 Many of us think of digital body language as an add-on, an additive, a small strategy in our arsenal. But she actually argues that digital body language is now at the forefront. It's actually taken over all forms of communication. And it's something that people just aren't covering. One book that really snuck up on me, and I think you too, Johnny, in the past year, was Erika DeJuan's Digital Body Language, How to Build Trust and Connection No Distance. Going into that episode, thinking, well, obviously we study a lot of body language, we talk about body language in our programs. Oh, I definitely am going to know much of what's covered in this book. So it's going to be a fast read, something that I can quickly get through. And I found myself earmarking almost every other page. There was just so much going on in that book and so many frames and lenses that I hadn't taken, thinking about how we show up in a Zoom world now, in a completely digital world. And as we think about the metaverse, we think about co-working spaces and how we're all getting along, most, if not all, of our communication over the last two years has been digital. But it's the only resource that I've seen at all around how are we carrying ourselves in these ways? And what is it saying about us, the company culture, how are we being perceived? And there's so much nuance to it. It's such a deep book that I feel like we could have talked to Erica for hours and hours on end. And it's just one of those books that I recommend for all of our clients, especially if you're looking to become a leader in this current work environment. You need to have polished digital body language because as she shared, you set the tone for the team. You are the pace car for everyone. They're going to follow your lead based on how much do you put in a response to an email? What tone do you take in that response to an email? How are you joining Zoom calls? Are you making time and space for everyone to share? All of those different science studies that she brought to the forefront in that episode were things that I truthfully hadn't really thought of, even in all the years that we've been coaching on body language. Interesting point, AJ. And I'm going to bring this up. And this is a topic all of its own. And perhaps we should host a podcast on it at some point, which is we have spent all this time in building the digital world. However, we're now at a point where the digital world is changing us. I think it became very apparent to the world in 2020 that the digital world is now affecting the real world. However, I think it was apparent to everybody at that point, but that actually happened some years earlier. And I would even point to around 2017 was the year that the digital world really started to unfold IRL. And her book presents that idea. And that was the first time that I think that this idea that I had in the back of my head was articulated where I was like, Oh, no, I always had this idea in this weird sort of sci-fi matrix idea. But here it was not only apparent, but on paper. And it was and I'm reading it. And it was sort of a shock to me. Many of us think of digital body language as an add on an additive, a small strategy in our arsenal. But she actually argues that digital body language is now at the forefront. It's actually taken over all forms of communication. And it's something that people just aren't covering. I know even when I started my career in science, I wasn't going through lessons on how to write emails, how to communicate in a digital world. I was picking up cues from other team members. And some of those cues that I picked up over the years and some of our former team members are not the way that I want to be carrying myself in a digital body language world. So I thought that was a really remarkable discussion. And again, one of those books that's so dense, even an hour doesn't do it justice. But if you think about the way that we are leveraging digital communication in our lives, it's not going away. Its impact is only growing. So it should be an area that we're all focusing on. Well, one of the unique aspects to this podcast is the time in which we started it and what we're going through. So it's also documenting our journey with all this new technology that came out wanting to be a part of it and growing along with it. And you can argue that there has already been several eras of that technology through the 15 years that we've been a company. And that's really unique as well. I mean, at the beginning of this, at the beginning of this company and the beginning of this podcast, I consider that the wild west of the internet, anything went, it was a much different place than it is now as we're all trying to come to terms with how this digital world is affecting our lives. And her book laid that out for even the frightening aspects that that is. Yeah, I know a lot of our clients who heard that podcast and went out and got the book did a complete audit of the way they were showing up. And I even noticed a difference in our Zoom meetings inside of X Factor for those members who had read it. Because many of us, again, are just hopping on Zoom last second, just, Hey, I'm here, cameras on, let's roll, not really thinking through what's being communicated when we're not looking at the screen, when we're not as engaged as we could be. And just creating the space for connection. You know, one thing that this pandemic has forced on all of us is just less face to face time. Johnny, you moved away. Michael, you've been based in Vienna. Johnny and I made a trek out to Vienna, but we've been so removed from one another, we don't have a physical location to go to any longer. We've moved the company mostly digital at this point. And it was just so refreshing to hear her stress, just the importance of checking in on team members outside of scheduled meetings and making sure that you're creating space for real connection, that connection that would have been happening at the house in Hollywood, or that connection that would have been happening when we were hanging out with you in Vienna. Michael has been removed. Many of us right now are just in situations where we're hopping on the Zoom meeting as it's scheduled and oh, I got to get to my next Zoom meeting and not really thinking about the impact that's having on our relationships as well as our motivation in the team. So for all of us, we're going to have to do an audit of our lives every so often to clean out the clutter, just like our apartments or our houses will collect clutter from our lives. As we move on, we're going to pick up habits and routines that may or may not be benefiting us as we evolve, as we change. Kerry Newhoff's book and podcast, we discussed doing an audit of everything and then dividing your day up in the three zones, red, yellow and green, and allowing yourself to create space for the things that are actually important to you. And let's be honest, you're going to do the things that you want to do. And with that, you want to provide the time for the things that are important to you. As we were discussing earlier, part of the show and what we do here were growth-minded people. And with that, we want to adjust the books that we're reading and then figure out time and space to implement these ideas. And with so many books, it's very difficult to implement all of these things all the time that we're learning. So it always sparks my interest when we read something that is obviously I can implement in my life on a daily, but creating that space to be able to do that is very important as well. And with that, let's talk about what we're doing when we're not reading. We shared that we do read the books and we do spend a lot of time prepping for the interviews, but I'd love to hear what you're doing, Michael, when we're not prepping for interviews. What have you filled your time with in the last year? So I have to say, 2021 was tough in that regard. I mean, 2020 was quite a change. And going into 2021 and here in Europe with a little bit of a different situation, pandemic-wise, than you would deal with in the US, I was stuck at home quite a bit. I often wouldn't see friends outside of the online world for weeks. I'm on end. So I've actually, at the beginning of this year, asked myself, hey, what gave me pleasure? Like when I was a kid, what did I just love doing? And maybe I didn't have the time or the money for it. And now I'm an adult, so no one gets to tell me, you know, I can't buy that. And I got this really weird idea of getting, it's not a weird idea. It's a super cool idea. I got this super cool idea of just getting a bunch of remote control cars. And then I invited my friends out and we would go to a public place in Vienna that had a lot of like room and blacktop. And we'd get a few beers and we would just race for hours. And we would have so much fun. And it was outside, so we're safe. It was summer, no restrictions, no social distancing or anything else. That was really something this year that I very fond memories of us just being out there for hours and just racing and people would come by and kids would come by. And that was just something that I guess I always wanted to do since I was a kid. I was always into remote control stuff all my childhood years. So this was a great opportunity to bring that fun into adult life. Well, as somebody who is 48 years old, I certainly remember the remote control cars from my youth. And I can only imagine what that technology has brought with their remote control cars of today. Well, I think the key thing is bringing back that childlike wonderment that I think we've all been searching for through being locked up during the pandemic, being removed from a lot of our friends and family members and feeling isolated. Things that gave us joy as kids seeking those back out. I know for myself a big part of what the lockdown in LA forced for me was just getting outside. So hiking more than ever and actually trying to travel to get away from some of the restrictions here in LA to maintain some level of sanity. And I know the restrictions in Austria have been even more aggressive than they have been here in LA. But that's really one of the big things for me was just getting the escape so that I could get outside in nature. So I could reengage the senses and get away from all this digital body language that the pandemic had forced from me. I will say that I've really really missed the outside. Like I am in Vienna, which is an amazing city. But it's a city. I feel like it's been over a year that I've like seen a tree from, you know, not that wasn't on on TV. Getting outside more and travel more is certainly on my list for for next year. Let's just hope it happens. I have to say for myself, the thing I learned in 2020 was how much music meant in my life and not something that was just that I listened to or and performed, but also the community that going to shows and the local venues would host for me and my friends who were a part of that scene. So for 2021, being removed from that and was difficult for me. And so and moving to a new town, not knowing anybody and not being part of a new music scene and having to work myself into it, I decided to take on the the challenge of making a record on my own and focusing on the music that I had written during the pandemic in a very dark time at the beginning of that when not many people were quite sure what was coming down the line. And that has been a wonderful opportunity for myself and where I've spent all of my free time in the last year. And certainly as AJ knows me quite well, I can be tightly wound and I have a lot of energy. And if that energy is not focused in productive manner, it will be destructive. I will start picking things apart around me. And if I can't pick things apart that are around me, I'll begin then picking on myself. And so that energy has to be focused. And music has always been there for me to do that with AJ's know me to be in a million bands already at this point from New York to Los Angeles. And now Vegas, I've always had that outlet, not having that in 2020 and realizing the mental mess to use the Caroline leaf phrase that I had collected during that downtime of 2020. I wanted the remedy that the best way that I possibly could in a new town, which put on that goal of making that record, which also allowed me to meet a lot of the musicians here in Las Vegas and get started in the talent pool that is here of putting that record together. And it has been a wonderful experience.