WEBVTT 00:00:00.010 --> 00:00:02.750 The Inspired Insights podcast is for informational 00:00:02.750 --> 00:00:05.070 and entertainment purposes only and should not 00:00:05.070 --> 00:00:07.570 be considered health advice. This podcast is 00:00:07.570 --> 00:00:09.609 not intended to replace professional medical 00:00:09.609 --> 00:00:12.550 advice. Please note that this podcast may contain 00:00:12.550 --> 00:00:14.970 discussions on sensitive topics such as mental 00:00:14.970 --> 00:00:17.550 illness, suicide and substance use. If you are 00:00:17.550 --> 00:00:19.969 experiencing a behavior health crisis or need 00:00:19.969 --> 00:00:23.109 support, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis 00:00:23.109 --> 00:00:29.050 Lifeline by calling 988 or visiting www .988lifeline 00:00:29.050 --> 00:00:57.850 .org. Welcome all to the final episode of season 00:00:57.850 --> 00:01:01.130 three of the Inspired Insights podcast. We are 00:01:01.130 --> 00:01:04.930 live, Soren, at the stage door in Bangor, Maine. 00:01:05.290 --> 00:01:08.170 Indeed, with all of our lovely guests from our 00:01:08.170 --> 00:01:12.269 past, present, and future. Yeah, yeah, it's awesome 00:01:12.269 --> 00:01:17.469 to be here. This is the end of an era for us. 00:01:18.170 --> 00:01:21.129 Yes, a dynasty created by me and Chris, and it's 00:01:21.129 --> 00:01:23.930 crumbling, falling, and coming to an end. But 00:01:23.930 --> 00:01:26.590 something will come from the ashes, I'm sure. 00:01:26.870 --> 00:01:30.670 Like a phoenix. All the way from the UK. Hopefully. 00:01:30.829 --> 00:01:35.650 Fingers crossed. So people on camera can't see 00:01:35.650 --> 00:01:37.829 our audience, but welcome audience. It's lovely 00:01:37.829 --> 00:01:40.189 to have so many friends and family and former 00:01:40.189 --> 00:01:44.150 guests here. I'm seeing folks now. Yeah, it's 00:01:44.150 --> 00:01:48.170 awesome to be here. Indeed. And sad. You know, 00:01:48.250 --> 00:01:50.890 it's slightly bittersweet, and yet at the same 00:01:50.890 --> 00:01:53.489 time, that sadness brings forth excitement, in 00:01:53.489 --> 00:01:57.250 my opinion. Yeah. I feel that when one sees something 00:01:57.250 --> 00:02:00.170 crumble, they can't help but foresee something 00:02:00.170 --> 00:02:05.209 grow in its stead. Yeah. Well, you have an inspired 00:02:05.209 --> 00:02:07.890 insight that might be a little reminiscent of 00:02:07.890 --> 00:02:10.050 that piece. So do you want to start us off with 00:02:10.050 --> 00:02:12.169 your inspired insight for the week? It's true. 00:02:12.669 --> 00:02:16.930 My inspired insight today... as many of my inspired 00:02:16.930 --> 00:02:20.509 insights have been, is inspired by Karl Marx. 00:02:20.870 --> 00:02:25.409 Technically Hegel, but Karl, my boy, grabbed 00:02:25.409 --> 00:02:28.289 the idea and made it better and applied it to 00:02:28.289 --> 00:02:33.129 social theory more directly. But my inspired 00:02:33.129 --> 00:02:36.449 insight is branching off from this idea of the 00:02:36.449 --> 00:02:41.530 social derivation of value. Value, in Marx's 00:02:41.530 --> 00:02:46.750 mind and in mine, is a metric of social esteem, 00:02:46.750 --> 00:02:51.229 prestige, social utility. And thusly, we can 00:02:51.229 --> 00:02:54.349 determine that as our podcast, being a commodity, 00:02:54.629 --> 00:02:59.169 has value derived from society, its exclusive 00:02:59.169 --> 00:03:02.449 value lies in the hands of those who are placing 00:03:02.449 --> 00:03:05.909 value onto it. So, all of this comes together 00:03:05.909 --> 00:03:09.400 to mean that the real value of our podcast is 00:03:09.400 --> 00:03:11.620 not me or Chris or the product that we are producing, 00:03:11.819 --> 00:03:14.740 but rather the audience and the value that they 00:03:14.740 --> 00:03:21.039 are placing onto it. Soren! It took us a while 00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:24.780 to get there, but that's awesome. That's an awesome. 00:03:24.979 --> 00:03:27.580 Well, I'm going to thank you for sharing that. 00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:36.099 My insight of the week is way less heady. What's 00:03:36.099 --> 00:03:40.080 the word? Way less up here. My inspired insight 00:03:40.080 --> 00:03:44.500 of the week is the old adage that teamwork makes 00:03:44.500 --> 00:03:48.719 the dream work. And this podcast has been a culmination 00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:51.180 of the last year of multiple folks. And we'll 00:03:51.180 --> 00:03:55.099 get to some thank yous later. That sitting here 00:03:55.099 --> 00:03:58.240 today, this is something I never would have anticipated 00:03:58.240 --> 00:04:01.319 just over a year ago. And maybe if the time's 00:04:01.319 --> 00:04:02.860 right, we'll share a little bit about how this 00:04:02.860 --> 00:04:05.590 podcast actually came. together as i look at 00:04:05.590 --> 00:04:09.389 your mom in the back row there um but yeah just 00:04:09.389 --> 00:04:12.669 that uh this village that is kind of gathered 00:04:12.669 --> 00:04:18.610 around this um essay college essay project is 00:04:18.610 --> 00:04:21.209 uh here we are a year plus later this is our 00:04:21.209 --> 00:04:25.550 30th episode that we're recording now um and 00:04:25.550 --> 00:04:29.250 over the last year and a couple months, we have 00:04:29.250 --> 00:04:32.089 had some incredible conversations. We've had 00:04:32.089 --> 00:04:34.850 some even more incredible guests, again, several 00:04:34.850 --> 00:04:38.290 of which are here today. And we have a lot to 00:04:38.290 --> 00:04:40.589 be thankful for and a lot that I'm just kind 00:04:40.589 --> 00:04:43.750 of sitting with just thinking about. And I was 00:04:43.750 --> 00:04:46.069 thinking about it this morning with just in this 00:04:46.069 --> 00:04:48.870 place of gratitude and thankful for the team, 00:04:49.050 --> 00:04:52.170 however that is defined. A hundred percent. And 00:04:52.170 --> 00:04:55.699 I myself, as our audience may know. and broadly 00:04:55.699 --> 00:04:59.639 incapable of completing tasks. So without the 00:04:59.639 --> 00:05:04.300 help of our lovely team, this product would truly 00:05:04.300 --> 00:05:07.800 not exist as I know I can create it on my lonesome. 00:05:08.199 --> 00:05:14.060 Yeah, something as simple as coffee cups, sugar, 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:19.100 and creamer. It takes the team and two trips 00:05:19.100 --> 00:05:21.800 to Dunkin' to pick up the rest of the stuff. 00:05:21.939 --> 00:05:24.389 This very morning, it's true. You know, they 00:05:24.389 --> 00:05:28.089 were hiding from me on that Duncan shelf. They 00:05:28.089 --> 00:05:32.449 were. They were. So as we think about season 00:05:32.449 --> 00:05:34.829 three and wrapping up season three, what have 00:05:34.829 --> 00:05:38.069 been some of your kind of favorite memories of 00:05:38.069 --> 00:05:41.810 the last season? I think as, of course, we've 00:05:41.810 --> 00:05:45.310 moved through each season, the quality of episodes 00:05:45.310 --> 00:05:49.790 has gotten a lot better. And I... really just 00:05:49.790 --> 00:05:52.410 love having guests on the podcast. I think that's 00:05:52.410 --> 00:05:54.670 my favorite part of doing the podcast is that 00:05:54.670 --> 00:05:58.250 we have the opportunity to have guests. And I 00:05:58.250 --> 00:06:01.350 think this season we had some really awesome 00:06:01.350 --> 00:06:04.829 guests. I really liked our episode where we had 00:06:04.829 --> 00:06:07.709 the opportunity to sit down with a lobbyist, 00:06:07.769 --> 00:06:09.769 I believe. Charlotte. Yes, Charlotte. Was that 00:06:09.769 --> 00:06:12.490 our first episode this season? That was our first 00:06:12.490 --> 00:06:14.449 guest episode. Yes, first guest episode this 00:06:14.449 --> 00:06:18.170 season. And also I finally had the opportunity. 00:06:18.350 --> 00:06:22.250 to bring some guests from my social network that 00:06:22.250 --> 00:06:25.949 we just recorded an episode with. It's not released 00:06:25.949 --> 00:06:28.769 quite yet, but by the time our viewers have listened 00:06:28.769 --> 00:06:30.250 to this episode, it will have been released. 00:06:30.410 --> 00:06:34.949 And I think it's just beautiful that we got to 00:06:34.949 --> 00:06:40.449 talk to people that aren't us. Yeah, we had two... 00:06:40.449 --> 00:06:44.850 True. We had two Pride -themed episodes this 00:06:44.850 --> 00:06:48.370 season. talking about some important projects 00:06:48.370 --> 00:06:52.110 going on here in Bangor area. I love talking 00:06:52.110 --> 00:06:57.389 with your two friends, recent graduates of high 00:06:57.389 --> 00:07:02.589 school, and hearing from more younger voices 00:07:02.589 --> 00:07:06.889 of that whole perspective of pressure and what 00:07:06.889 --> 00:07:10.329 it feels like to be under pressure. Yeah. I mean, 00:07:10.350 --> 00:07:12.389 I think that from the beginning, we've had a 00:07:12.389 --> 00:07:16.129 very generational perspective. Yeah. And of course, 00:07:16.170 --> 00:07:19.750 it takes time and stratification to establish 00:07:19.750 --> 00:07:24.149 like generational divides. And the real difference 00:07:24.149 --> 00:07:28.029 between you and me is that you've had more life 00:07:28.029 --> 00:07:30.250 experience. Is that a nice way of saying I'm 00:07:30.250 --> 00:07:38.230 old? Yes. Yeah. But I think as the podcast has 00:07:38.230 --> 00:07:41.470 progressed, I've gained more life experience 00:07:41.470 --> 00:07:45.430 and as have you. And I think through that very 00:07:45.430 --> 00:07:48.889 progression, me getting to view, hear, see new 00:07:48.889 --> 00:07:51.970 things, I've sort of aged and we've bridged the 00:07:51.970 --> 00:07:54.649 generational gap through that with the podcast. 00:07:54.870 --> 00:07:57.850 Yeah, I think you're spot on. For me, that growth 00:07:57.850 --> 00:08:01.639 of perspective, which from day one. All those 00:08:01.639 --> 00:08:05.259 months ago, you and I sitting down, we wanted 00:08:05.259 --> 00:08:10.339 to talk to folks around gaining perspective and 00:08:10.339 --> 00:08:14.160 hearing other stories and this whole idea that 00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:17.579 everybody's story is important and worth telling 00:08:17.579 --> 00:08:20.100 and worth listening to. And we've heard some 00:08:20.100 --> 00:08:23.120 incredible stories. And I'm just looking around 00:08:23.120 --> 00:08:26.480 here in the room of some of our... Guests over 00:08:26.480 --> 00:08:30.040 the years, and we've had some incredible stories 00:08:30.040 --> 00:08:34.000 shared just this season, but as well as the last 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:36.440 few seasons as well. Really incredible stories 00:08:36.440 --> 00:08:41.600 about faith, about trauma and growth and recovery 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:44.620 and reclaiming your voices, about the power of 00:08:44.620 --> 00:08:48.740 drag and joy, about what comes next after the 00:08:48.740 --> 00:08:52.159 high school experience as you move into the college 00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:56.070 world and the dormitory living. world so we've 00:08:56.070 --> 00:08:58.590 had um and then advocacy with with charlotte 00:08:58.590 --> 00:09:01.730 that was a powerful episode for you as well i 00:09:01.730 --> 00:09:03.809 think that's our episode where i've seen the 00:09:03.809 --> 00:09:06.730 most like light bulb moments for you in real 00:09:06.730 --> 00:09:10.549 time so we've had some cool stuff go on for sure 00:09:10.549 --> 00:09:15.610 100 so what's next um for me as everybody knows 00:09:15.610 --> 00:09:19.590 uh i will be leaving this godforsaken land um 00:09:21.409 --> 00:09:25.570 And I'm going to school in Scotland. But for 00:09:25.570 --> 00:09:28.070 the podcast, I think Chris is going to be continuing 00:09:28.070 --> 00:09:31.789 it. Yeah, Inspired Insights 2 .0 will live on. 00:09:31.909 --> 00:09:35.049 I'm still working on getting Taylor signed up. 00:09:35.909 --> 00:09:38.610 I'm working on getting Carl. We can exhume him 00:09:38.610 --> 00:09:40.970 from the grave. Yeah, our two dream guests, right? 00:09:41.169 --> 00:09:44.710 Indeed. But yeah, short of Taylor coming up on 00:09:44.710 --> 00:09:47.740 air, we've got some... other plans i'd love to 00:09:47.740 --> 00:09:49.320 continue to stay in touch with you which i know 00:09:49.320 --> 00:09:52.720 we will and hear some of your perspectives overseas 00:09:52.720 --> 00:09:56.279 in in a new place i can't wait to hear your accent 00:09:56.279 --> 00:09:59.940 that you'll be developing i'm sure are you practicing 00:09:59.940 --> 00:10:03.620 it already uh i i have a scottish accent practice 00:10:03.620 --> 00:10:06.120 of course i can't i can't abandon the scotch 00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:09.990 accent Oh, but I really, I hope that I don't 00:10:09.990 --> 00:10:11.870 develop a Scottish accent in the first like three 00:10:11.870 --> 00:10:13.330 months of being there because I think it'd be 00:10:13.330 --> 00:10:16.929 really cringe to be an American that shows up 00:10:16.929 --> 00:10:19.710 with a Scottish accent already. In a kilt. Yeah. 00:10:20.090 --> 00:10:23.710 Do you have a kilt? I do. I do have a kilt. Do 00:10:23.710 --> 00:10:26.269 we still have a kilt? Surely, right, Mom? Yeah, 00:10:26.269 --> 00:10:28.929 it's true. My waist is still snatched enough 00:10:28.929 --> 00:10:31.809 for it, I think. Why didn't you wear it today? 00:10:32.659 --> 00:10:34.240 Because you didn't know where it is. I'm saving 00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:36.679 it for the Pride Parade. Oh, even better. I just 00:10:36.679 --> 00:10:41.360 spoiled it then. Damn. Yeah, so we've got some 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:44.100 exciting... When do you actually leave? September 00:10:44.100 --> 00:10:47.279 9th. Oh, wow. I still have a hot second. I'm 00:10:47.279 --> 00:10:50.659 going to lavish in the glory of Maine for a bit 00:10:50.659 --> 00:10:54.120 longer. For a bit longer. Yeah. Awesome. Awesome. 00:10:54.259 --> 00:10:58.059 So we've collected some questions from our listeners. 00:10:58.809 --> 00:11:00.710 You ready to get into some of these? I'm very 00:11:00.710 --> 00:11:05.389 excited. I love hearing from the audience. All 00:11:05.389 --> 00:11:11.250 right. Soren, what surprised you the most about 00:11:11.250 --> 00:11:17.480 this experience? Okay, I would say my honest 00:11:17.480 --> 00:11:21.779 answer is I always think that I can like help 00:11:21.779 --> 00:11:24.879 and do things going into various assignments 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:27.980 and I was a little astonished at my continued 00:11:27.980 --> 00:11:31.539 inability to complete tasks. Really? Yeah, I 00:11:31.539 --> 00:11:34.639 mean I come in with such high spirits and I really 00:11:34.639 --> 00:11:37.179 think I can do it and then I just never put that 00:11:37.179 --> 00:11:39.799 effort in. What would you say surprised you the 00:11:39.799 --> 00:11:44.340 most? That you didn't put that effort in. but 00:11:44.340 --> 00:11:48.360 no uh you know i have not been surprised the 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:50.960 thing i was surprised about the least isn't your 00:11:50.960 --> 00:11:54.759 lack of effort the the thing the least is um 00:11:54.759 --> 00:11:58.559 your ability to shine when the moment comes when 00:11:58.559 --> 00:12:02.000 we when you clap three times you turn it on and 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:04.059 you are ready to go regardless of anything else 00:12:04.059 --> 00:12:07.539 going on around us or you that did not surprise 00:12:07.539 --> 00:12:10.440 me i think what has surprised me the most though 00:12:10.440 --> 00:12:17.720 is um The people who have reached out to us to 00:12:17.720 --> 00:12:23.500 say that episode touched me, that episode, I 00:12:23.500 --> 00:12:26.620 feel like you were speaking to me. I've shared 00:12:26.620 --> 00:12:31.019 with you over the last year some of the people 00:12:31.019 --> 00:12:33.899 that have outreached to us to say thank you and 00:12:33.899 --> 00:12:35.820 that this episode mattered and that they hadn't 00:12:35.820 --> 00:12:38.700 thought about something that way. And I honestly 00:12:38.700 --> 00:12:42.460 didn't think we would have. that many listeners. 00:12:42.960 --> 00:12:47.620 So it was surprising to me that people were tuning 00:12:47.620 --> 00:12:51.620 in and really gave a damn about what a 50 -year 00:12:51.620 --> 00:12:55.100 -old and a now 18 -year -old had to think and 00:12:55.100 --> 00:12:58.360 say about the world. Yeah, that's awesome. And 00:12:58.360 --> 00:13:00.200 of course, I think that's the best part of creating 00:13:00.200 --> 00:13:03.620 any media or art. It's the emotions that you 00:13:03.620 --> 00:13:06.240 can draw out of others. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:09.899 right, next question. We have talked in a previous 00:13:09.899 --> 00:13:13.200 podcast about the work that individual teachers 00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:16.419 are doing to make education more inclusive and 00:13:16.419 --> 00:13:19.419 more authentic in regards to what students need 00:13:19.419 --> 00:13:22.559 to enter the world more prepared. Soren, what 00:13:22.559 --> 00:13:25.120 advice would you offer someone working in public 00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:28.080 education who is in leadership, perhaps like 00:13:28.080 --> 00:13:35.720 an administrator? Interesting. What advice would 00:13:35.720 --> 00:13:41.789 I offer? I think essentially the goal of an administrator 00:13:41.789 --> 00:13:45.529 or a leader should first be to gain the trust 00:13:45.529 --> 00:13:49.429 of the individuals that they rule over. In order 00:13:49.429 --> 00:13:53.629 to create any dictate or edict, you must first 00:13:53.629 --> 00:13:56.429 have the trust of those who will be ascribing 00:13:56.429 --> 00:14:00.210 to said edict that it's good for them, right? 00:14:00.690 --> 00:14:04.149 So first establish that trust and then... For 00:14:04.149 --> 00:14:07.690 students more specifically, I think the main 00:14:07.690 --> 00:14:09.929 thing that's important is just playing to their 00:14:09.929 --> 00:14:12.909 interests. Students are interested. Humans are 00:14:12.909 --> 00:14:16.230 interested. We like things. And I know it may 00:14:16.230 --> 00:14:18.750 seem as though most students don't like things 00:14:18.750 --> 00:14:20.690 and don't like school and aren't really interested 00:14:20.690 --> 00:14:25.049 in anything. It's important to recognize that 00:14:25.049 --> 00:14:27.169 once you find something that someone's interested 00:14:27.169 --> 00:14:30.620 in, they'll actually want to learn. And that's 00:14:30.620 --> 00:14:32.860 where education gets good, in my opinion, is 00:14:32.860 --> 00:14:36.259 when individuals want to learn. Yeah. So specialize 00:14:36.259 --> 00:14:38.139 and play to people's interests. Yeah. And we 00:14:38.139 --> 00:14:41.340 actually with your friends that we had on the 00:14:41.340 --> 00:14:45.080 podcast not too long ago, this topic came up 00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:50.279 over and over again about not losing sight of 00:14:50.279 --> 00:14:54.379 the joy. in education, that there's obviously 00:14:54.379 --> 00:14:58.200 metrics and grades and curriculum and a lot of 00:14:58.200 --> 00:15:00.940 have -tos, but within those have -tos, we cannot 00:15:00.940 --> 00:15:04.639 lose sight of the joy that comes from learning, 00:15:04.779 --> 00:15:07.639 whether that learning is classroom, woodshop, 00:15:07.919 --> 00:15:12.779 chorus, or Latin club, right? So finding a way 00:15:12.779 --> 00:15:17.500 to combine those pieces. Yeah, 100%. I pulled 00:15:17.500 --> 00:15:21.919 out some questions for you to ask. Okay. What 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:24.659 do you each bring to the podcast that compliments 00:15:24.659 --> 00:15:27.659 your co -host? You can go first if you'd like. 00:15:27.919 --> 00:15:30.019 Do you want me to answer what I bring that compliments 00:15:30.019 --> 00:15:32.659 you or what you bring that compliments me? I'll 00:15:32.659 --> 00:15:34.759 do that. Okay, then we can. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:15:35.059 --> 00:15:37.740 Sword, you have taught me to live in the moment 00:15:37.740 --> 00:15:42.980 a bit more, to make time to smell the roses as 00:15:42.980 --> 00:15:49.759 it would be, and to not lose sight of the simple 00:15:49.759 --> 00:15:53.309 things in life. that bring joy. Sometimes I can 00:15:53.309 --> 00:15:55.509 get locked into planning and over planning and 00:15:55.509 --> 00:15:58.529 triple planning. And with that comes the ability 00:15:58.529 --> 00:16:04.230 to lose sometimes the joy of the moment. So you 00:16:04.230 --> 00:16:07.090 have brought the the live in the moment perspective 00:16:07.090 --> 00:16:10.029 for me. I think it's really interesting that 00:16:10.029 --> 00:16:15.889 you say that because I feel that. Although like 00:16:15.889 --> 00:16:18.909 I sort of bring the fly by the seat of our pants 00:16:18.909 --> 00:16:24.389 energy, a bit of chaos and that. I feel that 00:16:24.389 --> 00:16:26.970 you sort of really bring the podcast more down 00:16:26.970 --> 00:16:29.990 to earth where I would want to talk about sort 00:16:29.990 --> 00:16:33.750 of very heady things, as you said earlier, that 00:16:33.750 --> 00:16:36.269 I think, frankly, most people would not be interested 00:16:36.269 --> 00:16:39.789 in listening to. You create a relatable experience 00:16:39.789 --> 00:16:45.259 for our audience and bring like. A lot more of 00:16:45.259 --> 00:16:51.419 a positive, funny, and like more colloquial wisdom. 00:16:52.179 --> 00:16:55.039 And I think that's really nice. And it balances 00:16:55.039 --> 00:16:59.360 out my sort of super logical approach to things. 00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:03.279 I love that. That is a perfect balance. Yeah. 00:17:03.399 --> 00:17:05.720 Indeed. And sometimes I might do it in a make 00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:09.319 fun of you way. Well. I mean, if one can't make 00:17:09.319 --> 00:17:11.220 fun of themselves and others, what are they doing? 00:17:11.380 --> 00:17:13.599 Exactly. It's the basis of human social interaction. 00:17:13.640 --> 00:17:18.359 Exactly. Exactly. Okay. For our next question, 00:17:18.460 --> 00:17:22.339 for you specifically, Chris, what will you miss 00:17:22.339 --> 00:17:25.240 most about having Soren on as your co -host? 00:17:26.380 --> 00:17:31.000 Well, some of that is the live in the moment 00:17:31.000 --> 00:17:35.480 perspective that you bring. I think you have 00:17:35.480 --> 00:17:42.789 such a fresh, I think you represent a younger 00:17:42.789 --> 00:17:49.029 voice, younger voice and a perspective that as 00:17:49.029 --> 00:17:52.630 adults we don't often seek out. or listen to, 00:17:52.710 --> 00:17:54.809 and that's been a theme we've talked about a 00:17:54.809 --> 00:17:56.970 lot in the first season, whether it's around 00:17:56.970 --> 00:18:00.069 mental health or education, being able to make 00:18:00.069 --> 00:18:02.049 sure that we have young voices at the table to 00:18:02.049 --> 00:18:05.269 help shape these systems. And I just think you 00:18:05.269 --> 00:18:10.009 have such an articulate way that may be up here 00:18:10.009 --> 00:18:12.970 a bit, but when we bring it down here where I 00:18:12.970 --> 00:18:16.250 can understand it, it is a fresh perspective 00:18:16.250 --> 00:18:20.019 that I will miss. I will miss that perspective. 00:18:20.200 --> 00:18:24.460 And I'm very, very hopeful that as school starts 00:18:24.460 --> 00:18:28.920 in the UK, we find a way for you to share that 00:18:28.920 --> 00:18:32.240 perspective still back home with us. Thanks. 00:18:32.420 --> 00:18:38.200 Yeah, I mean that. Last question. Let's do, oh, 00:18:38.279 --> 00:18:43.000 here's one. Perfect for pride. Best ways for 00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:46.470 straight folks to continue allyship. not just 00:18:46.470 --> 00:18:50.470 here in Pride, but beyond? You know, I had read 00:18:50.470 --> 00:18:53.609 this question previously, and I said to Derek, 00:18:53.869 --> 00:18:58.470 honestly, just not be a dick. Which I think we 00:18:58.470 --> 00:19:00.829 could get Inspired Insights t -shirts that say, 00:19:00.930 --> 00:19:04.470 just don't be a dick. I mean, like, the queer 00:19:04.470 --> 00:19:08.029 community is similar to any oppressed community. 00:19:08.369 --> 00:19:11.230 You don't need to go above and beyond to make 00:19:11.230 --> 00:19:13.809 these individuals not feel oppressed. You just 00:19:13.809 --> 00:19:18.490 have to not oppress them. Right. Like, just create 00:19:18.490 --> 00:19:22.250 a welcoming, open environment and don't make 00:19:22.250 --> 00:19:25.009 it a big thing when someone is queer around you. 00:19:25.150 --> 00:19:27.809 And I think, frankly, that's the best way to 00:19:27.809 --> 00:19:30.650 support any individual that has an insecurity 00:19:30.650 --> 00:19:32.809 or something of that sort. Not that being gay 00:19:32.809 --> 00:19:35.250 is an insecurity for some people, but it can 00:19:35.250 --> 00:19:38.890 be sort of a social barrier in some contexts. 00:19:39.890 --> 00:19:43.150 Yeah, I totally agree. I think I'm just going 00:19:43.150 --> 00:19:47.140 to stick. simple and don't be a dick that's a 00:19:47.140 --> 00:19:51.359 perfect answer to that question yeah yeah like 00:19:51.359 --> 00:19:56.119 we one of the themes for three seasons now has 00:19:56.119 --> 00:19:58.980 been around the power of community and belonging 00:19:58.980 --> 00:20:02.960 and what can come from that and conversely what 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:06.519 are the consequences of not having spaces where 00:20:06.519 --> 00:20:09.640 people feel welcomed and included and so any 00:20:09.640 --> 00:20:13.559 opportunity to to welcome folks in and include 00:20:13.559 --> 00:20:15.900 them as part of the conversation, I think is 00:20:15.900 --> 00:20:18.460 allyship, regardless of the community you're 00:20:18.460 --> 00:20:21.519 partnering with. Yeah, 100%. I think Cubans are 00:20:21.519 --> 00:20:24.539 fantastic at creating sort of illusory social 00:20:24.539 --> 00:20:28.099 barriers through our tendency to categorize. 00:20:28.839 --> 00:20:32.240 And frankly, I think that's one of the primary... 00:20:32.619 --> 00:20:37.440 issues with modern ideology in the political 00:20:37.440 --> 00:20:41.660 sphere, at the very least. And that is the production 00:20:41.660 --> 00:20:46.279 of sort of meaningless social labels through 00:20:46.279 --> 00:20:52.420 which one can abuse others. And frankly, I'm 00:20:52.420 --> 00:20:54.599 just not a fan of social labels more broadly. 00:20:54.859 --> 00:20:56.539 Which we've talked about. You've talked about 00:20:56.539 --> 00:21:00.299 that. They inherently divide individuals, I feel. 00:21:00.809 --> 00:21:03.589 I think we have one last question coming in. 00:21:04.809 --> 00:21:09.349 Go ahead. What have you each discovered different 00:21:09.349 --> 00:21:16.890 in differing queer experiences due to age or 00:21:16.890 --> 00:21:22.410 experience? Oh, I might answer immediately. What 00:21:22.410 --> 00:21:26.390 I've discovered being young and gay, I think 00:21:26.390 --> 00:21:28.730 this is lessened significantly by the fact that 00:21:28.730 --> 00:21:32.630 we're in a rural area, but young gay men be hoes. 00:21:32.809 --> 00:21:39.369 For real. Not that it's bad to be a hoe. I think 00:21:39.369 --> 00:21:41.250 that's fantastic for them and they're having 00:21:41.250 --> 00:21:46.710 fun. No shame. But I mean, men are on the more 00:21:46.710 --> 00:21:49.569 flagrant sexual side of things and when you add 00:21:49.569 --> 00:21:51.779 two of them together, it's... It's quite a potent 00:21:51.779 --> 00:21:55.440 combination. That was not my experience. At all. 00:21:56.660 --> 00:22:00.180 At all. So that might be one of the different 00:22:00.180 --> 00:22:04.400 perspectives here. Those, well, there were no 00:22:04.400 --> 00:22:07.099 out queer kids and they certainly weren't hoes. 00:22:08.359 --> 00:22:11.079 Nope. All of them I've met are. Interesting. 00:22:11.180 --> 00:22:13.380 Well, there's a different perspective there. 00:22:14.079 --> 00:22:17.160 I would say even the, we've talked about this 00:22:17.160 --> 00:22:20.599 before too, even just the term queer. has been 00:22:20.599 --> 00:22:23.480 a change. And I remember we talked about that 00:22:23.480 --> 00:22:25.759 in the first season. We talked about it with 00:22:25.759 --> 00:22:29.720 our Four Generations of Pride conversation with 00:22:29.720 --> 00:22:35.599 Frank and Paul, just where the three of us, Frank, 00:22:35.740 --> 00:22:39.319 Paul, myself, that word carries with it a very 00:22:39.319 --> 00:22:42.119 different connotation than with your generation. 00:22:42.119 --> 00:22:45.720 And so just the terms and the evolution of language, 00:22:45.779 --> 00:22:48.980 I think, has been a continued discovery for me. 00:22:49.339 --> 00:22:52.700 I think actually something else that is the most 00:22:52.700 --> 00:22:56.119 striking difference in my opinion between older 00:22:56.119 --> 00:22:58.920 queer experience and younger queer experience 00:22:58.920 --> 00:23:03.279 is like Really, it's not that big of a deal, 00:23:03.359 --> 00:23:06.720 and it's far more fluid for young people. Like, 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:09.720 I think as much as sort of like preteens, like 00:23:09.720 --> 00:23:13.160 ascribing to strong labels, as I get older, the 00:23:13.160 --> 00:23:15.680 queer individuals that I'm interacting with more 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:18.420 frequently don't really ascribe to any labels 00:23:18.420 --> 00:23:22.559 and simply act the way that they want. And I 00:23:22.559 --> 00:23:24.539 think that labels historically have been super 00:23:24.539 --> 00:23:27.500 important for the queer community as sort of 00:23:27.500 --> 00:23:29.660 a means through which we can legitimize queer 00:23:29.660 --> 00:23:32.289 experience. by providing labels for individuals. 00:23:32.430 --> 00:23:36.049 So it creates almost a protection for these behaviors 00:23:36.049 --> 00:23:40.089 and such. But as these behaviors have become 00:23:40.089 --> 00:23:44.269 more accepted, it's far more fluid and less of 00:23:44.269 --> 00:23:48.079 a major labeled part of one's identity. And you've 00:23:48.079 --> 00:23:50.980 talked about that over and over again, that not 00:23:50.980 --> 00:23:54.099 just you, Soren, but that your generation, this 00:23:54.099 --> 00:23:58.380 rejection of both the binary and the label surrounding 00:23:58.380 --> 00:24:02.079 the binary. Yeah. Yeah. I have something for 00:24:02.079 --> 00:24:08.119 you. Go for it. Oh, a gift. Oh, my. We know people 00:24:08.119 --> 00:24:11.789 that know me. know that it's not the, I'm not, 00:24:11.890 --> 00:24:13.789 these are, this is just a shoebox. It's what's 00:24:13.789 --> 00:24:16.190 in the shoebox that matters. People that know 00:24:16.190 --> 00:24:19.670 me know that gift giving is one of my love languages. 00:24:20.069 --> 00:24:24.089 It's true. And I know that this sometimes can 00:24:24.089 --> 00:24:27.990 make people uncomfortable and I don't care. So 00:24:27.990 --> 00:24:33.329 this is graduation slash wrap party slash going 00:24:33.329 --> 00:24:38.519 away. Goodness me. Oh, wow. Full of things. First, 00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:41.299 we have this lovely little card. It says my name 00:24:41.299 --> 00:24:43.500 on it. Should I open it? Yes, you're welcome 00:24:43.500 --> 00:24:48.259 to. Goodness me. This is a high -quality card. 00:24:48.400 --> 00:24:51.720 Oh, it's not. Trust me. People who know me know 00:24:51.720 --> 00:24:54.640 where I get most of my cards from, too. Not high 00:24:54.640 --> 00:24:57.259 quality. I would climb a mountain for you, but 00:24:57.259 --> 00:25:00.079 I would probably only make it this far. And it's 00:25:00.079 --> 00:25:02.519 Machu Picchu. Which I had to Google to spell. 00:25:02.900 --> 00:25:06.000 Oh, I still don't spell it right. Congrats on 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:07.920 all your amazing accomplishments. I'm so proud 00:25:07.920 --> 00:25:10.299 and so very happy for you. Thanks for being a 00:25:10.299 --> 00:25:14.640 part of the podcast. It's been a wild plus awesome 00:25:14.640 --> 00:25:18.720 ride. Long live hearts, Chris. And then we have 00:25:18.720 --> 00:25:21.299 stickers, bracelets. You didn't even look at 00:25:21.299 --> 00:25:24.440 the bracelet or the sticker. You know, it's a 00:25:24.440 --> 00:25:28.119 Swifty bracelet. Yep. Long live. One of the best. 00:25:29.379 --> 00:25:32.180 Another Swifty sticker. Honorary Swifty sticker. 00:25:32.480 --> 00:25:34.160 These are going to go everywhere. You know how 00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:36.299 I love my Taylor Swift. I know. You're getting 00:25:36.299 --> 00:25:41.519 there. Spite Insights t -shirt. Oh my goodness. 00:25:41.720 --> 00:25:44.240 This is a whole lot of stickers and bracelets. 00:25:44.579 --> 00:25:48.700 What's this? Let me be perfectly queer. That's 00:25:48.700 --> 00:25:52.420 beautiful. Your dorm room. Oh, this is a nice 00:25:52.420 --> 00:25:55.380 little handbag. Tall poppy. Tall poppies. We've 00:25:55.380 --> 00:25:59.450 talked a lot about tall poppies. More bag. A 00:25:59.450 --> 00:26:02.529 bag. A beautiful mug. Which we'll be raffling 00:26:02.529 --> 00:26:06.609 some off to our attendees later. What is this? 00:26:07.329 --> 00:26:09.869 That's perhaps my favorite gift to give ever. 00:26:10.789 --> 00:26:13.809 A little easel with Taylor Swift cards? Yes! 00:26:14.410 --> 00:26:18.210 There's a, one of your inspired insights a while 00:26:18.210 --> 00:26:21.430 ago was you were surprised that there's a Taylor 00:26:21.430 --> 00:26:25.730 quote for everything. Your challenge will be 00:26:25.730 --> 00:26:28.930 to find a Taylor quote for everything in Scotland. 00:26:29.490 --> 00:26:32.890 Wow. You and me should start establishing a Taylor 00:26:32.890 --> 00:26:37.250 Swift Bible. Got it. Nice little mouse pad. Which 00:26:37.250 --> 00:26:42.170 we'll be raffling off as well. Thanks, Chris. 00:26:42.430 --> 00:26:47.519 You're so welcome. These... Oh, planner. These 00:26:47.519 --> 00:26:50.019 are your, there's a little bit of everything 00:26:50.019 --> 00:26:52.839 here. Knowing that your parents will not obviously 00:26:52.839 --> 00:26:55.759 be in Scotland with you. This is your adulting 00:26:55.759 --> 00:26:59.380 to -do list, pad of paper. This is your crap 00:26:59.380 --> 00:27:03.319 to do today, pad of paper. And your plan of attack, 00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:08.279 pad of paper, to map out the day. I'm sure with 00:27:08.279 --> 00:27:10.380 all three of those, I'll only be five minutes 00:27:10.380 --> 00:27:13.359 late. Well, your challenge is to remember to 00:27:13.359 --> 00:27:16.269 pack them and bring them. Oh, that's a challenge 00:27:16.269 --> 00:27:21.670 in and of itself. So I want to give some thank 00:27:21.670 --> 00:27:24.809 yous. Folks, I had to write these down so I do 00:27:24.809 --> 00:27:28.150 not forget. So I'm going to start with a thank 00:27:28.150 --> 00:27:30.990 you to Penobscot Theatre and to the Stage Door 00:27:30.990 --> 00:27:33.750 for hosting us today for this wrap party and 00:27:33.750 --> 00:27:38.549 final episode. I want to thank our attendees 00:27:38.549 --> 00:27:41.470 and our former guests, of which I see several 00:27:41.470 --> 00:27:46.019 here in the audience. I want to thank our team, 00:27:46.240 --> 00:27:51.579 the teamwork. People just walked in. I want to 00:27:51.579 --> 00:27:56.500 thank your mom, Amanda, your dad, Kevin, Elizabeth, 00:27:56.660 --> 00:27:59.700 who is here taking some photos. I want to thank 00:27:59.700 --> 00:28:03.380 Derek, also our producer and musician for our 00:28:03.380 --> 00:28:07.559 opening. I want to thank our listeners, of which 00:28:07.559 --> 00:28:10.579 we have now approached almost triple digits. 00:28:11.210 --> 00:28:13.410 With some episodes, which I guess in the podcast 00:28:13.410 --> 00:28:17.170 world, in all seriousness, is kind of a big deal. 00:28:17.250 --> 00:28:20.589 Really? When you have like triple digits on an 00:28:20.589 --> 00:28:23.849 episode, you, I forget there was actually, I'm 00:28:23.849 --> 00:28:26.369 looking at your mom, but yeah, there's some like, 00:28:26.450 --> 00:28:28.930 if you hit this many, you're automatically in 00:28:28.930 --> 00:28:31.250 the top 10 % of podcasts. We're in the top 10 00:28:31.250 --> 00:28:38.079 % of podcasts. Wow. Now, to be clear. There's 00:28:38.079 --> 00:28:42.640 like 9 ,757 ,000 podcasts. So we're in the top, 00:28:42.660 --> 00:28:46.299 but we're there. We're there. So I want to thank 00:28:46.299 --> 00:28:50.259 our listeners. And without our listeners, we 00:28:50.259 --> 00:28:52.400 would not have continued the way we've continued. 00:28:53.119 --> 00:28:56.480 And I want to thank you for your willingness 00:28:56.480 --> 00:28:59.099 to join this thing, to have one more thing on 00:28:59.099 --> 00:29:01.940 your calendar, one more task, one more thing 00:29:01.940 --> 00:29:04.640 to get up for, one more thing to show up to. 00:29:05.240 --> 00:29:09.490 So thank you. I'd like to thank you as well, 00:29:09.549 --> 00:29:12.950 because I think that in my framing for this podcast, 00:29:13.150 --> 00:29:16.950 more specifically in regards to work, I've sort 00:29:16.950 --> 00:29:20.609 of made it seem like a burden. But frankly, I've... 00:29:21.150 --> 00:29:23.470 Every single time we have a recording, I'm energized 00:29:23.470 --> 00:29:25.890 to come, and I feel fantastic for the rest of 00:29:25.890 --> 00:29:27.730 the day. Oh, that's great. You've never said 00:29:27.730 --> 00:29:30.589 that before. Truly, I love talking to people, 00:29:30.730 --> 00:29:34.170 and I think it's just awesome that I have the 00:29:34.170 --> 00:29:37.289 opportunity to discuss a variety of important 00:29:37.289 --> 00:29:39.990 topics with so many intelligent and interesting 00:29:39.990 --> 00:29:44.480 individuals at such a young age. If I had not 00:29:44.480 --> 00:29:47.460 had this podcast, I think the discussions that 00:29:47.460 --> 00:29:50.880 I had the opportunity to have otherwise would 00:29:50.880 --> 00:29:53.799 not have even held a candle to the discussions 00:29:53.799 --> 00:29:56.420 I've been able to have on the podcast. It's been 00:29:56.420 --> 00:29:58.380 an awesome opportunity. That's awesome. Well, 00:29:58.400 --> 00:30:01.319 we will make sure that our guests, former guests 00:30:01.319 --> 00:30:04.559 that could not be here today, hear that from 00:30:04.559 --> 00:30:08.160 you because I think that's important for them 00:30:08.160 --> 00:30:12.019 to know as well. Indeed. Closing thoughts. The 00:30:12.019 --> 00:30:15.799 end of this era. You know, it's been a beautiful 00:30:15.799 --> 00:30:21.980 thing, but I think we did it to its utmost. We 00:30:21.980 --> 00:30:24.940 brought it to its conclusion. And I'm really 00:30:24.940 --> 00:30:27.160 pleased with what we've done. Me too. Me too. 00:30:27.279 --> 00:30:30.859 I guess my final thought, again, is just gratitude. 00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:35.819 One giant thank you. I'm excited to see what's 00:30:35.819 --> 00:30:38.859 next for you and to continue to stay in touch 00:30:38.859 --> 00:30:43.880 with you across continents. I think you're going 00:30:43.880 --> 00:30:47.259 to set the world on fire. Hopefully not literally. 00:30:47.799 --> 00:30:50.299 No, I meant that quite literally. I really think 00:30:50.299 --> 00:30:52.900 you're going to set the world on fire. Yeah, 00:30:52.920 --> 00:30:56.880 yeah. All right, that's it. Thanks so much, everybody. 00:30:57.099 --> 00:31:04.619 Thanks, everyone. Cool. Yeah. The Inspired Insights 00:31:04.619 --> 00:31:07.359 Podcast has been brought to you by Inspired Consulting 00:31:07.359 --> 00:31:10.640 Group, LLC. Edited and produced by Amanda Seidel 00:31:10.640 --> 00:31:13.609 and Derek Harder. Marketing support for the Inspired 00:31:13.609 --> 00:31:16.190 Insights podcast by Elizabeth Keenan. Music by 00:31:16.190 --> 00:31:20.990 Derek Carter. Please visit www .inspiredcg .com 00:31:20.990 --> 00:31:24.430 to learn more. Copyright 2025. All rights reserved.