Welcome to The Good News with Angie Austin. Now, with The Good News, here’s Angie.
SPEAKER 08 :
Hey there, Angie Austin here with The Good News along with Jim Stovall, and we’re talking about his Winner’s Wisdom column. If you recall, he had a wonderful movie, I believe his first movie, The Ultimate Gift, and today the title of his column is Giving the Ultimate Gift, and you’re working on your ninth movie now. Do I have all that right, Jim?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes, absolutely.
SPEAKER 08 :
Excellent, excellent. All right, so what is Giving the Ultimate Gift about? What are you teaching us?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, there’s a new book that just came out last month. It is the latest book, and it is different than all my other books because it is a book about the result of another one of my books in the movie. And when The Ultimate Gift came out and then was made into a movie, There was a single mother down in Dallas, Texas, who read the book and then took her two teenage boys to see the movie. Well, at the end of this, they decided that each of the boys would do a community service project each of the years they were in high school. And so these two boys did. Well, some other single moms and their sons got involved, and more did and more did. And they started a little organization called the Young Men’s Service League. Well, it’s grown and grown, and as to the point today, there are over 160 chapters in 38 states. And last fall when school started, we had 11,000 boys doing these community service projects they call the ultimate gift. And I had nothing to do with this. I wrote a book, okay? These are the people that made it happen, these moms and their sons. But I did want to chronicle what they had done. So I had about 100 of the boys write their own story in their own words. Tell me, what service project did you do? Who did you help? And what did you learn through the process? How are you a better person? And I took these stories and I put it in a book with my commentary and the takeaways. And it’s called Giving the Ultimate Gift. And it’s been such a wonderful book. And it got released last month and immediately jumped on a couple of the bestseller lists. And it’s really taking off and it kind of has a life of its own. And I give all the credit to these single moms and these boys who took a concept I had and turned it into reality, gave it hands and feet, and they are really making a difference. And if you’re concerned about the future or the next generation in the world, I would suggest you should read Giving the Ultimate Gift because it will give you a lot of hope and anticipation as you look toward the future.
SPEAKER 08 :
Now, in terms of that particular single mom that got the ball rolling, is she still involved in any way?
SPEAKER 03 :
She is. She’s actually my co-author in this book. She wrote kind of a forward piece explaining how she got involved, Pam Rosner. And, yes, she is totally involved in the organization and involved. It’s an amazing project because there are so many organizations for fathers and sons, and they get into scouting or sports or all this. But the world we live in is filled with single moms, and they are the true heroes in our world today. They are taking bad situations and making the best of them. And the single moms realize there’s just not that many places where we can get involved. But the Young Men’s Service League is just a tremendous organization.
SPEAKER 08 :
Now, do you mind telling us about a few of the examples of what they’ve done? I’d be curious to hear what some of the services are that they’ve provided.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah. One that comes to mind is some of the kids, they’re from all spectrums. Some of them are raised in challenging and poverty situations. Others come from very wealthy families and One young man that came from a very wealthy young man, he decided, he went out and met some homeless people, and one of their biggest challenges is to get a shower, get clean, get their clothes cleaned and all this. So he put together a portable shower that people can use, and he went and told everybody where they could use this, and while they’re getting a shower, they get their clothes cleaned. Then after every… person used it, he would personally go in and scrub the entire thing so that the next person would have a pristine shower to use. And it was so fascinating. You know, he said, I’ve always grown up in a wonderful home where I had my own bedroom and my own bath, and somebody else cleaned it. And he said, it never occurred to me that there are people out there that don’t have access to these things. And so he learned that… Wow, there’s a whole other world out here I’m not aware of. And he said, every day when I get my shower, I’m grateful once again that I have a clean shower that I can use any time I want. And then there’s a young man, he was sent out to a veteran’s home. And he said they decided they would go visit these elderly veterans and spend time with them and help them out. And he said what happened was… in getting to talk with these Korean War veterans, and actually some of them actually talked to some World War II veterans several years ago, well into their 90s. And he said, you know, history came alive. I never understood that people had done those kind of things so that I could live in a world like I live in today. And he said, it’s not just a history book. It’s real people talking. And, you know, people left their homes. And he said, these guys were not any older than I am. And he was just amazed what he learned from that. And he said, I will never again look at anybody in uniform the same way. I will always be grateful because whatever they did, they made a sacrifice that allows us to do everything we do.
SPEAKER 08 :
And are any of these people near you or in your community, do you know any of the kids that are involved?
SPEAKER 03 :
I met some later, you know, Angie, this thing happened. Initially, they started doing ultimate gift projects in the young men’s service league before I even knew about it. So it was really amazing because I got invited by this local organization. We have some volunteers and would you come and speak to us? And I do one speech for free for everyone I get paid for. So I go down to do this and Before it starts, I’m asking the head lady there, I said, tell me about this group, how did it get started? And she was a little bewildered. She said, well, it started with your book. Oh, my goodness. Help me understand what you’re talking about. And she said, you didn’t know? I said, no. She said, well, this whole thing has happened. And Angie, I didn’t even know what they were talking about. I had a guy from the New York Times I did an interview with. He said, well, you’re very humble about all this. And I said, I’ve got a lot to be humble about here. I didn’t do this. I mean… I, I only want to chronicle these moms and these amazing young men.
SPEAKER 08 :
Wow. That is so wild that it kind of, you know, got rolling, you know, without you. Okay. So is it continuing to grow? I figure that they’ve got some infrastructure now to, you know, support this rather than just the one mom who’s your coauthor on the book.
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh yeah. Yeah. It is a whole organization with 160 chapters across the country and they have annual conventions and, uh, I spoke to their annual convention this year via satellite, and no, it’s grown into quite a thing now. And it is amazing, and I hope to do a documentary film on this and show more of these boys doing what they do. And this is one of those projects that won’t go away. I think in a couple years there may be more stories for more young men, because this is continuing to grow, and it’s organic, and it’s what happens when someone takes a theory or a great message and decides, let’s make this reality. And so it’s been truly amazing.
SPEAKER 08 :
That is a great idea. I’m a huge fan of documentaries because I feel like I learn so much about topics that maybe I’d heard about but don’t know that much about, you know, in depth. This may sound like a silly one, but we are the world. Oh, yeah. Yes. And Michael Jackson and Willie Nelson. Not that Willie is the most clear voice, but I mean, just people who are really known legends. And he’s trying to sing and he’s, of course, really nervous that he’s having to sing around. All of these stars, because he’s like in his interview now, he’s like, oh, my gosh, are you kidding me? Like, how am I going to even hold a candle to them? But I was extremely surprised that the person who was so shy that needed to be left alone literally to do his little part and was getting coaxed and and tutored by Stevie Wonder was Bob Dylan himself. And everyone had to leave the room, basically, except for Lionel Richie and, you know, a couple of other tech people. And so because he was nervous in that setting of singing with all these people. Isn’t that wild?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah. And it’s amazing how some of those people are totally unaffected. Stevie Wonder is become a friend and mentor of mine. And he I don’t think he even gets the fact he’s famous. You know, the last time I saw him He said, what are you working on? I said, working on a new film. He said, what could I do? I said, I’d love to have that song you and McCartney did, Ebony and Ivory. He said, I’ll sign off on it. We just get Paul and he said, just give Paul a call. And? He said, Stevie, you don’t call Paul. He said, you know Paul. I said, Stevie, no, you know Paul. But real people in the real world do not know Paul McCartney. No, I do not know Paul. And he said, wow, okay. Well then, let me get you in touch with Paul. He said, He said, I just think, you know, everybody knows everybody. And I said, no. I said, I know you, but I do not know Paul McCartney. And it’s fascinating because he just cannot get used to the fact that he’s famous because, you know, he was famous from the time he was a little tiny kid, you know. I mean, he had a hit when he was in his teens and he just never got used to it. And, you know, I can see him working with Bob Dylan because while he would have a great deal of respect for what Dylan wrote and all those things, He’s not going to be overly impressed. I mean, it’s just, you know, he’d be as impressed with Bob Dylan as he would with Bob’s driver or whoever was working backstage or whatever. That’s just Stevie.
SPEAKER 08 :
Now, did you get the song? Do you know yet?
SPEAKER 03 :
I’ve got to get the actual film. We want to put it in, but that’s… Talking to Stevie is one thing. When you talk to McCartney, you talk to a corporation. So I’ve got lawyers and people like that and everything. But yeah, I think we’ll be able to do it. And if we can’t do that, I may go back to Stevie and just get one of his songs, like the Isn’t She Lovely song, and pull that into a movie somewhere.
SPEAKER 08 :
Oh, I love that one. That one is amazing. Absolutely amazing. And I forget, you know, that like people like I forget that you’re blind. I forget that, you know, a lot of times when we’re speaking and that, of course, Stevie is as well. So this high powered circle of people who can’t see. And I know you have other friends in the Stevie, you know, realm. And it’s fascinating to me the amount of people that you know and the circles you travel in. But from my friends that live in L.A., one of my girlfriends is an anchor for the Fox station. There’s been on air for like probably 30 years. But I’ll see her post pictures, I think, in the last year or so. She posted one with Stevie, but also said the same thing about him. Like, I mean, he might know he’s famous, but it’s irrelevant to him, it seems like.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, he just just a normal guy. And, you know, I met him when we both were receiving an award from the American Foundation for the Blind in New York. But we’ve been friends ever since. And, you know, we never talk about the fact we’re blind. I mean, right. Stevie is just one of the most talented people. And, you know, it is funny because that night they had a piano out there for him to play. I got there early for my walkthrough. So I’m horsing around playing his piano. Because how often do you get to do that? Right. And he comes out and says, does this mean I got to make the speech? I said, yeah, it does.
SPEAKER 08 :
Oh, my goodness. All right. I want to make sure people can find you and all of your books. I think it’s around 60. Do you even know? No. You don’t know? Come on.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, I don’t because… You know, I think I’ve written well over 60, and there are three or four that are kind of in the pipeline still coming out.
SPEAKER 01 :
Oh, that’s funny.
SPEAKER 03 :
It’s kind of like, you know, how many kids do you have, but if you’re pregnant with twins. So it’s kind of one of those things.
SPEAKER 08 :
Oh, you’re so funny. All right, jimstovall.com. Thank you, friend. Be well.
SPEAKER 01 :
Arc Thrift loves your gently used clothing, furniture, and household items. But did you know they also accept non-perishable food donations year-round? Arc Thrift partners with Volunteers of America to help supply more than 70 food pantries across Colorado, from Pueblo to Northern Colorado and all the way to Grand Junction. So when you head to the store, be intentional. Grab a few high-protein items like peanut butter, canned beans, tuna, chicken, soups, or pasta, and bring them with you when you donate or shop. Instead of cleaning out your closet, clean out your pantry. When shopping at or donating to Arc Thrift, you’ll be helping families in need, supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and keeping good items out of landfills. Find locations, donation centers, and details at arcthrift.com. Arc Thrift. Giving items a second life and giving people real hope.
SPEAKER 06 :
Burlington is listening to the mighty 670 KLT Denver.
SPEAKER 09 :
Hello there, friend. Angie Austin here with the good news. If you are just joining us, very happy to celebrate people that I really appreciate. And my daughters are actually interested in this career. Nurses and nursing nurses are the backbone of our health care system, caring for patients and families every day. May 6th marks the beginning of National Nurses Week, a perfect time to recognize their dedication and talk about nursing. ways we can support them. Well, joining us today is registered nurse Linda Champa to discuss a new grants program designed to support their professional growth. Welcome, Linda. Thanks for having me, Angie. You are welcome. I love your background, the TV and the nursing and now lactation specialist. You’ve done so much. So you’re pretty well versed in nursing. So why is National Nurses Week an important time to recognize nurses in general?
SPEAKER 07 :
Sure. You know, I think that National Nurses Week is just a chance to celebrate the positive impact that nurses can have on their patients and their communities. You know, Angie, it’s a demanding job physically and mentally. It’s also rewarding, and it also requires ongoing continuing education credits to keep us current and to help us earn national certifications. Each year, we have to renew our skills and complete a certain number of continuing education credits. And Angie, it’s the cost of those credits that really can add up for nurses.
SPEAKER 09 :
Absolutely. All right. Well, tell us about this new grant program to help with this cost, which can be pretty exorbitant in some cases.
SPEAKER 07 :
They can be. They can be, especially if you don’t work at a hospital. So to help with the cost of the continuing education credits, the company that makes the protein shakes, Premier Protein, they’re launching the Shakes for Shifts Grants Program. It’s really kind of cool. It’s a reflection of their commitment to nurses. They’re going to award… 10, $2,500 grants to eligible nurses who are passionate about continuing education and want to advance their careers. So if you’re a nurse or if you know a nurse, you can submit a short essay, 200 words or less, explaining how the grant would support your career goals. And applications are going to open May 6th and run through July 1st. So you can learn more and apply online at the Shakes for Shifts section of PremierProtein.com. But Angie, you know, dealing with the continuing education credits, it’s just one challenge that nurses face every day.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, I know the shifts can be pretty taxing, some of them near 12 hours, and then you’ve got to stay maybe to take, you know, to put your notes in, etc. So it’s a very long day and or night. So let’s talk about some of the challenges that nurses face, you know, during those shifts, which can be so long.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah. You know, Angie, I think the main challenge for me is just keeping up the energy during those 12 hour shifts that you mentioned and many of us work. So I’m always like thinking ahead. I’m always trying to pack healthy, high protein foods. Premier Protein just released a new line of coffeehouse protein shakes that pack 30 grams of protein and the caffeine equivalent to a cup of coffee. So you kind of get that extra boost if you need it. And they have a new coffeehouse line that features some classic cafe flavors. For example, the coffeehouse mocha I really like and the caramel macchiato. They’re all delicious. And if you’re a nurse, you can actually save 30% with code PREMIER30 on Amazon during National Nurses Week while supplies last. So it’s a great time to check out that grants program that we talked about and also maybe try some of these shakes if you’re a nurse. Oh, give us that code again. Oh, sure. So you go to Amazon and you put in code PREMIER30. You’ll save 30% on Amazon during National Nurses Week while supplies last.
SPEAKER 09 :
Okay. And I also just want to throw out a big plus for the chocolate protein bar, the Premier. They’re in my purse right now because when I travel, if I can’t take shakes… Those bars, the chocolate ones are so delicious. My cousin is a trainer or like teaches for aerobics classes a day. So she brought them to our trip last week and I just bought like, I don’t know, the big box of like 18 or something. They’re so good. And you can just throw them in your purse when you fly to or whatever, if you’re going to work your shift, et cetera. So where do we go to get more info on all of this?
SPEAKER 07 :
So to learn more, you want to visit the shakes for shifts section of premierprotein.com. So basically, if you go to premierprotein.com, you’ll see the little section that says shakes for shifts. And you can click on that and they’ll tell you all about the grants program to help with the continuing education. And you can go ahead and use your code on Amazon during National Nurses Week to save 30%.
SPEAKER 09 :
Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Linda. Thank you for all you do for others. And this is a great program to help nursing and nurses. Thank you.
SPEAKER 07 :
Thank you. And encourage your daughters to follow their dreams of being a nurse. It’s really a rewarding career.
SPEAKER 09 :
Hey, it is challenging though. Some of those classes you guys take are really hard, but yes, I will encourage them.
SPEAKER 07 :
Step at a time. You can get through it. Well, thank you so much. Okay. Take care.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, if you are just joining us, this is Angie Austin with the good news. Well, the Met Gala is one of the most iconic nights in fashion. But what most people don’t see is everything that happens before the red carpet, which is powered by small and mid-market businesses. Behind the scenes, teams are working under tight deadlines and a lot of demands to perfect every detail for the high-pressure night in the spotlight. Well, joining us now are two of the business owners that the ALS people rely on, entrepreneur and celebrity nail artist Tom Bacek. And here’s Dallas to the Stars and salon owner Ursula Steven. Welcome to both of you. They partnered with Intuit QuickBooks Workforce to show us how they manage their teams and they keep everything running smoothly when the stakes are high and at their highest. Welcome to both of you.
SPEAKER 05 :
Thank you, Angie. Thank you.
SPEAKER 09 :
All right. So I always think about you guys because I love the whole I worked in L.A. for many, many years at NBC. So we had makeup artists. Right. But nothing like you guys do. Like it’s the nails. It’s the skin. It’s the ears. It’s the texture of the hair. Like so many things go into this. So I’ve seen a lot of these looks and some of them are so off the top. You probably have to get, you know, pretty creative. So let’s start with you, Tom. What does it take to pull off a creative moment for you, for the Met Gala, for your clients?
SPEAKER 05 :
Definitely. Well, for me, especially in high-pressure moments like this, it can get so crazy. And the amount of planning that’s necessary can be tremendous. Because we’re working with so many teams, from the designer of the gown, the stylist, the celebrities themselves, and then, of course, hair and makeup. And when you’re in high-pressure situations like this, especially on the day of, there really is no room for error, and perfect coordination is a must. And so it’s really important to have the right tools so you can set up your timelines, your schedules, and really manage your teams.
SPEAKER 09 :
But I have to ask you, you still love it, though, don’t you? It’s exciting.
SPEAKER 05 :
I love it. Every day.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yes, I’ll bet. I’ll bet. So exciting. All right. Sorry, I stepped on you. All right, Ursula, I’ll move to you. You know, multiple looks, you know, last minute changes. A designer might come in and say, oh, I don’t like it at all. I want this done instead. How do you keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes? Because to be honest with you, everyone’s looking at what you did because everyone’s looking at their head, you know?
SPEAKER 04 :
Right. Trust me, I know it is very nerve-wracking. And if you know anything about my side of the business, you know that there’s going to be some type of change. And it’s probably going to be right before the client wants to walk out the door. Right. So the name of the game is pivot. You have to really become really great at pivoting. You also have to have a really solid system in place that can support those changes. This is why I really love QuickBooks Workforce because it really puts me at ease when it comes to that. It handles everything from communication to scheduling to payrolls to payments. So it just puts me at ease, and I’m the queen of pivoting. So having that type of support just makes me even more stronger in what I do when I have that pressure on me.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah. My husband’s a company. He uses it as well for his company. So I know a lot of the advantage. All right. So, Ursula, you’re a salon owner. You’re keeping track of everything with both your salon and your freelance business. And you’re under really high pressure moments. I was just watching, you know, a bunch of the reviews of hairstyles and this, that and the other. And the woman who was commentating always mentioned the hair, you know, loved it or absolutely hated it. And it’s so shocking to me sometimes, like some of the choices they make, right? How do you track everything and keep track of your life, your people under such high pressure moments?
SPEAKER 04 :
I owe it all to a solid team. You have to have a solid team and also a quick book workforce. It really just helps to put me at ease in that way.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
You named a lot of things. You just made me remember all the responsibilities that I have. But, you know, I have a lot of things going on. So I really want to feel confident when I’m outside of my salon. You know, I have these, you know, really busy times like Met season. I need to be able to focus on being creative, you know. So it’s very important that I know that my team feels supported. everybody paid on time things are things are just running smoothly and that just puts me at ease and i can focus on being the true creative that i am because i am not a numbers girl at all i’m a creative so this you know quickbooks really has um helped me to feel more grown up and just really organize my life and business and you know helping me to keep everything just running really seamless and to be able to um be able to manage my money and my people all in one place yeah chef kiss
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, I love it. I love it. Yeah. Because the creative types sometimes aren’t the not always the number, the numbers types. All right. I’m going to move to Tom. You know, I’ve got three teenagers and my girls hope, hope and faith. They are super into nails. I mean, super. And one of them just went to prom and the other just went to her banquet where she plays college volleyball. So they can’t always wear their basketball and volleyball players. They can’t always wear nails. But if there is an event, they are over the top with the nails. That is such a focus for them. So I want to know about what trends really stood out this year from the Met Gala.
SPEAKER 05 :
Definitely. This year I saw so many great nail looks on the red carpet. It’s hard to choose, but I think my top three are going to be one because it was really about costume art. It was how fashion is art. And I love the way they put that together. And so probably my number one trend would be hand-painted or canvas nails, where the nails actually helped represent or completed the look that the designers were going for. And on top of that, metallic nails. high chromed nails. And the cool thing was I saw some that weren’t just the nails, but they actually took the chrome all the way up onto the fingers. And then really cool artistic ways to reinterpret the French manicure was super, super exciting to see.
SPEAKER 09 :
I’ve got to look at some of those, like kind of zoom in on some of the hands, because I just do, you know, the really conservative, you know, nails. But my daughters do like coffin shape and then all kinds of bedazzling and, you know, things that usually there’s a kind of pre done. They don’t have the money to have them like, as you put it, like use it as a canvas. All right. So sorry, I interrupted you. Go ahead.
SPEAKER 05 :
No, not at all. In fact, a lot of the times we’ll do that. We’ll do a nail fitting and actually pre-create the looks ahead of time, pivot and adjust if things change, and then apply the nails right before they get dressed for the red carpet.
SPEAKER 09 :
Oh, that’s so cool. And how, how do you manage, you know, your time and your business to keep up with the demands of the trends? Because obviously you’re doing the high end trends. You’re not doing the prom trend like my daughter. Although I have to say she knocked it out of the park with this last set that she did. I couldn’t believe that she, I was like, those are like, they’re like works of art. So how do you keep up with everything?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, I think it’s, you know, definitely having systems in place. Especially for me, as Ursula said, um, We’re creative, and we need to know that the business side of the operations, the structure side of the operations is taken care of. And so solutions like QuickBooks Workforce helps me so that I don’t have to worry about the business side, and I can stay focused on the creative, and I can do what I love. I can focus on the trends. I can focus on my clients and creating the nail designs. And so having that structure allows me to really create things and then the QuickBooks workforce allows me to not have to focus on, but to manage both my teams and my finances all in one place. I think that’s the key thing, right, is that as our businesses scale and grow, the management side of things becomes more complex, and this helps us to really, QuickBooks helps us to really simplify that and manage it all in one place.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, you know, I know you guys, too, aren’t just managing your finances, your QuickBooks, your the nail, the hair is your team. I also know because, you know, I’m actually in L.A. right now and one of my friends does wardrobe for really high end people. And when she tells me some of the stories of glorious people, oh, they’re so wonderful. Then she’ll be like, oh, my gosh, you won’t believe that nightmare person. I work with the scariest person on the face of the earth. And I’m like, so I know you guys have the good, the bad and the ugly.
SPEAKER 05 :
For sure. For sure.
SPEAKER 09 :
All right. So where do we go to get more info?
SPEAKER 05 :
Oh, that’s super simple. If you’d like more info, simply go to QuickBooks.com.
SPEAKER 09 :
Thank you, Tom. Thank you, Ursula. That was a lot of fun. And thanks for sharing your expertise with us today.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thank you, Angie. Thank you, Angie.
SPEAKER 02 :
Have a great day. You too. Thank you for listening to The Good News with Angie Austin on AM670 KLTT.
