You've probably heard the ubiquitous discussion  about AI.  How the bots are coming after your job, and are capable of  even greater nefarious actions.We put the nefarious aside today to address how AI voices are eliminating the need/desire to use human voice actors for many narration projects. So yes, Jack and my conversation is born out of self-interest, some trepidation and curiosity as to where all of this leads.  The development and now widespread  use of AI - for everything from ordering dinner to writing a book to litigating a legal case -  has significant consequences, which we will continue to explore throughout our season.Speaking of significant consequences, Jack and I talk about the SAG-AFTRA theatrical strike,  as well as blockbuster movie openings despite it.  Barbie and Oppenheimer, also known as Barbenheimer, or Oppenbarbie, have moviegoers filling theatre seats in record numbers.  In just three weeks, Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig, has broken box office records, taking in over one billion dollars globally. Not bad for a girl : )At the same time, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer's has taken in  500 million dollars. Not too shabby for a three-hour film about the development of the nuclear bomb, another consequential event. See a theme here?We have some fun, and Jack indulges in some shameless (albeit well-deserved)  self-promotion. Thanks for listening.

Feeling overwhelmed? Lonely? Burnt-out and unfulfilled? You're not alone. When the Surgeon General declares a mental health crisis, you know your feelings of anxiety and depression are not outliers.Mental Health Counselor Jon Mattleman provides some calm, as well as some strategies you can use to help you get over some of life's most challenging times and perhaps lift your spirits.We talk about the changing phenomenon of how we choose  - if at all, to show up at work, where to find fulfillment in several overlooked and abandoned professions and how Jon discovered his 'emergency joy' in a quarter of Brigham's chocolate chip ice cream.About Jon MattlemanAcross all of his work, Jon brings warmth, understanding, and patience…plus a healthy dose of humor! In his more than 30 years of experience as a therapist and presenter, clients have felt comforted by his ability to acknowledge that the challenges they face are complex – and often downright exhausting! In acknowledgment of this, his work is grounded in delivering tools that can be implemented immediately. Who has time to wait?More about Jon's work here

Passions. Some people say follow your passions and you'll never work a day in your life. Do what you love and the money will follow. Is that true?  If we don't take the road less traveled, will we regret it, or be ever grateful to the parents who urged us to attend business school or find 'a real job'?Is it possible to follow a more traditional, pragmatic career path and either find passion there?  How important is having a career for an interest we have passion for, especially if we lack talent of said passion? Passions. What are they good for?Which route leads to success - and  happiness - following your passions or being pragmatic? Can those two things coexist?Jack and I will let you know as we discuss our own career paths, the advice we would give our younger selves and wax poetic about a little, old TV show called 'WKRP in Cincinnati'. Welcome to our world. Please share this episode with a friend, mention it on the socials and please subscribe.

Andy Warhol said 'In the future everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes.' Seems like everyone will have a book as well. It can raise your profile as a professional, bring your credibility as an expert, get you speaking engagements, and if it's a good book, make you famous.Many non-fiction, business books and memoirs are written by ghostwriters, those unsung heroes of the literary world who take the facts and history of someone's life and experience and transform it into an engaging narrative. Today, on Embark, we delve into this world of story craft with Sherry Granader.As a ghostwriter of over 150 books, with 5 on Amazon’s bestseller list, Sherry  is also a certified Sports Nutritionist.  She has ghostwritten books and memoirs for CEOs, business owners, Doctors, Lawyers, Scientists, and Clinical Nutritionists.  In addition to attending Culinary School at the University of Montana, Sherry is also an author of 2 healthy cookbooks, “Eat Right, Feel Good, Lose Weight, Have Fun – You won’t be hungry!” and “Soy You Wanna Lose Weight?”  She served as the On-Air Nutritionist for QVC television in the United States and the UK and hosted her weekly “Healthy Living” segments for PBS television. Sherry is passionate about sharing her writing talents with authors to help them express their voices, knowledge, and life experiences to create a book he or she can be proud of. Sherry specializes in non-fiction, memoirs, medical and business books.Is writing a book in your future? Here are Sherry's top 10 reasons to worth with a ghostwriter.1.    Not Getting it Done - The main reason I'd consider engaging a ghostwriter is if you're in a position where you've wanted to write a book for years and just aren't getting it done. If you've realized that it's just not going to happen if you're on your own, then a ghostwriter can turn your idea into a publishable draft.2.    TIME – most of my authors work full time and do not have the time it takes to create a publisher-ready manuscript. A book of 150+ pages takes about 4 months write 3 chapters per month.3.    A Ghostwriter and Bring Your Story to Life - It’s still your ideas and knowledge in many cases, and the ghostwriter brings has the writing chops to bring it to life.4.    No ONE has to know – operative word – ghost. There is nothing shady about hiring a ghostwriter. It might seem strange that ghostwriters don’t take any credit for their work and you might worry that they’ll resent you, but rest assured: contracted ghostwriters are perfectly content with their jobs. 5.    It is a collaborative effort - Ghostwriting collaborations are as rewarding for the ghostwriter as they are for the person hiring them, and they've helped countless people fulfill publishing goals they could previously only dream of.6.    Ghostwriters are chameleons who bring other people's stories to the page in fiction and nonfiction. They are versatile, the chameleons of the writing world, and can effortlessly switch between styles and genres. 7.    Lack the Know-How - No one knows your life story better than you, but you may lack the know-how to tie it all together in a way that is easy to follow and that the average reader will appreciate. Enter the ghostwriter, who can synthesize all your memories and anecdotes into a moving autobiography or entertaining memoir with a little distance from the topic!8.    Ghostwriters ask the right questions – especially when it comes to writing a memoir. Often too close to the topic as the author, the ghostwriter asks the ques

AI Voices. We hear about them every day. And we hear them every day. At the airport. Waiting for a bus or train. On that small console on our kitchen counter or, God forbid, bedside table.Smart assistants make our lives easier: Ask them anything. But the technology also hears a lot. Perhaps a lot that we’d rather keep to ourselves.In this episode, I talk about my own ambivalence about the quickly evolving development of and our growing comfort with AI.  For many of us in the voice over industry, as well as other creative pursuits like graphic design, animation, writing, and professions like law, there's a certain uneasiness with the technology as well. AI: Something to fear or embrace? The technology is here to stay, so it’s best to understand it and use it to our best advantage. Professionally speaking, it’s a great tool, but I’m going to double down on being human. A few weeks ago, voice actor Ann Lucente and I moderated a panel discussion on AI in Clubhouse.  Listen to the replay here.  Recent Embark guest Kirsten Rourke weighed in on AI, among other things.Find our conversation here. As always, let's keep it human. And thanks for listening.  

She is a TED-talking, eLearning, tech-savvy, belly-dancing, wine-sipping presentation coach, and she's my guest today on Embark.Ongoing Mastery's Kirsten Rourke worked freelance with training vendors for over 20 years, gaining expertise in adjusting to environments on the fly and fixing training programs that weren’t working for clients’ needs. She's been an e-Learning developer, staff instructional designer, and production manager for a large international team. In addition to being a Certified Technical Trainer, Kirsten has a Master’s of Education in Instructional Design.She shifted her business to Rourke Training LLC in January 2022 to bring a focus on performance, engagement, and instructional design to leaders who know they need to adapt to their speaking environment and audience in the moment without stress.  In this episode we discuss the key to engagement, even in the virtual meting, the growing industry of instructional design,  the ubiquitous AI discussion, her stint at Burger King University,  a favorite belly dancing performances and her recommendation for a quaffable spring wine.Thanks for joining the conversation.

"Everything rests on your ability to communicate." Catherine Johns walks - and talks - the talk. I have the  pleasure to share a fantastic conversation where we discuss how to gracefully navigate the dreaded Zoom talk, as well as how to own the stage, even when you are being heckled, er, challenged by an unruly audience member. Hear Catherine's take on how the overthinking speaker gets centered, where to place yourself on stage, and when to move and why a bot will never replace her.About Catherine: Catherine John's guides executives and entrepreneurs to craft a clear compelling message and deliver it with confidence charisma, and maybe a quirk. If you're from the Midwest, you may remember Catherine from Chicago radio as a morning show personality and talk show host. She perfected the art of making information interesting. While she invited interaction and probably develop to some incredible improvisational skills, she has consulted with companies like JP Morgan, Bank of America, and good year to elevate their presentation skills. She provides coaching and training on executive presence, client communication and public speaking, along with special sessions for women on professional presence. Find her book, Show and Shine: Simple Steps to Boost Your Confidence and Charisma on Amazon

Tired of the news cycle? Sick of the constant drip, drip, drip of downbeat information? So are we, so Jack and I decided less news media consumption, more turning up the volume and indulging our passion for listening to music. We couldn't help but watch the State of the Union Address, though.  We wander into political territory, before going to the happy place of sharing favorite bands, and wondering if Rock 'n Roll is still a thing. If it's not, is it time to re-think the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?  Broaden the tent to encompass all genres? I like that idea. It feels democratic, and  since I embrace all kinds of music, it seems right.We also talk about altered states, aka cosmetic surgery. Many celebrities are doing an about face on their old - er, former - faces, with mixed results. What do you think?Also, in light of the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, there is incredible need and ways for your to help. Check your local consulates to donate in-kind items like blankets, tents, jackets, diapers, hats, gloves and other clothing.You can also donate to unicefusa.org or https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org.Thank you. Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Reach out at  [email protected] for listening.

You have two ears and one mouth, so you probably listen twice as much as you talk.Nah, not even close. Most of us, in fact, don't know how to listen. We've never really been taught. Can we learn  how to listen?Glad you asked. We have a listening expert, a PhD in Listening. Okay, she's a PhD in Communications.  Dr. Laura Janusik wasn't always a great listener. She thought she was smarter than whoever was talking, and uncomfortable with lulls in the conversation was a 'filler-inner." Like most of us. She got over it, though and so can we.Our conversation covers text and subtext, what respectful listening is and why you don't need to agree to just listen and understand.Laura Janusik one of the world’s leading experts in teaching and training listening is  a dynamic trainer, researcher, speaker, coach, and consultant, She uses her MBA and PhD in Communication to help coaches listen well, hear more, and change lives. Her approach to communication, both oral and written, is practical and other-centered. Past president of the International Listening Association, Laura is published both nationally and internationally. Her research and ideas are cited in Forbes, Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, and US News and World Report. Read more here. 

How's your year going? Jack has dubbed the month of January 'the Monday of the year', and it's feeling that way with the crazy shenanigans going on in the House of Representatives, secret documents unearthed in garages and tell-all bios by whiny Royals. Although we not-so-secretly crave a crown of our own. (I'm polishing mine now.)Jack and I do find  silver linings, and cock-eyed optimists that we are, share admiration for Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin and gratitude for his remarkable recovery from cardiac arrest his suffered two weeks ago. It's always a win when we all come together to rally behind someone. We also talk about the power of awe, the wonder we find in nature, people we admire, the miracle of birth. Those things that put our lives and perspective. A reminder we are not the center of the earth but part of something greater than ourselves.All the same, we think y'all are pretty great. Send in your comments, ideas and feedback at  [email protected] for listening.