Thank you all for coming, and I want to thank Mayor Adams and our Gun Violence Prevention advocates for joining us here today. In a few minutes, the House Judiciary Committee will convene what the Chairman calls a field hearing. It may have some of the trappings of a hearing. We will have opening statements and witnesses and the members who will ask questions. But don't be fooled. This is not a serious exercise. This is a political stunt. I was the chairman of the Committee for four years, and I took that solemn responsibility seriously. I know what a real hearing and real oversight looks like. That is not what we are going to see today. This hearing is being called for one reason and one reason only, to protect Donald Trump. Jim Jordan and his Republican accomplices are acting as an extension of the Trump Defense Team, trying to intimidate and deter the duly elected District Attorney of Manhattan from doing the work his constituents elected him to do. He is using their public offices and the resources of our Committee to protect their political patron, Donald Trump. That is an outrageous abuse of power. It is, to use Chairman Jordan's favorite term, a weaponization of the Judiciary Committee. The chairman says this hearing is about the victims of violent crime in Manhattan. Never mind the fact that New York is one of the safest big cities in America. Never mind the fact that under the leadership of Mayor Adams and District Attorney Bragg, over the last year, crime in Manhattan has dropped nearly every major category, including murders down 14%, shootings down 17%, burglaries down 21%, and robberies down 8%. And never mind that homicide rates are 73% higher in Mr. Jordan's Ohio than in Manhattan. And never mind that House Republicans have voted consistently to make New York and other cities across the country less safe. Since when did my Republican colleagues become so concerned about the life and safety of New Yorkers? Certainly not when they voted against billions of dollars in money for law enforcement in the American Rescue Plan. Certainly not when they refused to condemn Donald Trump's call to defund the FBI and the Department of Justice. And certainly not when they worked to block Democratic efforts to pass sensible gun legislation. We all agree for the victims of violent crime, here in Manhattan and everywhere. But if Jim Jordan and his Republican members really cared about protecting New Yorkers, they would join Democrats in addressing the iron pipeline that floods our streets with illegal guns from states with less strict gun laws. They would join our efforts to ban assault weapons, to enact extreme risk protection laws, and to crack down on ghost guns. But instead, they have only worked to put more guns on the streets and to put us all at greater risk. Democrats have consistently advanced policy solutions that make all of our communities, including New York, safer places to live, work, and go to school. And we will make that clear today. But that's not why Republicans have called this hearing. This is just part of their efforts to protect Donald Trump by any means necessary. Alvin Bragg is the duly elected district attorney in New York County. He has brought significant evidence before a grand jury, which has seen fit to indict Donald Trump. Donald Trump will have an opportunity to defend himself against the charges. That process will now play out in the courts, and it is not the place of Congress, Republicans or Democrats, to interfere with any judicial proceeding. Jim Jordan engages in a lot of political theater in Washington, but he should know better than to take his tired act to Broadway. New Yorkers see through this transparent attempt to defend Donald Trump at all costs while ignoring the real public safety needs of our community. Before I recognize the mayor, I want to introduce the three outstanding advocates joining us today who will share their thoughts and stories today. David Puccino is the deputy chief counsel of the Giffords Law Center to prevent gun violence. Diane Ronaldo was a mother and advocate with mom's demand action. And Mark House is the principal at Bronx Technical and Arts Academy and the Brady Campaign advocate. Now I want to turn it over to Mayor Adams. Thank you. Thanks so much, Congressman. And I want to add my strong support for your words, both in saying to the congressional delegation that's here, welcome to the safest big city in America. And the numbers are clear. The numbers are clear. And when I first heard about this hearing, I thought Jim Jones was coming here. Jim Jordan was coming here to sit down with the police commissioner to find out exactly what we have done to decrease shootings in double digits, decrease crime, homicides in double digits, made our subway system safe, removed thousands of guns off our streets that have basically come here from the southern part of the country. We need to be sharing good ideas, particularly off the heels of another mass shooting in our country at a sweet 16 birthday party is making us face the bitter reality of the over-proliferation of guns. Something that the Republican Party is failing to properly acknowledge and move forward. It is really troubling that Americans' taxpayers' dollars are being used to come here on this junket to do an examination of the safest big city in America instead of focusing on the real over-proliferation of guns that we have witnessed. As Congressman Nadler has stated, it is the Republican Party that has stopped the sensible gun laws. It's the Republican Party that is preventing the proper support and ensuring that police agencies across this country is receiving the necessary support that they deserve. It was the party that held up our ATF appointment to ensure we could have a coordinated effort in leadership. It's the party, the Republican Party, that's preventing the proper sharing of information and data so that we can ensure we can go after those who are put in and placing illegal guns on our street. This should not be the focus of today, of attempting to move away the attention of what DA Bragg is doing in this current indictment on the former president. We need to focus on how do we deal with the gun violence that is suffocating America and let the DA do his job, and that is the job that he's doing. And I am just pleased to have the congressional delegation from the Democratic Party that's here that to make sure that we keep the focus on the violence that we're seeing sweeping our country, particular in gun violence. That is where our focus should be, and I am proud to be standing here with Congressman Nadler and the remaining Congress congressional delegation, not only from New York City, but part of the Judiciary Committee to keep the focus where we should be keeping the focus. Again, thank you, Congressman. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Up next is Diane Rinaldo with Moms Demand Action. Thank you. Especially to Representative Nadler, my representative, Mayor Adams, and the other representatives here today. And thank you to Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action and our partners in gun violence prevention across New York City. My name is Diane Rinaldo, I'm a little bit nervous. I live in Manhattan and I raised my children here. And I'm a volunteer with the New York chapter of Moms Demand Action. Raising kids in the age of mass shootings, live shooter drills, and for too many under the threat of daily gun violence has created a sort of collective trauma across this country. My daughter's public school was built in a former warehouse where the classrooms were situated in the middle of the building and the walls were made of glass. She came home one day after one of those horrible active shooter drills and she said, Mom, it's crazy. I don't stand a chance. There is no place to hide. But you know where she was actually the least safe? When she left New York to go to college in South Carolina. I will never forget the day she texted me. While in a lockdown in a store near campus, while up the street an armed assailant held someone hostage and then shot and killed his former employer. My son went to school, he's in Indiana, where there have been multiple armed suspects on campus, too many off campus shootings to recount here and tragically two of his peers were shot and killed in separate incidents the same week of October 2020 during fall break. After the Uvalde school shooting last year, my son called me. He said, Mom, it has happened again. What am I going to do when I have kids? Do I have to homeschool them just to keep them safe? Do you know that in college hallways across this country, officials hang signs with instructions for our kids to run, hide, fight? What are we doing? Our country was still reeling from mass shootings in Nashville and Louisville when we had another shooting Saturday night at a birthday party in Dadeville, Alabama, where four young people were killed and 28 people injured, five teenagers remain in critical condition. A pastor from the community said, the shooting has rocked the small town where serious crime is rare, collective trauma, no matter where we live. And what is the single common denominator? Easy access to guns. Americans are fed up and sickened with this epidemic of gun violence across this country and want to see action from our government. But instead of staying in D.C. and doing their jobs, the Republicans, the gun lobby allies on the Judiciary Committee come to New York simply to score political points. If they actually cared about combating violent crime, they would do something about it. They would have to acknowledge that weak federal and state laws are responsible for the majority of crime guns trafficked into New York. If they actually cared about combating violent crime, they would support sensible gun laws, popular laws, like background checks on all gun sales, a federal red flag law to keep guns out of the hands of people who pose a serious threat to themselves or others. And if they were serious about combating violent crime, they would ban assault weapons. We say to Republicans playing games with our lives and our children's lives, we see you. And as long as your agenda remains to put more guns in more hands in more places, we will not give up the fight. That's why I'm grateful to Representative Nadler, a gun sense champion from the beginning, and our other gun safety champions here today. And I am proud to stand with the many people across this great city dedicated to making our communities safer. Thank you. Thank you. Now we'll hear from David Puccino, Deputy Chief Council of the Giffords Law Center to prevent gun violence. Thank you very much, Congressman Nadler. And thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'm very pleased to be here today with my fellow advocates to join you in noting what I think should be obvious, which is that gun crime is a gun problem. And I want to speak specifically about where the guns in New York City come from. We know that fewer than 8% of the guns that are used in crime in New York City came from New York. They come from Georgia. They come from Virginia. They come from Pennsylvania. They come from South Carolina. They come from North Carolina. 92% of the crime guns used in New York are coming from out of state. The problem of gun violence in New York is because of guns that come from elsewhere in America. New York is doing its part. It has strong gun laws. And those strong gun laws protect New York residents. What we need is we need other states to do their part. And more importantly than that, we need the federal government to do their part. But congressional Republicans have blocked every effort that could prevent gun trafficking, that could address gun trafficking, that could stop the flow of illegal guns from states with bad gun laws into states like New York with good gun laws. And until we do that, until we address the problem of illegal guns flowing into our safer cities, we will not address the problem of gun violence. We will not address the problem of violent crime. Because our violent crime problem is a gun problem. The tool, the mechanism that turns an assault into homicide is a firearm. The increase in violent crime that we experienced from 2019 into 2020 in the pandemic years was driven overwhelmingly by guns. 35% increase in gun homicides. So we know the root of the problem, we know the source of the problem, and we know the solutions. What we need are politicians who will take the steps to make those happen, who will put those ideas into law, and the current congressional Republican Party has not been living up to that. These should not be partisan issues. They should be nonpartisan, compensant solutions, and we know what they are, and they should be implemented. So I'm very grateful to be here today to say that, to share that information. Thank you again to the Congressman. Finally, we have Mark House, principal of Bronx Technical and Arts Academy, who is representing the Brady Campaign. Good morning and thank you. Mayor Adams, Chairman Nadler, distinguished members of Congress. Thank you for having me here this morning. My name is Mark House, and I'm the principal of Bronx Engineering and Technology Academy. I serve as that principal and have for some time. I also sit on Brady's New York Regional Leadership Council. That's why I'm here today. But I'm also a parent. I send my girl to public school. I speak for them too. I told my students I was gonna miss first period today to come down here and try to speak a little truth on their behalf. Let's take our visiting politicians at their word today. Let's assume that they wanna talk about violence in New York City. My city. Well, then let's talk. What makes violence in our city? Their cities, their states so violent? Simple. Guns. But they're not gonna talk about that today. Unregulated guns. Unrestricted sales. No background checks. Nine out of 10 of the guns that show up in our city, on our streets for crimes, they don't come from New York. American gun violence is a public health epidemic and it's impacting our kids. They're the ones bearing the cost. Because of the failure in Congress to act to strengthen our laws, my students, my own child, have to regularly partake in school lockdown drills that I administer. I direct. I have to teach our kids how to hide. How to secure the doors in their classrooms. How to stay quiet so somebody with a gun doesn't hunt them down in their own schools. Enough. It's traumatizing. For me, it's traumatizing. For them, it's traumatizing for their teachers. Why don't we spend our time and energy doing something more productive? Why don't we craft some common sense gun laws? Ones that most of us agree on. Folks that own guns and folks that don't. That would make more sense of our time today, I would think. New York law is strong and it works. But without federal action, we will always be at the mercies, the mercy of states with weaker gun laws. States like Ohio, Louisiana, and Florida. And today, lawmakers from those states who all have far more gun crime as a percentage than New York have come here to criticize my city. We've taken strong action to prevent violence here in the city from guns. Why haven't they? Enough. Enough of the hypocrisy. Enough of the politics. Enough of the excuses. Enough of the thoughts and prayers. Enough of the lockdown drills. Enough of the shootings. The time for action is now. Let's stop this epidemic of gun violence. Thank you. Thank you all for coming this morning. Thank you again to the mayor for his leadership on this important issue and for his work keeping New Yorkers safe. And thanks again to David, Diane, and Mark for sharing their ideas, their stories, I should say. Over the next couple of hours, you will hear my Republican colleagues weave an intricate tale full of lies, misinformation, and conspiracy theories. Keep in mind what you heard here today. Republicans claim to care about violent crime, but their record of preventing us from doing anything to end this gun violence epidemic says otherwise. Thank you. About the cost that this is to taxpayers by bringing essentially this Washington hearing to New York City with the security and all that effort and if that money would be better spent, say coming up with other ideas to combat gun violence across the country. Well, I don't know off the top of my head how much it costs to bring this hearing here with all the attendant costs. To bring the people here, to bring the security here, to bring the staff here, to rent the hotel rooms. It's gotta cost several tens of thousands of dollars I should imagine, I'm not in charge of it so I don't know, but it's gotta cost several tens of thousands of dollars and obviously we could spend that much more productively on law enforcement. Thank you. Question for you, Congressman Edler or Mr. Mayor. We've seen in the past few weeks here that Marjorie Taylor Greene coming here, Jim Jordan and other House Republicans, they're all beating the same drum saying that this is basically a crime written in the hellhole. You guys just pointed out that it's actually their districts that have higher crime rates. Is it time for Democrats to host a field hearing in their districts and point out the discrepancy then? Well, we'll have to consider that. I will point out that it's very difficult because the Republicans control the appropriations for the committee. Question for Mayor Adams. Mayor, were you asked to testify today's hearing and if so, what was your response? And the second question if I may is, are you putting on extra NYPD officers today and what might be the cost of the city as a result of today's exercise? No, we were not asked to testify. I was not requested and none of the city hall employees or staff were asked to participate. Of course, the New York City Police Department is going to be here to make sure that everything is done in a peaceful manner and there's always a cost that's attached to that. That exact dollar amount is not clear right now. We don't anticipate any disruptions but if it is a form of disruption that is also going to have additional costs attached to it.


I imagine wearable computers that don't interrupt us when we're engaging with others, but at small points in time can give us little bits of useful information to connect with each other better, to engage with our world more.


Y cwmdd i arddai amgylchedd y link ar gyfer y cyfnodau dyma i ymgylchedd. ac rwy'n rwy'n dweud y dyfodol i'r ddysguiaeth yn gyntaf am y ffordd wedi gwneud hynny'n cael hynny'n gwneud y podddai'n gweithio'r hynny. Ieg yw ar ddim i fynd bobl gwnaeth yn cymryd mewn cyfloddihaf cyllid youtube'n hyn ap ystod y gwnaeth am rwy'r popeth hwn. I hoffi'n gallu ei wneud dyna ar gyfer, yw'r cwem. Horifodd, mae'r gwaith! Yna! And today's guests, we've got the beautiful Helen Wood. How are we? I'm alright, thanks. First of all, thanks for coming on. Thank you.  I am but making time for you, James. I know it's standard, isn't it, procedure now? So how's life? It's alright. It's good. New book coming out. Yeah. Mansworld? Yeah. It's a mansworld? Well no, it's called Just a Mansworld, but it sounds very man bashing but it's not. Mae'n ddiwedd a'r hyfforddiad i'r pobl y gallu bach. Rhaid i gael o'r odd. Rhaid i gael o'r odd, mae'n gweithio mae'n gweithio yn ystod, neu mae'n gweithio o'r odd yma. Rhaid i'r odd yna. Rhaid i'r odd! Rhaid i'r odd! Rhaid i'r gwneud. Rwyf yn gweithio am y gwaith. Rwyf yn gweithio am y gweithio yma, ac yn y gallu gwybwys i'r gweithio yn y gweithio. Bultwn gyro, sut rydw i'r llifau arall yn cyfnodd? Well, yna'r ffordd ymlaen o'r fforddau cathol i'w cythloedd yn ymdyn nhw, bydd yna bod yna'r ffordd ymlaeniant, gallwn y gallwn y rhaid i'r rhaid i'r ddeuach. Mae'r rhai yn ymdyn nhw'n ffordd... Mae'r rhaid i'r ffordd yn oed arlaethol, ond mae'n meddwl o rhaid i ddeu 다. Mae'n meddwl i'r rhaid i ddeu� mewn.  Yeah, Maen nhw'n fawr, ond mae'n defnyddio'n rhan o brydau sydd, ac mae gennym fod bwysig, yn ystyried. Felly hyn yn y fawr hon yn y dywed ymlaen. Gael yÙlo ar siŵr, mae'n imbob i chi'n bwysig. Felly mae gennym wad bwysig, ac mae'n gwneud i chi'n ddweud. Y gallwn yn y cyd-drawerfio a'ch gyrfa. Am wyf i chi'n fynd i chi'n gwybod, maen nhw'n ddweud. Mae'n ei gobeithio'n gwneud. Mae'n bryd yn ychydig fel rhai fawr i chi ddweud. o'r gwaith i ddweud o'r ddweud i'r ddaf yn ysgrifennu ac yn gallu, wandering o'r ddaf yn mynd i'w ddweud i'w ddweud i'w ddechrau. Ond ond, ond mae oedd yn gallu. Ond oedd ddweud i'w ddweud i'w ddweud i'w ddweud i'w ddweud i'w ddweud? Mae, mae. Ar eich bod yn dechrau. Rwy'n adeg. O'r 15 oed i'r ddweud i'w dechrau, ond, eich bod yn ei ffostigau, I'm still friends with the social worker that put me in care and she came to tell me that it was a vicar and I think she was head of English, the leader and I was like, you can get to fork like I'm not going in like that was my worst nightmare and then when I went in there with the when I moved in, they were just like the nicest, most amazing people. So, yeah, I actually had a great time there for all the wrong reasons. I completely like abused the trust and stuff like that, but they were lovely people. There were probably the first two adults that I'd ever met in my life that actually spoke to me. They didn't speak at me and that was really strange. That was kind of weird for me to get my head around at first. You know that these two grown ups were so nice. Did you have a lot of trust issues then for people when they were being nice? Did you think they wanted something or do you think why are they being nice? Did you question it a lot? Yeah, I'm still like that now. That's something that I'm still working on even at this age is when people are very, very nice to me, I always think this is a bit weird. Like, have they got a hidden agenda? Like, why should I trust them? I have got trust issues. I've still got trust issues. I've still got the same trust issues that I had from being a child. I don't know if that'll ever change because I'm a lot older now and I still don't really trust anybody. I won't.   I said to him, for those watching, I said, how would you think I am? And he said 36, so I almost left.  So obviously, but again, the trust issues and stuff can also be a reflection of yourself. They can also mean that everything is a sign, so when you're feeling some sort of way, it can be because that's the way you are as well. So maybe you've done a lot of wrong deeds to think. I have, yeah.  Cos I'm the same, I'm the same boat as well. I didn't say that I've done... The only thing that I've ever done wrong, well, not I've done lots of things wrong, but when it comes to people trusting me, I'd like to think people could trust me. Strangers couldn't trust me years ago because of what I used to do. I used to sleep with people, husbands for a living. So I understand that, but my friends, I know that I'm a good friend. Obviously, I'm not trying to say that I'm white than white. I'm absolutely not. But I've got trust issues because obviously I know that a lot of men go out and do whatever they do behind the wives' backs and stuff like that. And... Not all men. Not all men. I had this argument on Twitter last night, some toaster changed my words. I said most men are wankers and some guy put, You cannot tar all men with the same brush.  I didn't say that. Loads of nice guys, but there's horrible girls. I'm not saying that all women are innocent. Some women are awful and they're just as snakey as a lot of men and things like that. So I'm not kind of... Yeah, again, but I believe the better person you become, the better person you attract. The more you change, then your mindset starts changing also. And no matter what in life, there's good or bad everywhere. No matter who you are, no matter what age. I've noticed that. As I've got older, I used to attract a lot of toxic people. As much as I had the same best friend, I did used to attract a lot of shitty men and shitty people in general. And as I've got older, I have noticed that I very, very quickly cut off from like a bad... Hate the like phrase bad energy and stuff, but it is a thing. There is such a thing as a bad energy. And when you... As soon as I pick up on that, I'm very like cutthroat with it. As much as people think I'm rude with it. If I see something bad or see just a tiny bit of something that I think that's not right. Nine times out of ten, I'm right. And they do turn out to be a person that I wouldn't really want to be around. But that's your gut feeling and your gut's connected to your brain. That's why it's your second brain. So you get that gut feeling. That's why when people don't use their intuition and gut feeling, they know majority of people know the answer straight away, but they ride with it because they think what if instead of going with your feeling and you'll get your energy vampires. If you've got good energy, you'll go with those fuckers who come up and talk to you.  I get it. It's true. Am I Steven? I feel it was Steven. So obviously the foster kind of stuff. How did you end up in foster if you had... I just had a really term or relationship with my dad. I didn't have a good relationship with my mum.  I wasn't academic whatsoever. I wasn't necessarily a very pretty child. And he used to really kind of make me feel very small in that way. Like any way he could make me feel small, he did. And then it started getting physical. Like I'd end up hitting him back. As I got older, I started fighting back and hitting him back and things like that. And I started running away.  And yet he had this delinquent, as he used to call me all the time. Like a child that would run away all the time in this tear away. So eventually it was just easier for him to say that you're going into care. And when social services did come to tell me that they'd signed me off into care, like they told me thinking that I'd be upset.  And I was buzzing. I was like, I wouldn't have been going home anyway.  Was there a lot of violence towards you from your dad? Yeah, my dad kind of saw me. I've got to point out that although I'm not a believer in the whole, you know, I think you should always break a circle. I don't understand adults who don't break a circle when they have kids. It doesn't make any sense to me. Being a mother, I've never understood that. But my dad came from a really, really abusive childhood where his sisters were treated like absolute princesses. They had everything that they wanted. And my dad and his brothers were really, really badly physically and mentally abused by both sets of parents. And I genuinely believe that I was the scapegoat for my dad and his release in this anger that he continued to feel as he got older. And then I didn't turn out clever and things like that, which he hated. He despised the fact that I couldn't do things academically. And yeah, everything was just always my fault. Like if me and my brothers were fighting like normal siblings, it was me that got leathered. They never did. Or my mum and dad, my mum and dad I argue. And I remember once I was in, I had like a high bed. And him and my mum were arguing. I was asleep and he came in my bedroom and just literally grabbed my head from off the bed and dragged me off the bed by my skull while I was still asleep because he was arguing with my mum. And it was like I was the easy target. Do you ever look at the fact that your dad actually seen himself and you because of everything he went through? Absolutely. That's what I'm saying. I think it was his way of dealing with it. It's mother image as well. It can be conditioning. It can be in your DNA. It can pass down from generation to generation. A lot of people not understand it, but to forgive also is a way to heal and move on. Because the majority of people I speak to, they've got a lot of heart and pain.  That's not what they're holding on to that anxiety. I don't say it's strange. My friends of years that have kind of, they know what I've been through and stuff. I think it's very natural for a friend. I can only speak for my group of friends, but I feel more hurt when someone hurts my friend more than what they feel. And they feel that for me. So when I say anything about my dad, which is very, very rare. I don't even really call him dad. I call him by his first name. That's when I talk about him, which is probably like every few years. They speak really angrily about him. Whereas I don't feel that. Like he jogged past me last year on the reservoir. I was walking the dog and he jogged past me. I've not seen him for five or six years. And when I went to my grandma's funeral a few years ago, he was there and his new wife came over to me and was like, your dad really misses you. And I said, with all due respect, like you have no idea who I am and you've no idea like what's happened. Like just leave it at that. And she was like, but he wants to talk to you.  Like just leave it. But I don't want him to talk to me. Like I don't feel any anger there, but I don't want any relationship there whatsoever. I've always just seen it as, I don't even regard myself as ever having parents because for me, like being a parent, like I'd like to think my son looks at me and thinks if he's upset, if he was scared, if he needed something, anything, his first protocol would be to go to me. I never ever felt like that about my parents. So I've never really, I've always thought of myself as a one-man band. I've never, and that was from being like a teenager. Like I was paying bills and going shopping and stuff while I was still in my uniform because I had my own place that gave me a council house while I was still at school. So I've never really seen myself as having parents. See if you reached out to your dad, do you think you would speak to him or would you just try and cut it all straight away? There's just nothing there. It's not even a... I don't mean this in a nasty way to all due, but like it's not even a question worth asking. I wouldn't... It doesn't bother me not speaking to him whatsoever. I don't think you're put on the earth, like yeah, they put you on the earth and whatever. But it's not the be all and end all if you don't have to. I am not one of these people who is like, life's too short, shall you make amends?  If people are stealing your energy, if people aren't making you feel weaker, down, then cut them off no matter if it's your mum, your dad, your best friends, because life is too short and you must live it to your best possibilities and a lot of people will always go back, which is difficult. No, I think it's the worst thing you can do. Like for me, my son could never do any wrong. I'm so proud of him, like for everything that he's done, even if he wasn't academically bright. Like he's my child, he's everything.  Like why were you such, you know, crap people around kids and why did you not set this example and why did you not, I don't know why, just, I think it's so important to let a kid know that they're protected and that they have someone there that you know for them to turn to. And that's why I just think, what's the point in, what would be the point in ever talking to them ever again? Well, I talked to my mum.  She wasn't an angel, it wasn't like all my dad's fault.  They needed the priest didn't approve of them getting divorced, which just fucks me right off. I can't stand anything to do with religion. It pisses me off how people can, how corrupt that is, that they basically said this is how I see it.  I can't really go into detail about that, obviously my brothers and stuff, but we've all been messed up in our own way and that's due to our parents. I'm probably the one that's come out better because I feel like I'm a lot more confident and I've bounced back from it whereas my brothers haven't done that. They've really suffered socially. A doctor? Yeah. Which is difficult and I think a lot of people grow up in broken homes. They tend to go down the drug route because it numbs the pain. Sorry, I've just worded that wrong. I didn't hear that. No, no. I'm just in general. People broke homes and obviously when you came out all that, what ease did you feel pregnant? I actually got pregnant in the vicar's house. Wasn't the vicar was it? Don't say that. No, he was lovely. No, I was 16 when I got pregnant. But I feel like everything happens for a reason. I'm a firm believer in that. I genuinely believe that had I not had my son, I don't know where. I don't even think I'd be a saty, you know? I genuinely don't. I think I was so messed up mentally. I was so angry at the world. I hated everyone and I don't know. I think I would have been seriously messed up.  Obviously, things took a turn for the worst after I had him and stuff like a few years later. But I wasn't mentally messed up. When I was a child being a teenager at a really vulnerable age, that's when I was the most fucked. I was so damaged as a kid. I wasn't a kid. I didn't feel like a child.  It is. It actually is.  But it's because when I was at home when I was a kid so when I went to school I just dicked around because I wasn't clever so there was no point in learning I couldn't learn. I couldn't concentrate to save my life.   But the reason being we spoke about the ayahuasca stuff the first night I drank ayahuasca for anybody doesn't know ayahuasca it's a plant medicine you drink it they say it reconnects you with your soul when you face all your fears and demons the first night they tell you when you drink the ayahuasca ask the cup who you've become and I couldn't stop laughing I got took outside because I couldn't stop laughing but that was one of the first reasons because I was a class clown but for me it was always trying to make people laugh all I was doing was deflect in the way that was hurting and in pain so for me that was a mask always trying to annoy people up because I'm thinking I'm too stupid to do anything so the mask came on and I made everyone laugh but that is a sense of yeah you're hiding from some sort of pain I don't think I'm hiding because I'm totally in the know with what's going on in my head like when I'm at home oh god like my anxiety levels when I'm at home which people never ever see like if my son's not in or you know and I'm in the house on my own I don't mind my own company but after a bit when all my friends are really busy doing family stuff and obviously I don't have that lifestyle oh my god like really really like hits me and I do hit low points like really really low points where I really start to panic and I have to get out of the house because I do get frightened sometimes if some of the shit that goes through my head because I sometimes feel like I'm literally just on my own and that's it and when you go through your phone book I've only got like a few really really good mates and I'll ring them and if they're busy and stuff it kind of like dawns on me I'm like this is my life my life is now looking after my mum and I just work and that's it not that there's anything wrong in that a lot of people live like that but sometimes if you can't grip it spirals out of control and quite often it happens more as I'm getting older which isn't great and something that I need to address and sort out but going back to what you were saying about like the pissing around and you know being the class going and stuff like that massively I totally agree that that behaviour is because of what's really really deep like going on deep down is definitely is but I don't know it's just something that I have to work on myself and I am working on that myself I will be working on myself till the day we die it's constant improvement but as long as you can identify what's going on you can work on it because a lot of people are in denial a lot of people don't want to admit they've got problems or insecurities are fair every single person on this planet has but for me it's the strongest people to go with it's weird actually say all that what I've just said to you I wouldn't actually sit down and say it to any of my friends but I'm sat here saying this but when you actually speak to someone out the circle like I was telling one of my clients the other day she's going through loads of shit that I've been through like with a boyfriend and stuff like that and she really opened up to me and a mum said to me like you know she's not like she won't say any of this to me I said because you love her and like it's difficult to open up and I'm sure you'll agree as you get older and your friends are busy and stuff like when I'm feeling really shitty about life and I feel like I'm hitting rock bottom again or I feel so lonely I don't want to go and say that to my friends they're busy they've got shit going on like my best friends pregnant and one of my other friends is always busy my other friend has got a toddler and stuff like that so you kind of just start to think just deal with it yourself and I think that is a good thing and thank God I do have the ability to deal with it myself but some people don't have that ability and that's what's worrying You need to be careful though feeling as if you're like a burden falling in your friends with problems and issues but you've probably done it your whole life you've probably suppressed your feelings I just go outside as soon as I feel like that like my house is a prison I leave like I just go I'll go and take the dog out and I'll go and sit somewhere or I'll go on to a life coaching thing I follow a couple of life coaches and if I just hear something from a stranger like it's weird what it can do to it it can just snap you back quite quick and I am blessed in that way that I can quickly snap out of something as much as I can really start to feel very very shitty about things I can quickly like flip back but that's the past thinking about the past, maybe thinking about all your shit so that living in the past will bring fear and anxiety so if anybody's in a struggle now read a book called The Power of Now I don't think I live in the past I think because of what's gone in the past it's kind of it's still continuing and it's affecting what's happening now like my issue with men like obviously I'm 32 36 36 for some so obviously at this age I should be dating and I should be doing things like that I should go out for drinks with guys and whatever but I can't do it I just find it impossible to do because I just think oh so I'll go for a drink with you and then what happens then they're going to find out who I am or some guys don't know who I am a lot of guys don't know who I am and then they find out and whatever so I just think what's the fucking point that's already placed planted those seeds in your mind so that's shit you need to work on because but then I'm scared of being like this age like in my head I'm just like do you know what I'll have a relationship when I'm a lot older because at the moment I can't I can't deal with the fact that I might get with somebody and you know all people arguing relationships and stuff and some twat turning round in the relationship and saying like I will use to do this and the other because I would literally just be like fuck off as soon as I hear them words like I've been on dates and stuff not very many but like I went on one and like he got pissed we're having a really good time he brought up my past and he told me he was okay with it I was like I didn't ask if you were alright with it what the fuck has he got to do with you I'm not asking anything about his past none of my business and I just thought so you basically sat at your taking me at like you're not taking me at first value if I can't meet someone who can't take me at first value I'd rather die very very like alone because I can't deal with that stop being so fucking grim no I don't mean in a green way but I couldn't have someone toss that in my face but you know yourself if someone meets you they're going to need to take on all your shit you don't you know people arguing I'm sure you throw a lot of shit in people's face I would never throw off it's difficult so you're going to need to accept your past because you still don't accept it for other people to accept in a way I think it's wrong I don't have a problem with my past I don't have a problem with what I used to do or anything what I do have an issue with is that people because I'm known in the public eye and whatever it's like it's like you almost become public property for them you know they think that they have a right to you know I don't know yeah I'm okay with you and it's like that's not really that's bollers yeah you're not fucking riddled with mad diseases fucking hell I'm not a paedophile do you think though because people look at you obviously your past career do you think people try to feel as if you're an easy lady trying to shag you quicker massively really really shocked when like I'm actually really awkward around guys if I meet if I meet a really confident guy I'm okay because they kind of take oh thank you oh fuck's sake they kind of take first rain like kind of they take the rains on the whole situation and then it flows but I would never I don't know I am quite like my friends really take the piss out of how I am around guys like I'm really awkward so yeah it's a tough that is a tough one and they do think obviously that I'm an easy shag on whatever so I automatically as much as I'd like to go out and have a one night stand sometimes because you know it is normal for someone my age to go out and have sex but I don't really do that anymore but I can't do it because I think they're doing they think I'm doing this because I used to do that for a living so that's in my head so unless I meet like a really really chill guy which isn't very often I can't really go out and do that which I don't think there's anything wrong in going out you have my number she has my number Stephen didn't she starting to give me all her power many booty cars so have you ever had therapy many times I went for like six sessions it actually really did work so I was really really addicted to the zopiclon I was an insomniac I didn't sleep at all because I was with this twat and he just basically took over my life and I went seeing this lady and first two sessions fucking like 75 pounder session I just cried I didn't even speak I sat there on a coach and I did not say a word I just was a blubbering mess and that happened twice and then the third time I went back she did a few exercises with me and hand on heart I've never liked touch no I've had sleeping pills and whatever when I've come back from a bifer and stuff like that can't sleep but I was addicted I used to panic when I saw zopiclon running out I'd be like oh my god get me to the doctors and like trying to find sleeping pills from anywhere and I got off sleeping pills she completely like taught me how to deal with it and I started sleeping again and then we started doing loads of mental exercises that did really really work and one thing that she did tell me to do was she told me to write down five things that I wanted to accomplish it could be anything at all don't tell anyone what they are and I wrote five things down and like she told me to kiss it and stuff which when I was doing it I was like fucking feel like such a freak doing this but I put it behind my bed and literally all five things came true within 18 months but I got certain things like physical things but it's what it did to my head was what I was more thankful for I started to find this ability to not be angry at him anymore I wasn't I started to actually feel sorry for him more than anything and I couldn't get that ability to say before then it was constant just feeling trapped and like there was no way out and I started kind of having a complete different outlook on what had happened so yeah I thought therapy did work to a certain degree but again that's for anybody watching, goal setting writing if you write it down it becomes clearer in your mind so no matter what your dreams are and ambitions anybody can achieve it and you can also rewire your brain into changing the way you think there's a thing called havening now I do a thing where they change the trauma for a positive thing touch points in your shoulder and stuff and it rewires it and reconnects the brain into a positive way of thinking I don't care who you are anybody can change the way you're thinking and it's difficult because we all think about the past we all think okay if you're getting told you're a fuck up you're not clever enough it's going to stick in your mind all the time and it's 10, 20 years, 30 years of trauma ain't going to change overnight, five years it's a long steady process and just because you're not academically clever to sit at a desk who the fuck says you should be sitting at a desk anyway no no no no no one tells me I should be sitting at a desk it's just just in general it's just something I'd like to do but I've done the other things that I've done like I've written a book never thought in a million years I'd write a book and the reviews that I've got from that were it's only on Kindle at the minute and for me to read the reviews that people have put is just absolutely mind blowing like I say it on my Instagram stories and stuff but I don't think I can kind of I'm a bit shit at kind of expressing emotion I suppose but I literally sit there and I read everything that people are saying I'm like it's just so nice to see these people are strangers yeah it doesn't matter what people think about me but for someone to take time out of the day you know or two days even whatever it's took for them to read the book for them to sit there and read what I have to say and then take time to put into the wrong words how they've found the book and they also nail how I wanted it to sound like they say it's a rollercoaster read they laughed, they pissed themselves laughing like or they cried it was a rollercoaster blah blah blah that's like a massive accomplishment because when I set out to do the book two other people had written it and it didn't sound oh and I just I didn't like it at all like they did a good job but it wasn't I'm a hard person to write about I suppose and I swear a lot and I'm rude and I'm crude and I wanted all that in there and they kind of took that out so when I kind of like when I did it myself I thought I can read these reviews and I can think a lot of them are all said I can hear Helen in this book I get it's like she's reading it to me and I'm like I've absolutely nailed that and that's the best feeling ever when it's coming from it's weird because the strangers and I feel more asked about what they're saying because obviously my friends are going to praise me anyway my friends have to praise me they've no choice but strangers don't have to praise you so for someone who doesn't know you from Adam to say that's a brilliant book you've done a really good job they tell you all the emotions that they felt and they're the emotions you wanted them to feel that's like of course I'll give myself a massive pat on the back yeah you've got to give yourself enough credit I don't think people when they do have great achievements you probably never thought you'd have wrote a book 20 years ago do you know what I mean you have so you've got to give yourself credit were you nervous you're very well you're very outspoken were you nervous releasing the book I was there's stuff in the book that I think a lot of people can relate to and when they read it they'll be like I've been through this and it's really I found it difficult to talk about and that's why I had to put it into my own words because actually sitting talking to a ghost writer about it just wasn't doing me any favours so actually writing it did more for me it was fairly before yourself a wee bit of fairly before yourself it's stuff that I only told my best friend a few years ago because it's stuff that I didn't ever want to think about ever again it's stuff that kids shouldn't go through and for me to write that and put that put pen to paper I now know and it's weird because I never addressed this until I did the book that because of certain things that that I've happened that's the reason why I behave a certain way and why I've done certain things it's called a man's world for a reason from a young age it's funny like I did an interview the other week and people automatically go for the prostitute thing they're like you're a prostitute you're not scared and you're not this and you're not that when you have completely succumbed to the idea of every man that you've ever met or family members that are male are abusive towards you whether that be physically or mentally you know when you start to be a prostitute and one man's nasty to you out of a bunch that are actually really nice he doesn't matter it goes over your head so when someone was horrible to me when I was doing that job I just kind of was like he's one out of just a few that are actually really nice to me and you know the fact that the only nice men that I have actually ever met they really shocked when I say this and I think a lot of people are quite disgusted but I found a lot of comfort in what I was doing because they were the first men that had ever been nice to me yeah they were leaving money at the side of the bed but a lot of them were really nice to me whereas the men that were meant to actually make me feel protected and I suppose in a way protect me from a lot of people think that people that use prostitutes are like predators or something a lot of them are just really normal guys but the guys that were meant to protect me I mean my dad and my boyfriends like my son's dad and my ex-boyfriend that I was with for years they are just three men that have caused me the most damage do you think that's where the abandonment issues kick in where you're being a prostitute people are giving you money but they're giving you that attention and you're making you feel good you might feel worthless after that I didn't feel worthless after that did you block that out some days I'd come home and I really couldn't deal with what I was doing but then I just like I thought fuck it what is did you start about 22 and what was the first experience like for you the first experience I didn't that wasn't great he was an Italian guy and I felt like shit I felt like shit after it but then I did another job I went on an alcohol and that's what it was like it was just you don't have time to think really I became a robot I wasn't Helen I was never ever Helen in the job but probably like a couple of times like if I had a drink which was very very rare if I had a wine or something and then I'd go and see a client I really relaxed and I kind of became Helen but I was such a I don't know you become like a robot everything was robotic from the minute of going into the room with somebody and the minute you leave you just switch off I just literally had the ability to be a completely different person I was so false like I'd put on a different a different voice I'd have a different voice I'd lie about my home life I'd lie about where I came from I'd lie about what car I drove like everything kind of I'd just taught to shit I wasn't Helen I was the person I was called on the website What was your name on the website? I'd never tell anyone I'm going to find that name I'm going to put it everywhere Steph I think it was like Chris Stahler Moe So what made you do it then obviously because you had the kid six then So what made you go to that side? You had a stripper or anything before that?    Yeah I'd say I regret doing that with him but have I Has there been a silver lining after it? Yeah Like lots of good things have happened since that It's changed your life but again in 2011 you're also attacked Was that because of everything that came out in the past? Yeah that came that happened because of what had happened That's what I mean it wasn't a safe place to go out anymore I wasn't safe to go out anywhere became a hermit I couldn't leave the house because of it because as much as I'm a confident person at the time because obviously I felt guilty of what had happened and I'm not this cold horrible person that walks around thinking that I'm constantly in the right and I've done nothing wrong I was the total opposite I just found it easier to stay in and avoid places because people just hated me for what I'd done and especially women I was some of the earth to married women especially If you broke up a married family home you can understand what I'm coming for but to act violent to watch is not right I think five girls on one accompanied by one of the dads is a bit much really I can understand a girl walking over and giving me a smack but five girls to do that to one person and then the dad record it you know I don't think anyone deserves that Definitely not How did it make contact with you? Was it an agency or was it you personally direct? How did it contact with you? It was from a night out It was only one time So how did that moving forward for your life then? When did you realise that it wasn't for you to be a prostitute and escort whatever name you want to give it?


I think one of the biggest misconceptions about using Facebook and I would say social media in general is that you should use attractive images to get people interested in your content in your brand in your message. And I respect that common common advice, but it's not what I recommend. And that's not what I do. I recommend what I do, which is I don't use images on my Facebook posts. I know images gets more exposure. I know it Facebook algorithm likes showing images to people, and my post will get more exposure. If it, if it's, you know, if it uses images. Basically, I use only words or videos. That's basically what I do and I'm going to show you real quick on the screen. What I mean is, if I go to my, I'll show you my, my spiritual page, which is more simple in its content, but I follow the strategy on my on my spiritual page, which it's piece of writing. Okay, it's either words, no images, right? No images, or it's a video, or it's words, or it's video, or it's words.  And it's the same kind of thing on my, my, on my business Facebook page, which, which I can go to real quick here, George, Cal, community, and I'll just go right to the post section so you can see what, what kind of posts I make. You know, besides the cover image, which everybody expects you to have. It's video and words, right. This is just a Facebook reminder about something. Okay, words. Okay, that's that's a call to action for something that's promoting an event that's, I'm doing a course coming up. This is updating my my cover photo so this is not really a post. Again, videos words. And if there is an image I put it in the comment, just so that people know about my Instagram channel. Again, video. This is a video of one of my clients. So video and words. It's, it's basically video words video words that's that's all it is. So, why is it that I don't use images like everybody all the people recommend. There's a couple of problems with this one. When you use images. Yes, you get more exposure. A lot more people see your, your Facebook posts, but that's also the problem.  No. I mean, sounds ironic. You don't want more people seeing you want, you want the right people seeing your Facebook posts because if more people see your Facebook posts. Here's what happens. It's easy to like images right. Oh, pretty mountain. Oh, wonderful animal. Oh, I like that picture of you. It's easy to like things right. You end up with more and more and more people who are going to be seeing your content, but they are, they are shallow engagers, not that they're shallow people, but you've trained them to engage with your content shallowly. So they're not your ideal audience. It's, it's so in other words, if I post a picture, it's easy for me to post a picture of my dog. You'll get a lot. I'll get lots of likes. Okay, I don't do that anymore. I used to do that. I don't do anymore. I haven't done that for years. I, you know, it's, it's, I don't post pictures that inspirational images of success or whatever. Even authentic ones, because when I do that, I get lots of people who like to look at pictures who aren't necessarily the right fit for my courses or my programs or my services. And so George, what's the problem? Having lots of non-ideal people. Isn't that just more people they might share? No, the problem is this that goes to the second problem here, which is it increases our marketing costs.  If you had 10, if you had, I'm going to use numbers that are more, more exciting here. If you had 100 ideal audience members, when they see your content, they want to engage with it. They think about it. They maybe comment on it, but at least they think about it.  Okay. They have 100 ideal people. Great. That's wonderful because those 100 ideal people, some of them, many of them are probably going to buy your products or your services when something is the right fit for them. But the thing is, let's say you now use images on your Facebook post. Now you have 1000 people, 900 of which like images, they just like shallow, you know, they relate to you in that way. They're not shallow people. They relate to you in that way. They're just, you know, kind of drive by likes. Okay. Now you've got 1000 people. Okay, who who regularly see your stuff, but only 100 of them are ideal. Here's what he's the problem. Facebook will when you when you do get serious right when you are trying to sell something when you're trying to really communicate Facebook will show it to those 1000 people. But because it's a serious message because it's a thoughtful message, 900 of those will not like it because they're used to engaging with you in shallow ways. Get this if 900 people don't like it or the first, the first Facebook shows our posts in waves to people did you know this. It shows our posts in waves. So they first show it to 100 of your audience members 100 random audience members. And let's say 10 of your 100 are ideal than the first wave, and a bunch of those 100 don't like your serious message or your thoughtful message. They don't show it to the second wave, not to enter the third wave. So you are shooting yourself in the foot. When it comes to your thoughtful and their thoughtful messages by posting shallow image. Yeah, but George, I post thoughtful messages. I just use the image to get their attention. How do you know if they are liking your image or you're they're liking your thoughtful message you don't know, and chances are, knowing human nature. They are just liking your images and they're not going to engage with the message of the image. Right. They're not going to engage with the writings. This is why I don't do it. This is why I think it's dangerous. I think you should stop. The only people who should keep using images are artists. Okay, the only people who should keep using images on their Facebook posts are models. Okay, that's what they do they sell their image for a living, or artists, they literally sell images for a living photographers, or people who sell physical products because the physical product, you need to show an image of the physical product and people need to be interested in the physical product. But for those of us who sell information who sell knowledge who sell transformation, we deal in terms of wisdom, we deal in terms of thoughtfulness when we deal in terms of conversation. Right. And images are just going to create a larger and larger audience. That's harder and harder to reach the ideal people because, like I said, when you whenever you do share a serious message. People like in the image, but people aren't really engaging so Facebook doesn't show it to more of the serious people, people who are more likely to be serious for you with you. Okay. So the third problem is that you by using images, you are training, and this is, this is all related right, you're training your audience to engage with you in a shallow way. Even the people who could become clients for you, who could buy your things, you're training them to not really engage with your thoughts, you're training them to engage with your pretty images and brother. So that's why whenever you do ask them to do something with you. It's hard to get them to. So versus versus the other scenario which is what I do. I've been training my people, all of you. Right, the fact that you're watching this video this I don't know how many minutes in this is right eight minutes in or whatever it is. I've been training you not training but I've been, when I say training I mean, this is the way that I, this is the way that you convert the only way you can relate to me is not through shallow images. If you want to relate to me at all, if you want to connect with me at all, you're going to have to watch a video you're going to have to watch me talk for a while, or you're going to have to read something that I wrote, you see what I mean. That's the only way you can connect with me I don't let you connect with me by shallow images because I know if I do that. You're only going to connect it's so easy to connect to shallow images inspirational quotes, pretty things attractive things. But then I'm training you to connect in that way. And I have to keep being that way. Whereas, if I always show up and make you read, or make you watch, sometimes you're tired and you don't want to watch my videos that's fine, or sometimes you're tired you want to read my things that's fine. You just keep scrolling and that's fine. But whenever you do engage. The relationship you have with George cow is one of thoughtfulness. It's one of transformation. And so therefore, when I sell my courses, like anything I sell is even deeper transformation right even more thoughtfulness, it requires even more energy from you to actually transform yourself. So that's why my free content is just the gateway into more thoughtfulness into more transformation. It's not the gateway into more shallowness like so many of you are doing with your inspirational quotes, and your pretty images. When you use images let's be honest, you're using images because you're, you're fearful or desperate. And that tends to create more fearfulness and desperation. Right, you're George, I am afraid if I don't use an image, I don't get enough attention. And I know when I use an image, I get more like so I better use more images, because I know people like them. Fear and desperation creates more fear and desperation. And I don't want that for you. I want you to stand in your power. I want you to trust in your thoughts. And in the relationship you're going to have with your audience is one of thoughtfulness and engagement. So I hope that helps. It's going to take some time to untrain your audience. When you stop posting images, and you start posting just writings without images or videos that are thoughtful videos like this. It's going to take some time. It's going to take weeks or months. And therefore you have to be patient. You have to train your own patients. But you will develop an audience that's thoughtful that wants to engage that level with you. They might not always comment. But whenever they say they like your your writings. They're not liking an inspirational image. They're liking because they're actually reading some words and they like the message. It's a good thing you want them to do that. And many of them will click read more or continue reading or see more, or many of you, many of them will keep. So that's the other thing that's the other reason why my videos aren't that attractive. I used to do my dog walk videos because out in nature it's pretty.  I try to bore people instead, because I know that those people who are really right for my content for right right to who are really wanting to transform. They will find my message fascinating even it won't be boring to them. So, so, so let me say that no matter how boring you are. You're not boring to the people who actually want to transform with your modality with your process with whatever product or service you offer. You're not boring to them, because they're so fascinated by that topic. Right. So, for example, there's a spiritual teacher. He just talks like me, you know, and I find his topics fascinating. But if I if I just heard any other person just talk like this I'd be bored, because it depends on the topic. Same thing with you if you're fascinated by me talking about these things without a pretty image, because you're fascinated by this topic. That means you're right for my courses or my books or my program you know me. So, so I want to thank my friend Tad Hargrave for this concept that I learned from him long ago about filtering marketing is about filtering, not about trying to please everybody. It's about filtering to the people who really are right for who are going to buy from you, and not just buy from you, they're going to use what they buy from you, and therefore make you feel really good that you really change people's lives with your business. I hope this helps. As usual, I'm going to give you about a minute to comment below while I look for any comments from my live participants to to read out to everybody here. So, go ahead and comment below, while I look for these things. Right. So, thanks to, let's see who's joining me here. Patricia Renee Sarah Heather thank you so much joining me. Patricia says I post a picture today indeed I got 10 times more likes I wonder what your idea about getting attention to followers for me as a musician and composer by posting images well as a musician and composer, Patricia, you need to be posting videos of your music. So either you performing the music, or videos that maybe have a static image, but the but the music is in the background, or music video I mean what whatever, but you need to be sampling your music on on social media. I don't think writing, but writing you could, you could do your lyrics. Sure, lyrics and people who are who are interested in the first couple lines of your lyrics will keep reading and oh, that's a, that's a, that's a wonderful, you know, poem or lyric and then you could say it's connected to this, you know, song, and this is the kind of the music that I compose is this kind of thing. So yeah that's what I would suggest. And Renee says, I really like how you explain vanity metrics and reflective math yeah vanity metrics is exactly right, right term this is actual. This is an actual technical marketing term called vanity metrics what are vanity metrics, vanity metrics are like likes that make us feel good and we see oh I got so many likes, but therefore our vanity, and they don't contribute to actual business results down the road, they don't contribute to more clients, and to more transformation among clients they just make us feel good because oh we got so many likes we got so many amens or yay or whatever. So, thank you, thank you for bringing that term. Okay, so those are the two comments I'm able to see here maybe there are more comments that I'm not able at this time but thank you so much for being a thoughtful participant in my content I really appreciate it I hope this helps you, and I hope this will help you to get even more thoughtful engagement on your for your business going going forward. Alright, take care.


Absolutely, Mike. I hope you're doing okay. You're doing great, Trisa. Thank you for asking. How are you? I'm surviving. What is your biggest challenge with losing rookie mini-camp? I mean, last year you got Isaiah Mack out of that group, if I'm remembering correctly. How big of a loss can that be for the team and maybe for players who aren't getting their chance due to the virus? I would really say probably the players. I think that's probably where it's going to matter the most, not that there hasn't been tryout guys that have been found and have made it obviously Adam Humphries and Isaiah Mack. I thought that he was under contract before that, but it wouldn't matter, Trisa. Hopefully, we can find a way as a league to do something with training camp, to give some of those players that for whatever reason in this environment and a normal environment fall through the cracks and give them an opportunity to come out and work out and try out. Again, we'll also be able to, I would imagine, do tryouts like we would during training camp anyways outside of our normal practices, but what that allowed them to do would be to come in and practice and be in our meetings. If we can't have that, then we'll have to try some guys out and work them out on the field and make evaluations there and see if they're deserving of one of those 90 spots. John Glennon. Hey Mike. Hi John. I wonder if you could talk about the virtual OTAs a little bit. Maybe how they've gone, if you've made adjustments as you've gone along, if things have worked well or not worked well in them, and I guess how productive you've seen them be so far. Okay. Well, we're not in the OTA phase yet. We're not there. I don't think we would be in phase one now heading into phase two, which is still some meetings and would have been some on-field instruction with coaches, but as far as the meetings, I think they've been great. I've been extremely pleased with how our coaches have found ways to teach and to test and to interact with the players. I think the players have been engaged, they've been locked in. We haven't been going too long. Try to keep them in a small group, as we possibly can, when the process of integrating our rookies into those veteran meetings as well as having separate meetings for the rookies. So that'll go on next week. We'll integrate the rookies into some of those veteran meeting rooms now that we feel like they're somewhat caught up to speed. It's important that they're around those veterans and they get to know them and see them and listen to them and kind of understand how quickly they know the information. And then we'll continue with the rookie player engagement, rookie development program with Chick E. Geassi and his staff, Dr. Sheila Peters and Mitch, our team chaplain, impressed with what they do for our rookies as far as the transition goes. So we're always going to try to change things that we don't like, but as of now, I think that things have gone well and continue through with the installation program that we would have been, had we been able to go out on the field here in a couple of weeks. Jim, what? Mike, appreciate your time. Hope you're doing well. I know you'd like to, I guess, work with other teams in the preseason now that the schedule's out. Is that still a possibilities or some some that remains to be seen there and have you had any discussions? Yeah, there have been some discussions. Again, I think that I would anticipate once we get a little more clarity on what that training camp looks like, that I'm hopeful that we'll be able to practice with one, if not two teams. Corey Curtis? Hey, Mike. Just a question about camp. Obviously, COVID-19 is unpredictable and how it's going to go in Nashville. Have you had to make any plans for possibly taking training camp somewhere else? And if so, where would you go? No, not at this time. And I would anticipate, I'm going to concentrate on the things that I can control, which are our meetings, which are our players, communication with our players, and the things that I can't control. I'm not going to put too much time or energy into it. And when the NFL gives us a direction, then we're going to try to follow it the best that we can. This is a serious time and it's a sensitive time. So I'm going to focus on what I can control with our football team. And then when we get some direction from the league, we will always do right by the players. There's nothing more important than the health and safety of our football players and their families. So when we get some more clarity, then we'll try to give you guys some more answers. David Boeckler? Mike, I'm curious. How challenging is it for a guy like Ryan Tannehill, when he gets the big contract to not feel like he has to do a whole lot more or something differently now?  I mean, Ryan's a veteran quarterback and I don't think he tried to do anything differently last year other than execute our offense and lead. And that was plenty. So I would anticipate him preparing to do the same type of thing, but from the onset, as opposed to kind of working his way into it. Joe Rockford? Mike, you said Chris Jackson was an easy one on the day you guys drafted him in terms of everyone kind of agreeing that he was a guy that you would target there. What about him as a player and person made him an easy choice there? Well, there's a versatility there. Joe, I think he's a very, very humble player. You know, he was an under recruited player out of high school. I really love his play demeanor, how hard he plays. He's been engaged in meetings he was fun to work with in a rookie minicamp. That was a lot of fun having those guys together on a virtual setting to get to know each other, to get to know us as coaches and as an organization. It was cool for Miss Amy to be able to come on and visit with those players. So he's been engaged, he's been locked in and he's studying and trying to prepare for when we can go out on the field and he can give himself a chance to try to lock into one of these positions. But he did show some versatility which John and I covet. Paul Carrske. Hi, Mike. I'm wondering what, how much you think John knew and Ryan are gaining by being able to be together and how much you imagine that might pay dividends for you once everybody gets together and during the season. Well, I'm glad, I'm glad that our players that are within the same area are being trying to interact and engage with each other. They seem, you know, when I watch these guys in the meetings, there's good dialogue, there's excellent dialogue. John who continues to improve, I'm sure Ryan is enjoying the building a relationship with John who outside of the meetings.  There's arrows and there's diagrams. But at the end of the day, all the great quarterbacks and tight end and receiver combinations that I've seen or know is the quarterback tells him where he wants them and that's where he's going to throw football. So, you know, hopefully that they're able to work on some of those things and Ryan and John who can stay in shape and motivated like the rest of our football team. You have any other guys that are together as far as you know, able to work out together? You know, we're in a voluntary phase. We're not monitoring the workouts. I can control the players that show up on a virtual setting. So, I'm sure guys are getting together. But, you know, I'm not monitoring and I'm not tracking it. Eric, Baccarat. Hey, Mike, we know the type of impact crowd noise can have in a game. I'm curious if you've thought at all just what it might be like playing games with no fans. Um, you know, again, they haven't told me that we're going to have fans or that we're not going to have fans. What they've told me is that we're going to extend the virtual, basically off-season program till May 29th. And that's what I'm planning for. That's what I told our coaches again this morning. And after that, then I'll listen to what they tell us and I'll read the memo that they send me. And I'll make adjustments from there. But as of, you know, looking forward to the season, you know, we got a lot of work to do before we get to that point. You understand every year is a process and you have to build it. And this year is, is unique in its own sense. It is much, much different than anything we've ever been through. But, um, you know, our players are facing and I think dealing with the distraction very well. Buck. Buck, you there? Uh, Taron. What's going on, coach? Hope all is well. Hi, TD. With AJ Brown and what he did last year, obviously that was outstanding, but you want improvement. So what are some of the things you're looking to him as far as making that improvement from his last, last year? I think there's some, some certain some route, you know, some things at the top of the route that we always can work on. You know, the one thing that, you know, always is going to stand out is, is making sure we're strong with the football. We're taking care of the football or ball security.  And I think that trying to talk to the officiating department and AJ, there's things that I can help him do and that Rob and Arthur can help him do that allows him to play physical, but, but hopefully put him out of harm's way from, from offensive pass interference. So, you know, there's plenty for AJ and the rest of our football team to try to improve on. Chris Harris. Hey, Mike, how are you? Great, Chris. Thank you. My question is just about the rookies in the virtual setting. What kind of sense are you getting from them as far as their ability to pick stuff up as quickly as you would like? And then because obviously it's a detriment them not being able to take it from there to the field. So what kind of give and take have you gotten from them and then it leads you to believe they're on the right path? Well, I think this is a, this is a sharp group. I talked to these guys about building a routine as far as how they're going to, when they're going to get out, when they're going to have breakfast, when they're going to mix in, when they're going to find time to work out. They have their meeting schedule. They've, they've operated around the different meeting rooms from a position meeting to a specialty meeting to, to a player engagement meeting. And I think probably for the younger player, this may be easy. Maybe some of these, these players have had online classes or had classes similar to what we're doing now. But I think that everything, from everything that I've seen that these players are, they're locked in, they're engaged, they're asking questions and we're finding, and finding ways to teach these guys and test them on the information. Thank you. Jane Slater. Hey coach, following up on that, I just wanted to ask just what does a typical day look like in these virtual OTAs? When does it start? How is it structured? So, somebody's having a little snack. So, I tried to figure out a way. The one thing I thought we were going to miss the most from this virtual setting was, was the, the player leadership and accountability. So, I'd asked the veterans at different positions to come up with the time and organize the time that they wanted to meet between 10 and 2. And I said that obviously the coaches would be available. So, so the different players came up with meetings, meeting time for their position. And we worked special teams in there. So, anytime between 10 and 2, or excuse me, the meeting will start at 1045 to 2. But from 10 until 2, that's our window to work. And then the rookies are kind of in a different plan. They have a little bit longer meeting time that they can be in there. So, their meetings would, would probably be with a precision coach from, from 10 to 11, special teams meeting at 1130. We'd give them a break for, for lunch. And then they'd finish up with a position meeting and then Chick and his staff would have a player engagement meeting at 3 o'clock to, to cover anything from benefits, HR, some of our players are talking to them today. There are four players that are going to talk to those rookies today about transitioning in the NFL. The NFLPA meets with them. And there's different groups that we have in this program that Chick and I, you know, think that are important for these rookies to hear about financial planning. So that's the rookies day. Steve Layman. Hey Mike, how you doing? I'm curious on something you briefly touched on earlier about finding out from the NFL that this virtual window now extends to the end of May. How important is that to what you're trying to accomplish in the off season? And I guess to follow that, are you assuming that will be it? Or do you think there's a chance that could get extended or, or maybe even facilities might open and you get a little time before, say, training camp?  So I would say that everything that I had in my mind and the schedules that I tried to put together and installation schedules had that in mind. And if that changes, then, then we can adjust pretty easily. But you know, I would say that I'm going to operate and conduct business and meetings as such that we're probably not going to get these guys back. But that could change. And again, we know that till May 29th, that's what it's going to be. And then probably some time before that they'll tell us what the next step is. And how much more can you get done in these next two weeks than if you had to cut it off on Friday like originally planned? Well, if we were going to get cut off on Friday, then that meant they would be coming into the building. Is that what you mean? No, no. The way I understood it from a report earlier today that the virtual time was supposed to end at the end of this week. And now they've extended it to May. How much more can you get done by that? I mean, it was all my understanding that it was the only way that it would end, I guess, is if that the facilities opened. I mean, it wouldn't, you know, it was still going to be, they were going to still try to get the eight or nine week program. So that's how I interpreted it, that this is what it was going to be to start. And we're hopeful that the facilities could open and apparently they're not. And they got extended till the 29th and we'll operate under these rules until they stay at stake to enter into the facilities. And then when everybody can go into their facilities, that's when we'll go in there, because it's clearly would be a competitive advantage for 18 or 20 teams to go in and some teams not to be able to go in. Buck is back with us, Buck. Sorry, Mike. That's okay, Buck. It's good to talk to you. You too, buddy. Are you comfortable with an imperfect solution on that if teams, from the purposes of competitive advantage, if teams can't get in the facility at the same time? I don't think it would be right for anybody to go in when some other teams couldn't. No, I think that that's, you know, the one thing, there's things that make the NFL unbelievably competitive and the most popular sport is that it is competitive. There is a draft. There is the salary cap. There's rules that we operate under. And so I would assume that it's only right that if a handful of teams can't go in, then we shouldn't either. We would be gaining an advantage on those teams that couldn't go. So we'll keep doing this business as business is being done. Thanks. A couple of follow-ups. John Glennon. Yeah, Mike, I'd hate to let a zoom go by without a question about Clowney. Just wondering if you yourself had spoken to him at all during this whole free agency process. And if so, if you've got any idea of his train of thought or a timetable. I've not talked to JD. All right, sir. Paul Karski. Sorry. Is Simmons still working with trainers and who else is in the building under that policy? Jeffrey is still currently working with Todd and Frank under the rehab protocol. And then there are a handful of players that are on that list that are going in and using the building. There are some other players that would qualify for that that are not in the building, which it's where they rehab is voluntary. And I know that those players that aren't are in constant communication with Todd and his staff and also with our doctors. Jim, what?  I know you've talked about this before, but what's it like for you now that we're a couple of months into this that you're not able to have contact with players? You have to do all this virtually at home? Is it killing you? Just what's it like for you from a personal standpoint? No, man. We would only, you know, this is great. This allows me to go in and visit and sit and watch our coaches teach and try to, you know, provide value in those meetings and really just talk to the players and, you know, during the break or at input into those meetings. The way that this is set up, it's no different than I would leave my office and walk out along that main hallway and go into the offensive line meeting room at 9.50 and Ben's in there and Taylor's in there and Roger's in there. You know, Zach Kern's in there and they're waiting for their 10 o'clock meeting to start. You know, we catch up and we talk and then at 10.30 I'll go and walk down the hallway and pop into another Zoom meeting and then go into the DBs and watch and help install or talk about things that they're doing. And so I'm kind of working around that schedule and really try to just embrace the process and joy and try to help our coaches teach. Last one. Teresa started us. I think she'll finish us up. Mike, you've always been a guy who values and carves away time for family while working. But in these last couple of months of being at home, is there anything that you've seen that maybe you want to tweak once life gets back to some semblance of normalcy and back in the facility? I'd like to send my kids on vacation, Teresa. So that I do know. You just appreciate family. You appreciate where you work and the people that you work with. That's what makes work special. I love what I do. I care a lot about our players. I care a lot about their families and their well-being. And I care about our coaches. So what we're going to be is stay in as safe and healthy as we possibly can. And then certainly going to embrace the opportunity to get back to work at St. Thomas Sports Park. We have an unbelievable facility. And when they say it's safe to go back in there, that's when we're going to head back in.


Hello, and welcome to Safe Work Australia's webinar about the transition from the third to the seventh revised edition of the GHS, also known as a globally harmonized system of classification and labeling of chemicals. My name's Colin Stenson, and I'll be talking you through the transition today. Firstly, I'm going to explain what the GHS is, why it's changing, and what that means for businesses that manufacture, import, supply, or use hazardous chemicals. Secondly, I'll describe the arrangements in place for a smooth transition to GHS7. This includes when you can start using GHS7 and when you need to stop using GHS3. Lastly, I'm going to detail about what's changing. For example, what are the new requirements for flammable gases and what are the changes to classifying irritants? The video is time-stamped, so you can navigate directly to the topics that interest you. You can find the time stamps in the description below this video. So, what is the GHS? The GHS is an international system for assessing chemicals and communicating their hazards. It contains criteria for determining if a chemical is toxic, flammable, if it causes cancer, or if it has anyone of a host of other hazards. And it sets out the rules for making labels and safety data sheets for these chemicals. These rules aren't just used in Australia, they're used by most of our trading partners as well. This includes the United States, Canada, the European Union, China, New Zealand, Japan, and a host of others. In Australia, all hazardous chemicals need to have safety data sheets prepared in accordance with the GHS. GHS labelling is required for hazardous chemicals which will be used in a workplace and which are not already covered by another labelling law, like the laws for medicines. The GHS is designed to give users easy to understand information about the hazards of the chemicals they work with so they can take steps to protect themselves. So, now that we know what the GHS is and what it's used for, why are we moving from GHS 3 to GHS 7? Adopting GHS 7 will help keep Australia up to date with best practice in chemicals management. This new addition of the GHS relies less on animal testing and improves the way we communicate the risks of chemicals. It also means our laws will be consistent with those of our key trading partners which should reduce the cost of importing and exporting chemicals. For more information about the GHS, please visit the Safe Work Australia website. The transition to GHS 7 is happening over two years. It started on 1 January 2021 and it will end on 30 December 2022. The transition is mainly for manufacturers and porters of chemicals. It gives them time to prepare new classifications, labels and safety data sheets for their chemicals. During the transition, manufacturers and porters can use either GHS 3 or GHS 7. From 1 January 2023, only GHS 7 can be used. If you manufacture or import chemicals, it's a good idea to begin reviewing and updating your classifications, labels and safety data sheets now. Where possible, consider incorporating this into a planned review of labels and safety data sheets to help lower costs and avoid unnecessary reprinting. If you only supply or use hazardous chemicals, you shouldn't be affected by the Merb to GHS 7 and shouldn't need to take any action. You can continue to supply and use chemicals classified and labeled in accordance with GHS 3 until your stops run out. Keep in mind, however, the all chemicals manufactured or imported from 1 January 2023 will need to comply with GHS 7. So if you're buying or selling chemicals that were made or imported after 1 January 2023, they should be labeled in accordance with GHS 7. Safer Australia has developed guidance material and resources to help you navigate the transition. Have a look at our website for more information. There are three key changes to be aware of during the transition from GHS 3 to GHS 7. Firstly, there are changes to the classification and labeling requirements for some types of chemicals. These chemicals are non-flammable aerosols, flammable gases, desensitized explosives and eye irritants. If you manufacture or import these chemicals, you'll need to review the classifications and ensure that their labels and safety data sheets are updated. If you supply or use these chemicals, you should expect to see updated labels and safety data sheets in the supply chain over the next two years. I will go through the changes to these hazard classes in more detail later in this webinar. Please remember that you can jump to the topics that interest you below. Secondly, there are changes to the precautionary statements found on the labels of hazardous chemicals. Precautionary statements are written on labels and describe how to work safely with the chemical. Many of the precautionary statements in the GHS have been updated to be more accurate or easier to understand. Manufacturers and importers will need to check the precautionary statements for their products to see if they need to be updated. Keep in mind that you'll still be able to use the precautionary statements from GHS-3 in most cases. You only need to use the GHS-7 precautionary statements if they are substantially different or completely new. An example is shown on the screen and more information is available on our website. The third change is improvements to the guidance in the GHS. This includes improved decision logics and expanded advice on non-animal test methods. I won't go through those changes here, but it is worth referring to the new guidance in GHS-7 if you are classifying hazardous chemicals as many issues and common questions have been addressed. For the remainder of this webinar, I'll be discussing the changes to classification criteria in more detail. Please use the time stamps below to cut directly to those chemicals that interest you. First, we'll discuss aerosols. GHS-7 renames the flammable aerosols as a class to aerosols and as a new hazard category for non-flammable aerosols. That's category three. Non-flammable aerosols are aerosols that don't meet the criteria for categories one and two, that contain less than or equal to 1% flammable components and that have a heat of combustion of less than 20 kilojoules per gram. This means that all aerosol dispensers will now be captured in the aerosol hazard class and will meet the definition of a hazardous chemical under the model work health and safety laws. Any non-flammable aerosols that were previously classified as gases under pressure should now be classified as non-flammable aerosols. Non-flammable aerosols need the warning signal word and the hazard statement pressurized container may burst if heated. Category one and two aerosols, which is to say flammable aerosols, are not affected by this change and the labels for these chemicals do not need to be updated. If you manufacture or import non-flammable aerosols, you need to review the classification criteria in GHS7 and prepare updated labels and safety data sheets for these products. More information about the changes is available on our website. Moving on to flammable gases. You'll find that the classification requirements for flammable gases change significantly with the move from GHS3 to GHS7. We have a comparison of the old and new flammable gas criteria up on the screen now. I'll step you through these changes over the next few minutes. Under GHS3, there was only one flammable gas category used in Australia. That was category one. However, under GHS7, this category has to be divided into two new categories. Category 1A and Category 1B. There are also new hazard categories for pyrophoric gases and chemically unstable gases. While the existing category 1 is roughly equivalent to the new category 1A, the extent of these changes means that many flammable gases will need to be reclassified and have new labels and safety data sheets prepared. So let's run through the classification hazard communication requirements for these new categories in a bit more detail. A category 1A flammable gas is a gas which at standard temperature and pressure of 20 degrees celsius and 101.3 kilopascals is ignitable at 13% or less in air or has a flammable range in air of at least 12% regardless of the lower flammability limit. A category 1B is a gas which meets the flammability criteria for category 1A but which is not pyrophoric or chemically unstable and has either a lower flammability limit of more than 6% or a fundamental burning velocity of less than 10 centimeters per second. A pyrophoric gas is a flammable gas that is liable to ignite spontaneously in air at a temperature of 54 degrees celsius or below. While a chemically unstable gas is a flammable gas that can react explosively in the absence of air or oxygen, pyrophoric gases and chemically unstable gases were previously classified as category 1 flammable gases in Australia. The new classification requirements for pyrophoric gases and chemically unstable gases means that these chemicals now have their own hazard categories and will need to be reclassified. The new flammable gas categories 1A and 1B replace the old flammable gas category 1 meaning the category 1 flammable gases must be reclassified into either category 1A or category 1B. By default existing category 1 flammable gases should be classified into the new category 1A unless data is available that says otherwise. There has a communication requirements for the new category 1A are the same as the old category 1. All flammable gases require the flame pictogram and the signal word danger. That has the statements vary depending on the specific hazard category and are shown on the screen now. If you manufacture or import flammable gases you need to review the classification criteria in GHS7 and prepare updated labels and safety data sheets for these products. Remember that more information about these changes is available on our website. Our next topic is desensitized explosives which is a new hazard class. All desensitized explosives must be classified into the desensitized explosives hazard class even if they are previously classified into other hazard classes such as flammable solids or oxidizing solids. Desensitized explosives can be solids or liquids and are classified into one of four categories depending on their burning rate. As desensitized explosives are not part of the explosives hazard class they should be labeled in accordance with the GHS when used, handled or stored in a workplace. This differs from chemicals in the explosives hazard class which are labeled according to the Australian explosives code. All desensitized explosives need the flame pictogram. Desensitized explosives of category one or two will need the signal word danger while desensitized explosives of category three or four need the signal word warning. The hazard statements for desensitized explosives are displayed on the screen now. If you manufacture or import desensitized explosives you'll need to ensure these products are classified, labeled and have safety data sheets prepared in accordance with GHS7. More information about these changes is available in the fact sheets on our website. The final hazard class that we'll discuss today is irritants. As part of Australia's transition to GHS7 the definition of a hazardous chemical in our model work health and safety laws is changing. Category 2B irritants will no longer be exempt from the definition of a hazardous chemical and will require labels and safety data sheets. We understand that this will be a big change for some businesses which is why it's been included in the two-year transition. From 1 January 2023 all category two irritants should be treated as hazardous chemicals and have correct labels and safety data sheets. So what are the criteria for category 2B irritants? Essentially an irritant is a chemical which causes reversible damage to the eyes. A category 2B irritant causes damage that will reverse within seven days while a category two or two-way irritant causes damage that reverses within 21 days. Note that the classification of irritants in a category 2B is optional because the criteria for category 2B and category 2 2A overlap you can still classify these chemicals into category 2 2A. The labeling elements for category 2 2A irritation are unchanged while category 2B irritants have their own labeling requirements which is shown on the screen. Manufacturers and porters of hazardous chemicals should review their classifications for irritants to determine if the classification for any of their products has changed. Manufacturers and porters who are not currently preparing GHS labels and safety data sheets for category 2B irritants must do so before the end of the transition. More information about these changes is available on our website. Thanks for watching. Before you go here are the key takeaway messages from today. Australia will begin a two-year transition to GHS7 on 1 January 2021 until 31 December 2022 with GHS3 and GHS7 can be used for classifying chemicals and preparing labels and safety data sheets. If you manufacture and port chemicals make sure that your classifications labels and safety data sheets are up to date by 31 December 2022. We have guidance material and resources to help you on our website. Contact the GHS mailbox if you have questions. That's ghs at swa.gov.au. That's all from me. Once again, thanks for watching.