Join Angie Austin and Jim Stovall as they delve into the importance of recognizing and honing your strengths in order to lead a fulfilling life. This episode explores Angie’s memorable trip to California, where she revisited old friendships and showcased the value of maintaining strong personal connections as per the Harvard Happiness Study. Jim shares insights from his ‘winner’s wisdom’ column, emphasizing the significance of playing to one’s strengths and discovering personal gifts.
00:00:01 Introduction to The Good News with Angie Austin
Welcome to The Good News with Angie Austin. Now, with The Good News, here’s Angie.
SPEAKER 04 :
Hey, it’s the good news with Angie Austin and Jim Stovall. And today we are talking about his winner’s wisdom column. And this week it is titled Defile It. Hey, Jim. Hey, always good to be with you. You know, I just returned from nine days in California with my girls. I don’t know. It’s been a long time since it’s been just me taking the girls on a trip without my son, who’s in college right now, as you know. he had a big like young life camp this weekend where hundreds of kids came from different colleges and they all met up in the mountains. So he did that. And then my husband was here taking care of, you know, all of the pets and of course his business. So it was, uh, it was, it was fun. We did. Oh, I didn’t get to see your place in San Diego, but we did go to mission Bay, which I think is close to your favorite place in San Diego.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah. My, I will be out there in two weeks and, uh, My little island, Paradise Point, is right there in the upper end of Mission Bay. So you were right there.
SPEAKER 04 :
And what’s yours called, your place?
SPEAKER 02 :
It’s called Paradise Point. And it’s a little island you get to on a little causeway. And it’s about a 30-acre island there in the upper end of Mission Bay. And it’s fabulous. And it… Love the water there because it’s so calm because you’re in the bay. Yes. Crystal loves to kayak there. And she goes out and across the bay are the giant Navy ships. So I told her to. keep her kayak away from the aircraft carrier. Other than that.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, I’d say it was about low 70s. We went to the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay, which isn’t far from there because they have slides for the kids in the pool. So yeah, we have to go to the more still kid-friendly place. And there’s always Coronado Island, which is so beautiful. But I stayed with a friend there. Yeah, we did it all. We did the Fright Night at Universal Studios and we did Venice Beach and Santa Monica. We drove up to Santa Barbara and they got to see, you know, just where I used to do weather and, you know, my little station up on top of the hill and all that jive. So it was neat. They got to see a lot of different places. Oh, and All my girlfriends from California, they threw me at birthday parties. So as you know, my big thing now is that Harvard happiness study with keeping those friendships and relationships that you have, how that’s the biggest indicator of happiness. And I saw one girlfriend who I hadn’t seen in 24 years. And we were like, we worked right near each other at NBC. We were best of friends. And we both started to cry. It was like, so, you know, that’s such a great feeling when You’re so happy to see one. It was like you just saw him yesterday. I just started to cry. I was just overcome with emotion.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, you know, that’s the best times. It’s the best. And late in his life, I was able to reconnect my father to one of his childhood friends. And when we got them together, I said, when did you guys last see each other? And they both thought about it. It was 81 years ago. What? Yeah. But they came in, hey, Glenn, good to see you. How you been? What’s going on? Like they saw each other the day before yesterday, you know?
SPEAKER 04 :
And how old was your father?
SPEAKER 02 :
He was 92 at the time.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, and they were 81. Oh, my goodness. That is so wild. Oh, I love friendships. Connections are the best. Okay, so this week we’re talking about the column titled File It. What’s this about?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, this is about doing the things you’re good at, playing toward your strengths, and staying away from your weaknesses. And one of the things I love here in my business is I have a file out there where we go through the mail and all the stuff, and that’s for my accountant. And any paperwork comes in, you know, IRS paperwork, government paperwork, all that stuff that has to be filled out, I am just so excited to put it in the file. And Mark gets to worry about it, and I don’t have to worry about it, because, you know, you have to look at what your strengths are. As Clint Eastwood said, man’s got to know his limitations. And I studied accounting when I passed the stock exchange test, but I just don’t enjoy it. And, you know, if we’re going to succeed in life, we need to really focus on the things we’re good at. And usually it’s the things we enjoy. But too often, Angie, we don’t value it highly enough because it comes easy to us. And, you know, like my publisher, I’ve talked to them. We’ve done seven books filled with these weekly columns. And he said, these are just treasures. These are amazing. And people around the world write about it. And I spend about 15 minutes each on them. You know, just once a week, do a little column. And what am I thinking about? And it’s gone. And then when I look back on it, I’m just so grateful that people like them. And I get to do that. And when I… lost my football career and became an Olympic weightlifter, they said, you are making some amazing gains. You’re lifting more and more each week, and it’s incredible. I said, why didn’t everybody do that? And it came easy to me. It was my thing. And you need to find that thing. And I believe everybody has one. Whatever it is, you’ve got it. My brother and I were talking over the weekend. We both started out as teenagers working on a construction job. You know, I found an extra paycheck, and he found a career. I mean, he runs a $100 million construction company, and he was good at it. And we could tell right off. I mean, he knows what he’s doing, and somehow I just, you know, I couldn’t make the nail go straight. I couldn’t do anything. You know, I mean, he was just good at it. And, you know, those are the things we need to all look at, you know. And I remember playing around with my friend – and inspiration, Stevie Wonder, and, you know, we were playing some stuff, and, you know, I play the piano a little. Stevie is a virtuoso, and he said, why don’t you just do it like this? And he played it, and I said, because I’ve only got the two hands, Stevie, and if I had eight hands, I would play what you’re talking about. But, you know, and he just, you know, he, it comes easy to him. He loves it, and it’s what he’s good at. So, you know, our purpose in life is to find our gift, and we achieve meaning when we give it away. So find the thing that you’re the best at, the thing that you love, and discover a way to serve others by using that talent, that gift.
SPEAKER 04 :
You know, and, you know, like biblically speaking, you know, I know a lot in church we talk about our gifts per se and that it isn’t really a gift until you give it away. And I remember talking to a comedian, Michael Jr., and he was doing a comedy at like homeless shelters. And then there was a homeless family shelter. And this little boy had had a horrible childhood and he wouldn’t take off this Spider-Man mask. And he wouldn’t take it off. He wouldn’t take it off. And he was doing his comedy. And finally, you know, towards the end, you know, he had him laughing and he was talking to him. And the little boy took off his mask. And the grandmother was just like astounded because he wore the mask all the time. Now, because of whatever pains he’d been through, he liked to hide behind it. But he let it down for Michael. And Michael talked about getting these homeless people to laugh because it’s not… something that they do a lot of laughing because their life is so overwrought with difficulties and pains and suffering and struggles day to day. And I was like, why did you want to do this? And he’s like, well, if my comedy is a gift and I have it, if I don’t give it away, how is it really a gift? It’s not a gift until you give it away. And I thought, what a unique way to enjoy his gift. And this was many years ago. I don’t know if he still does this, but he did some kind of a special doing this, some kind of a documentary on these people that were going through such hardships and trying to give them that gift of laughter. And I’ve Over the years, haven’t we all thought about what ours is? So writing comes easy to you. And I would think maybe a column would for me, but a book certainly doesn’t because, you know, I’ve toyed with that idea for many years and, you know, and not really gotten too far on it. Just done interviews with my mom maybe about our past because we’ve had, I guess, what some would consider a difficult life experience. Some people would consider that I had a difficult background. So I’ve kind of gone over that because a lot of people are like, wow, you should write a book. I can’t believe you ended up where you have in life, coming from where you came from. But I think sometimes… I don’t even know if I know what my gift is. I like talking to people, and when I’m in big groups, like my friends, I get them laughing hysterically. Not one-on-one. That’s the interesting thing. In groups, just my timing and everything, it’s fun. Like you, we have good timing when it comes to making people laugh, especially in groups. Maybe it’s speaking. I don’t know. Like, I still think even at my age, I still struggle with like, what exactly does come easily to me? I certainly know waking up in the morning doesn’t come easily to me. So I know what the things that aren’t my gift, like I’m more of a night owl, you know, than a morning person. And of course, I did a morning show for decades, you know, the time of day that, you know, I don’t think comes that naturally to most people to get up at, you know, 245, 3, 330 in the morning, which I think I’ve told you, I still do get up then. You know, I still do wake up temporarily, you know, for a good half hour, hour every day at that time because I’m so timed to that. But how do you think you found what came easily to you?
SPEAKER 02 :
As most people do, I found by accident. And then I was shocked that people enjoyed it. It came to me. And, you know, Angie, there’s no doubt. I mean, anybody who listens to you for more than a few minutes realizes that. your ability to talk and be approachable. And, you know, people feel like they know you, they trust you, they’re comfortable with you. People like you immediately. And, you know, that’s the thing I see when we hire actors for our movies. I mean, there are certain people, the camera loves them, the audience loves them, they just shine through. But as some of your listeners know, I met you years ago when I was doing, you know, literally 100 radio interviews in a week. for one of my book releases, and you were, you know, hey, next is somebody named Angie in Colorado, and I’m on, and after we were off the air, I said, who are you? I mean, you know, well, you know, I’m doing this, no, no, no, before, and then you told me about the network TV stuff and everything, and I, okay, that’s who you are, I mean, this is, I mean, you’re a rock star, and, you know, and, you know, you are very, very good at this, and, you know, don’t kid yourself, so, The ability to converse and make people feel comfortable and make people like you and relatable is a gift. It’s as good as it gets.
SPEAKER 04 :
You know, I think, you know, I talked to you the first time maybe 10 years ago. I mean, it was really early on because there have been times in my radio. So 12 years now I’ve done this. And I do credit our conversation that day with me continuing to do the show because I was considering not doing it. There have been years in the 12 years where I’ve made nothing. There’s been years where I lost money doing it. And so it wasn’t financially, you know, advisable for me to continue doing it. I would have been better off. fiscally speaking, to do something else because I’ve kind of been on my own doing it independently and then I’m teamed up with a radio station that has been wonderful to work with, but I really need to generate clients on my own if I want to make any income, which isn’t necessarily my forte. I don’t think a lot of people come naturally to sales and going out and saying, hey, invest in me, invest in my show. But I’ve been lucky that this one organization that I really believe in that oddly enough, my son is starting to work for them this week. And they do, you know, it’s a nonprofit that helps people with cognitive deficits. If you, you know, maybe your kid has Down syndrome or cerebral palsy, they hire a lot of these young people to work in their organization. And they are, it’s an advocacy program. So all of these thrift stores help raise money. So it’s something I really believe in and they believed in me. And that’s why I’ve been able to stay on the air. But I think that I do credit you with saying, hey, I do these interviews. I’m doing 100 like this week and you’re so good at this. You can’t quit. You should really keep doing this. And so I have continued to do it. And I do think it’s a blessing because I get to talk to you who I consider to be a mentor to me every week. And I get to talk to experts and authors and I get to learn things every week. And it’s super interesting to me to kind of delve into people’s brains and, you know, find out more about them and see how their minds work and, you know, things like that. Like, that’s fascinating to me. I really get a kick out of it. And so even if in the years I didn’t make money, I still enjoyed it, you know. And so I have you to really thank for that because I don’t think I would have continued to do it. I don’t know what I would have done. And I do have to find a next thing. Like as my kids are going into college, you know how expensive that is. And I don’t make the kind of money where, I mean, I don’t even know if I could afford to put one kid through college in a year with the income I generate. So I do have to get a little more wise about what I’m doing financially. But in terms of the enjoyment of doing it, and I hope other people enjoy hearing from us, I know in your case, I get notes about you and oh, I didn’t hear Jim this week, or where can I find your podcast? I miss Jim. So you’ve become kind of a fixture in the show. So I certainly have you to thank for that. And we’re almost out of time, but I just love you. So I wouldn’t be doing this. I don’t think if it weren’t for you. So I have you to thank for that.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, you are a rock star. I think you’ve found your gift. And you may have to find other ways to give it away, but I have no doubt you will because that’s who you are and what you do.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, if you want to find Jim, jimstovall.com. Thank you, friend. You’re the best.
SPEAKER 02 :
You’re welcome.
SPEAKER 03 :
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SPEAKER 04 :
Hello there, friend. Angie Austin here with the good news. The good news is I have a challenge for you. You know, we’ve been talking recently, Dr. Cheryl Lentz and I, and also my favorite, Jim Stovall, about living your life to the fullest, rekindling some of those maybe old friendships or relationships, because the Harvard Happiness Study says that the best indicator of happiness is your friendships, your connections, your family. So is there someone that you could reconnect with that you haven’t seen before? in a long time or you could call today or make plans with you making plans is a huge hassle sometimes but for instance my mom she is going back to Tucson to visit my brother for the rest of the for the fall and winter and I know she really loves Estes Park and I actually don’t feel like that great today but I’m going to drive her up there to see the fall colors and the elk because it was so neat when I went up there with my friends recently and I told you about and And, boy, a lot of those elk up there are really getting beat up. The bulls, they are just fighting with each other over the cows, over the females. And I’ve been watching a lot of the photographers that post up there, and, oh, they’re limping, and they’re just really beat up from this season. But I want to go up and, you know, show some of the colors, get her this pizza that we get at our favorite pizza place that I’ve been going to since I was a kid. and let her see some of the elk and the beautiful lake up there and maybe take a spin by the Stanley. They have that little maze in front now. They tried to do that maze that’s like the one in The Shining. Even though Stephen King didn’t write the whole book there, he stayed there and got the idea there. And then some of that film was shot in Oregon and then some overseas, I guess. But they rebuilt that maze or they built that maze similar to the one in the movie. And they had a hard time keeping it alive because it’s so dry here. But anyway, they’ve got it rolling now. I think they said it’s pinyon pine or something. But yeah, it’s not a real tall maze, but you could take a stroll through it at the front of the hotel. It’s kind of cool. So what’s my point to this? I’m challenging you to reach out to someone that’s important to you that you really love and let them know. I did it just yesterday with a friend of mine who’s in her 80s who’s got some struggles with her health right now. And just call somebody today or reach out or maybe make a plan. I mean, I’m already making a plan with that group of my news friends that I travel with again now. And we’re looking at maybe that Albuquerque Balloon Festival next year that Dr. Cheryl Lynch just went to. And then a bike trip. And of all places, Croatia. And you don’t bike the whole time. You just bike a couple of hours a day on like an e-bike. So you can see a lot more things, you know, from that, that, you know, when you’re that close to everything. Yeah. I love those. I’m actually getting ready to plan something for the family for, oddly enough, just next week with the government shutdown and all. It’s been a little hectic trying to put the plans together because I wanted to go to D.C. and go to a bunch of the Smithsonian’s. But looking ahead, they’re only guaranteed to be open through the 11th because of the shutdown. And then they’re having flight difficulties. So. Anyway, so my challenge to you today is a couple of twofold. Reach out to someone just today that you miss or that you think might get some cheer out of you reaching out to them. But secondly, those friendships, there’s got to be a friendship or many that were really important to you in the past. that you can rekindle and maybe take a visit out to see them, or if you’re on a trip in their city, make the extra effort. Because I used to go to cities where I had old friends, and I was like, nah, busy, I’m not even going to reach out. Now I do, and it’s been life-changing. And I’ve rekindled some important relationships from my 20s, and they’re like sisters now. I mean, it’s wonderful. I had lunch with one of my best friends yesterday, and I started to cry at the table because of nice things she said to me. Like as a person, like that stuff’s truly meaningful. I can see why that is the best indicator of happiness, these relationships. So that’s my challenge to you. And feel free to go to AngieAustin.org and let me know how your reach out went. Okay. All right. Changing gears as the weather gets cooler. You know, many of us homeowners are looking for ways to, you know, stay warm for the winter, stay comfy, but also keep energy costs down. Joining us from a custom home in Virginia that’s done so well for energy efficiency is HGTV star Matt Blashaw, who’s back, who is best known for shows like Yard Crashers and Build It Forward. And he’s partnering with the very clean Propane Education and Research Council to show how homeowners can build or remodel their homes to meet their energy needs to do it clean and cost efficient as well. Welcome back, Matt. Thanks for having me. You are welcome. So I am fascinated by propane and just how clean and useful it can be. I just learned in the last few years, like it can power the buses and all. So let’s talk about, you know, energy that powers a home and what to consider.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, I’ve been building homes and renovating homes, as you know, for years. And I’m learning about the benefits of propane. And really, I can tell you from experience that the energy source impacts everything about how your home performs, right? The comfort, the safety, long-term costs, environmental impact. And really, that’s what families need, right? They need solutions that are reliable, affordable, right, in today’s day and age with bills going up and up and up. and, you know, clean. And that’s why propane is a smart choice, right? It can power all major appliances. I think we’ve talked about this before. You know, I told you buses, we thought about barbecues, but you got heating, cooking, hot water, clothes drying, even backup power can be done by propane. So, you know, all those put together is something that we really need to start thinking about.
SPEAKER 04 :
Now, can you tell us a little bit about, I know you’re in a custom home today, tell us a little bit about, you know, the home and special features.
SPEAKER 06 :
Oh, I wish I could show it to you. It’s beautiful. I’m in Charlottesville, Virginia. I’m on five acres of just pristine land. I got a lake right in front of me, deer in the meadow. It’s almost like a picture book. And this house, why I’m here, is an example of the power of propane and why it’s a whole home energy solution. This propane tank is a 1,000-gallon tank. It’s stored on site, in ground. They have another 500-gallon tank for the backup generation. And the builder… had the option to go after natural gas that’s in the development, but it was more effective to put in propane because he didn’t have to underground and bore a line to go all the way to the natural gas line. But not only that, it’s the independence that it brings you because instead of piping that energy in, the propane is right there. So you have that peace of mind knowing it’s right there ready to be used during the whole season, sometimes even a year with that big of a tank, you can use because this home has incredibly efficient major appliances, fireplace, water heater, like all those things that I mentioned. So it’s the decision not only to go propane, but also the decision to to get appliances that are going to use that energy source very efficiently. So you’ve got to couple that all together to make the right decision for your home.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, this is interesting because we’re turning the garage at this rental property into an ADU and building up. So we’re talking about all the ways to give it an energy source. electricity, natural gas. So the propane tank can be put in the yard. I mean, obviously I’m sure I have to get everything, you know, all the permits pulled and everything, but you put the propane in the yard and then you’ve got the reliable energy source right there. And then that is used for appliances and heat.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes, and check with your local city guidelines about how big of a tank you can put in and where you can put it. Sometimes there’s some restrictions. I went propane with my house. I have natural gas. I went propane because I think we talked about it before. I went through a tornado in the first year that I was in Kansas City. I moved from California, went to Kansas City. I had no idea what I was doing. I am not a Midwestern person. And tornado hit, and all of a sudden the power was out, and I was not – I was so unprepared. And I said, how can I make my home more resilient? And that’s why I started looking into propane. My father-in-law, he builds custom homes down in Springfield, Missouri. And I tell you, he only builds with propane. He absolutely loves it. So you can power – so it’s not only the power. It’s a very powerful energy source, right? So when it cooks, it cooks at hot temperatures. It has very precision power. temperature control, you’re going to use less of the energy. Boy, if you ever stand by a fireplace that’s propane powered, you will heat up in a second. So it’s a very, very efficient. It is a clean source of energy. And really, that peace of mind is fantastic to have. And another benefit is that when you’re getting wire brought into your house from the electrical service or gas, natural gas, they’re not coming out to make sure that they are working correctly. They only come out if there’s a problem, right? Well, if you have a propane service provider, he’s out there all the time making sure that you not only have enough propane, to last you for the season or however you need it. But he’s also checking on the systems, making sure that they’re safe, making sure that they’re running efficiently, and make sure that someone’s coming to all those appliances and cleaning them and making sure that they are running at optimal performance. That, in the long run, is going to save you big.
SPEAKER 04 :
It’s funny you mentioned that propane fire. I just had all my L.A. news friends come out to Denver to visit me. And we were sitting by the propane fire just like the night before last. And when that baby went out, I was like, we were done. You know, honey, and me on to my husband and he got it going again. But we were not staying outside without that day. I could not believe how much heat it was putting off because it’s gotten a little chilly here already. All right. So what about you? Let’s talk about, you know, energy bills. Obviously, this is a cleaner source of energy, energy bills being top of mind for families. In fact, that’s one thing my friends we were talking about. One of them was talking about her energy bill and how high I think it’s like five, I don’t know, five, six hundred dollars. Like their bills in Cali especially are so expensive. And I was blown away. And some of them run, you know, a different system. I couldn’t believe how much they pay.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, and those could go up, right? Because the electrical grid right now is being absolutely pounded with all this AI and the data storage centers now and then the need for electrical cars. In fact, the Department of Energy now reports that power outages could increase dramatically. by 100-fold by 2030. Now, I’m not saying the electricity is bad. Not at all. I’m saying we need to look at the energy sources as a whole. And for me, I moved over to propane with certain elements that I know that were good for me and that were reliable. Because at this day and age, The electric grid is not reliable. We have not gotten there. We’re not reliable. We know it goes down. I have had so many power outages. It’s unbelievable because we still live in an archaic way of delivery.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, you know they even schedule them now. Like my friends in California that are brown now, it’s like they schedule them. Like, hey, by the way, you’re not going to have power Tuesday from this hour to this hour. You’re like, what?
SPEAKER 06 :
Right. Someone’s telling you how to use their energy. With propane, no one’s telling you. You and only you are the one that can access that energy. It’s not going to anybody else, right? And so that’s the thing that puts it head and shoulders above all the other energy sources, in my opinion, because there’s that peace of mind. You know it’s there. And so these are things just to consider, right? I think I want people just to start dipping their toes in and saying, okay, what could I do? What could I do to subsidize? For me and my generator, it’s a portable generator. I didn’t spend the money on a whole house generator. It’s a portable propane generator. I got a bigger tank so that it will last longer. But that system, because propane’s clean, it’s going to keep my generator lasting longer. Diesel fuel, gas, it has a shelf life. People don’t know this. In about eight months, You have to throw that out and figure out a way to get that diesel out. Propane has a huge shelf life, so it can stand in that tank for a long time. So these are just things to start saying, okay, how could I put this in my house? Check with your local guidelines and make sure what could I do to at least start folding it into my life, not only making an impact on your peace of mind, making an impact on your family, but making an impact on your pocketbook.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, Matt, where do we go to get more info?
SPEAKER 06 :
Great information. Just go to propane.com slash formyhome. Great resource to start learning all about the benefits of propane.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, I’m going to check it out myself. Thank you, Matt. Thank you.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you for listening to The Good News with Angie Austin on AM670 KLTT.
