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Always since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated with videos. I loved the heroes and the excitement—but most of all the reports. I wanted to be an actor. And I believed that I’d get to do the things that Indiana Jones did and go on interesting activities. I also dreamed up suggestions for videos that my friends and I could render and sun in. But they never went any farther. I did, however, end up working in user experience ( UX). Today, I realize that there’s an element of drama to UX— I hadn’t actually considered it before, but consumer analysis is story. And to get the most out of consumer research, you need to show a good account where you bring stakeholders—the solution team and choice makers—along and getting them interested in learning more.

Think of your favorite film. More than likely it follows a three-act construction that’s frequently seen in story: the layout, the fight, and the quality. The second act shows what exists now, and it helps you get to know the characters and the challenges and problems that they face. Act two introduces the fight, where the action is. Here, difficulties grow or get worse. And the third and final work is the solution. This is where the issues are resolved and the figures learn and change. I believe that this architecture is also a great way to think about customer study, and I think that it can be particularly helpful in explaining person exploration to others.

Use story as a framework to complete research

It’s sad to say, but many have come to view studies as being inconsequential. If finances or timelines are small, analysis tends to be one of the first points to go. Instead of investing in study, some goods professionals rely on manufacturers or—worse—their personal judgment to make the “right” options for users based on their experience or accepted best practices. That may get teams some of the way, but that approach can so easily miss out on solving users ‘ real problems. To remain user-centered, this is something we should avoid. User research elevates design. It keeps it on track, pointing to problems and opportunities. Being aware of the issues with your product and reacting to them can help you stay ahead of your competitors.

In the three-act structure, each act corresponds to a part of the process, and each part is critical to telling the whole story. Let’s look at the different acts and how they align with user research.

Act one: setup

The setup is all about understanding the background, and that’s where foundational research comes in. Foundational research ( also called generative, discovery, or initial research ) helps you understand users and identify their problems. You’re learning about what exists today, the challenges users have, and how the challenges affect them—just like in the movies. To do foundational research, you can conduct contextual inquiries or diary studies ( or both! ), which can help you start to identify problems as well as opportunities. It doesn’t need to be a huge investment in time or money.

Erika Hall writes about minimum viable ethnography, which can be as simple as spending 15 minutes with a user and asking them one thing:”‘ Walk me through your day yesterday.’ That’s it. Present that one request. Shut up and listen to them for 15 minutes. Do your damndest to keep yourself and your interests out of it. Bam, you’re doing ethnography”. According to Hall, “]This ] will probably prove quite illuminating. In the highly unlikely case that you didn’t learn anything new or useful, carry on with enhanced confidence in your direction”.

This makes total sense to me. And I love that this makes user research so accessible. You don’t need to prepare a lot of documentation, you can just recruit participants and do it! This can yield a wealth of information about your users, and it’ll help you better understand them and what’s going on in their lives. That’s really what act one is all about: understanding where users are coming from.

Jared Spool talks about the importance of foundational research and how it should form the bulk of your research. If you can draw from any additional user data that you can get your hands on, such as surveys or analytics, that can supplement what you’ve heard in the foundational studies or even point to areas that need further investigation. Together, all this data paints a clearer picture of the state of things and all its shortcomings. And that’s the beginning of a compelling story. It’s the point in the plot where you realize that the main characters—or the users in this case—are facing challenges that they need to overcome. Like in the movies, this is where you start to build empathy for the characters and root for them to succeed. And hopefully stakeholders are now doing the same. Their sympathy may be with their business, which could be losing money because users can’t complete certain tasks. Or maybe they do empathize with users ‘ struggles. Either way, act one is your initial hook to get the stakeholders interested and invested.

Once stakeholders begin to understand the value of foundational research, that can open doors to more opportunities that involve users in the decision-making process. And that can guide product teams toward being more user-centered. This benefits everyone—users, the product, and stakeholders. It’s like winning an Oscar in movie terms—it often leads to your product being well received and successful. And this can be an incentive for stakeholders to repeat this process with other products. Storytelling is the key to this process, and knowing how to tell a good story is the only way to get stakeholders to really care about doing more research.

This brings us to act two, where you iteratively evaluate a design or concept to see whether it addresses the issues.

Act two: conflict

Act two is all about digging deeper into the problems that you identified in act one. This usually involves directional research, such as usability tests, where you assess a potential solution ( such as a design ) to see whether it addresses the issues that you found. The issues could include unmet needs or problems with a flow or process that’s tripping users up. Like act two in a movie, more issues will crop up along the way. It’s here that you learn more about the characters as they grow and develop through this act.

Usability tests should typically include around five participants according to Jakob Nielsen, who found that that number of users can usually identify most of the problems:” As you add more and more users, you learn less and less because you will keep seeing the same things again and again… After the fifth user, you are wasting your time by observing the same findings repeatedly but not learning much new”.

There are parallels with storytelling here too, if you try to tell a story with too many characters, the plot may get lost. Having fewer participants means that each user’s struggles will be more memorable and easier to relay to other stakeholders when talking about the research. This can help convey the issues that need to be addressed while also highlighting the value of doing the research in the first place.

Researchers have run usability tests in person for decades, but you can also conduct usability tests remotely using tools like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or other teleconferencing software. This approach has become increasingly popular since the beginning of the pandemic, and it works well. You can think of in-person usability tests like going to a play and remote sessions as more like watching a movie. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. In-person usability research is a much richer experience. Stakeholders can experience the sessions with other stakeholders. You also get real-time reactions—including surprise, agreement, disagreement, and discussions about what they’re seeing. Much like going to a play, where audiences get to take in the stage, the costumes, the lighting, and the actors ‘ interactions, in-person research lets you see users up close, including their body language, how they interact with the moderator, and how the scene is set up.

If in-person usability testing is like watching a play—staged and controlled—then conducting usability testing in the field is like immersive theater where any two sessions might be very different from one another. You can take usability testing into the field by creating a replica of the space where users interact with the product and then conduct your research there. Or you can go out to meet users at their location to do your research. With either option, you get to see how things work in context, things come up that wouldn’t have in a lab environment—and conversion can shift in entirely different directions. As researchers, you have less control over how these sessions go, but this can sometimes help you understand users even better. Meeting users where they are can provide clues to the external forces that could be affecting how they use your product. In-person usability tests provide another level of detail that’s often missing from remote usability tests.

That’s not to say that the “movies” —remote sessions—aren’t a good option. Remote sessions can reach a wider audience. They allow a lot more stakeholders to be involved in the research and to see what’s going on. And they open the doors to a much wider geographical pool of users. But with any remote session there is the potential of time wasted if participants can’t log in or get their microphone working.

The benefit of usability testing, whether remote or in person, is that you get to see real users interact with the designs in real time, and you can ask them questions to understand their thought processes and grasp of the solution. This can help you not only identify problems but also glean why they’re problems in the first place. Furthermore, you can test hypotheses and gauge whether your thinking is correct. By the end of the sessions, you’ll have a much clearer picture of how usable the designs are and whether they work for their intended purposes. Act two is the heart of the story—where the excitement is—but there can be surprises too. This is equally true of usability tests. Often, participants will say unexpected things, which change the way that you look at things —and these twists in the story can move things in new directions.

Unfortunately, user research is sometimes seen as expendable. And too often usability testing is the only research process that some stakeholders think that they ever need. In fact, if the designs that you’re evaluating in the usability test aren’t grounded in a solid understanding of your users ( foundational research ), there’s not much to be gained by doing usability testing in the first place. That’s because you’re narrowing the focus of what you’re getting feedback on, without understanding the users ‘ needs. As a result, there’s no way of knowing whether the designs might solve a problem that users have. It’s only feedback on a particular design in the context of a usability test.

On the other hand, if you only do foundational research, while you might have set out to solve the right problem, you won’t know whether the thing that you’re building will actually solve that. This illustrates the importance of doing both foundational and directional research.

In act two, stakeholders will—hopefully—get to watch the story unfold in the user sessions, which creates the conflict and tension in the current design by surfacing their highs and lows. And in turn, this can help motivate stakeholders to address the issues that come up.

Act three: resolution

While the first two acts are about understanding the background and the tensions that can propel stakeholders into action, the third part is about resolving the problems from the first two acts. While it’s important to have an audience for the first two acts, it’s crucial that they stick around for the final act. That means the whole product team, including developers, UX practitioners, business analysts, delivery managers, product managers, and any other stakeholders that have a say in the next steps. It allows the whole team to hear users ‘ feedback together, ask questions, and discuss what’s possible within the project’s constraints. And it lets the UX research and design teams clarify, suggest alternatives, or give more context behind their decisions. So you can get everyone on the same page and get agreement on the way forward.

This act is mostly told in voiceover with some audience participation. The researcher is the narrator, who paints a picture of the issues and what the future of the product could look like given the things that the team has learned. They give the stakeholders their recommendations and their guidance on creating this vision.

Nancy Duarte in the Harvard Business Review offers an approach to structuring presentations that follow a persuasive story. ” The most effective presenters use the same techniques as great storytellers: By reminding people of the status quo and then revealing the path to a better way, they set up a conflict that needs to be resolved”, writes Duarte. ” That tension helps them persuade the audience to adopt a new mindset or behave differently”.

This type of structure aligns well with research results, and particularly results from usability tests. It provides evidence for “what is “—the problems that you’ve identified. And “what could be “—your recommendations on how to address them. And so on and so forth.

You can reinforce your recommendations with examples of things that competitors are doing that could address these issues or with examples where competitors are gaining an edge. Or they can be visual, like quick mockups of how a new design could look that solves a problem. These can help generate conversation and momentum. And this continues until the end of the session when you’ve wrapped everything up in the conclusion by summarizing the main issues and suggesting a way forward. This is the part where you reiterate the main themes or problems and what they mean for the product—the denouement of the story. This stage gives stakeholders the next steps and hopefully the momentum to take those steps!

While we are nearly at the end of this story, let’s reflect on the idea that user research is storytelling. All the elements of a good story are there in the three-act structure of user research:

Act one: You meet the protagonists ( the users ) and the antagonists ( the problems affecting users ). This is the beginning of the plot. In act one, researchers might use methods including contextual inquiry, ethnography, diary studies, surveys, and analytics. The output of these methods can include personas, empathy maps, user journeys, and analytics dashboards.

Act two: Next, there’s character development. There’s conflict and tension as the protagonists encounter problems and challenges, which they must overcome. In act two, researchers might use methods including usability testing, competitive benchmarking, and heuristics evaluation. The output of these can include usability findings reports, UX strategy documents, usability guidelines, and best practices.

Act three: The protagonists triumph and you see what a better future looks like. In act three, researchers may use methods including presentation decks, storytelling, and digital media. The output of these can be: presentation decks, video clips, audio clips, and pictures.

The researcher has multiple roles: they’re the storyteller, the director, and the producer. The participants have a small role, but they are significant characters ( in the research ). And the stakeholders are the audience. But the most important thing is to get the story right and to use storytelling to tell users ‘ stories through research. By the end, the stakeholders should walk away with a purpose and an eagerness to resolve the product’s ills.

So the next time that you’re planning research with clients or you’re speaking to stakeholders about research that you’ve done, think about how you can weave in some storytelling. Ultimately, user research is a win-win for everyone, and you just need to get stakeholders interested in how the story ends.

As a product builder over too many years to mention, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen promising ideas go from zero to hero in a few weeks, only to fizzle out within months.

Financial products, which is the field I work in, are no exception. With people’s real hard-earned money on the line, user expectations running high, and a crowded market, it’s tempting to throw as many features at the wall as possible and hope something sticks. But this approach is a recipe for disaster. Here’s why:

The pitfalls of feature-first development

When you start building a financial product from the ground up, or are migrating existing customer journeys from paper or telephony channels onto online banking or mobile apps, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of creating new features. You might think, “If I can just add one more thing that solves this particular user problem, they’ll love me!” But what happens when you inevitably hit a roadblock because the narcs (your security team!) don’t like it? When a hard-fought feature isn’t as popular as you thought, or it breaks due to unforeseen complexity?

This is where the concept of Minimum Viable Product (MVP) comes in. Jason Fried’s book Getting Real and his podcast Rework often touch on this idea, even if he doesn’t always call it that. An MVP is a product that provides just enough value to your users to keep them engaged, but not so much that it becomes overwhelming or difficult to maintain. It sounds like an easy concept but it requires a razor sharp eye, a ruthless edge and having the courage to stick by your opinion because it is easy to be seduced by “the Columbo Effect”… when there’s always “just one more thing…” that someone wants to add.

The problem with most finance apps, however, is that they often become a reflection of the internal politics of the business rather than an experience solely designed around the customer. This means that the focus is on delivering as many features and functionalities as possible to satisfy the needs and desires of competing internal departments, rather than providing a clear value proposition that is focused on what the people out there in the real world want. As a result, these products can very easily bloat to become a mixed bag of confusing, unrelated and ultimately unlovable customer experiences—a feature salad, you might say.

The importance of bedrock

So what’s a better approach? How can we build products that are stable, user-friendly, and—most importantly—stick?

That’s where the concept of “bedrock” comes in. Bedrock is the core element of your product that truly matters to users. It’s the fundamental building block that provides value and stays relevant over time.

In the world of retail banking, which is where I work, the bedrock has got to be in and around the regular servicing journeys. People open their current account once in a blue moon but they look at it every day. They sign up for a credit card every year or two, but they check their balance and pay their bill at least once a month.

Identifying the core tasks that people want to do and then relentlessly striving to make them easy to do, dependable, and trustworthy is where the gravy’s at.

But how do you get to bedrock? By focusing on the “MVP” approach, prioritizing simplicity, and iterating towards a clear value proposition. This means cutting out unnecessary features and focusing on delivering real value to your users.

It also means having some guts, because your colleagues might not always instantly share your vision to start with. And controversially, sometimes it can even mean making it clear to customers that you’re not going to come to their house and make their dinner. The occasional “opinionated user interface design” (i.e. clunky workaround for edge cases) might sometimes be what you need to use to test a concept or buy you space to work on something more important.

Practical strategies for building financial products that stick

So what are the key strategies I’ve learned from my own experience and research?

1. Start with a clear “why”: What problem are you trying to solve? For whom? Make sure your mission is crystal clear before building anything. Make sure it aligns with your company’s objectives, too.
2. Focus on a single, core feature and obsess on getting that right before moving on to something else: Resist the temptation to add too many features at once. Instead, choose one that delivers real value and iterate from there.
3. Prioritize simplicity over complexity: Less is often more when it comes to financial products. Cut out unnecessary bells and whistles and keep the focus on what matters most.
4. Embrace continuous iteration: Bedrock isn’t a fixed destination—it’s a dynamic process. Continuously gather user feedback, refine your product, and iterate towards that bedrock state.
5. Stop, look and listen: Don’t just test your product as part of your delivery process—test it repeatedly in the field. Use it yourself. Run A/B tests. Gather user feedback. Talk to people who use it, and refine accordingly.

The bedrock paradox

There’s an interesting paradox at play here: building towards bedrock means sacrificing some short-term growth potential in favour of long-term stability. But the payoff is worth it—products built with a focus on bedrock will outlast and outperform their competitors, and deliver sustained value to users over time.

So, how do you start your journey towards bedrock? Take it one step at a time. Start by identifying those core elements that truly matter to your users. Focus on building and refining a single, powerful feature that delivers real value. And above all, test obsessively—for, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, Alan Kay, or Peter Drucker (whomever you believe!!), “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

Give Your Marketing Strategy a Smart Upgrade written by Jarret Redding read more at Duct Tape Marketing

The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast with Keith Lauver In this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, I interviewed Keith Lauver, a seasoned entrepreneur, marketing strategist, and the founder of Atomic Elevator, the company behind Ella—an AI-powered marketing platform. Keith has helped launch over six companies and raised more than $34 million in product funding. […]

Give Your Marketing Strategy a Smart Upgrade written by Jarret Redding read more at Duct Tape Marketing

The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast with Keith Lauver

In this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, I interviewed Keith Lauver, a seasoned entrepreneur, marketing strategist, and the founder of Atomic Elevator, the company behind Ella—an AI-powered marketing platform. Keith has helped launch over six companies and raised more than $34 million in product funding. In our conversation, we unpack the concept of High Definition Marketing and explore how AI is transforming traditional marketing strategy into a precise, scalable, and execution-ready system.

Keith challenges the “more is better” mindset of many digital marketing tools and explains how Ella was built to augment, not automate. The goal? Better marketing, not just more marketing. With a focus on enhancing the roles of both seasoned marketers and fractional CMOs, Ella becomes a smart, always-on marketing team member that brings brand messaging, customer journey mapping, and tactical execution into full alignment. For small businesses that often lack in-house resources, this new marketing framework can drive significant business growth and improve sales enablement across the board.

Key Takeaways:

• AI marketing tools like Ella are not about automation—they’re about augmentation, helping teams produce better, more strategic work instead of just more content.

• High Definition Marketing connects multiple frameworks—brand, customer journey, value proposition—into one cohesive system.

• The Ella platform acts as a marketing team member, giving both experienced marketers and business owners a trained, responsive assistant that aligns execution with strategy.

• Real-world use case: A premium bag company stuck in flat growth for a decade saw 20% revenue growth and a 40% boost in conversion rates after using Ella to redefine their marketing.

• Fractional CMOs and marketing consultants can use Ella to deliver consistent, high-impact outcomes without scaling overhead.

• Sales enablement is the next evolution, with Ella set to bridge marketing insights and sales execution for even deeper business integration.

Chapters:

• 00:41 What is High Definition Marketing?
• 01:59 How Has Marketing Strategy Changed?
• 08:17 ELLA and DTM Partnership
• 12:52 ELLA Elevates Your Marketing Team
• 16:46 How are AI Tools Evolving?

This article contains spoilers for Andor season 2 shows 7-9. ” Revolts are built on trust” is one of the most important and one of the most memorable ranges from Rogue One. It’s a reminder that hope is one of the strongest tools the rebels have against the Empire, even when they feel like the odds ]… ]

The article Andor Only Revealed the Origins of an Critical Rogue One Line appeared first on Den of Geek.

Befitting its reputation as a comedy of the Hollywood studio program, Apple TV+&#8216, s The Studio has welcomed in some big Hollywood celebrities throughout its initial seven shows. From famous managers like Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard to A-list performers like Ice Cube and Anthony Mackie, creators Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are reaching deep into their rolodexes to take their star-studded perception of Continental Studios to living.

In show 8 &#8220, The Golden Globes, &#8221, but, The Studio no just welcomes in another heavy-hitter &#8211, it gives him a very important task to do. As Continental Studios head Matt Remick ( Rogen ) deals with the latest industry-defining crisis ( will Zoe Kravitz thank him in her acceptance speech after their film Open wins Best Comedy/Musical? ), the Golden Globes prize present carries on behind him. Opening that Golden Globes service is none other than real-life Golden Globe-winner Ramy Youssef.

When Den of Geek caught up with Youssef in April to explain his lively comedy# 1 Happy Family USA on Prime Video, we were likewise sure to ask about his time on The Studio.

&#8220, It was like a great experience, person. I think those guys]Seth and Evan ] are geniuses, and they &#8217, re so quick on their feet. The event was likewise shot by Adam Newport-Berra, who I truly worked with on The Bear. He DP&#8217, ed the event that I did with him in Copenhagen, &#8221, Youssef says, referring to the year 2 episode of The Bear that he directed.

Seeing Youssef sponsor a fictionalized version of the Golden Globes seems designed to cause a serious Mandela Impact response in the audience. While Youssef won a Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy Globe for the top position in his Netflix set Ramy, he has never hosted the Golden Globes nor any other prize display of notice. Given the Poor Things performer&#8217, s multi-hyphenate experience as a writer, director, producer, and actor, that seems like a grave oversight on Hollywood&#8217, s part. Thankfully this Studio gig allows the to feel out how hosting an awards show might go.

&#8220, Seth and Evan kind of let me riff off a bunch of things that I thought I would say if I were the host of the Globes &#8211, just anything I would think of, &#8221, he says. &#8220, Then they would make it even funnier. It almost felt like being in a writers room, but it was just acting and being on set. I love the show, and I think Seth is so good in it. &#8221,

As one might expect, &#8220, The Golden Globes &#8221, ends up being a celebrity cameo bonanza. Adam Scott finally gets the award he so richly deserves, Hacks creators Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello add to their trophy case, and Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos teaches Matt Remick a very important lesson about contractually-obligated thank you &#8217, s. Through it all, Ramy serves as a very competent, if overwhelmed MC of the chaos at the Beverly Hilton. Perhaps he&#8217, ll have a chance to host the real thing soon.

New episodes of The Studio premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV+, culminating with the season 1 finale on May 21.

The post Ramy Youssef Makes His Awards Show Hosting Debut Thanks to The Studio appeared first on Den of Geek.

For shows 7-9 of Andor period 2, this article contains spoilers. K-2SO, the droid, is a somewhat snarky companion to Cassian Andor ( Diego Luna ) when we first meet him in Rogue One. We can show that he was once an Roman robot that the Rebels have since reprogrammed. We don’t understand, however, what other factors are there.

The second article on Den of Geek was K-2SO’s Origin in Andor Season 2. It is Even Darker Than We Thought.

Apple TV+&#8216, s The Studio has welcomed in some significant Hollywood celebrities throughout its initial seven shows, fitting its reputation as a comedy of the Hollywood theater program. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are sifting through their rolodexes to take their star-studded perception of Continental Studios to life, from famous managers like Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard to A-list performers like Ice Cube and Anthony Mackie.

But, in season 8 &#8220, The Golden Globes, and &#8221, The Studio welcomes in another heavy-hitter &#8211 and gives him a very significant work. Will Zoe Kravitz thank him in her acceptance speech after their film Open wins Best Comedy/Musical as Continental Studios head Matt Remick ( Rogen ) deals with the most recent industry-defining crisis? The Golden Globes medal ceremony continues behind him. Hosts that Ramy Youssef, the Golden Globes winner, is the recipient of the service.

We were likewise sure to ask about his day on The Studio when Den of Geek caught up with Yousef in April to discuss his lively funny# 1 Happy Family USA on Prime Video.

&#8220, Thank you for the wonderful knowledge. I believe Seth and Evan and those guys are intellectuals and are so quick on their feet. Adam Newport-Berra, with whom I really worked on The Bear, also shot the event. He directed the event I did with him in Copenhagen, and he DP&#8217, Youssef says, referring to the year 2 episode of The Bear that he edited.

The idea of Youssef hosting a fictionalized version of the Golden Globes seems to have the power to elicit a powerful Mandela Influence response from the audience. While Youssef won a Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy Globe for his lead role in his Netflix set Ramy, he has never hosted any other notable awards shows. That seems like a burial monitoring on Hollywood’s element given the Poor Things performer’s multi-hyphenated experience as a writer, director, producer, and actor. Luckily, this Studio gig gives me a chance to see how opening an awards show might go.

Seth and Evan kind of let me rhythm off a lot of things that I thought I would suggest if I were the number of the Globes; he says. It’s really something I would consider of. They may then make it perhaps funnier. It almost resembled being in a writers ‘ space, but all it was about was standing and being on set. I adore the present, and I think Seth does a fantastic job. &#8221,

As one might expect, The Golden Globes &#8221 ends up being a celebrity film snob. In the process, Ramy serves as a quite competent, if overbearing MC of the conflict at the Beverly Hilton, while Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello, developers of Hacks, Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello add to their trophy case, and Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos teaches Matt Remick a very important lessons about contractually-obligated thank you &#8217, s. He might have a chance to network the real thing quickly.

Wednesday on Apple TV + will host fresh episodes of The Studio, with the time one episode set for May 21.

Ramy Youssef makes his first appearance on Den of Geek as host of his awards show opening album thanks to The Studio.

Uncontrollable anticipation for the mysterious meetings behind the Sistine Chapel’s locked doors, pale smoke or black, or seas of men wearing red gowns and white. How the Catholic Church chooses its next supreme pontiff, the man said to be ordained by God to serve on the Chair of [ …] has an absurdly old world quality.

The article Conference and 6 Another Papal Election Movies to Watch While Waiting for a New Pope first appeared on Den of Geek.

Apple TV+&#8216, The Studio, which is comedy of the Hollywood studio system, has received some significant Hollywood celebrities in its first seven shows. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are sifting through their rolodexes to take their star-studded perception of Continental Studios to life, from famous managers like Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard to A-list performers like Ice Cube and Anthony Mackie.

But, in episode 8 &#8220, The Golden Globes, and &#8221, The Studio welcomes in another heavy-hitter &#8211 and gives him a very significant task to accomplish. Will Zoe Kravitz thank Matt Remick ( Rogen ) in her acceptance speech after their film Open won Best Comedy/Musical? As Continental Studios deals with the most recent industry-defining crisis. The Golden Globes medal ceremony continues behind him. Hosts that Ramy Youssef, the Golden Globes winner, is the recipient of the meeting.

We were also certain to inquire about Youssef’s day on The Studio when Den of Geek spoke with him in April about his animated sitcom# 1 Happy Family USA on Prime Video.

It was like a wonderful experience, man. I believe Seth and Evan and those guys are intellectuals and are so quick on their feet. Adam Newport-Berra, who I truly worked with on The Bear, also shot the event. Youssef refers to the season 2 premiere of The Bear that he directed and that he DP&#8217, ed the event I did with him in Copenhagen.

The viewer might experience the deep Mandela Impact when Youssef hosts a fictitious version of the Golden Globes. While Youssef won a Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy Globe for his lead role in his Netflix set Ramy, he has never hosted any notable awards shows. Given the actor’s multi-hyphenate encounter as a writer, director, producer, and professional, the Poor Points performer seems to have made a grave error on Hollywood’s part. Luckily, this Studio gig gives me a chance to see how opening an awards show might go.

Seth and Evan kind of let me rhythm off a lot of things that I thought I would suggest if I were the number of the Globes &#8211, simply something I would think of, he says. They may then make it perhaps funnier. It almost resembled being in a poets ‘ space, but all it was about was standing and being on set. I adore the present, and I think Seth does a great job of it. &#8221,

As one might expect, The Golden Globes ‘ #8221 turns out to be a star film slug. In the process, Ramy serves as a quite capable, if overbearing MC of the conflict at the Beverly Hilton, while Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello, makers of Hacks, Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello, add to their trophy case, and Ted Sarandos, CEO of Netflix, teaches Matt Remick a very important lessons about contractually-obligated thank you. He might have a chance to network the real thing quickly.

Wednesday on Apple TV+, new episodes of The Studio air, with the time one finale on May 21.

The second article Ramy Youssef Makes His Awards Display Opening Debut Thanks to The Studio appeared first on Den of Geek.

This article contains spoilers for Thunderbolts*. Thunderbolts of bad quality. Everything never works out for them. The final credits of Thunderbolts * feature newspaper headlines mocking them as Earth’s Less-Than-Mightiest Heroes within seconds of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine renaming the team the New Avengers. The post-credits picture, which was set 14 weeks later and where the team was revealed, is even worse.

The second post On Den of Geek, Avengers vs. Avengers Can Be the Best Type of Superhero Story appeared second.

Apple TV+&#8216, The Studio, which is comedy of the Hollywood studio system, has received some significant Hollywood celebrities in its first seven shows. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are sifting through their rolodexes to take their star-studded perception of Continental Studios to life, from famous managers like Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard to a-list performers like Ice Cube and Anthony Mackie.

Nevertheless, The Studio welcomes in another heavy-hitter in event 8 &#8220, The Golden Globes, and &#8221, and gives him a very significant work. Will Zoe Kravitz thank him in her acceptance speech after their film Open wins Best Comedy/Musical as Continental Studios head Matt Remick ( Rogen ) deals with the most recent industry-defining crisis? The Golden Globes medal ceremony continues behind him. Host that the Golden Globes service is being hosted by Ramy Youssef, the real-life winner.

We were also certain to inquire about Youssef’s day on The Studio when Den of Geek spoke with him in April about his animated funny# 1 Happy Family USA on Prime Video.

It was like a great practice, person. I believe Seth and Evan are intellectuals, and they are so quick to move. Adam Newport-Berra, who I truly worked with on The Bear, also shot the event. He directed the season I did with him in Copenhagen, and he DP&#8217, Youssef says, referring to the year 2 episode of The Bear that he edited.

The idea of Youssef hosting a fictionalized version of the Golden Globes seems to have the power to elicit a powerful Mandela Impact response from the audience. While Youssef won a Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy Globe for his lead role in his Netflix set Ramy, he has never hosted any other notable awards shows. Given the artist behind the film” Pirates,” who has a number of hyphenated years of experience as a writer, director, manufacturer, and actor, it seems like a grave monitoring on Hollywood’s part. Luckily, this Studio performance gives me a chance to see how opening an awards show might go.

Seth and Evan kind of let me rhythm off a number of things that I didn’t want to say if I were the Globes variety, he says, &#8221. They may then make it perhaps funnier. It almost resembled being in a authors ‘ space, but all it involved was acting and setting. I adore the present, and I think Seth does a great job of it. &#8221,

As one might expect, The Golden Globes &#8221 ends up being a celebrity film snob. In the process, Ramy serves as a quite competent, if overbearing MC of the conflict at the Beverly Hilton, while Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello, makers of Hacks, Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello add to their trophy case, and Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos teaches Matt Remick a very important lessons about contractually-obligated thank you &#8217, s. He might quickly have a chance to network the real thing.

Wednesday on Apple TV+, new episodes of The Studio air, with the time one finale on May 21.

Ramy Youssef makes his first appearance on Den of Geek as host of his awards show opening album thanks to The Studio.

This article contains spoilers for Andor season 2 episodes 7-9 and Star Wars: Rebels season 3 episode 18. The Ghorman Massacre is not only one of Star Wars’ most tragic events, it becomes an important catalyst for the rebel movement. As we see in episode 9 of Andor season 2, Mon Mothma speaks out against […]

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Befitting its status as a satire of the Hollywood studio system, Apple TV+‘s The Studio has welcomed in some major Hollywood cameos throughout its first seven episodes. From legendary directors like Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard to A-list actors like Ice Cube and Anthony Mackie, creators Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are reaching deep into their rolodexes to bring their star-studded vision of Continental Studios to life.

In episode 8 “The Golden Globes,” however, The Studio not only welcomes in another heavy-hitter – it gives him a pretty important job to do. As Continental Studios head Matt Remick (Rogen) deals with the latest industry-defining crisis (will Zoe Kravitz thank him in her acceptance speech after their film Open wins Best Comedy/Musical?), the Golden Globes award show carries on behind him. Hosting that Golden Globes ceremony is none other than real-life Golden Globe-winner Ramy Youssef.

When Den of Geek caught up with Youssef in April to discuss his animated comedy #1 Happy Family USA on Prime Video, we were also sure to ask about his time on The Studio.

“It was such a great experience, man. I think those guys [Seth and Evan] are geniuses, and they’re so quick on their feet. The episode was also shot by Adam Newport-Berra, who I actually worked with on The Bear. He DP’ed the episode that I did with him in Copenhagen,” Youssef says, referring to the season 2 installment of The Bear that he directed.

Seeing Youssef host a fictionalized version of the Golden Globes seems designed to trigger a deep Mandela Effect response in the viewer. While Youssef won a Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy Globe for the leading role in his Netflix series Ramy, he has not hosted the Golden Globes nor any other award show of note. Given the Poor Things performer’s multi-hyphenate experience as a writer, director, producer, and actor, that seems like a grave oversight on Hollywood’s part. Thankfully this Studio gig allows the to feel out how hosting an awards show might go.

“Seth and Evan kind of let me riff off a bunch of things that I thought I would say if I were the host of the Globes – just anything I would think of,” he says. “Then they would make it even funnier. It almost felt like being in a writers room, but it was just acting and being on set. I love the show, and I think Seth is so good in it.”

As one might expect, “The Golden Globes” ends up being a celebrity cameo bonanza. Adam Scott finally gets the award he so richly deserves, Hacks creators Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello add to their trophy case, and Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos teaches Matt Remick a very important lesson about contractually-obligated thank you’s. Through it all, Ramy serves as a very competent, if overwhelmed MC of the chaos at the Beverly Hilton. Perhaps he’ll have a chance to host the real thing soon.

New episodes of The Studio premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV+, culminating with the season 1 finale on May 21.

The post Ramy Youssef Makes His Awards Show Hosting Debut Thanks to The Studio appeared first on Den of Geek.

Befitting its reputation as a comedy of the Hollywood studio program, Apple TV +’s The Studio has welcomed in some big Hollywood celebrities throughout its initial seven shows. From famous managers like Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard to A-list performers like Ice Cube and Anthony Mackie, authors Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are reaching strong into ]…]

The article Ramy Youssef Makes His Awards Show Opening Debut Thanks to The Studio appeared first on Den of Geek.

Befitting its reputation as a comedy of the Hollywood studio program, Apple TV+&#8216, s The Studio has welcomed in some big Hollywood celebrities throughout its initial seven shows. From famous managers like Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard to A-list performers like Ice Cube and Anthony Mackie, creators Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are reaching deep into their rolodexes to take their star-studded perception of Continental Studios to living.

In show 8 &#8220, The Golden Globes, &#8221, but, The Studio no just welcomes in another heavy-hitter &#8211, it gives him a very important task to do. As Continental Studios head Matt Remick ( Rogen ) deals with the latest industry-defining crisis ( will Zoe Kravitz thank him in her acceptance speech after their film Open wins Best Comedy/Musical? ), the Golden Globes prize show carries on behind him. Opening that Golden Globes service is none other than real-life Golden Globe-winner Ramy Youssef.

When Den of Geek caught up with Youssef in April to explain his lively comedy# 1 Happy Family USA on Prime Video, we were likewise sure to ask about his time on The Studio.

&#8220, It was like a great practice, person. I think those guys]Seth and Evan ] are geniuses, and they &#8217, re so quick on their feet. The show was likewise shot by Adam Newport-Berra, who I truly worked with on The Bear. He DP&#8217, ed the event that I did with him in Copenhagen, &#8221, Youssef says, referring to the winter 2 episode of The Bear that he directed.

Seeing Youssef sponsor a fictionalized version of the Golden Globes seems designed to cause a serious Mandela Impact response in the audience. While Youssef won a Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy Globe for the top position in his Netflix set Ramy, he has never hosted the Golden Globes nor any other prize display of note. Given the Poor Things performer&#8217, s multi-hyphenate experience as a writer, director, producer, and actor, that seems like a grave oversight on Hollywood&#8217, s part. Thankfully this Studio gig allows the to feel out how hosting an awards show might go.

&#8220, Seth and Evan kind of let me riff off a bunch of things that I thought I would say if I were the host of the Globes &#8211, just anything I would think of, &#8221, he says. &#8220, Then they would make it even funnier. It almost felt like being in a writers room, but it was just acting and being on set. I love the show, and I think Seth is so good in it. &#8221,

As one might expect, &#8220, The Golden Globes &#8221, ends up being a celebrity cameo bonanza. Adam Scott finally gets the award he so richly deserves, Hacks creators Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello add to their trophy case, and Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos teaches Matt Remick a very important lesson about contractually-obligated thank you &#8217, s. Through it all, Ramy serves as a very competent, if overwhelmed MC of the chaos at the Beverly Hilton. Perhaps he&#8217, ll have a chance to host the real thing soon.

New episodes of The Studio premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV+, culminating with the season 1 finale on May 21.

The article Ramy Youssef Makes His Awards Show Opening Debut Thanks to The Studio appeared first on Den of Geek.

But what on earth is a passionate stress?

Envision a person determined to do it all. She is homeschooling two wonderful children while her husband, who is also working mildly, is likewise homeschooling. She has a demanding customer weight at work—all of whom she loves. She wakes up early to get some movement in ( or frequently catch up on work ), prepares dinner while the kids are having breakfast, and works while positioning herself near the end of her “fourth grade” to watch as she balances clients, tasks, and budgets. Sound like a bit? Yet with a supportive group both at home and at work, it is.

This person seems to need self-care because she has too much going on. But no, she doesn’t have occasion for that. She begins to feel as though she’s dropping pellets. No accomplishing enough. There’s not enough of her to be here and that, she is trying to divide her head in two all the time, all day, every day. She begins to question herself. And as those thoughts creep in more and more, her domestic tale becomes more and more important.

She immediately KNOWS what she needs to accomplish! She really DO MORE.

This is a painful and dangerous period. Know the reasons? Because when she doesn’t end that new purpose, that storyline will get worse. She immediately starts failing. She isn’t doing much. SHE is not enough. She’ll discover more she may do because she might neglect, or perhaps her home. She doesn’t nap as much, proceed because much, all in the attempts to do more. caught in this pattern of attempting to prove herself to herself without ever succeeding. Always feeling “enough”.

But, yeah, that’s what zealous burnout looks like for me. It doesn’t develop immediately in a great sign; it develops gradually over the course of several weeks and months. My burning out process looks like speeding up, hardly a man losing focus. I move quickly and steadily, but I just quit.

I am the one who had

It’s interesting the things that shape us. Through the camera of my own childhood, I witnessed the battles, sacrifices, and concerns of someone who had to make it all work without having much. I was happy that my mom was so competent and my dad sympathetic, I never went without and also got an extra here or there.

When my mother gave me food stamps as a child, I didn’t think shame; rather, I would have good started any debates about the subject, orally eviscerating anyone who dared to criticize the handicapped woman who was attempting to ensure all of our needs were met with so little. As a child, I watched the way the worry of not making those ends meet impacted persons I love. As the non-disabled people in my home, I did take on many of the real things because I was” the one who was” make our lives a little easier. I soon realized that putting more of myself into it was linked to fears or confusion; I am the one who does. I learned first that when something frightens me, I can double down and work harder to make it better. I am in charge of the problem. When individuals have seen this in me as an adult, I’ve been told I seem brave, but make no mistake, I’m not. If I seem courageous, it’s because this behavior was forged from another person’s fears.

And here I am, more than 30 years later, also feeling the urge to aimlessly force myself forward when faced with daunting tasks in front of me, assuming that I am the one who is and consequently does. I find myself driven to show that I may make things happen if I work longer hours, take on more responsibility, and do more.

Because I have seen how powerful a fiscally challenged person can be, I do not see people who struggle materially as problems because they are pulled along the way. I really get that I have been privileged to be able to prevent many of the problems that were current in my children. That said, I am also” the one who can” who feels she does, but if I were faced with not having much to make ends meet for my own home, I do see myself as having failed. Despite my best efforts and education, the majority of this is due to great riches. I will, but, permit myself the pride of saying I have been cautious with my options to have encouraged that chance. I believe I am” the one who can,” so I feel compelled to do the most because of this. I can choose to halt, and with some pretty precise warm water splashed in my face, I’ve made the choice to previously. But that choosing to stop is not my go-to, I move forward, driven by a fear that is so a part of me that I barely notice it’s there until I’m feeling utterly worn away.

Why all this history, then? You see, burnout is a fickle thing. Over the years, I’ve read and heard a lot about burnout. Burnout is real. Especially now, with COVID, many of us are balancing more than we ever have before—all at once! It’s difficult, and so many amazing professionals are affected by the procrastination, avoidance, and shutting down. There are important articles that relate to what I imagine must be the majority of people out there, but not me. That’s not how I look at burnout.

The dangerous invisibility of zealous burnout

A lot of work environments see the extra hours, extra effort, and overall focused commitment as an asset ( and sometimes that’s all it is ). They see someone attempting to overcome obstacles, not a person who is ensnared in fear. Many well-meaning organizations have safeguards in place to protect their teams from burnout. However, in situations like this, those alarms don’t always ring, and some organization members are surprised and depressed when the inevitable stop happens. And sometimes maybe even betrayed.

Parents—more so mothers, statistically speaking—are praised as being so on top of it all when they can work, be involved in the after-school activities, practice self-care in the form of diet and exercise, and still meet friends for coffee or wine. Many of us have watched countless streaming COVID episodes to see how challenging it is for the female protagonist, but she is strong and funny and can do it. It’s a “very special episode” when she breaks down, cries in the bathroom, woefully admits she needs help, and just stops for a bit. Truth be told, countless people are hidden in tears or doom-scrolling to escape. We know that the media is a lie to amuse us, but often the perception that it’s what we should strive for has penetrated much of society.

Women and burnout

I cherish men. And though I don’t love every man ( heads up, I don’t love every woman or nonbinary person either ), I think there is a beautiful spectrum of individuals who represent that particular binary gender.

Despite this, women are still more frequently at risk of burnout than their male counterparts, especially in these COVID stressed out times. Mothers in the workplace feel the pressure to do all the “mom” things while giving 110 %. Mothers not in the workplace feel they need to do more to” justify” their lack of traditional employment. Women who are not mothers frequently feel the need to do even more because they don’t feel the pressure that comes with being a mother. It’s vicious and systemic and so a part of our culture that we’re often not even aware of the enormity of the pressures we put on ourselves and each other.

Beyond happiness, there are costs. Harvard Health Publishing released a study a decade ago that “uncovered strong links between women’s job stress and cardiovascular disease”. The CDC noted,” Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, killing 299, 578 women in 2017—or about 1 in every 5 female deaths”.

According to what I’ve read, this connection between work stress and health is more dangerous for women than it is for their non-female counterparts.

But what if your burnout isn’t like that either?

That might not be you either. After all, each of us is so different and how we respond to stressors is too. It’s part of what makes us human. Don’t put too much emphasis on how burnout looks; instead, learn to recognize it in yourself. Here are a few questions I sometimes ask friends if I am concerned about them.

Are you content? This simple question should be the first thing you ask yourself. Chances are, even if you’re burning out doing all the things you love, as you approach burnout you’ll just stop taking as much joy from it all.

Do you feel like you have the authority to decline? I have observed in myself and others that when someone is burning out, they no longer feel they can say no to things. Even those who don’t” speed up” feel pressured to say yes to not let the people around them be disappointed.

What are three things you’ve done for yourself? Another observance is that we all tend to stop doing things for ourselves. anything from avoiding conversations with friends to skipping showers and eating poorly. These can be red flags.

Are you using justifications? Many of us try to disregard feelings of burnout. Over and over I have heard,” It’s just crunch time”,” As soon as I do this one thing, it will all be better”, and” Well I should be able to handle this, so I’ll figure it out”. And it might actually be crunch time, a single objective, and/or a set of skills you need to master. That happens—life happens. BE CRUD if this doesn’t stop. If you’ve worked more 50-hour weeks since January than not, maybe it’s not crunch time—maybe it’s a bad situation that you’re burning out from.

Do you have a plan to stop feeling this way? If something has an exit route with a pause button if it is only temporary and you have to push through it.
defined end.

Take the time to listen to yourself as you would a friend. Be honest, allow yourself to be uncomfortable, and break the thought cycles that prevent you from healing.

So now what?

What I just described has a different path to burnout, but it’s still burnout. There are well-established approaches to working through burnout:

• Get enough sleep.
• Eat healthy.
• Work out.
• Go outside.
• Take a break.
• Practice self-care in general.

Those are hard for me because they feel like more tasks. If I’m in the burnout cycle, doing any of the above for me feels like a waste. Why would I take care of myself when I’m dropping all those other balls, according to the narrative? People need me, right?

Your inner voice might already be pretty bad if you’re deeply in the cycle. If you need to, tell yourself you need to take care of the person your people depend on. If your roles are pushing you toward burnout, use them to help make healing easier by justifying the time spent working on you.

I have come up with a few things that I do when I start to feel like I’m going into a zealous burnout to help remind myself of the airline attendant advice to put the mask on yourself first.

Cook an elaborate meal for someone!

Okay, since I’m a “food-focused” person, cooking for someone always comes naturally to my mind. There are countless tales in my home of someone walking into the kitchen and turning right around and walking out when they noticed I was” chopping angrily”. But it’s more than that, and you should give it a try. Seriously. It’s the perfect go-to if you don’t feel worthy of taking time for yourself—do it for someone else. Because the majority of us work in a digital world, cooking can pique all of your senses and make you feel present in the moment in all your ways of seeing the world. It can break you out of your head and help you gain a better perspective. In my house, I’ve been known to pick a place on the map and cook food that comes from wherever that is ( thank you, Pinterest ). I enjoy making Indian food because it’s warm and the bread needs just enough kneading to keep my hands busy, and the process requires real attention because it’s not what I was raised to do. And in the end, we all win!

Vent like a sniveling jerk.

Be careful with this one!

I have been making an effort to practice more gratitude over the past few years, and I recognize the true benefits of that. Having said that, sometimes you just need to let it all out, even the ugly ones. Hell, I’m a big fan of not sugarcoating our lives, and that sometimes means that to get past the big pile of poop, you’re gonna wanna complain about it a bit.

When that is required, turn to a trusted friend and give yourself some pure verbal diarrhea by expressing all your concerns. You need to trust this friend not to judge, to see your pain, and, most importantly, to tell you to remove your cranium from your own rectal cavity. Seriously, it’s about getting a reality check here! One of the things I admire most about my husband is how he can simplify things down to their simplest bits, despite often after the fact. ” We’re spending our lives together, of course you’re going to disappoint me from time to time, so get over it” has been his way of speaking his dedication, love, and acceptance of me—and I could not be more grateful. Of course, it also required that I take my head out of that rectal cavity. So, again, usually those moments are appreciated in hindsight.

Pick up a book!

There are many books out there that are more like people sharing their stories and how they’ve come to find greater balance than they are self-help. Maybe you’ll find something that speaks to you. Among the titles that have stood out to me are:

• Thrive by Arianna Huffington
• Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss
• Girl, Stop apologizing, Rachel Hollis
• Dare to Lead by Brené Brown

Or, a tactic I enjoy using is to read or listen to a book that is NOT related to my work-life balance. I’ve read the following books and found they helped balance me out because my mind was pondering their interesting topics instead of running in circles:

• The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart
• Darin Olien’s Superlife
• A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived by Adam Rutherford
• Toby Hemenway’s Gaia’s Garden is available.

If you’re not into reading, pick up a topic on YouTube or choose a podcast to subscribe to. I’ve watched countless permaculture and gardening topics in addition to how to raise chickens and ducks. For the record, I don’t currently have a particularly large food garden or raise any kind of livestock. I just find the topic interesting, and it has nothing to do with any aspect of my life that needs anything from me.

Give yourself a break.

You are never going to be perfect—hell, it would be boring if you were. It’s OK to be broken and flawed. It’s human to be depressed, anxious, and sad. It’s OK to not do it all. You can’t be brave without being imperfect, which is terrifying.

This last one is the most important: allow yourself permission to NOT do it all. You never promised to be everything to everyone at all times. Our fears determine our strength, not ours.

This is hard. It is challenging for me. It’s what’s driven me to write this—that it’s OK to stop. It’s OK that your unhealthy habit that might even benefit those around you needs to end. You can continue to succeed in life.

I recently read that we are all writing our eulogy in how we live. What will your professional accomplishments say, knowing that yours won’t be mentioned in that speech? What do you want it to say?

Look, I get that none of these ideas will “fix it”, and that’s not their purpose. None of us has complete control over what happens in our environment, but only how we react to it. These suggestions are to help stop the spiral effect so that you are empowered to address the underlying issues and choose your response. Most of the time, I find these to be effective. Maybe they’ll work for you.

Does this sound familiar?

If this sounds familiar, you’re not just going to know about it. Don’t let your negative self-talk tell you that you “even burn out wrong”. It is not improper. Even if rooted in fear like my own drivers, I believe that this need to do more comes from a place of love, determination, motivation, and other wonderful attributes that make you the amazing person you are. We’re going to be OK, ya know. When we stop and look around, the only eyes that judge us are usually the ones who look in the mirror, so the lives that unfold before us might never seem to be the same as the story in our heads.

Do you remember that Winnie the Pooh sketch that had Pooh eat so much at Rabbit’s house that his buttocks couldn’t fit through the door? It came as no surprise when he abruptly declared that this was unacceptable because I already associate a lot with Rabbit. But do you recall what happened next? He put a shelf across poor Pooh’s ankles and decorations on his back, and made the best of the big butt in his kitchen.

We are resourceful and aware that we can push ourselves when we are needed, even when we are exhausted to the core or have a ton of clutter in our room. None of us has to be afraid, as we can manage any obstacle put in front of us. And maybe that means we need to redefine success in order to make room for comfort in human nature, but that doesn’t really sound so bad either.

So, wherever you are right now, please breathe. Do what you need to do to get out of your head. Give thanks and be considerate.