Episode 2 transcript:
Hello! Welcome to the Ashleigh Deane Show, I’m Ashleigh Deane.
First I would like to thank everyone for their support for my first episode – my Shitty First Draft. The texts, the calls, the kindness, thank you for all of it.
I woke up last Monday morning feeling very vulnerable… it reminded me of my first day of anchoring. I’m sure you can relate.. whenever we start something new, its scary! But sometimes, even when we don’t feel ready or think things are not quite perfect, we just have to do it! Because honestly – if we wait until we are ready or we think things are perfect, we will never do it!
So, as always – Thank you for listening, thank you for watching, and thank you for being here! My hope AGAIN is that this light hearted episode can brighten your week and bring a smile to your face.
I hope everyone had a fabulous Easter and Passover weekend, and.. now today – happy tax day!
Also – many people today are returning to regular life after their spring break vacations, and I know that feeling all too well. As a teacher, coming back from spring break was always difficult because I feel like it was just a tease of summer.
And to those of you that don’t have spring break or summers off… please send me tips! I feel like I’m mentally preparing for a working summer…
But I’m actually really enjoying this new life I’ve created for myself. It is busy and I feel like I can hardly relax, but everything I’m doing, I genuinely love and look forward to. I’m able to put my full heart into each new day, I feel happier, and most importantly.. more in charge of my future.
So, last week, for my first episode I couldn’t come up with a Random Ash Insight! It just wasn’t flowing… so I skipped it.
But this week, I had a thought while sitting in traffic that I’d like to share!
iMessage Tapbacks – I didn’t know this is what they were called until a quick google search… but they’re the reactions or options you see when you press or hold down a text – you can select a heart, thumbs up, thumbs down, haha, double exclamation point, or a question mark.
Sitting in traffic, it dawned on me, I probably use the heart and the haha the most, and sometimes the emphasis or exclamation point.
Which got me thinking about the ‘thumbs up.’ I never use that one! Why like something when you can love it?! And if you just like it, are you agreeing or does it mean something else? Please let me know, DO YOU use the thumbs up!? And if you do, what do you mean by it? Are you agreeing with the text? do you just like it and not really love it? Are you passively rolling your eyes? So many questions from a simple reaction…. And THIS is why I avoid it and THIS is what I call – a Random Ash Insight!
Ok- so this week, a lot of things have been happening in the world. I only want to share news in a non-biased way, I do not want to sway anyone politically to think or believe as I do… I just want to share the facts! And the facts this week – Elon Musk is trying to buy Twitter!
He first bought up enough shares to be the largest shareholder, was then invited to join the board of directors but declined. He then turned around and offered to buy Twitter outright and written in his filing along with his offer he said “Twitter has extraordinary potential, and I will unlock it.”
I did some research, and I want to share what I found. I listened to the unedited conversation Elon Musk had with ‘head of TED’ Chris Anderson, recorded just a few days ago.
“This is not a way to make money. My strong intuitive sense is that having a public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is extremely important to the future of civilization. I don’t care about the economics at all.” – Elon Musk
So – keep in mind, Musk is reportedly worth $300 billion, and has offered to buy Twitter for $43 billion – which he says candidly, he can spare.
When asked if Elon is ok with ‘anyone saying anything’ on Twitter, as far as content moderation… he said he thinks ‘Twitter should match the laws of the country.’ He also said:
“A good sign as to whether there is free speech… is someone you don’t like allowed to say something you don’t like? And if that is the case, then we have free speech. It’s damn annoying when someone you don’t like says something you don’t like but that is a a sign of a healthy free speech situation.” – Elon Musk
Musk made the offer one week ago – and since then Twitter’s Board of directors adopted a limited duration shareholder rights plan, with the goal of making the proposed acquisition less appealing for Musk. This limited duration shareholders rights plan, is also called ‘a poison pill’ which is named after the deadly pills used by spies to avoid interrogation if they were ever captured.
So.. we will see what this week brings in the ongoing and ever changing battle over Twitter.
A funny side note about ME sharing current events and news.
When I started working in the news, I didn’t watch or keep up with current events at all! Because – frankly, I didn’t trust the news. When I was in college I worked in the athletic department and specifically with the football team at usc. I knew a lot about what was going on as I was in the equipment department, coaches offices, and involved with recruiting efforts on a daily basis. I remember going home one night, and watching a news report of the daily happenings of usc football. I was shocked – there was no truth to the entire report. I thought to myself, so the news can just say whatever they want? From that point on, I was skeptical of any news, and I also didn’t want to watch because I realized news made me depressed.
So – why did I take a job in the news? That seems like a weird decision for me to make seeing as I didn’t trust the news, and never watched, what was I doing working there? Long story short – I planned to gain experience on camera and move in a different direction from local news… plans change… but that was my initial plan.
Ok, back to the idea of needing to know about the world and happenings if I was going to be working in news media… I searched and found sources I trusted and felt were independent in their reporting so I could know ‘as josh says what’s going on in the world.’ However, I found I was still getting depressed by learning what was going on in the world, not only depressed but fired up! I decided I had to figure out a way to stay up to date, but also stay up beat. I could go do some retail therapy, but that didn’t have a lasting effect… just a temporary fix. I realized when I dug more into my faith I could better handle the happenings in our crazy world. My faith gives me hope, and it gives me an eternal perspective. It doesn’t take away the bad, it helps me realize there is so much more GOOD out there than all the bad. And I truly want to share that good with you here, which is my intention in creating this podcast, to share with you hope and optimism in a sometimes confusing and chaotic world, in a truthful way. If I share news that you disagree with, please let me know. I try to go straight to the source, so if there is something more accurate than what I share – please let me know. I would be happy to correct my mistake!
Speaking of mistakes… let me correct, well – I guess add to a quote I shared last week by my dad. After my mom’s miracle he told us – life is fragile, which I shared… but he reminded me that I failed to add the second part of the quote – which is ‘Love is strong!’ Thank you dad for the reminder, it is a beautiful sentiment, and even more beautiful with the part I forgot. ‘Life is fragile, love is strong!’
About a year after my mom’s miracle… I decided to seek out a solution to my situation. If you follow my blog – you’ve probably seen my 10 part series on recovering from artificial disc replacement surgery. If you haven’t… let me catch you up real quick!
About 7 years ago, I started having severe back pain. So much so, that after months of physical therapy, numerous doctor visits, X-rays, and MRIs, I was told emphatically that I needed surgery. I resisted and resisted, but finally resigned… a life without walking, sitting, or working, was no life at all- so I had to take action to get myself back to normal life. I had the surgery, and the next morning, I could walk and sit and do normal things again. I cried tears of amazement and joy for several months after. And I thought I was healed! But, things were not the same. I battled constant pain daily. I could walk, sit, and work again… but I was in so much pain. I could barely live my life without thinking about how much pain I was in. I had never experienced pain so relenting, or all consuming and I was gradually losing hope…. in life.
When I saw my mom’s miracle, I started to believe that maybe I could have my own. So I searched, not really knowing what I was looking for. I found a group of doctors in Texas that performed artificial disc replacement surgeries… who were also pioneers in their field, bringing the procedure to the US from Europe. I was intrigued – so I sent my scans and paperwork to see if they could help.
While waiting… Tiger Woods won the 2019 Masters – his first Major in 11 years… I thought it was a true win for humanity – seeing as Tiger had been through so much. Then I remembered hearing about a few (many more than me) back issues he dealt with. I did a quick internet search and found his latest back surgery was performed by the same group that was currently evaluating my paperwork and scans in Texas. I was in pure shock! I felt like all my research was actually on the right track, and later that same week I got a call that told me I was a candidate for the procedure. More tears, and a small inkling of hope started peeping through…
This was just 3 years ago – as the 2022 masters wrapped up last weekend. What a reminder of how far I’ve come in 3 years.
Last week, my parents catered an event for a family friend that I talked to and gave advice to about his back pains caused by a car accident. He told my parents he will be having surgery from my same surgeon shortly, I was so happy! I I can’t explain how difficult it was living in chronic pain, and how much my life was affected, no matter how positive I was. Even though I have a completely new mindset and outlook that I am grateful for everyday, I was in the depths of despair and misery before my surgery. Like I said – its hard to put into words, and even now I sound so gloomy… but today I’m a totally different person than I was just 3 years ago. To anyone out there suffering…, in any way – don’t give up. Be patient, seek out a solution with faith…trusting that the best thing will happen for you and your future.
My sweet friend Dawn that I met in Africa through a World Playground adventure.. shared this beautiful quote – “If its meant to be he will make a way, just understand that it may not be today.”
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Plus – they’re adorable, and they’re my parents! So grateful for their support, love, and guidance… and that they gave me siblings!
I am now honored to be joined by… my brother Mikey Tagliaferri!
Conversation Transcript:
Thank you for listening to the Ashleigh Deane Show!