If we were merely interested, we would not have made it through our first year of marriage. This is our story.

"Mr. Newcomb..." said the voice on the other end of the line. "Yes." "This is the hotel manager. Did you break the rules of the hotel this morning?" Silence. I could practically feel the white-hot lights in the interrogation room burning into my skin, my freedom hinging on what I would say next. "Mr. Newcomb, did you break the rules of the quarantine this morning?" "Did you see me breaking the rules?" "I saw it on the video camera." "I see." "Mr. Newcomb, would you like me to assist you in...

jamesandsana.com

If you enjoy these podcasts that James and Sana produce, perhaps you'll consider supporting us financially. As you may have heard, we are in the process of obtaining a visa for Sana to reside in the United States. And boy it aint cheap. If you'd like to help us out with covering the attorney's fees, filing fees, copying fees (it cost nearly $200 just to make copies of all the materials in our application), and what not, we'd be tremendously grateful. If you choose not to, that's okay too. We...

https://amzn.to/386Lsb8 (A Different Shade of Green) Got an idea for James and Sana to discuss on the show? Got a question about Persian culture? Visit us on the web at https://my.captivate.fm/dashboard/shows/jamesandsana.com (jamesandsana.com).

James and Sana continue their podcasting exploits in this fact-free, fun-filled episode. BTW, we now have a website! jamesandsana.com

beatinpath.media

"Your sushi is terrible!" said Gabriel, 6, to his father, James Newcomb. So it goes in James' rented apartment on the oceanfront of Virginia Beach, VA while he awaits the arrival of his wife Shafieh (Sana) Dorry when her visa to reside in the United States is approved by the State Department. The recent failed attempt at making sushi is the latest in a string of culinary mishaps which has befallen James and Gabriel. Police reports reveal responses to complaints of burnt blueberry pancakes,...

**This just may be the most important podcast episode of our lifetimes. We're certain that if you listen to this episode, you'll find something of value in it. Thing is, we're not exactly sure where. Sana gave James an introductory lesson in the Persian language, we discussed the best way to boil potatoes, and even managed to squeeze in a discussion on Biblical history among other topics. Enjoy!

(James) While I was living in Vietnam earlier this year, Sana and I went to a shopping mall to just hang out. It was very odd that the mall was playing kids music - think Wheels On the Bus, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, stuff like that. We discussed this on today's podcast. While Sana's rationale as to why the mall management would do that makes sense, it got me to thinking about how mainstream art as a whole has degraded to what it is today. Seriously... Does anyone think that Justin...

Well, Sana got a week off this week. She's got another week to devise ways to exploit James' weaknesses to gain the upper hand in their on-show banter. But this one is a doozy. James interviewed his friend and fellow podcast host Jason Heath this past week. Jason is a professional symphony bassist and hosts a show called Contrabass Conversations. Jason "gets it" when it comes to tribe-building and building community around a podcast. His show generates over one million downloads per year at...

There's a truth all podcast host need to embrace...You're an entertainer first and foremost. This causes a bit of cognitive dissonance in a lot of podcast hosts who start their show for good reasons: to make a positive impact in the lives of those who listen to it. "Entertainment" is circus monkeys and free candy in our minds. To "entertain" our listeners seems to run afoul of noble purposes that many podcasters have. Well, they don't understand what it means to entertain. To sum up, it...

"Add value!" say all the business and entrepreneur types on their podcasts, emails, blogs, YouTubes, and the like. Funny thing is all these podcasts, blogs, videos, etc. look, sound and feel exactly the same as every other podcast, blog and YouTube video out there. It's as though it's a race to see who can be the best at copying the Facebook Guru of the Month. Follow the template these gurus establish, then do it with more energy, more frequency, more contrived pizzazz than the next guy or...

James evaluates Sana in this stunning new episode of our little show. If you'll recall, we discussed the 6 variables that make up the KLT (know, like, trust) factor in your business, relationships, ministry, what have you. The 6 variables are: Expert authority Likability Commitment and consistency Reciprocation Social proof Scarcity To the shock of no one, Sana scored extremely well on her very first Wife Performance Review (WPR). And James isn't complaining about anything either. We also...

I clearly remember my very first podcast interview. I don't remember my second podcast interview, because it went without a hiccup. So you can maybe see where I'm going with this. Translation: the first one was...memorable. It was for a podcast titled Outside the Music Box, and I wanted to explore Albert Einstein's love of music. Einstein loved to play his violin so much he even said in an interview that had he not chosen the field of physics, he would have been a musician. Well, thank...

How do you define success?...1:10 Should I have a strategy to capitalize on Spotify's recent power moves?...7:55 How James and Sana are bringing back live music...18:10 And much more! To check out more of James and Sana's adventures and to keep tabs on the effort to bring her to the U.S. follow along at jamesandsana.com ( jamesandsana.com )

Everyone's got one... No, I'm not talking about your belly button or your opinion on the pace of reopening society from the COVID-19 issue. I'm talking about embarrassing moments -- that we're okay sharing publicly. I have plenty of moments that will remain with me only for all time. But Sana and I have also made some pretty bone-headed moves that in hindsight are pretty funny. I guess as long as no one gets hurt, it's okay to laugh, right? Enjoy!

James Newcomb and wife Sana Dorry discuss how our reactions and our mindset determine how our circumstances affect our quality of life, particularly when circumstances go awry. Check out more free podcasts, courses, articles and much more on James Newcomb's personal smartphone app! Type in beatinpath.media/app into your phone's browser and you're off to the races.

“I’m not good at sales,” many people say.  The truth is, if you have a pulse, you sell. It may not be selling real estate or toilet paper to the local shopping mall, but you’ve got to sell. It could be a child selling his parents on why a cookie before dinner is a good idea. It could be a job interview where you’re selling the person or people on why they should pay you for your services. It seems that some people are “naturals” when it comes to selling. While these people perhaps have a...