The Culture Matters Podcast

"In my whole life, I have known no wise people over a broad subject matter who didn't read all the time. None. Zero. You'd be amazed how much Warren reads and how much I read. My children laugh at me. They think I am a book with a couple of legs poking out." - Charlie MungerIf you've been listening to this show for a while, then you know that Jay Doran The Culture Man is a voracious reader.  You know that he spends most of his time, when he isn't working or doing this podcast, with his nose in a book.  Today, however, he's going to be discussing audio books and why they are and can be an important part of a person's educational journey.  Whether it's as a time saver or just an excuse to listen to something while you're walking down the street or driving in your car, audio books have certainly found their place and Jay wants to talk to you about why.

"The secret of freedom lies in educating people whereas the secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant." - Maximillien RobespierreWe're getting back into the time machine for this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast and we're taking it back to Jay's day-long podcast marathon on New Year's Eve 2023 for this conversation with Anthony Mirarchi, who is is one of the principle owners of JM Patent Associates and a great friend to Culture Matters.  Anthony and Jay spend this conversation discussing the lessons that were learned in 2023, the hopes and aspirations for 2024, and even a little bit about they had met eight years ago to the day at the time of this recording.  We hope you enjoy this conversation with our dear friend Anthony Mirarchi.

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing." - Benjamin FranklinCOO of the Hubert Vester Auto Group, creator of the "Faith. Family. Fulfillment." podcast, and the author of the book Answers From the Stairs Chris Vester is back on the show and today we're talking podcasting.  Specifically, we are talking about Chris' podcast "Faith. Family. Fulfillment."  Chris and Jay dig into Chris' early forays into the world of content creation, where the inspiration for his episodes comes from, and why the desire and the commitment to continue his show still burns so brightly.  We always enjoy talking shop with other podcasters and getting to do it with a good friend like Chris makes it even better.  We hope you enjoy this conversation with Chris Vester on The Culture Matters Podcast.

"Self-control makes the man. A man without discipline is a boy full of reactions rather than a man of good actions." Greek proverbBill Mervin is the leader of the Bill Mervin Mortgage Team and we're happy to have him back on the show today to spread some information and smarten us all up on mortgages.  Bill and Jay dig into why it's important to work as hard on a Friday as it is on a Monday, the challenges that 2022 and 2023 brought in the mortgage industry and the preparation that went into 2024, and keeping your way through marketing and social media.  Bill is one of the best in the business and we always enjoy talking to and learning from him on The Culture Matters Podcast.

"Begin at once to live and count each separate day as a separate life." - SenecaOur favorite philosopher and artisan contractor with Vision Stone and Tile Nathan Merrill is back on the show today and if you've listened to any of the episodes he's appeared in before, then you know you're in for a deep-thinking treat!  Nathan and Jay are discussing the importance of writing down your thoughts and the nature of being inquisitive, the fact that we still wrestle with the same philosophical thoughts and dilemmas that Neitzsche and Marx wrestled with, and a little bit about some of the authors that have these two gentlemen's attention at the moment.  It's always a deep and wide-ranging episode when Nathan is here and today is no different, so please enjoy this conversation with our favorite deep-thinker Nathan Merrill.

"When your belief is real and your self-love is real, you can find the honor you deserve. I am an honorable human. I live by a code of ethics I would put up against most people and believe I would come out the victor." - Christine BeckwithFounder of 20/20 Vision for Success and the author of Finding Honor: The Journey to Truth Christine Beckwith is back with us on the show for part 12 of our ongoing series discussing her book.  Jay and Christine are discussing chapter 12 of the book, entitled "No Goodbyes", which deals with choosing love, loving people and things with a ferocity that runs deeply within yourself, and the hurt that can come with allowing yourself the vulnerability of that kind of love.  As with every chapter in this book, Christine gives insight into her personal journey and uses her experiences to help others in their journey's.  We hope you enjoy this conversation with Christine Beckwith.

Today on The Culture Matters Podcast is part four of our ongoing series where our very own Jay Doran discusses his book, Thirty Days of Thought, chapter by chapter.  In this section, Jay discusses what the phrase "carpe diem" means to him and what seizing the day is actually all about from his perspective.  Our listeners are certainly encouraged to pick up the book and follow along as we continue this series, but more than that are encouraged to use this series as a way of thinking on a deeper and more meaningful level about the prompts at the beginning of each episode.  We hope you enjoy this episode and once you've listened, go out there and seize the day!

"Another thing, of course, is life will have terrible blows; horrible blows; unfair blows. Doesn't matter. And some people recover and others don't. And there I think the attitude of Epictetus is the best. He thought that every mischance in life was an opportunity to behave well. Every mischance in life was an opportunity to learn something and your duty was not to be submerged in self-pity, but to utilize the terrible blow in a constructive fashion. That is a very good idea." - Charlie MungerAndrew Berman is an advisor, mentor, and the Head of Engagement and Outreach at American Business Media as well as a frequent and well-loved guest of the show.  We are heading back in time a bit again today as Jay and Andrew discuss the passing of the late, great Charlie Munger.  Jay and Andrew discuss Mr. Munger's impact on an individual as well as wider basis and what it means to feel someone's passing on a deeper level even if you'd never met them personally.  We always enjoy having Andrew on the show and we hope you enjoy this conversation on The Culture Matters Podcast.

"When we do not interrupt others, their authenticity becomes clearer to us. Authethentic."Robert Frehafer is the founder and owner of Guardian Roofing & Siding and we're talking about the second "A" in Guardian again today because it's the value so nice we had to talk about it twice!  We're re-loading from our previous episode and drilling down on authenticity again because it's just that important.  Robert and Jay discuss what it means to not live authentically from a business point of view, the importance of listening in a conversation and allowing the other person to have their, why not interrupting someone while they're speaking is a true sign of leadership, and being held to a higher standard.  We hope that you enjoy the conclusion of our conversation on authenticity with Robert Frehafer.

“If you don’t stand your ground, then all that happens is people push you backwards. And they will push you, and push you, and push you, until you fall off a cliff.”Founder and Chief Victory Officer at the Center for Victory, author of Learn to Live a Life of Victory: Mastering the Secret of Choosing Love Over Fear, and acclaimed  speaker both nationally and internationally Eric Guy is back today and we have got a lot to cover, so get ready!  Eric and Jay are covering why it's important to remember where you came from after you've achieved some success, the gratification that comes from helping others achieve their goals, pushing yourself past your boundaries, and a whole lot more.  We've got motivation and positivity on tap today, so we hope you enjoy this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.