Lots of chatter out there about AI. Lots. Every day some some sort of news about how it will make our world unbelievably better and another about how it will be the end of humanity. I reached out to Kai Gray to ask him to answer some questions - what can AI really do? Aside from being the best source tech help I've ever found, what can it do for me…

On this week's Keepin' It Real, Cam is board so he's thinking about paddling across the Pacific. Or planting a few ferns. ----- I’m bored. And that’s a problem. Somethings been nagging at me for a few weeks and I now know what it is – I’m bored. There’s little adventure in my world right now. Very little discovery. And when boredom sets in get pani…

Tenaska has created a method for capturing the greenhouse gasses emited from industrial sites and pushing it through pipelines to a hub where it is injected 10,000 feet under ground. The diposal site must have a top layer of impermeable rock and the CO2 ultimately turns into an inert stone. The process requires a significant investment and Tenaska …

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam says we know we're all busy, very busy, but are we doing what it takes to flourish? ----- What does it take for a human to flourish? Such a simple question to understand but to answer, not so easy. Listening to a podcast last weekend, this question arose between the host and his guest. The guest pointed out that, …

For years Scott McKain has led audiences and his consulting clients how to become distinct and different in a crowded marketplace. His approach is simple yet most companies won't do it - what are the extra things you can do to remain memorable to customers and how can you incorporate them into your business? Most people will claim their expertise i…

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam Marston had a client breach a contract and he's trying to use lessons from Marcus Aurelius to keep himself from absolutely losing it. ----- I’m reading Marcus Aurelius’ book called Meditations written in about the year 175. They’re notes to himself about the thoughts he’s having and how he’s working to keep his he…

On this week's Keepin' It Real, what was Cam doing today at 4:59am? Well, he wasn't getting out of bed. That we know for sure. ----- Most mornings I’m staring at the clock about 4:30 am waiting to get up. I won’t allow myself to get out of bed before 5am. Getting your day started at 5am means you’re aggressive. You’re eager to get going. Getting ou…

Burnie Juneau can walk into a business and tell if it is franchisable. He's gained a sense of how easy it will be based on his years of experience. His approach to the owner is "are you interested in growing quickly." The company he works for, Franchise Marketing Systems, does all the paperwork, files the trademark documents, and readies the busine…

On this week's Keepin' It Real, Cam has seen much more of the healthcare world these days than he would like. His advice: Stay well. ----- I’ve been given an up a close look at our health care system over the past several months. It’s been, well, disappointing. And this comes after hearing a remarkable speaker discuss the importance of customer ser…

Col. John Kilpatrick saves veteran lives. He offers a system for doing it, with key roles filled by other veterans. "Unless you're a veteran," he told me, "you'll never know what we've gone through and no one will listen to you." His agency, Vets Recover, is the first of its type he knows about in the country. From vets in despair on the edge of su…

Each spring Cam sits in his morning reading chair and see's a friend just outside the window. But Cam won't give him a name. He absolutely won't. ----- My lizard friend is back again. He shows up on the air conditioner every spring just outside the window. He stays there quite a while each morning, arriving about half an hour after sunrise. I sit e…

Last time on the show Dr Robert Pearl gave a general overview of the impact he predicts AI with have with medicine. I asked him to return to the show on the release of his new book, ChatGPT MD, now availble on Amazon. Dr Pearl gives a wonderful example of someone injured in a ski accident and when they entered details about their accident and the r…

On this week's Keepin' It Real, Cam Marston takes a moment to observe the fingerprint of time. And wishes he hadn't. ----- Talking to a naked man is awkward. It’s just…awkward. There are men that have come my gym at the same time every day for decades. And their work in the gym may have kept them alive but it has not kept them from aging. There is …

Dan Sigmond has seen a great deal in his time with the FBI. He and I discuss his pursuit of financail fraud the the crooks who commit it. Some the crooks are idiots, Sigmond says. Some, however, are brilliant. Sigmond tells us what to look for, how to defend ourselves, and the most common mistakes businesses make. Show Sponsors: Mason Hills Farms -…

On this week's KIR, Cam Marston wonders if he could do the same thing for fifteen years and know, just know in his bones, that it would pay off. ----- I’ve just watched the documentary on Steve Martin called "Steve! A Documentary in Two Pieces." I’ve always liked Steve Martin. What caught my attention the most is that he did his standup act for fif…

Lauren Fernandez - Full Course - can spot a restuarant that's destined to make it. Her years of experience in the industry as an owner / operator and as a promoter has given her the insight. Today she works with owners of small restuarant concepts to get them launched big and fast by helping the owners make smart growth decisions and avoid the pitt…

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam Marston hypothesizes on what a parenting podcast from him and his wife would sound like. ----- My wife and I sat together at the beach last week laughing as we retold stories and reminded ourselves of the humor of parenting. Especially as Gen X parents. We decided to compose a social media post together. The date …

Chris Lawrence has focused on the human capital space helping organizations identify, build, financially assess, implement, and manage outsourced recruiting and consulting solutions. His perspective gives a good view of today's workplace and workforce needs. We discuss how the workforce needs have evolved since the Great Recession and what he predi…

Shadrick Toodle hand-made t-shirts to wear to support his kids' sports teams. Other parents wanted them, too. Today he's selling promotional clothing for teams across his hometown area and well beyond. His presence at events is a big deal. Kids and parents want photos with him. He's a celebrity. And it all transfers into more and more and more sale…

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam Marston has some observations about the NCAA tournament. The old guys are winning, and he likes that. ----- Someone in my family is not pleased right now. As I write this Wednesday, I don’t know who. Last night the North Carolina Tar Heels basketball team took on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the NCAA tournament. My…

Tony Tejas stumbled on his salsa recipe one night making something quick for a friend. Today Tony's Tejas Salsa can be found across the southeast. Tony is working on vegan soups and stews, too. His goal is to simply make the world a better place and his food products are how he's doing it - healthy food, fresh ingredients, no preservatives. He's a …

On this week's Keepin' It Real, Cam is searching for a message and if he hears one, he WILL obey. ----- I think there is someone or something out there trying to send me a message. A few things have happened lately that seem, well, like there is a message coming or attached but I don’t know what it is. First, storms rolled through a few months ago …

Adam Sealey is the principal at Baldwin Prepatory Academy where he oversees the training and development of high school students and readying them to enter straight into the workplace. With enthusiastic support from corportate sponsors, Adam and Eric West - Career Technical Education Coordinator - are on the forefront of developing the skills emplo…

There's a grocery store Cam goes to when he's in a hurry. It's NOT the one closest to his house. That one is full of memories. Full of roots. ----- I saw him see me. He turned and headed my way. “Cam,” he said. “How’s you mother?” “Well,” I said. “She passed away two years ago.” I saw you at her funeral, I wanted to say. I remember talking to you. …

I met Jill Schlesinger at a conference years ago. We chatted back stage and got along. On my next trip to New York City she took me around the CBS Studios and and introduced me to some of the national personalities you would recognize on TV. She was interested, kind, nice, and generous when she didn't need to be. Her path to journalism is non-tradi…

On today's Keepin' It Real, Cam shares something he saw last weekend that made him feel a little bit better about things. ----- I'm in Starbucks. It's Saturday. It's Noon. I'm in Tuscaloosa at the corner of Bryant Drive and 8th Avenue. Sororities across the street disgorging young ladies for their morning cups of honey-dew latté with extra chai, ex…

When we last checked in with David Morris, president of QB Country, he was busy training his "bread and butter" client - middle and high school quarterbacks. Now in eleven cities, he's now taken many of those young QBs into the college and pro levels and they're staying close. Any any given moment in the offseason, David is training quarterbacks wh…

On this week's Keepin' It Real, Cam shares a story he's kept quiet for fourteen years. It's time to get it off his chest. ----- I’ve just boarded my flight. I’m headed home. Sitting here, a memory has resurfaced. Many years ago, deplaning in Chicago, I took a call from a young man. He’d studied my work and asked me to mentor him. He wanted to trave…

After a degree from LSU in landscape design, Catherine Arensberg wondered if that career was her calling. She evaluated her options, tried a few things, then doubled down on the parts of landscape designe she enjoyed the most. At the same time she developed a social media profile and grew it relentlesly. Today she's as busy as she wants to be with …

Cam's phone has been ringing. It's a lot of his small business friends and they're experiencing similar things. They're feeling pressure. They're feeling squeezed. ----- When an orange is squeezed, orange juice comes out. We know this. We know that sun and good soil and water and maybe some fertilizer help that orange develop that juice. We know th…

The NFL attracts elite athletes. Chancellor Moody and Timaje Porter think they have what it takes. Timaje is preparing for NFL Day where scouts will look him over. Chancellor is preparing to join a college football team where he expects his skills to shine. They both have lots of support in their corner, they're doing the work to ready themselves f…

Mardi Gras ended Tuesday for Cam. Immediately following Mardi Gras is the beginning of Lent and Cam struggles with what sacrifices he should make. ----- Lent. I struggle with Lent every year. How much suffering is enough to prepare my soul for the Easter arrival of the Lord? Is there enough? Who knows. There’s always someone suffering more; someone…

Nick Bloom is an economist at Stanford. He began studing work from home trends long before they became a thing with Covid. Nick gives me the final word on whether work from home is profitable for companies, how it impacts creativity, and what most organizations are doing now that employees are insisting on a work from home environment. He also shar…