Still Jonesing for adventure 4 decades later

In Cineversary podcast episode #36, host Erik Martin is joined by James Kendrick, Baylor University film professor and author of Darkness in the Bliss-Out: A Reconsideration of the Films of Steven Spielberg, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the greatest action/adventure movie of all time, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Together, Erik and James explore deep and dark caves, pits, tombs, and catacombs of conversation in their analysis of Raiders, examining why the film is worth celebrating all these years later, its cultural impact and legacy, what we can learn from the film in 2021, and more. 

James Kendrick

To listen to this episode, click here or click the "play" button on the embedded streaming player below. Or, you can stream, download or subscribe to the Cineversary podcast using Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Castbox, Pocket Casts, PodBean, RadioPublic, and Overcast.

Learn more about the Cineversary podcast at anchor.fm/cineversary and email show comments or suggestions to cineversegroup@gmail.com.

Hub how-to

Consult Gartner’s glossary and you’ll learn that a customer engagement hub (CEH) is an “architectural framework that ties multiple systems together to optimally engage the customer,” one that allows for personalized, contextual customer engagement, either via a human, artificial agent, or sensors, across all channels. 

Industry experts, on the other hand, equate a CEH to a personal butler for every customer the moment they walk in your store or visit your site.

Whatever the definition, CEHs have become increasingly popular for a simple reason: They centralize all customer interactions in a single, simplified customer experience, enabling synchronization across sales, marketing, and other departments to optimally engage patrons. Put another way, a well-planned and executed CEH is meant to make your old-fashioned contact center obsolete.

Learn more by reading my latest article for Destination CRM, available here.

When your doctor only takes dollars

You head to your doctor's office for a pressing medical need. But upon arriving you learn that he doesn't accept your health insurance plan. The out-of-pocket cost you'd have to pay is expensive. What should you do?

Truth is, many physicians don't accept certain forms of health insurance. In fact, plenty of doctors today choose to forego working with health insurance companies altogether and require cash payments from patients. For instance, consider that only 71% of doctors accepted Medicaid in 2019, per data from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission.

It's important to understand why many physicians are rejecting health insurance plans and requiring cash payments instead, as well as your options as a patient under the circumstances. Read my latest article for Insurance.com on this topic here.

FYI on IFS (and a new book I edited)

If you're a fan of the Disney/Pixar film Inside Out, you probably enjoyed the colorful personalities inhabiting the head of 11-year-old Riley, including Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust. But before you dismiss this cute concept of components in our cranium as cartoonish or cloying, consider that more psychiatrists, therapists, and mental health experts are supporting the notion that we are each comprised of parts that help us cope with the myriad challenges we face in life.

One such methodology espousing this idea is Internal Family Systems (IFS). Dr. Frank Anderson, the lead trainer and program consultant for the IFS Institute, has just published a book–Transcending Trauma–that explains how these parts work and how conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder can be successfully treated by tapping into these parts during talk therapy.

I had the pleasure of editing this tome for Dr. Anderson, which helped me learn more about IFS and its many merits. Learn more about the book and its author by clicking here.

Kane's reign now spans 80 years

In Cineversary podcast episode #35, host Erik Martin takes an extensive tour through Xanadu with three special guests to celebrate the 80th birthday of what many still consider to be the best film ever made: Citizen Kane, directed by Orson Welles, originally released in May 1941.

This king-sized installment features interviews with Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips, TCM's senior director of original programming Scott McGee, and film historian, professor, and author Joseph McBride. Collectively, they examine why Citizen Kane is worth honoring all these years later, its cultural impact and legacy, what we can learn from the film today, and more. 

To listen to this episode, click here or click the "play" button on the embedded streaming player below. Or, you can stream, download or subscribe to the Cineversary podcast using Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Castbox, Pocket Casts, PodBean, RadioPublic, and Overcast.

Michael Phillips, Scott McGee, and Joseph McBride

Learn more about the Cineversary podcast at anchor.fm/cineversary and email show comments or suggestions to cineversegroup@gmail.com.

Putting vets on the fast track to homeownership

Many who have served this country proudly as a current or former member of the military are eager to purchase a home, possibly to start or relocate your family. Fortunately, the US Department of Veterans Affairs offers a valuable perk exclusively to them and others who qualify: a VA home loan, which can put these folks on the fast track to buying and owning a residence likely for much less money than they'd pay elsewhere. Plus, it’s easy to apply.

For the 411 on home financing via the VA, read my first piece for new client Home.com, available here.