't talking about some magical ingredient that suddenly is going to transform your love life.
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We talked about food, health, mood, confidence, our senses, and the role all of those things can play in connection and intimacy.
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My takeaway was that connection doesn't have to be complicated.
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Sometimes it can begin with something as ordinary as preparing and sharing a meal with intention.
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If you'd like to learn more, Amy is the creator of Eat Something Sexy and the author of five aphrodisiac cookbooks.
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I have picked up a couple and I have made a couple of those recipes, and although they're delicious, I didn't really share it with anybody that I was trying to get in the mood.
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Her site is filled with recipes and information about aphrodisiac foods, nutrition, wine, romance, and sexual health.
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Supporting Amy can be as simple as trying one of her recipes, buying one of her books, or sharing her work with someone who would enjoy it.
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My conversation in episode 51 was with novelist Laura Van Wormer, whose life took an unexpected turn after a devastating accident.
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For someone whose identity had been so closely tied to writing and creativity, rebuilding meant figuring out how to move forward when the old path was no longer available in quite the same way.
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The word I kept coming back to after talking with Laura was pivot.
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A pivot doesn't mean giving up on who you are.
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Sometimes it means finding another way to express that part of yourself.
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Laura has an extensive catalog of novels and was a New York Times bestselling author in the 80s.
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She has her Sally Harrington mystery series and the Alexandra Waring books.
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She has continued her tradition of storytelling through her podcast, The Class of 74.
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It's a serialized dramedy podcast all about growing up and entering high school in the early 70s.
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Right now she's on a hiatus, but she has season one and season two, and I know she's coming back strong for the back part of season two.
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She's also working on some additional podcast projects, and that's why she's taking a break from the class of 74.
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So now is your chance to jump in, get caught up on season one and season two so that you're all set when her other projects drop and she comes back to the class of 74.
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My episode 52 conversation with artist Devorah Brinkerhoff stayed with me because of one deceptively simple idea.
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What happened to you isn't who you are.
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Devorah showed us how creativity can become a way of processing grief, trauma, and major life transitions, not necessarily by forgetting what happened, but by changing our relationship to the story.
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Devorah creates commissioned soul portraits, including full size and smaller works, and also offers original paintings and prints.
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If you're curious about her process but aren't ready to commission a piece, she even offers a free inner voice creative exercise.
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Supporting Devora means supporting an artist who has turned her own experience with grief, trauma, and loss into a way of helping other people explore their stories through creativity.
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Author Joseph Bolton was my guest in episode 53, and he showed us what can happen when you start asking questions about the people who came before you.
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What began with genealogy and DNA research eventually led Joseph into records, history, and stories about his French, Canadian and indigenous ancestry, and ultimately into creating old grandmother's tree.
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My takeaway was that family history isn't just a collection of names and dates.
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The stories are what brings those people back to life.
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And if we don't preserve those stories, eventually they can disappear.
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Joseph has transformed his research into the beautifully illustrated Old Grandmother's Tree series of French Canadian folktales.
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If our conversation sparked an interest in genealogy, history, or the stories hidden inside your own family tree, supporting Joseph is easy.
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Explore the books and help keep these stories moving into another generation.
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My conversation in episode 54 with Kung Fu Kendra Mahan was a conversation that was about much more than martial arts.
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Kendra helped us look at confidence, discipline, resilience, and how the principles she learned through Wing Chun can apply to everyday life.
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What I took away from Kendra was that confidence isn't something we have to wait around to feel.com, where people can learn regardless of where they live.
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She also shares her approach to martial arts, self-defense, discipline, and resilience through the Kung Fu Kendra podcast.
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Following her work or trying one of her online resources is a great way to support what she's building, as well as building your confidence, discipline, and strength physically.
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My conversation with Joe Garcia, also known as Mr.
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All Right Chef in episode 56, was one of those conversations that reminds you not to take everything so seriously.
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Joe isn't trying to convince anyone he's a Michelin star chef.
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That's kind of the point.
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His approach to food is that good food doesn't have to be fancy, and you don't have to be perfect in the kitchen to make something worth eating.
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Cooking can be creative, approachable, and fun.
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So if Joe made you laugh, made you hungry, or gave you the confidence to try something new in your own kitchen, go find Mr.
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Allright Chef on social media and follow what he's cooking and sampling.
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Sometimes supporting someone's passion is as simple as becoming part of the community they've created around it.
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Now at the time we spoke, he was on his best Italian sub on the South Shore hunt.
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And since then, he spent the entire summer spending a lot of money and a lot of time sampling the best lobster rolls.
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He is back at sampling a lot of the local sandwich shops around, so hook up with him on any of the social media platforms and follow him to see what he's doing and have some fun while he's doing it.
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My conversation with Eleanor, founder of Elevate Your Escapes in episode 57, had me rethinking the definition of the word luxury.
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She explained that luxury doesn't necessarily mean chandeliers, fancy clothes, and spending a fortune.
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Sometimes means having the freedom to enjoy your vacation because somebody else has taken care of the details.
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That was my takeaway from Eleanor.
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The real luxury can simply be the experience itself.
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And this is an especially easy guess to support because Eleanor can plan that experience for you.
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Elevate your escapes handles virgin voyages, luxury and expedition cruises, African safaris, land tours, honeymoons, and group travel.
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So if you've been dreaming about a trip but keep putting it off because planning it feels overwhelming, consider letting Eleanor help you finally take it.
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Another one of my favorite conversations from this year was my conversation with Paul Pabe, better known as Santa for Nerds, and newly anointed coach for creatives.
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He spent more than 20 years making custom collectibles, props, and sculptures, a lot of them we've seen in movies and on TV.
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But one of the biggest lessons from my conversation with him had nothing to do with making things.
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It was about valuing what you make.
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A creative person isn't simply selling materials and hours.
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You're selling your idea, your skill, your experience, and the meaning behind
what you've created.
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So for all of you creators and crafters who are getting ready to hit the craft fair circuits this fall, make sure you listen to Paul.
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There's actually two great ways you can support him.
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Through Paul Pape Designs, you can explore his handmade collectibles, designs, digital files, and his custom work.
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And then through gamified business, Paul coaches other creatives on the business side of making a living, doing what they love, really helping folks value themselves, their time, and their skill, and fitting that into a sustainable business.
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If you've ever thought, I should have done that years ago, then don't miss episode 59 and my conversation with Derek Shaw.
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He had a love of storytelling that went all the way back to childhood.
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But then life happened, as it does for so many of us.
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Work happened, family happened, responsibilities cropped up.
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The dream sat on the shelf.
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And then he picked it back up.
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My takeaway from Derek was later doesn't mean never.
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You can pull a dream back off the shelf, start small, and keep showing up to build it.
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Derek eventually moved from writing into independent filmmaking and created Ruby Street Productions, producing projects including Blissfully Unmarried and Bedridden.
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Supporting independent creators like Derek can be as simple as seeking out their films, watching their work, and sharing it with someone else.
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Every audience starts with one viewer at a time, and you can catch all of his works either on YouTube or on Amazon.
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Amanda Dames joined me for episode 61 for what could have very easily turned into a conversation about leather and whips.
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Instead, Amanda gave us a much bigger conversation about relationships.
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We talked about kink as a spectrum, but underneath all of it was trust, consent, communication, boundaries, and the ability to tell another person what you actually want without shame.
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My takeaway was that healthy relationships require people to feel seen and heard, even when talking about something that might feel uncomfortable.
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Amanda is a certified sex and relationship coach who works with individuals and couples through the Kink Consultant.
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She also hosts the Kink Consultant Podcast and offers educational resources for people who want to explore intimacy and BDSM with better communication and understanding.
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If Amanda helped remove some
of the mystery or stigma for you, listen to her podcast, explore her resources, or share her work with someone who could benefit from it.
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And then my most recent conversation, the Smokin' Hogs conversation, my guest Bill Gillespie in episode 62, his story is a great reminder that expertise doesn't usually begin with expertise.
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It begins with an interest, a first attempt, and the willingness to keep getting better.
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Bill took that passion all the way into hundreds of barbecue competitions, world championships, and the Kansas City Barbecue Society Hall of Fame.
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My takeaway from Bill was that mastery often begins with being a beginner at something you simply love doing.
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And Bill may have made it easier than any of my guests to support his passion.
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Smoke and Hogs sells barbecue rubs and sauces.
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Bill has written four barbecue books, and if you're really serious about your barbecue, he is teaching a competition level class through the Barbecue Champs Academy.
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Check that out on the Smoke and Hogs website.
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So whether you buy a bottle of sauce, pick up one of his cookbooks, take the class, or just make some really good barbecue, that's a pretty delicious way to say thank you to Bill for spending some time with us on assorted conversations.
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And just a side note, this past weekend I threw a boneless pork butt roast in my crock pot, coated it in Bill's barbecue rub, and had made pulled pork in about six hours, and added some of his barbecue sauce in.
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And I am not a huge barbecue sauce fan.
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I'm not a fan of the thick, molassesy, sticky types of barbecue sauce.
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His was not like that at all.
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It was absolutely delicious.
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So from firsthand experience, I can tell you it is amazing, and I will be using it again and again and again as we head into tailgate season.
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Truly some amazing guests, incredible stories, and valuable lessons that we can all apply, whether it's to our passions, our personal life, or our professional lives.
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I cannot thank these guests enough.
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All of the links to their original episodes are in the show notes so that you can get caught up on their full stories if you missed any of them.
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And you'll have access to the links to their websites, their products, their services, which I really hope you check out.
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I think it's a great way to say thank you for all of the time they spent sharing their stories on assorted conversations.
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So as always, I am grateful for you.
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Thank you for listening, and I'll see you in two weeks.