By Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus · Follow: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram In this episode of The Minimalists Podcast, Joshua discusses minimalist business models, entrepreneurship, building a small business, and making your business better with author and podcaster Paul Jarvis, and they answer the following questions:
Video StreamSubscribeApple Podcasts · Spotify · Google Play · Soundcloud · MP3 Minimal MaximsJoshua & Ryan’s pithy, shareable, less-than-140-character responses. Find more quotes from The Minimalists at MinimalMaxims.com.
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The post Podcast 189 | Minimalist Business appeared first on The Minimalists. Podcast 189 | Minimalist Business syndicated from https://lynxbrands.weebly.com/ via Tumblr Podcast 189 | Minimalist Business
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By Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus · Follow: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram We’re always seeking something better. The remote control made this search easier than ever: we can navigate a thousand channels without leaving the couch, flipping through channel after channel until we find something more desirable. But we don’t know what we’re searching for. So we persist. Television isn’t the only place we “channel surf”: we dig through every aspect of our lives—food, relationships, entertainment, work—hoping to unearth anything other than what’s in front of us. Our problem is, in a world of unlimited choices, there actually is always something better somewhere. So, even when we pinpoint something we enjoy, it’s never enough, and we yearn for something superior. It’s consumerism’s paradox: that which makes us happy soon brings us discontent. The key to overcoming this cycle is simple: we must be happy with the channel we’re watching. If we’re not, we should change the channel. But once we locate a station we like, we should stick with it, enjoy it a while, and let go of the need to endlessly pursue the happiness that’s already in front of us. We can enjoy this life in this moment, and eventually the channel will change on its own.
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The post Channel Surfing appeared first on The Minimalists. Channel Surfing syndicated from https://lynxbrands.weebly.com/ via Tumblr Channel Surfing By Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus · Follow: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram In this episode of The Minimalists Podcast, Joshua talks about earning income, managing money, financial willpower, budgeting mistakes, and what it means to live a “rich” life with author Ramit Sethi, and they answer the following questions:
Video StreamSubscribeApple Podcasts · Spotify · Google Play · Soundcloud · MP3 Minimal MaximsJoshua & Ryan’s pithy, shareable, less-than-140-character responses. Find more quotes from The Minimalists at MinimalMaxims.com.
Mentioned in This Episode
The post Podcast 188 | Budgeting Mistakes appeared first on The Minimalists. Podcast 188 | Budgeting Mistakes syndicated from https://lynxbrands.weebly.com/ via Tumblr Podcast 188 | Budgeting Mistakes The U.S. faces an acute shortage of psychiatrists. According to a report from the National Council for Behavioral Health, 55 percent of U.S. counties have zero psychiatrists practicing…and by 2025 the demand for psychiatry is projected to outstrip capacity by 25 percent, a deficit of 15,600 psychiatrists. Children and adolescents are one group that is vulnerable. Lacking adequate behavioral health providers, many parents and guardians enlist help from primary care doctors who may not have the qualifications or capacity to address all psychiatric needs. The impact of a shortage of qualified care is exacerbated by a lack of public education and abundance of misperceptions when it comes to mental health in general. In response to these challenges, Jefferson Hospital, part of Allegheny Health Network (AHN), launched a comprehensive, multidisciplinary program for child and adolescent psychiatric care led by Aileen Oandasan, MD. A veteran child and adolescent psychiatrist with expertise in affective disorders and autism spectrum disorders as well as anxiety and disruptive behaviors, Dr. Oandasan acknowledges the “immense load” carried by pediatric and family medicine colleagues. By contrast, Jefferson Hospital’s program pulls everyone onto one team, spreading care across multiple disciplines, while simplifying the experience for the person and family needing help. In addition to Dr. Oandasan, the program team includes a registered nurse, nurse practitioner, therapists (licensed clinical social worker, licensed professional counselors), and a clinical psychologist, all of whom have specialized in treating children and adolescents during their careers. These professionals are equipped to handle a full range of behavioral health challenges, including post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, autism spectrum, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Jefferson Hospital also offers an intensive outpatient program. This program gives children and adolescents more comprehensive support, but they still go home rather than staying at a facility overnight as inpatients. A Background in Family MedicineDr. Oandasan grew up around family medicine — her father, a family practitioner, and her mother, a nurse. “People had long-standing relationships with my parents,” she says. “If someone couldn’t afford the copay, they would bring my father a bucket of shrimp or a cooler full of fish.” She attended medical school at Texas A&M University but recalls an “Aha!” moment when she realized her perspective was naturally inclined toward psychiatry. “During a lecture,” she says, “my professor asked for a differential diagnosis based on a set of symptoms. I was the only one who recognized that the patient was depressed.” Changing course, she went on to complete four years of general adult psychiatric training at Georgetown University and two years of child psychiatry at Johns Hopkins. She has lived and practiced in western Pennsylvania since 2009. Like her parents, she values and cultivates relationships in her practice: “I like listening to people’s stories and hearing their history,” she explains. “When I’m working with someone, it’s a partnership between me, the child, and the parents. It is a privilege to work with them, and I strive to make the same kind of meaningful connections with them as my parents had with their patients.” Behavioral Health in Children and TeensThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes childhood mental disorders as “serious changes in the way children typically learn, behave, or handle their emotions, causing distress and problems getting through the day.” Unfortunately, one study found that 1 in 7 children and teens has mental health conditions — and only about half get treatment. In her own practice, Dr. Oandasan notes that “anxiety is prevalent. We are seeing many children across all age groups struggling with anxiety related to school and the safety of their world, and many have experienced being bullied.” She says that another challenge with children and teens, as with adults, is comorbidity — the presence of multiple conditions. A child with attention deficit disorder may also be dealing with depression, for instance, and autism spectrum disorder is often accompanied by other physical or mental disorders. “We see many kids with comorbid physical conditions,” she adds. “For example, children with anxiety often present with gastrointestinal issues. It’s important to understand the connection between mind, body, and spirit. The brain is such a complex system. There are connections we don’t even fully understand yet.” She emphasizes that both physical and mental illnesses can be exacerbated, or even caused, by social determinants like poverty and other environmental factors. “It’s important for teachers and educators to appreciate that a child may be impacted by homelessness, for example,” she says. “What’s visible is that the child is missing school or struggling in some other way, but the cause may be that they are homeless or have been between households, or they may have parents who are struggling with their own mental illness or a substance use disorder.” Another factor increasingly present in diagnosing and treating behavioral health challenges in children and teens: the impact of social media and “cell phone culture.” Dr. Oandasan, who has two teenage sons, says she’s seen the blessing and curse of social media, both at home and in the office. “There is power in having access to what the Internet offers,” she says, “but also danger. When you’re young and don’t have coping skills or resilience, or when you’re susceptible to your own negative thoughts, challenging content on electronic media can be especially detrimental. And the way stories spread on social media, it can have a contagion effect.” She sees it as part of her job to guide parents as to what is and is not appropriate for their specific child’s overall health. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach — it depends on the child,” she says. “Parents need to understand who their child is, and listen to their unique experience. As parents, we can’t always protect our children from everything they might see, but it’s important to be ahead of the information and available to explore tough subjects with them.” Fighting Stigma and Misconceptions on Behavioral HealthAs a whole, Dr. Oandasan believes that behavioral health care is advancing, with ever expanding knowledge in identifying and diagnosing conditions, and more effective methods of treating them — including the kind of multidisciplinary approach being used at Jefferson Hospital. But she also acknowledges ongoing challenges involving the stigma surrounding behavioral health and misconceptions about disorders and psychiatric care. “These are neuropsychiatric conditions with a biological basis — the child or teen may not have voluntary control over what is happening,” she points out. “Part of my job is to educate parents on the science behind psychiatric care.” Medication is another area where there are misunderstandings. Dr. Oandasan says she often hears parents express concern about medication turning their child into a “zombie.” “I would never want a child’s inherent personality to change,” she emphasizes. “I explain that medication is like a life preserver. When someone is struggling, just treading water, medication can help them stay afloat. But the goal is learning to swim — and that’s where counseling and therapy are essential.” She adds that she always pays attention to how difficult it is for parents to see their child struggling with mental health, and educating and involving them is important to the process. “I call it ‘The Journey’ — we have to join with the parents, and all go together. We can’t force something on them,” she explains. “But I will say this: I believe that all children want to be happy. Our job is to figure out what’s stopping them.” Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Meet Dr. Aileen Oandasan syndicated from https://lynxbrands.weebly.com/ via Tumblr Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Meet Dr. Aileen Oandasan By Joshua Fields Millburn · Follow: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram I am seated on the warm side of floor-to-ceiling windows in a half-empty cafe, a black coffee on the table in front of me. A thick sheet of ice coats the sidewalk outside. Winter clouds hang over everything, the sky the color of a wet hippopotamus. “Graceless,” a song by The National, is playing softly through the overhead speakers. Outside, a woman in a peacoat is traversing the icy walkway tentatively, planting each step with great care before planning the next, her arms outstretched and palms flat, as though she’s praying for less gravity. Her prayer goes unanswered, though, and with one misplaced step she slips backward. Her arms slice the air violently, hands grasping for something that isn’t there, until her backside finally connects with the concrete. Thwap! I wince. Not because I feel her pain (literally), but because I feel her pain (figuratively). As the woman’s rear collided with the pavement, a twinge reverberated throughout my body. I, too, have fallen, so I know what it feels like. Or, rather, I know what it feels like to me. And this is a key difference. Whenever we tell someone to “walk in our shoes,” we’re simply asking another person to put herself in our position for a moment, to be sympathetic of our circumstances. But when we do this—when we walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, as it were—we’re still approaching the situation from our own biased perspectives, which still may not allow us to empathize with the person who’s loaning her sneakers. You see, sympathy and empathy are not the same thing. Sympathy understands someone’s pain; empathy feels it. Suffice it to say, we can never be truly empathetic—we can’t feel what another person feels completely—but that doesn’t mean we can’t try. When we care about another human, we must do our best to understand their pain. Ergo, sympathy is our first step toward empathy. We must wear another person’s shoes before we can experience the blisters from their daily trek. By sliding into your sneakers, I can better understand what it feels like for me to walk in your shoes, even though I’ll never wholly understand what it’s like for you. I might not feel the weight of your journey, not totally at least, but I’ll certainly be closer after wearing your footwear. Sympathetic of what the woman is feeling on the sidewalk outside, I dash out the door to assist. I don’t, however, notice the small patch of black ice just beyond the doorway, and Thwap!, I suffer a similar fate. With us both on our butts now, I may not be able to experience the woman’s pain, but I feel something close to it. After staring upward, as if the sky is to blame, we share a smile before the woman finds solid ground, and then helps me up as well. “Walk a Mile in My Blisters” was originally a passage in Everything That Remains, but its chapter was one of many that didn’t make the final draft, so I decided to share it here instead.
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The post Walk a Mile in My Blisters appeared first on The Minimalists. Walk a Mile in My Blisters syndicated from https://lynxbrands.weebly.com/ via Tumblr Walk a Mile in My Blisters By Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus · Follow: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram In this episode of The Minimalists Podcast, Joshua and Ryan talk about insecurities, criticism, perceived failures, and redefining success with singer-songwriter Griffin House, and they answer the following questions:
Video StreamSubscribeApple Podcasts · Spotify · Google Play · Soundcloud · MP3 Minimal MaximsJoshua & Ryan’s pithy, shareable, less-than-140-character responses. Find more quotes from The Minimalists at MinimalMaxims.com.
Mentioned in This Episode
The post Podcast 187 | Insecurity appeared first on The Minimalists. Podcast 187 | Insecurity syndicated from https://lynxbrands.weebly.com/ via Tumblr Podcast 187 | Insecurity By Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus · Follow: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram How much is enough? Without asking this question, we blindly pursue excess. How much is enough? Without an answer, we don’t know how to proceed. Of course, enough is different for each of us. Your enough may include a sofa, coffee table, and TV. Enough changes over time. How much is enough? Less than enough is depriving. The Minimalists recently found our enough. It’s enough because we want to keep our private podcast private. It’s enough to pay for our studio space and equipment. Yes, we could rocket past 6,000 people.
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The post How Much Is Enough? appeared first on The Minimalists. How Much Is Enough? syndicated from https://lynxbrands.weebly.com/ via Tumblr How Much Is Enough? In this series, we look at one of the most important parts of the Highmark Health enterprise: Health Plan Operations (HPO) under the leadership of Senior Vice President Patricia Howard. HPO includes key functions that impact service for health plan members and customers: benefits set-up and administration; enrollment and billing; claims processing; member and provider customer service centers; training; quality; reporting and other operational support. As vice president of Claims Excellence & Select Accounts in Health Plan Operations (HPO), Jill Walmer oversees around 1,000 employees who are dedicated to improving the health and overall experience of Highmark Inc. health plan customers. After studying forensic chemistry in college, Jill initially planned on working in a lab and cracking cases for the FBI. But her now 33-year career at Highmark can be traced to an old acquaintance, and mountains of paperwork that Jill turned into a learning and leadership opportunity. After discovering that the lab wasn’t for her, Jill began working in the insurance industry, landing a job at Nationwide Insurance as an underwriter. After a few years, she found out about a position at Pennsylvania Blue Shield (now Highmark Inc.) through an old high school friend. What piqued Jill’s interest in Highmark was something her friend said to her. She indicated that it was an “incredible organization for women and you have a great opportunity to get into a leadership role.” So, Jill pursued the job opening. With no health care background, she was hired as a junior business analyst to support the new claims processing platform that was being developed, called OSCAR. At the time, Highmark was looking to build a new claims processing platform to meet the growing needs in the health care industry and ultimately to streamline the processes. The company identified key individuals across multiple business areas ranging from product and sales to provider areas, finance, and others. This included a team that was the liaison between the customer — someone in operations — and the IT team. Jill became a part of that team and was assigned to build test cases for the new claims processing platform. “I was put in a room with huge stacks of green bar computer paper to manipulate the data to support the test cases,” she explains. “I started learning health care very quickly! I was then asked to assemble 13 different manuals on how the claims platform, OSCAR, would work. I copied all the pages, assembled them in three-ring binders, placed them in boxes, and stacked them in a storage room to be used for training. I literally assembled 13,000 manuals.” Some would view that as drudgery in a pre-digital world. To Jill, it was an opportunity to become a subject matter expert. “As I assembled the manuals, I started teaching myself about OSCAR,” she says. “That’s how I learned all about the claims processing platform.” After spending nearly a year supporting the new claims processing platform, Jill applied for an opening supporting the customer service team in a supervisory role. She excelled at her job and improved the overall service level of her team. Not long after, she applied for a manager’s position in customer service and ended up working in various roles throughout operations over the next 30 years. She continued to expand her horizon in the operational space, leading to her current role as vice president. As part of our series of articles on the HPO, we asked Jill to dive into her background and share a little more about what her department does for Highmark. Putting the Customer FirstDavid Golebiewski (DG): How does your department put the customer first? Jill Walmer (JW): We are committed to simplifying the complex health care world for our customers and providing one-stop service. When our customers contact us, we strive to resolve their issues on first contact and eliminate the need for additional customer follow-up. It’s not just handling the transaction, but rather putting ourselves in their shoes and making certain we are providing them with the best response and best quality of care. When you put yourself in the customer’s shoes, you have a much better understanding and appreciation of the service that you would want to receive and how you would want to be treated. From a claims perspective, we put the customer first by doing it right the first time. We take accountability and make certain that we understand the upstream and downstream impacts, so that the customer is not caught in the middle. We receive a lot of accolades from our customers that demonstrate how we go above and beyond to resolve their questions and help them navigate through the process. One of the most touching stories was a member who was diagnosed with cancer and had no idea what she was going to do. The customer care advocate walked her through all of her benefits and then connected her with a health coach. Fortunately, after several treatments, she is now cancer free. The thank-you note that she sent was so touching because she was grateful that we simplified the process for her despite what she was going through. Another testimony to our customer experience is receiving Contact Center Industry Awards of Excellence recognition. David Golebiewski (DG): What sets Highmark apart? Jill Walmer (JW): First, it starts with our products. Highmark has been a catalyst in offering affordable, quality, and accessible coverage to our members. Second, it’s ensuring that we have providers that are offering a high quality level of care. From a technology standpoint, we are one of the only payers in the industry that leverages a single claims platform for all lines of business for professional and facility claims, which allows us to process our claims in a timely, accurate manner. It’s also making certain that we are giving back to the community. Highmark is a community-based organization. We are a major employer in Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh, Camp Hill, Erie, Johnstown, and Allentown), West Virginia (Parkersburg and Triadelphia), and Delaware (Wilmington). It’s about walking the talk and making sure that we are giving back to the community and meeting the community’s needs. At Highmark, our leaders are expected to be engaged in the community. Another key differentiator is we are connecting care and coverage and leading the industry in this space. David Golebiewski (DG): What are your main priorities and goals for 2019? Jill Walmer (JW): The Highmark Health organization is truly a catalyst in the health care industry. Our mission is to create a remarkable health experience and free people to be their best. As part of that, simplifying the health care experience for our health plan members is essential. It is important that we are the catalysts to make the necessary changes and fulfill our vision of a world where everyone embraces health. Another priority is employee engagement. Our employees need to be a part of the overall process and feel engaged. While customers are at the heart of everything that we do, I’m also extremely passionate about our employees. They know more than I do, and sit on the front lines. When you have employees who are engaged and have a positive attitude, it is much easier to provide that level of “wow” service for our customers. We are committed to cultivating a culture where our employees feel like they are instrumental in making changes in the health care industry. Maintaining Work-Life BalanceDavid Golebiewski (DG): What are you most proud of about your career? Jill Walmer (JW): My ability to have a work-life balance. I was a working mother with two children, and was always present and engaged for all of their school activities, or other important moments. I was able to be successful professionally, while being a great mom. I am also proud to have started at the bottom and worked my way up to a leadership position. I have never forgotten those people who helped me achieve my successes along my journey. One could say I “bleed blue” with my commitment to Highmark and our workforce. David Golebiewski (DG): Lastly, tell us about any hobbies you enjoy. Jill Walmer (JW): I am a shopaholic. My favorite time is Black Friday as I am usually out shopping 48 hours nonstop after Thanksgiving. Additionally, I love food — I’m a junk food lover, though I probably shouldn’t say that! But I exercise regularly to keep my wellness in balance. In addition, giving back to the community is something that has been engrained in me from childhood. I have been so blessed and fortunate that I want to provide those similar opportunities. This passion stems from my childhood and from my father’s benevolent outlook on life. I was the youngest of five girls and I wore all the hand-me-downs from my sisters. We ranged in height from five feet to five-foot-eleven, so imagine wearing the same clothing — hems were constantly being let down or shortened. We lived in a very rural area, surrounded by farms. One of our neighbors especially struggled financially. My father always had us give up a toy to give to that family. I’ll never forget that, as a little girl, I had this beautiful doll house that I kept meticulous. My father decided that he was going to give this doll house to my neighbors, and I was so upset. And of course, I got over that. When I had my first child, which happened to be a girl, the first thing that my father bought my daughter was a doll house. It was throughout my childhood that I learned about how privileged we were, even though we were not wealthy. I was always fortunate to have food, clothing, and a house. That’s what molded me into the person and leader that I am today. I was taught at an early age to be appreciative of what I have and to give back. Just like my father, who served on many community boards, I sit on three boards. I am a board member of the United Way and the chairperson for the Women’s Leadership Network, an affinity group of the United Way. I sit on the board of the Ronald McDonald House of Central Pennsylvania. I also sit on the Whitaker Center board, which is very involved in the arts and sciences. Get to Know the HPO: Jill Walmer, VP, Claims Excellence & Select Accounts syndicated from https://lynxbrands.weebly.com/ via Tumblr Get to Know the HPO: Jill Walmer, VP, Claims Excellence & Select Accounts I’m not an expert on relationships. I’m not sure I’m an expert on anything, but that’s a discussion for another day, perhaps. Regardless, I’m often asked for relationship advice—mostly because I’m good at holding space, but also because one of my superpowers is saying what everyone else is thinking. So […] The post On Relationships appeared first on Neghar Fonooni. On Relationships syndicated from https://lynxbrands.weebly.com/ via Tumblr On Relationships EVERYTHING IS A FUCKIN RITUAL (And why you need it). Why do you need ritual? Because ritual invites you to tune out the drama of the external world and tune in to your own emotional landscape—it’s how you find the clarity and trust to work through shadows and sticky feelings. […] The post Everything is Ritual appeared first on Neghar Fonooni. Everything is Ritual syndicated from https://lynxbrands.weebly.com/ via Tumblr Everything is Ritual |
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