Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele have played pretty much every character you can think of since debuting their eponymous show on Comedy Central three years ago: the Nazi soldier, the dopey sports anchor, the penis-themed performance artist. In the hands of lesser talents, the attempt to revive the comedy duo might have resulted in little more than a thinner, less-British version of Hale and Pace, suburban comedians ploughing the same predictable joke furrow for years on end. But they’ve proved a raging success, racking up more than 600m views on Comedy Central’s YouTube channel, and much of that is down to the complementarity of their respective strengths, Key’s thin-man falsetto the perfect alloy for Peele’s squat basso profundo, and the sheer range of their performing ability across countless different subjects and in countless different keys. There is, seemingly, little in comedy they can’t do – and do well.
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy Meets With Vatican Officials About Climate Change
Posted in: Today's ChiliVATICAN CITY (AP) — The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency met Friday with Vatican officials who helped draft Pope Francis’ upcoming encyclical on ecology, evidence that the Obama administration is seeking to hitch its climate-change message onto that of the popular pope.
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy told reporters that her aim in visiting was to show the Vatican how aligned President Barack Obama and Francis are on climate change. She said she wanted to stress that global warming isn’t just an environmental issue, but a public health threat, and yet also a chance for economic opportunity.
“I think the most important thing that we can do, working with the pope, is to try to remind ourselves that this is really about protecting natural resources that human beings rely on, and that those folks that are most vulnerable — that the church has always been focused on, those in poverty and low income — are the first that are going to be hit and impacted by a changing climate,” she said.
She added, however: “It’s certainly not my place to dictate to the pope what he should be doing in an encyclical.”
While Pope Benedict XVI introduced solar energy to the Vatican and joined a reforestation project aimed at offsetting the Vatican’s CO2 emissions, Francis has caught the world’s attention for environmentalism, and his upcoming encyclical has drawn more speculation than any papal document in memory. During his recent Asia trip, Francis asserted that climate change is real and that human activity is “mostly” to blame.
Environmentalists are thrilled by his involvement, but skeptics of global warming — including religious conservatives in the U.S. — are irate that he’s taking up the issue at all.
This isn’t the first time the Obama administration has highlighted shared interests with the pope: Obama credited Francis with helping mediate the thaw in U.S.-Cuban relations.
Bill O’Reilly’s really been in the doghouse with Republican politicians this week.
First he had a tiff with Sarah Palin over a short teaser for “The O’Reilly Factor,” in which he opined that her possible participation in the 2016 Republican primary — along with that of Donald Trump and Chris Christie — would make for a “reality show.”
It turns out Trump wasn’t too happy with the clip, either. He took to Twitter to let his feelings out.
Surprise, @oreillyfactor used my name big league in pre-ads to promote the show—then talked about everyone else but me!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 28, 2015
.@SarahPalinUSA was 100% correct when she stated that @oreillyfactor used us in day long tease to get people to watch, but we were not on!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2015
.@oreillyfactor – bad and very deceptive journalism. Show must be heading in wrong direction, too bad! @SarahPalinUSA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2015
On Thursday night’s show, O’Reilly gave Trump a call and asked, “What’s your beef?”
“The ads were massive and I expected to have a nice piece. I saw something very briefly … as far as heading in the wrong direction, I don’t know, I think you have your act together pretty well, Bill,” responded the “Celebrity Apprentice” star, who has been seen watching basketball with O’Reilly on more than one occasion.
But O’Reilly was a tad too optimistic about their makeup call, asking, “So you’re gonna take that tweet back?”
“I would never do such a thing,” Trump replied.
As part of our Blended Family Friday series, each week we spotlight a different stepfamily to learn how they successfully blended their two families. Our hope is that by telling their stories, we’ll bring you closer to blended family bliss in your own life! Want to share your own story? Email us at divorce@huffingtonpost.com.
Getting on the same page with your spouse when it comes to discipline is hard even under the best parenting circumstances. It’s even more difficult when you’ve both been married before and your kids have grown up with very distinct parenting styles.
That’s what Jennifer Kincaid and her husband had to work through when they married five years ago. The pair have five daughters between them, ages 9 to 20.
“Discipline caused a lot of fighting between my husband and me,” Jennifer told the Huffington Post. “But over time, through proactive communication, consistency in terms of rules and expectations and a lot of hard work, we are truly one family and we all love each other very much. It hasn’t been easy but we’re proud of the work we’ve done and what we’ve become.”
Below, Jennifer shares more of how the family has managed to make it work.
Hi Jennifer. Please introduce us to your family.
We have seven people in our family. There’s my husband Ian and our five girls: Theresa (20), Jamie (18), Ashley (13), Emily (12) and Jessica (9).
How long have you and Ian been together?
Seven years together, but we’ve been married for five years.
What have been some of the biggest challenges of blended family life?
Integrating five children from two different families, with two different sets of rules and expectations, has not been easy. Fighting between the children, defensiveness over our ‘own’ children and how to discipline each other’s children have each been a challenge. Over time, we’ve moved toward consistent rules and expectations (all adjusted for age). We encourage the kids to share their feelings, but expect them to treat us both respectfully. While we give each other support and feedback on discipline, my husband is ultimately responsible for discipline decisions for “his” children and I am responsible for discipline decisions for “mine.”
What makes you proudest of your family?
Seeing all of our children happy and doing well in school and in life is what makes us proudest, for sure.
What’s the best thing about being part of a family like yours?
We have often said that had we met and married in our twenties we likely only would have had two children, perhaps three at the most. We believe that our life had to unfold the way it did in order to have our five beautiful kids. Seeing them together and knowing that they consider each other sisters and not just step-sisters is the best part of us being together.
How would you say your family deals with stress?
When we were looking for a home, my husband told the realtor we were looking for “all the space we could reasonably afford.” Although it sounded like a joke, he wasn’t kidding. When things get stressful, we try to give each other the space that we need and not to push too much. We may not always be successful, but we try to deal with difficult issues when we’re in the right frame of mind to deal with them productively. We are also relieved by remembering the bigger picture: we share an unwavering commitment to our family and to all five of our children and that’s what matters most.
What advice do you have for other blended families who are struggling to bond?
Proactive, honest communication between everyone, even when it is difficult, is most important. Without communication and understanding, resentments build and little things can become big things. Additionally, we believe that consistency, as much as possible, in terms of rules and expectations is helpful in moving from being two families to being one. Be patient as this takes time. It is also important to always show respect for the children’s other parent and for his or her role in their life. Finally, we believe it’s important to make the most of the time you have together. We try to do fun things with the kids on the weekends. We take advantage of the fact that our children are older so we can also enjoy date nights together and make sure that regardless of everyone’s commitments and activities, that at least one night per week all seven of us share dinner together.
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New evidence suggests power has similar effects on the frontal lobes as brain trauma…When you feel powerful, you kind of lose touch with other people. You stop attending carefully to what other people think. Dacher Keltner, University of California, Berkeley
How ironic. The very power leaders rely on to galvanize others and get things done carries the seeds of power loss. Leadership is relational. The ability to produce followership flows from a connection that engages and elicits commitment. Yet there is a tendency for leaders, in embracing their power, to create distance with the very groups with whom they must stay connected. The old lament “power has gone to their head” perfectly describes this recent research finding. Professor Keltner describes how these frontal lobes of the brain, the empathy network, become impaired. “Through brain trauma, you become a sociopath. Our lab studies find if you give people a little bit of power, they look kind of like those brain trauma patients” by becoming less attentive to the thoughts and feelings of others.
The term sociopath has an interesting association with leadership. Sociopath is defined in various dictionaries as someone with antisocial personality disorder, lack of social conscience and only interested in their own personal needs with little concern for others. Being selfishly antisocial seems counter to leadership. If we were to conjure up leaders from the most-high-gone-mad Hall of Fame like Henry VIII or Adolph Hitler – we would likely be impressed both by their brilliance and their narcissistic insanity. As a recovering CEO, I can say that perhaps you have to be a little crazy to aspire to leadership or perhaps it drives you a little crazy once you get there. Either way, there’s a danger that the power inherent in being a leader can foster antisocial behavior that impairs relationships.
Part of the challenge of leading is willingness to make difficult decisions and hold others accountable by putting higher purpose and the greater good above individuals and selfish emotions. Up to a point leaders must be cold-hearted but beyond a certain point, it becomes dysfunctional. The delicate dance of leadership is to strike a balance that optimizes results and keeps stakeholder relationships committed, engaged and productive.
So what is it about leadership that causes leaders, often selected for their unique ability to focus and energize followers, to lose their “relational” glue? New York City Theologian and Pastor Timothy Keller, describes his take on marriage relationships and I think it applies more broadly: If two spouses each say, ‘I’m going to treat self-centeredness as the main problem in the marriage,’ you have the prospect for a truly great marriage. If leaders commit to treat ‘self-centeredness’ – starting with their own – as the main problem of an athletic team, business, or government, then there is real potential for greatness. Of course, the elements of worthy purpose, talent, and resources are necessary. However, there is no greater accomplishment for a leader or a coach than to help a group of individuals give up their sense of self-centeredness and entitlement in seeking to accomplish something really purposeful.
Yet success and power has a southerly magnetic pull that makes leaders especially vulnerable to entitlement. Entitlement is about feeling owed. It crowds out gratitude and attentiveness to others. The brain whispers in our ear that because we have worked hard, demonstrated talent and succeeded, we have earned the right to not be encumbered with the vagaries of those lowly, disagreeable, needy – employees, customers and other stakeholders. After all those years as the “thumpee” now it is our turn to be “thumper.”
Which explains why nothing is harder to overcome than success; success affords more latitude to distance ourselves from those gritty relationships so central to leadership. And distance imposed by leaders from the top is not just separation – it is exclusion. Exclusion is the defining leadership challenge of our time. Can anyone remember a time when issues of separation and exclusion were throwing off more heat: top 1 percent vs. bottom 99 percent, white vs. black, Muslim vs. Jew or Christian, women vs. men, right vs. left?
CEO pay provides one of the most tangible examples of the growing divorce between leaders and employees. From 1978 to 2013, rates of return on assets and invested capital in U.S. firms declined 75 percent while CEO compensation increased 937 percent. Worker compensation grew one third of one percent per year for this timeframe. Between 2003 and 2012 54 percent of S&P 500 earnings have gone to stock buybacks and 37 percent to dividends – that totals 91 percent for the benefit of owners.
Leaders who feel entitled to lose touch with followers evoke a specific kind of costly broken relationship – the popular term is disengagement. Last year when Gallup reported 70 percent of workers identified themselves as disengaged at work, these employees were simply admitting sociopathic tendencies – not caring about their work or even their fellow workers. Sociopathic leaders create sociopathic followers who return the favor – both are highly and even narcissistically committed to themselves. As organizations grow larger and more complex, this challenge of worker engagement only increases.
The growing need for engaged, productive stakeholders is not filled magically. It requires a specific, intentional brand of leading – Relational Leadership. Relational leaders prioritize relationships as their organization’s most valuable and value-creating asset. They resist the self-centered impulse to distance themselves from challenging relationships – even when it is difficult.
I work with a public-company CEO who in his early days with the company had to lay off 20 employees on a bleak Friday. The next day, Saturday, he invited them all back to the office, personally cooked breakfast for them, thanked them and told them “we still love you.” Yesterday, over 20 years later, I heard an employee at this same company tell that story told again to a prospective hire as example of their abiding culture. Attending to others is still our most powerful, lasting act.
Marriage has one of the highest failure rates of anything we try, and the cost and impact (especially on children) of disentangling can be devastating. The problem is not a legal system that makes divorce easy — it isn’t easy — or that we’re just not wired to be monogamous. We can learn to make conscious choices that override our wiring. And the problem is not that modern life has trumped what some call “traditional values.” The problem is that most people who get married have no idea — none — what they’re getting into, what they should look for or look to exclude in a potential mate, or how to approach the process of choosing a person they’d like to spend the rest of their life with.
Sorry romantics, but love alone is not enough. Nor is a steadfast commitment to staying together when love is absent or one-sided — that’s just a recipe for a lifetime of misery. Ultimately, marriage is about relating, and the key to forging a successful, lasting bond is knowing, before you tie the knot, how you and your partner relate when you’re not in courtship mode, and that means getting a handle on how you handle challenges together.
If you’ve gone through some rough spots while dating and come out stronger, that’s a good indication your marriage will survive. But no one likes to be tested, and how do you check someone’s challenge response without intentionally introducing trouble? Listed below are five things I believe every couple should do before getting married. While checking them off your prenuptial to-do list is no guarantee your marriage will make it, avoiding any of them sets the stage for failure.
♦◊♦
1. Fight.
If you never disagree with your partner, you’ll never learn how to handle disagreement. Stuffing it in and sucking it up only creates resentment, and resentment often leads to the passive-aggressive expression of anger. If you feel strongly about something, say so, and deal with the consequences. How you introduce disagreement and how your partner responds to it are probably the most important factors in whether your marriage will develop a healthy and constructive dynamic.
If you’re afraid to disagree because you’re conflict-avoidant or you fear abandonment, you’re not ready for marriage and you need to work on yourself. How couples handle conflict is make or break, and you need to know whether the two of you are capable of resolving arguments or only leaving each other more frustrated. Don’t fight over petty things, but pick something you care about and stand your ground. A little unpleasantness early on will prevent a lot of unpleasantness later.
2. Travel together to an unfamiliar place.
Marriage is an adventure, and you need to know how the two of you handle a journey to new and unfamiliar surroundings and the discoveries that follow. If you go somewhere one of you has already been, the dynamic becomes one of guide and tourist, which is not a partnership of equals. It also helps to plan — and ideally pay for — the trip together. A surprise vacation planned and paid for by your partner isn’t exactly a mutual endeavor. The more unplanned time you allow for on the trip, the better. You’ll learn how you plan a day together in the morning and what happens when those plans go awry. And if you get stuck in the airport or lost in a foreign city, you’re testing out your communal survival skills.
3. Have sex.
Trust me, the last place you want to find out you’re incompatible on your wedding night is in the bedroom. If your faith precludes you from having premarital sex, so be it, and pray that you and your partner are a good physical fit. Beyond having sex and finding out if the magic happens, you’ll want to talk about sex — your likes, your dislikes, your taboos and your fantasies. Frequency of sex can be a bone of contention in marriages, so you’ll want to make sure your partner is into it as frequently — or as infrequently — as you are. In a healthy marriage, sex is both a generator of intimacy and an act in which intimacy gets expressed. If sex with your partner feels pleasurable but mechanical and doesn’t create a feeling of closeness, you may end up seeking that closeness elsewhere, which is problematic for a marriage. And if intimate emotional moments don’t progress to physical connection, frustration surely lies ahead.
4. Spend time with each other’s families.
When you’re married, your partner’s family becomes your family, and respectful interaction will make your marriage much, much happier.The demands of families, their attitudes towards spouses, and the amount of time and interaction with them can all be major sources of conflict for married couples. You don’t have to like your in-laws or call them mom or dad, but you do have to respect the fact that they created and raised your spouse.
Seeing how your partner interacts with his or her family and observing whether there’s a healthy dynamic can clue you in to what this person will be like in your marriage. If your partner doesn’t have a healthy relationship with his or her family, there may be valid reasons, and these are worth discussing. In addition, waiting until right before or after the wedding to present your future mate to your family forces everyone into an uncomfortable position. Finally, if there is conflict between your family and your partner, you’ll want to step in sensibly, set your boundaries as as couple, and nip it in the bud. This will set the tone for future interaction during the marriage.
5. Live together.
Unless you plan to inhabit separate homes, your husband or wife will also be your roommate — potentially for life. Think back to the roommates of your past. Looking forward, compatibility in terms of household habits, behaviors, and tastes is a critical determining factor in successful marriages. There is a degree to which opposites attract, but slobs and neatniks, hoarders and minimalists, carpet-lovers and wood-floor-enthusiasts may find it difficult to cohabit without conflict. You also want to know what it’s like to wake up with your partner in the morning and go to sleep with him or her at night. If all your dating experience is on visits to each other’s spaces where one of you is entertaining the other, you’re missing the full flavor — both the bitter and the sweet — of the live-in married experience. So give living together a test-drive.
♦◊♦
Some marriages make it without the couples having done any of these things in advance. But if you want a better shot at a marriage that lasts a lifetime, taking these actions before the big day will help you avoid becoming just another statistic and make it to the happily ever after.
–
Originally appeared at The Good Men Project
If you liked this article, you might also like:
“The 3 Silent Destroyers of Marriage“
Photo—Jean L./Flickr
5 Perks of Peer-To-Peer Lending
Posted in: Today's Chili
By Laura Woods, Contributor
Searching for an alternative to traditional financing? Or maybe you’re looking for a new way to invest your money? If so, peer-to-peer lending could be exactly what you need. This personal loan platform connects investors in search of returns that are higher than banks are paying with borrowers seeking loans of $1,000 to $35,000. Interest rates are set based on the borrower’s credit score and investors have the option to choose the risk level they’re willing to take. And rather than fronting the money for one loan, an investor’s funds will be split across a number of loans, each of which he can review and approve.
Though P2P lending is a relatively new method, the industry’s two largest platforms, Lending Club and Prosper Marketplace, have made it possible for borrowers to receive more than $8 billion in loans to date.
Related: P2P Lending: Funding an Education
Thinking about joining the P2P lending phenomenon? Here are five things to know about using peer-to-peer lending.
1. Attractive Interest Rates
P2P sites offer borrowers competitive interest rates based on their credit history and payback timeline. For example, Prosper currently offers a baseline APR of 6.73% APR. Borrowers aren’t the only ones benefitting from the rates ─ investors can also realize above-average returns. For example, Prosper offers returns ranging from 5.48% on the lower risk side to 11.78% for higher risk investments.
2. Quick Funding Speed
Borrowers don’t have to endure a long waiting period to receive the funds they need. In fact, funding takes an average of just one to three weeks, according to the size of the loan. Conversely, it can take months to receive the funds from a traditional bank loan ─ precious time you might not have when you need money now.
3. Ability to Tell Your Story
Banks take a very black or white approach to loan applications ─ if you have bad credit, there’s a good chance you won’t get a loan, and if you do, it will likely come with a prohibitive interest rate. However, P2P lending gives you the chance to explain why you have bad credit, allowing investors the chance to give you a break.
4. Fewer Fees to Pay
Traditional bank loans come with a variety of fees, such as an application fee and a processing fee that increase the total cost of your loan. P2P lending sites like Prosper and Lending Club charge just one origination fee to screen borrowers and issue loans. These fees are taken from the loan immediately and that’s it ─ no hidden fees or costs. For example, Prosper’s origination fees range from 1 to 5 percent of the total loan and Lending Club charges 1.1 to 5 percent of the amount funded.
5. Significantly Cheaper than Credit Cards
Taking out a P2P loan to pay off credit card debt can offer significant savings. If you’re able to get a lower interest rate on a P2P loan, you can pay off your credit card, cut up the plastic and get out of debt in a much quicker time period. In fact, borrowing from P2P loans can be up to 70 percent cheaper than credit cards, according to LendingRobot, a cloud-based financial service.
Top P2P Lending Apps
Want to learn more about P2P lending or need the ability to manage your accounts from anywhere? Check out the following four P2P lending apps:
Related: 12 Highest-Rated Bank and Credit Union Apps
1. LendingClub Investor
Download the Lending Club app to manage your lendingclub.com peer-to-peer lending accounts from anywhere. The app supports multiple investor accounts, allows you to browse and order notes, quick fill orders, assign ordered Lending Club notes to portfolios and more. It’s available for $4.99 on both Apple and Android devices.
2. Peer to Peer Lending from Udemy
Learn all about peer-to-peer lending in this educational app from Udemy. You’ll gain lifetime access to 15 informative P2P lectures, including “What is P2P Lending? What does P2P Mean?” and “Traditional Bank Loans vs. P2P Loans.” Enjoy the ability to learn on-the-go with video lectures, audio lectures, presentations and more. This free app is available for download on Android devices.
3. Kabbage
Specializing in small business loans, the Kabbage app allows you to conveniently manage your accounts from anywhere. Take your funds on-the-go, pay your bills and view your transaction history from your smartphone. This free app is available for both Apple and Android devices.
4. P2P Investment
This app helps people who want to lend money connect with those who want to borrow it. The borrower inputs the amount of money needed, explains the reason for the loan and posts his listing online for investors to fund. Download this app for free on Android devices.
Photo credit: bobbi vie
Are you ready for some football? How about some team-inspired interiors? These homes are showing their Boston Patriot and Seattle Seahawk pride, but not with framed jerseys or team flags. Check out these fan-tastic homes featured on Porch.com.
Patriots Colors:
Arlington Remodel by Moss Building Design | Moss Home Services
Bold red polka-dots and delicate blue and white ceramics aren’t the only touches of blue and red in this 1960s redo. By varying the patterns (florals, geometric, stripes, etc.) you can avoid thematic overload.
Bridgehampton Project by Foley&Cox Interiors
Crips whites and brilliant royal blues can allude to an almost beachy, nautical theme, perfect for this weekend-getaway home. Pair these strong colors with solid neutrals like wood, rattan or bamboo. These natural materials will give needed texture as well.
Brooklyn Brownstone by Marks & Frantz
This fun child’s room plays upon familiar nautical themes in a patriotic red, white and blue. A featured wall covered in a modern geometric print sets the tone for a creative play space. Lots of white help balance out the space and keep it from being overwhelming.
Kenmore Home by Graciela Rutowski Interiors
Navy blue walls make a striking backdrop for this waterfront home. Notice the back of the chair detail that elegantly ties the neutral brown tones of the dining set to other blue colors in the home. A fun touch of red adds a dynamic touch.
Seahawks Colors:
5000 by Graciela Rutowski Interiors
Blue and green is a great color combination for the bedroom: It’s cool, comforting and reminds us of colors found in nature. What a great way to fall asleep! Matching the drapery to the wall color is a great way to add texture and volume to the room without breaking up the lines.
Green Glam by Graciela Rutowski Interiors
This spring green used in the living room plays upon the beautiful foliage seen from the picture windows. More green is playfully placed around the room and is a great compliment to a popular combination of navy blue and brown.
Mt Baker Parkview Manor by Colleen Knowles Interior Design
This 1908 home in Seattle features an entrance that makes a great first impression. A playful botanical wallpaper dominates the upper walls and is mirrored in the matching bench pillows. Additionally, the traditional wood panels on the walls and ceiling are a great paring to the feminine florals.
Electric Blue by Errez Design
Bold, peacock blue dominates this light-infused entrance. An eclectic mix of patterns and shapes, like the vintage chippy doors, oversized paisley rug, Moroccan pouf, and lime green table create a fun and festive entrance.
Mother, wife, media mogul, entrepreneur, performer and best-selling author, Wendy Williams is best known for “The Wendy Williams Show,” hailed a “breakthrough in daytime” in 2009 by The New York Times. The show, syndicated nationally and broadcast on BET at midnight, now airs in 52 countries. Currently in its sixth season, it has been renewed through 2017.
“The Wendy Williams Show” is the provocative, must-see talk show in daytime. Taped live in New York City, viewers delight over Williams’ distinctive and entertaining personality, as well as a diverse mix of interviews with celebrity guests from television, film, music and sports. Popular segments include “Hot Topics,” in which she delivers her own unpredictable, honest and authentic take on the most talked about headlines and “Ask Wendy,” in which she offers real advice to audience members looking for guidance to everyday problems.
“The Wendy Williams Show” is a reflection of its star and host; the vibrant colors and upbeat soundtrack matches Williams’ own personality and spirited sense of humor. The focus on entertainment and pop culture reflects Williams’ passion for those topics. Hailed by the New York Post as “daytime TV’s favorite guilty pleasure,” Williams’ interviews countless celebrity guests from the perspective of a fan, as she asks the questions that her audience wants to know.She was named one of the “35 Most Powerful People in Media” by The Hollywood Reporter in 2012 and 2013. Williams was also the first talk show host to donate items to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in February 2014.
Prior to achieving success in daytime television, Williams built a devoted fan base throughout a successful 23-year career in radio. “The Wendy Williams Experience” was Williams’ top-rated, daily radio show. Syndicated nationally, it aired on WBLS in New York and was listened to by an audience of more than 12 million people. One of the most popular personalities in radio, Williams was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in November of 2009 – one of only a handful of women with that honor.
How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?
I didn’t have the easiest childhood. I was never the popular girl in school growing up. I was always the lone black girl or the lone fat girl or the long tall girl so that has made me more compassionate to all people. It also gave me the drive and ambition to go after my dreams in a big way.
What have the highlights and challenges been hosting your own show?
One of the biggest challenges I have is keeping conversation with my celebrity guest within seven-minute segments. I’m a talker and I’m curious about human nature. Seven minutes is never long enough but I don’t want to get cut off by a commercial. When I had my radio show I had four hours a day to talk and interview people, now I have a one-hour show with commercial breaks and that has always been my biggest challenge.
What are the highlights of having my own show? Where do I start? Every day’s a highlight, are you kidding me? I have my own talk show! The announcer says, “Here’s Wendy,” the doors open and I throw my hands in the air and all 500 teeth…now that’s real!
The highlight of my day is “Here’s Wendy.” It’s the most amazing experience and I’m the only one who gets to experience it because I’m the only one walking through those doors. My heart races each and every day, I have the best job in the world!
What advice can you offer to women who want a career in television?
Take some elocution lessons, you can joke with Ebonics but the truth is, nothing beats the King’s English. Learning how to speak properly and the art of delivery can take you very far in life!
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career to date?
That’s a hard question but I would have to say the best lesson is, stay true to yourself! It might seem simple but it’s harder to do than you think. You can’t listen to what your friends or your siblings say, it’s important that you listen to yourself.
How do you maintain a work/life balance?
It’s all about prioritizing. Family and personal life always come first and career second. Also, despite what people may think, I don’t get too close to the flame of celebrity life. I don’t have celebrities in my phone or on my speed dial. When I finish The Wendy Williams Show I head back home to New Jersey. I like to be home with my family.
What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace?
I think the biggest issue for women in the work place is men! Most times men will mistake our hormones for weakness. When we raise our voice they assume we are bitchy or on our period but when men get loud or scream they are demanding attention and being authoritative.
How has mentorship made a difference in your professional and personal life?
Unfortunately, mentorship has not had an effect on me or made a difference in my life. When I was growing up you didn’t have access to radio hosts or TV personality like you do these days. All I knew is that I wanted to be a newscaster or a radio personality since I was young; I was very focused and determined to get my foot in the door.
Which other female leaders do you admire and why?
The female I most admire is my mother. She is an amazing woman. She was a career driven woman raising three children, which is no easy task. She has been married over 60 years now and she always has beautiful nails a nice figure. She knows how to cook a great meal and most importantly she is as smart as a whip when it come to dealing with business. She is my role model and the woman I look up to the most!
What do you want to personally and professionally accomplish in the next year?
Wow, there are a few things that I would like to accomplish in my professional career. I would like for my production company, Wendy Williams Productions, to have at least two more projects next year and I would like to have a major creative or endorsement deal in the next year. When it comes to my personal life, I want what I think everyone strives for. I want my family to stay healthy and happy!
If you want to set the mood when you’re gaming, don’t just get the Cheetos and 2-liter bottle of Mountain Dew. Use these candles as well. They’re gamer candles from Gametee. They smell like your games. Promise.
These candles include scents like Dragon Fire (Skyrim), White Mage (Final Fantasy), Hyrulian Forest (Zelda) and there are others as well. They will help to cover up the smell of the stale gamer (you) who hasn’t moved and exercised for several hours. Would it kill you to bathe?
They will cost you about $7.50(USD) each. That’s not a bad price for candles help transport you to the world of your game. So what are you waiting for. Up your game with some genuine game scents.
[via So Geek Chic via Nerd Approved]
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This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.