In this enlightening episode, Angie Austin and Jim Stovall dive into the essence of relationships and their impact on our happiness. Drawing from personal experiences and the Harvard Happiness Study, they explore the sacrifices and efforts needed to maintain valuable connections. From the significance of spending time with loved ones now rather than regretting later, to the role technology plays in keeping relationships alive, this conversation is a heartfelt reminder of what truly matters in life.
Welcome to The Good News with Angie Austin. Now, with The Good News, here’s Angie.
SPEAKER 04 :
Hello there, Angie Austin and Jim Stovall with The Good News. Today we are talking about his winner’s wisdom, a column titled Freezing Your Finances. Hello, Jim.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, hello, Angie. It is always a privilege to talk to you.
SPEAKER 04 :
Hey, we were talking on my cousin’s vacation. I just took a little cousin’s trip. And we went to see another cousin, my best friend cousin, Lori. Her brother has been in a facility because he went in for one of those shots you get in your back. And because he was having back pain, he plays a lot of tennis, etc. But there were some extenuating circumstances with his health that maybe he didn’t tell them about. So anyway, I don’t know if he just had a heart attack or stopped breathing during all this, maybe late 50s at the time. And so he didn’t get oxygen for quite some time. So it caused some pretty severe brain damage. So he has to be cared for now. And you think about something so simple like that, right? But I think that that just goes to say that for me personally, I would really do a lot of research on the facility about how prepared they are for an emergency. Because from the other relative that was there, it seemed like for many minutes, no one really knew what to do. Because this was new to them. This hadn’t happened to anyone that they were just, you know, taken in for a shot before. Right. So, yeah. Anyway, so his life completely changed. We went to visit him. But the important part besides that is that all the cousins, we talked about how much effort it takes to maintain these really important relationships, which you and I talk a lot about with the Harvard Happiness Study. The best indicator of happiness is relationships, connections, friendships, family. And we were talking about just relationships. Like, one of them had their ticket was $600 to come from kind of a difficult location, right? And they’re a retired teacher, so that’s a really big deal. And then, you know, we rent a car, we get a hotel, we have to all coordinate our schedules. One of them teaches athletic classes. She had to get all kinds of different teachers to teach all of her different classes online. Another one has to cook all of her husband’s meals before she goes because he doesn’t cook. Another one has to prepare all the animals’ meals before they go because she has a special diet for them. And my point to all of this is, of course, I didn’t have to prepare anything. My husband’s completely self-sufficient, and I’m gone all the time, but… And the point is, a lot of people don’t won’t make that effort for a friendship, a relationship, a cousin. And we’re already planning the next one. The cousins are. And and one of them was saying, you know, some of our relatives don’t have anyone that will come to their funeral because they won’t put in the effort to maintain a friendship or a relationship because it really you have to make sacrifices. You have to really make an effort.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, I always encourage people. you know, look at your Christmas card list or whatever it is, or think of all the people that if they died, you would take a whole day and go to their funeral and, you know, and as good as that is, I don’t care whether you send them a Christmas card or go to their funeral, call them or go see them now, because that’s what really matters is, is calling and connecting with people now. And, and, You know, I was at a funeral not long ago for a dear friend, and somebody came up to me and said, you know, I hadn’t seen him in 15 years. And that is sad, particularly when you’ll take half a day and go to his funeral. But you haven’t seen him in 50 ways. You know, much better to take half a day when the guy’s alive and spend some quality time with him. So, yeah, I think those are the commitments we make. And, you know, we can say what’s important to us. Everybody says family is important and friends are important. But as we’ve discussed, Angie, show me how you spend your time and your money, and I’ll tell you what’s really important to you, not what you say is important.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, how you spend your time and your money. It’s interesting you mentioned that about the funeral and making the time. I understand when people can’t afford it or they can’t get away or they’re caring for a loved one or whatever, so I do understand some of the excuses. However, now there’s FaceTime. I have FaceTime dates with friends that live in other parts of the country. And you can see their face, and it’s really like getting together for coffee because you can sit at your kitchen table, chit-chat with them, have your coffee or lunch or whatever, and it’s almost like you’re together.
SPEAKER 01 :
Oh, yeah, and Crystal and I have stayed in touch with, you know, family and friends and little kids, you know, three, four, five years old, and they are so comfortable with the screen time that we were in New York at Crystal’s niece’s house, and her little girl comes over, and we usually have a Zoom with them every Sunday, and And it was Sunday and we’re visiting and she said, do we still get to Zoom? And so, you know, and, you know, she just, you know, it’s really, really amazing. And, you know, the two things about the technology that always amaze me is that we can do this. For free, you can sit and watch somebody. You know, when I was a kid, we’d watch Star Trek, and they’d have a communicator, and you could look at the guy you were talking to. And that was space age. Oh, that’s right. Oh, yeah. Now we all do it for free. But the two things that amaze me is, number one, we can do it, and number two, we don’t. We just don’t use it that often.
SPEAKER 04 :
That is old-school FaceTime. Star Trek, the communicator. I forgot about that, that you could open it. It was like a little cell phone kind of, right? You flipped it open. Yeah.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, I’m still waiting for the transporter, and I can have Scotty beam me up to where I’m going.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes, yes, who knows if that will come true. Oh, you know, we do have this thing in Vegas, and I didn’t get to call it yet. I keep telling you I want to try it, but it’s called Zoox, Z-O-O-X, and there’s an app for it. And it’s this little rectangular, kind of like an ice cube-shaped thing, but more rectangular with kind of rounded edges. And it’s kind of like a little limo, they call it. So it’s like a box, but a rectangle, like an Amazon, big giant Amazon box kind of. So anyway, you get inside of it. It has big windows, and then it has specific locations now. So you call it. It arrives at the location. You all hop in, and you must say on your app, you know, I’m in now or whatever. I accept the ride. And then it has a predetermined, you know, there’s like six places it can take you from like Topgolf to the Wynn or something like that, you know. And so you have to be at one of the locations for it to pick you up. And so I guess they’re just testing it out. And it’s not the Waymo. The Waymo seems to be way more advanced where that’s literally a Lyft ride kind of thing where there’s no driver. But this also has no driver and it’s electric. But, you know, it’s so new that it has set locations it goes to. Right. you know, we still haven’t come to the jet since a little flying car either, where it’s right outside your apartment building and you can fly off in your car. But it’s amazing how many of these things we never thought would come true that have, you know, come to fruition now.
SPEAKER 01 :
Oh, I was with a friend not long ago, and he has one of these space age Tesla cars. And we get to the restaurant. He said, well, we’ll just get out here in front. Well, I thought they had valet or I get out of the car and And we, and the car takes off without any, I said, where is that going? He said, oh, it’ll park. And then when we’re done eating, I’ll push a button on my phone and it’ll come back and get us. And this thing went and parked somewhere on the street and waited. And then he pushed the button and it came back to the restaurant and picked us up. And I just, I mean, I don’t even know what I think about that. I just, it’s amazing to me.
SPEAKER 04 :
That is hilarious, absolutely hilarious. All right, so let’s get into, after our weekly chit-chat, freezing your finances. What’s this article about?
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, you know, when you advise people about finances, and that’s part of my background, behavioral science, and then a member of New York Stock Exchange investment firm, and And there are very few things you can advise people on, and it’s good advice for everybody. It doesn’t matter who you are or what, because it’s a little like being a doctor. And what should you do? Well, the right answer is generally, well, it depends on your situation. But when we talk about freezing your finances, or in this case, freezing your credit, I think it just makes sense for everybody. I hope everybody listening to us right now will go and do this today. And what it is, is there are so many ways that extremely devious, evil people can steal your credit, steal your money, steal your identity. There are so many things they can do. And these are smart people that are working hard all day to do this. And The easiest way to stop them is freeze your credit, and you can go to a number of websites. One of the easiest ones I like is annualcreditreport.com. You can go there, and it’s free, and there are three credit unions. TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. It doesn’t matter. You can just go there, and it will let you freeze your credit and all of those. And what that means is you’re telling all three of the credit agencies, I do not want to borrow any money, and I do not want to have any transactions like that approved. And now, not only can you not borrow money, but no one else can borrow money in your name. You know, the minute someone tries to steal your identity, it comes up as fraud. Now, let’s say, you know, somewhere down the line, you’re buying a new house or car and you need to get your credit back. Well, you thaw your credit. It’s actually called thaw. It’s very quick and easy. You can do the transaction, and then you can refreeze your credit, and no one else can touch it. And it’s just a smart way to go. And the other thing I highly recommend people do is the federal government will allow you once a year to check your credit for free because, frankly, these credit unions or the credit unions reporting agencies, they’re selling your information. And the government says, since it’s your information, you ought to be able to get it for free every year. Well, there are three of them. So I have a note on my calendar. Every four months, I will check with one of them. And you go to freecreditreport.com, and you can get a free credit report on yourself, just like a lender would. And then you can freeze your credit. And it’s just something everybody ought to do. It doesn’t cost anything. It’s simple. It’s easy. wow, it can save you a lot of headaches.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, so you freeze your credit, and then when you thaw your credit, like, okay, let’s just go through the process. So to freeze your credit, explain exactly how to do that again.
SPEAKER 01 :
go to freecreditreport.com and they they’ll they’ll prompt you there how to freeze your credit and there are three credit unions and you just click and you freeze it with you’re just telling them that uh i do not want to borrow any money and don’t want to have any money borrowed in my name period and you have to do it for each company yes but okay they they have streamlined i mean Crystal just did it not long ago, and it took 10 minutes to do the whole thing.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, so you freeze it with all three companies. So you go to FreeCreditReport.com. Okay, then?
SPEAKER 01 :
Then let’s say you want to buy a new car, get a college loan, whatever. You go, and they give you very straightforward. you know, specific instructions. Here’s how to thaw your credit. And you do that, and within almost instantaneously, your credit’s available again.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, and to do that, you also go to freecreditreport.com?
SPEAKER 01 :
Right, freecreditreport.com. Well, I’m probably going to advise you to go to annualcreditreport.com. The free credit report, you have to sign up and stay. Annual credit report is free to everybody. and you can get your credit reports, and you can thaw and freeze there. So probably better at annualcreditreport.com, but they all work. There are different portals to tell the three main credit score people, I am opting out of everything. Anything that’s done in my name is not valid. And then you can thaw, and then the minute you get your college loan or whatever, you refreeze it, and you’re good to go.
SPEAKER 04 :
annual credit report.com. And then I, I don’t, I mean, I’m just asking you something you told me several years back, but there’s another website or place you go like, um, for found money or lost money. And I, when I went, I found a bunch of, you know, over a thousand dollars that my mom was owed. Do you remember what that was called?
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah. I think missing money.com. You can go there. And then most States have their own and you can ask them, where is it? And, uh, And I do that, you know, and probably once every year or two, I will put that out as my column, and I get hundreds of people responding. And, Angie, there have been hundreds of thousands of dollars found just through, you know, my columns and my conversations with people like you on the radio. I mean, it’s amazing how much money is out there because people forget that you had this little tax refund or you had a rebate you never claimed or you had a deposit on an apartment or, you know, a utility deposit you never got back. And all this stuff just piles up. And there is I mean, there’s a lot of money out there.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right. Jim Stovall dot com. That’s another great place to go. Thank you, my friend. Thank you.
SPEAKER 02 :
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SPEAKER 03 :
Brighton is tuned to the mighty 670 KLT Denver.
SPEAKER 04 :
Hey, Angie Austin here with the good news along with Jim Stovall. All right, Jim, I wanted to keep you around today because I I just. There aren’t that many people that I talk to that every time I talk to them, they say, everything’s great. I’ve had a great week. Boy, is today a great day. And for those of you who don’t know, Jim is blind, but wasn’t born blind, went blind after he was planning a professional career as a football player, had big plans for his life, and then found out he was going blind. Okay, so I was telling my cousins about you this weekend and about, you know, how then you went to a concert and all of a sudden Ray Charles is introduced and you felt like God was telling you, hey, you still had a future, even though you were going to be going blind. And then you also told me what your friend Zig Ziglar said. And I’m introducing all of this because I want to know how you developed a mindset of always having a great day. So let’s start, first of all, with what Zig, you overheard Zig saying to a crabby person that was at one of your speaking events.
SPEAKER 01 :
We were backstage getting ready for a big arena event, and there’s a million moving parts in those things. Yes. And five or six speakers, and there’s an overabundance of egos and a lot of different things going on backstage. And the stage manager, the technology just wasn’t working, and the arena was filling up, and we’re 10 minutes away from curtain, and things are not going good. And Zig comes in, and… And, you know, I said, Zig, how is it? And he yells loud enough for everybody to hear, it’s a great day to be alive. And this stage manager had just had it. The stage manager turns to him and says, well, aren’t you having a great day today? And Zig said, you know, about 30 years ago, I decided to have a great day today. And every day, he just always had a great day. And it is… And Angie, I’m… I’m enough of a realist to understand. There’s always a lot of reasons to be happy, and there’s always a lot of reasons you could be unhappy if you wanted to. But I just have a tendency to say it’s a great day. I mean, it is just a great day.
SPEAKER 04 :
Were you like that before you lost your vision, before you became a highly successful businessman and speaker, and now you’ve written 60 books and you’re working on your ninth movie? So you have a lot to be happy about. Were you like that before you were told you were going blind?
SPEAKER 01 :
Not really. I was probably more of run-of-the-mill normal that you would see. I mean, I was an athlete. That was about it. I was not a student. I was not anything. I was very gifted at sports, and that’s what I did. But once I discovered this secret of… You know, just being happy, having a great attitude. And, you know, I did a thing on the I wrote a book called The Art of Optimism and how important it is to be an optimist. And do you know there are scientific studies that say that being a pessimist, having a bad attitude is more detrimental to your health than smoking two packs of cigarettes a day.
SPEAKER 07 :
Oh, wow.
SPEAKER 01 :
because of the endorphins and all the things that being happy. So if you can’t quit smoking, at least have a good attitude. I mean, just, you know, think of all the, and, you know, Angie, you and I talk about a lot, the golden list that came from my grandmother, list 10 things you’re grateful for and, you know, call on the people that have made a difference in your life and thank them and let them know. And you get enough of that going on in your life. It’s almost impossible. to have a bad day. It just really, really is.
SPEAKER 04 :
And you said, once you discovered the secret, what do you mean? Once you discovered this, did you just decide like, like what happened? What, and what do you mean the secret? Like, how do you keep that attitude?
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, my, my grandmother taught me about gratitude and it became a habit. But once I saw Zig do it, it just changed. I realized, You know, it’s not a matter of somebody, you know, you have a great personality or you have a pessimistic personality. You get to choose what you want to do. And, you know, we’re about as happy as we decide to be.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, no kidding, right.
SPEAKER 04 :
we’re about as happy as we decide to be isn’t that the truth um you know your grandma’s gratitude list i’ve done that a lot but i’ve pared it down from 10 to 5 especially when my kids were little and i used to tell you that when my mom was crabby because she was crabby a lot with the kids that i would tell them okay if grandma’s crabby on the way to school tell her to do her golden list and oh that would just change her attitude right away when she would go through the things that she was thankful for and you’re spending this time with my cousins the last um In this little trip we took, the Cousins trip, they’re very positive, too, and they’re early risers like you, which is super irritating to me because they’re getting up at like 5.30, 6, 6.37, you know, and they’re banging around. And, you know, I’m like maybe a 9 a.m. person, right?
SPEAKER 05 :
I’m like maybe you people have a secret of like getting up early is really helpful to you or something. Yeah.
SPEAKER 01 :
And, you know, and that’s a matter of, you know, I did not used to get up early, but having a good attitude and liking what I do and being excited about the day makes me get up early. And a lot of it’s just putting it into perspective. I remember my grandfather saying that old thing, you know, I was depressed that I had no shoes until I met a man that had no feet. And it just doesn’t take much until you start feeling lucky and how gifted we all are.
SPEAKER 04 :
And what a gift life is. Oh, I wish we were out of time. My next guest is joining us. Thank you, JimStoble.com. Thank you, friend. If you are just joining us, this is Angie Austin with the good news. Well, as spring arrives and temps begin to warm, entertaining habits are shifting with more people gathering at home, outside, and for easy ways to elevate, you know, everyday moments. A European tradition, which I think is so cool, it’s kind of the way I eat, enjoying, you know, light drinks and small bites. It’s starting to influence how people Americans are hosting this season as well. Well, here to share spring entertaining trends from simple cocktails to elevated at-home gatherings is beverage expert and national brand ambassador for Saint-Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Julian Areola. Welcome, Julian.
SPEAKER 07 :
Hey, Angie. Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER 04 :
You are welcome. It’s funny. You know, my kids joke. They always say the only thing mom ever finishes is ice cream because I never finish like a legit meal because it’s just too much food. So I love this way of eating and entertaining and small bites and like having lots of different selections for people. So is this a big trend that you’re seeing right now? Because if it is, I love it.
SPEAKER 07 :
No, absolutely. So super exciting. One of the biggest trends that we’re noticing is people leaning away from more formal hosting, big banquets and like big dinners. And leaning into elevating the everyday with these smaller, more casual experiences. And with that comes the spritz and other aperitif cocktails that just complement this moment organically because they’re fresh, they’re light, they’re sessionable.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, so I don’t know what spritz season is. So explain to me, what is spritz season?
SPEAKER 07 :
Oh, super fun. So to be completely honest, the spritz is a year-round cocktail. But there’s a certain energy that comes with the spring, right? We’re celebrating, surviving through the winter, and there’s this playful, carefree, joyous amount of energy that comes into play. And so cocktails like the spritz, fit that moment really well. There’s actually been a fun cocktail report that came out recently from the Bacardi Cocktail Tracker that said that the spritz is actually on track to outpace both the martini and the gin and tonic as one of the best-consumed cocktails of the year, which is super exciting. And leading that trend is St. Germain, and that’s truly because of our dedication to our hand-picked wild alder flowers.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, so tell us how easy it is to make a spritz. What does it entail? What do you put into it?
SPEAKER 07 :
Oh, so simple. So we start with our St. Germain spritz glass. At home, for those of you that don’t have one, a wine glass is an easy fix. We’ll add a bunch of ice to it, and then we’ll start with two ounces of sparkling water. and then add two ounces of a sparkling wine. I’m using Prosecco today, but you can absolutely substitute that for sparkling rosé or a chilled red, all of which will bring really fun, nuanced flavors. Now, the piece de resistance, an ounce and a half of our elderflower liqueur, Saint Germain. And this is where you get all of the notes of tropical fruit, like lychee and passion fruit. There’s stone fruit notes like peaches and pears, honeysuckle, and a little bit of soft citrus like lemon and pomelo. And so you have all of those ingredients in the glass. You’ll give it a good stir. St. Germain has an iconic golden hue that’s just darling. And so you’ll see that really envelop the glass and, you know, just become a showstopper. We’ll then garnish with a lime wedge and a mint bouquet, and voila. It’s honestly that simple.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, it sounds delicious. So if you’re hosting, what would you suggest in terms of foods that would pair well with the Spritz?
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, the fun part is there are no wrong answers. The St. Germain Spritz is such a wonderfully versatile food pairing. But I always recommend leaning into lighter, crisper foods. So think charcuterie boards, soft cheeses, fruit platters, freshly shucked oysters. All of these clean, crisp layers really accentuate all of those tasting notes of fruit and floral that I mentioned earlier in Saint-Germain.
SPEAKER 04 :
You know, one of my girlfriends says the old school, like you said, like she has like a rat pack house that, you know, it’s got like the giant pool and the tennis courts and, you know, the sculptures and the big fountain, a fountain in the entryway with all the marble where we dance, you know, I mean, like nothing like I would ever hold with all my teenagers. So when we go over there, she puts so much into the table, right? Her tablescape. And I say, how do you come up with this? She goes, I work on it for a week and I place it. And then I come in the next day and I look at it and I’m like, no, I think this would look better. And every day for like a week, she changes it until she comes up with this magnificent tablescape. Well, me with all these kids and sports and jobs and, you know, basketball tournaments, I’m not doing that. So are there ways that you can create like a beautiful spring tablescape without having the rat pack, you know, Frank Sinatra house and having a week to do your tablescape?
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, well, first and foremost, you need to invite me over next time she’s hosting a party. That sounds glamorous. But really, when you’re hosting at home, my advice is always to indulge the senses, but keep it simple. Things like using a natural linen tablecloth or napkins bring a fun sense of texture. A little bit of greenery goes a long way in creating verdant, vibrant energy and also adding to the aroma of the room. Your serving ware, so think platters and glassware, are really fun punctuation marks. And additionally, in my opinion, most importantly, how you serve your cocktail makes a really big statement. So when I’m serving you St. Germain’s birth at home, I always use a decorative carafe. Not only does this give a sense of ease and comfort, but it’s a showstopper on the table, which is really fun.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, so you mix like a whole carafe of the spritzer and pour it from the carafe?
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, and that’s the easy part is that once it’s on the table, anyone can come up and pour it into their glass, give it a good garnish, and it’s accessible. So you can step away while you’re hosting and allow your guests to make the cocktail knowing that it’s going to be perfect every time.
SPEAKER 04 :
Julian, I know we only have a minute left, but I’ve been doing TV news and radio news for 30 years, and I love to find out what makes people tick. How did you get into this? What gave you a passion for this? This is such a cool line of work.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, you know what? I was a bartender for a very long time, and I grew up in the industry. And what made me fall in love with St. Germain is all the different ways in which it can be used. And so I’ve been with the brand for four years, and throughout this time frame, there’s no style of cocktail, no spirit pairing that I haven’t been able to crack. And there’s something, like, really magic when you work in alcohol, when you work on something that is so magical and can play in so many different, like, taste profiles and can touch on so many different cultures, and it’s just fun. I wouldn’t imagine a different brand.
SPEAKER 04 :
It seems so fun. I just interviewed yesterday, you know, like a chocolate, you know, chef. And I was like, oh, my gosh, like these are two totally cool careers. And I’m ready to embrace the Spritz season now, Julian. Where do we get more info?
SPEAKER 07 :
Absolutely. So it’s super simple. You can go to St. GermainLacure.com. There you’ll have the recipe not only for the St. Germain Spritz, but for some of our favorites. Saint Germain cocktails. Additionally, there is a spritz locator, so it’ll show nearby restaurants and bars that serve the Saint Germain spritz, as well as local vendors that you can purchase a bottle for home. We also have available a really fun spritz kit that comes with the carasse, as well as two Saint Germain glasses and a bottle of Saint Germain itself.
SPEAKER 04 :
Wow, you really nailed it. I mean, you’ve got it all. Okay, great. Thanks, Julian.
SPEAKER 07 :
Remember, everyone at home, rain or shine, there’s a 100% chance of spreads with St. Germain.
SPEAKER 05 :
I love it. Thank you.
SPEAKER 07 :
Of course. Have a great day.
SPEAKER 06 :
You too. Thank you for listening to The Good News with Angie Austin on AM670 KLTT.
