The Alexa Show - Tony Jones - Board Certified Bariatric Counselor

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Harvey One and welcome back to the Alexa Show.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
I am Alexa Servo DiDio your host, and I am
so excited to be back tonight. I have such an
incredible guest with us is Tony Jones. He's an on
air personality, life coach, personal trainer, and also a board
certified bariatric counselor.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Tony.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Welcome to the Alexa Show. This has been so exciting.
I cannot wait for this interview.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
It's great to be here. And fantastic job on my resume,
because my resume is a little hard to quantify for
folks sometimes because years ago I read a book called
How to Get Better At just About Anything, and it
talked about being a generalist instead of a specialist, and
that sent me in the direction of wanting to be
a generalist. So that's why I jumped into kind of

(00:50):
all these different things. But great job summing it up.
That was the perfect high notes.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
I love it and I relate to it because I
have a billions of careers too, so I don't have
to always pigeon our whole to like one career. Right,
people have so many different things that we're good at.
And also when it's giving back to the community and
feeling passionate about the work that we do because a
lot of the work that you do is giving back,

(01:18):
is helping people to grow.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
To heal, and to move forward. How did this all
begin with you?

Speaker 3 (01:25):
Well, I'll start with personal training because that was completely
selfish in that I'm close to seven feet tall. So
the general medical advice is, you know, once you get
into your late thirties, you're gonna feel like crap, You're
gonna need all these prescriptions, you're gonna need injections. Just
be miserable for the rest of your life, is what

(01:47):
a lot of providers will tell you. And not exactly
in those terms, that's my paraphrasing, but you know that's
what they'll tell you. And I started looking into what
I could do as far as corrective exercises and working
out in my own personal training. And when I met
with some traditional personal trainers at the big, big box gyms,

(02:07):
they didn't necessarily understand what I was looking for as
far as their regular routines are just a little bit
of cardio and do this and do this, and you know,
it's a standard kind of for everybody type training plan.
And there really is a specific training plan that needs
to be for not just men, but also men of
my size. So it was completely selfish for me to

(02:29):
look into corrective exercises because I was looking into those
corrective exercises for myself, and then that sparked an interest
for trying to help other people through personal training.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
I think that story is so important because so many
times many of us don't start with ourselves, and when
we're trying to exercise better, eat better, feel better, everybody
goes to this one size fits all eating routine fitness
protocol and then get discouraged when it doesn't happen right well,

(03:00):
deeper into being depressed, being sad, being discouraged.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
So it's important. I think it's also empowering.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
As I tell many of my viewers and my clients,
you have to find what works for you. It's study
a bunch of different other methods, but then reel those
all in and personalize it. You have to tailor it
to what fits you.

Speaker 3 (03:23):
And that's why you know, it's such a great time
to be alive with technology because of our access to
all the information. But at the same time, that information's
coming at us like a fire hose that we're trying
to drink out of And it really does sometimes take
being able to loop in someone that can curate that stuff,
or that has been in that situation, that's in a
similar situation as you, who's kind of already done the

(03:46):
homework for you, so you don't have to start from
square one.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
Yes, And I think having that sounding board, that platform
to begin with is also inspirational, but it's such an
incredible resource for that person to use. What is it
like when clients come to you and I know you're
also an on air radio personality, what type of questions?

Speaker 1 (04:07):
What are the viewers, the listeners, your clients, what are
they looking.

Speaker 3 (04:10):
For a lot of folks are just still nervous. And
I think it's become even more accessible with the big
box gyms. People aren't necessarily as nervous as they used
to be to walk walk into a gym because they
were looking more at the idea of the musclehead gym
And do I have the right clothes on? Am I

(04:32):
gonna be able to fit in? Am I gonna know
how to use the machines? Am I gonna look like
an idiot? And I'll tell you, nobody at the gym
is looking at you, And I think that that is
the first step, just to go there, get the layer
of the land. You know, Atomic Habits talks about just
going to the gym, going to the parking lot and
turning around, But just that starting point, I think a

(04:54):
lot of people are looking for just the nerve, the gumption,
and the u promotion of the idea of just getting
into the gym, just starting You can do the research
now ahead of times of what the machines are like
and how to work them. But the big box gyms
really do have the opportunity to be accessible for just

(05:15):
about anybody. So when I talk to people, they just
want to know what is that exact total step one,
and that is to get down there and get in
the door.

Speaker 1 (05:25):
And I agree, and that is such a big step.

Speaker 2 (05:27):
But I tell many of my clients too, if it's
going to the gym, if it's anything, just showing up
is so huge. As we know, the anticipation of the
anticipation of things can be very overwhelming, Yeah, can be paralyzing.

Speaker 1 (05:40):
So the fact you showed up in the gym, what
happens if.

Speaker 2 (05:43):
You go in and you walk on that treadmill for
a minute, or you just go into the sauna or
just you know, go into whatever room and try and
look at the weights. That is so huge, I think
setting up realistic expectations. But also they're celebrating what's your accomplishments,
that's the beginning, that's what's going to really be your
walk in life and what's going to keep you moving forward.

Speaker 3 (06:08):
And a lot of the big box gyms they do
have the opportunity for a kind of a bring a
buddy type situation. So that's always what I look at
for a second step, where if you do know somebody,
not only is it not going to be cost prohibitive
because usually their buddy is going in for free, but
if you do have kind of that person to show
you around on that level, to kind of walk you
through what their routines are. Again, just an easy, simple

(06:30):
way to get started and you've made that first.

Speaker 2 (06:32):
Step, yes, Yes, And what do you find also other
than fitness, different areas of different of your clients and listeners,
what do you feel like they really need to hear
that they're working on or looking for today.

Speaker 3 (06:47):
A lot of people are looking for spiritual care and
they don't necessarily realize it. And part of that is
because they've had a bad experience in the past with
the church situation or how they grew up in a
certain religion. So really, the idea of non denominational spiritual
care just keeps coming up and keeps coming up as

(07:07):
far as people needing that kind of sounding board, somebody
to listen that would traditionally back in the day have
been provided through whatever their faith was, they would always
have that community, even if it was just on Sundays,
even if it was just in my neck of the woods.
A lot of people just go to church on Easter
and Christmas, and you know, they consider that that their

(07:29):
spiritual care routine. But I've really seen a lot of
people looking to fill what would have been that traditional area.
And again, sometimes that is community. You know, especially for men,
we have a heck of a time making new friends.
It's just a running j joke of we just once
guys retire, they don't have any friends anymore, or once
they're out of college, they don't have any friends anymore.

(07:50):
So if people can find that community anyway, that community
is valuable. So again, don't worry about what other people think,
don't worry about the idea of what are the neighbors
going to think, how are people going to look at me?
Because people are thinking about their own struggle, they're thinking
about their own issue, and it's only a real jerk

(08:11):
that's there in that situation to judge you. So if
on the off chance that that is the situation, don't
even worry about it.

Speaker 2 (08:19):
Yes, And I think finding that community, finding you know,
whatever religion you are, is that personal relationship with God
with your power. And I think it doesn't always have
to be the traditional way that we always see. And
that's okay because a lot of times, you know, it's
working with many clients that have anxiety or depression or OCD.

(08:40):
Getting to that church, getting to that synagogue or that
place of worship is just something that might not really
be feasible to them because of their emotional and mental needs,
and who wants them to miss out on that connection,
on that spiritual growth. So it's always finding it where
you can get it on a podcast, you know, just

(09:03):
hearing it, going to a different place, finding that and
starting that relationship, even if it's reading the scripture at home,
but being able to start feeding yourself, which will start
giving you that strength to grow and grow.

Speaker 3 (09:18):
And That's why I did part of my thesis on
spiritual care and eating disorders, but not necessarily just traditional
eating disorders, but obesity, you know, fitness disorders, anything like that,
because so much of traditional religion is pot lucks, pancake breakfast,
all you can eat, coffee hour, all the pastries you

(09:38):
can eat. So there really is an issue where folks
are uncomfortable in their working on a fitness journey at
the same time that they're working on a spiritual care journey.
And when they show up to a traditional church on
Sunday morning, they see a table full of donuts with
you know, every sprinkle and every possible pastry that you
could want to get your hands on. So folks, I think,

(10:01):
do see that issue again with traditional spiritual care in
those communities where they would have access to that, and
they're turning away from it now.

Speaker 1 (10:09):
Yes, and I know a lot of times.

Speaker 2 (10:11):
I know the two churches that I'm very familiar with,
they have now.

Speaker 1 (10:15):
A fitness component, which I think is so important that oh, nice,
you're worshiping together, you're working out together, so.

Speaker 2 (10:23):
You're you know, you're going to the gym in your
mind and your soul and in your body, So then
you have that support when you do.

Speaker 1 (10:30):
Because I have to say, they do have the best food.
I don't know, a.

Speaker 2 (10:34):
Lot of it's home homemade, A lot of them they
order it the best food ever. But I think it's
being able to find that community. So how do you feel?
You know, I know you're also the bariatric counselor, so
with eating disorders mental health.

Speaker 1 (10:48):
How did that all play in depart two for you?

Speaker 3 (10:50):
You know, it's interesting because I became a bored certified
bariatric counselor at probably the worst possible time in retrospect,
because the science is saying that with GLP ones, fewer
and fewer people are going to have to turn to
bariatric surgery. And you know, it's something that a lot
of people look to as the last possible results, and

(11:14):
it's not easy. They will put you through a psychological
eval they'll make sure you have your nutrition figured out,
they'll make sure you have a plan for success. And
when I talk to folks, they really have exhausted every
single possible way for fitness and now they're looking at
bariatric surgery and they're going through the steps. Some insurance

(11:34):
companies will cover it if you walk through all those steps,
because they're looking at as a pay now or pay later,
because if you are able to defeat the battle of
the bulge and even just a little bit droped down
on an obesity issue, you are looking at less, so
many less health issues, a longer lifespan. Chances are you're

(11:54):
going to go off high blood pressure meds, you're going
to go off your met forman and other diabetes meds.
So it's actually a cost saving for the insurance plans
long term if you're going to be with them and
you're able to work a little bit on defeating obesity.
But that's the part that people have come into to
see me. It has been they have tried everything you

(12:16):
can think of. They've tried every gimmick, they've tried every
lotion and potion, they've tried their own, they've tried, and
they've gotten to the point where bariatric surgery or any
kind of weight loss surgery really is it is that
time where it's now or never.

Speaker 2 (12:30):
But I think also it's really important to have that
counselor before and afterwards because just because you're forty pounds thinner,
your mind isn't forty pounds thinner. It will still see
a lot of times with you, Yes, Boddy, dysmorphia and
all of that eating disorders won't go away becaus Oh
now I like what I look like. It's really finding

(12:50):
that route and working on that. I think many many
years ago there would be like one or two interviews.
People would go into the surgery or different types of
those surgeries and wouldn't realize that it's a really serious surgery.

Speaker 1 (13:04):
It's not just a diet.

Speaker 2 (13:06):
There's a lot is mentally, physically, emotionally, and that if
you really weren't ready to have that regimen, you really
have to have it.

Speaker 1 (13:15):
Try to figure it out afterwards. It's really difficult.

Speaker 2 (13:18):
And also I could find very life threatening if people
eating habits are forcing their eating habits as they were
before after the surgery, because I've seen people heard of
people who will still try to eat.

Speaker 1 (13:29):
That much and don't realize you'll get seriously sick.

Speaker 3 (13:32):
No, you can have.

Speaker 1 (13:34):
A lot of people do it.

Speaker 3 (13:36):
You can have a literal stomach blowout if you are
not brought into decid think that you have completely changed
your eating habits. And that's it has I think because
of all the TV shows, it has become more and
more known. When I first started talking to people, they
still thought the very ouch surgery and weight loss surgery

(13:57):
was more of like a plastic surgery type situation, but
it is. You know, it's just another tool for your fitness,
for your wellness, but it is a serious lifelong commitment.
You're going to need multi vitamins for the rest of
your life, You're going to need to monitor it for
the rest of your life. And I don't think this
is going to be a hippo violation because they're very
public about this struggle. But I have one person that

(14:19):
I have consoled in the past where you know, they
had lost a ton of weight and they're now wearing
a size medium shirt and they find themselves still ordering
size double XL shirts when they shop for clothes, or
an extra large shirt because their mind has not caught
up with their perception. Same thing with traditional eating disorders,

(14:39):
where people will look in the mirror and they will
see a large, heavy person when they are not. And
it's the same thing with bariatrics, where they're all that
groundwork has to be laid ahead of time before even
considering the surgery, and then there's going to be all
those steps afterwards. So it really is a lifelong commitment.

Speaker 1 (15:00):
Seeing a lot of this.

Speaker 2 (15:00):
But I definitely have seen it on the mental health
side with Wagov and all of these other things that
people wasn't even in their mind and now all of
a sudden, three weeks later, I'm like, wow, you got
you lost a lot of weight, because it's obviously, you know,
thirty pounds within a couple of weeks.

Speaker 1 (15:19):
There's there's a lot of weight loss.

Speaker 2 (15:21):
And they've been, you know, getting on this medication, and
it's almost like it to happen.

Speaker 1 (15:26):
I guess they went into the doctor, the doctor said, hey,
this would be great for you.

Speaker 2 (15:30):
Yes, I understand severely diabetic and at a certain point
it's very medical necessity to do that. But I know
I could find like at least fifteen people that all
of a.

Speaker 1 (15:39):
Sudden we're like, oh, yeah, I'm on it. Who were
That wasn't even they even knew was a thing.

Speaker 2 (15:43):
And I felt like that's really dangerous that physically you
have been prepared for it emotionally mentally.

Speaker 1 (15:49):
What has that been like for you in your line
of practice?

Speaker 3 (15:53):
Yeah, it is the traditional devil edged shorts, So somebody
can hop on a telehealth you know, upload their information,
they meet a certain BMI, and that medication will be
on on their front door, you know, the next time
the Amazon man rolls through the neighborhoods. So we're seeing
people make that decision a little bit too ret And
I do think it is an amazing tool. I think

(16:13):
telemedicine is an amazing tool, but it is that double
edged sword where people aren't necessarily realizing the commitment they're
making to a lifestyle change. Again, all of those GLP ones,
they are just another tool to add to your toolbox
to be healthy, to be well. There's also a situation
where I don't think that people necessarily realize that they

(16:36):
are committing to be on that medication long term. So
we're seeing, you know, a five hundred six hundred seven
hundred dollars a month various programs, and if they want
to continue making the trajectory, they're going to need more
and more millileters to inject each and every month as
they go on, and they're going to need that medication

(16:56):
long term, if not forever. And I I'm afraid that
more and more people are going to be just so
painfully depressed when they either can't afford the medication anymore,
just decide they don't want the medication anymore. And they
are unsuccessful in that they put all of that weight
back on that. And there's some newer studies out there

(17:16):
that are saying that some of the GLP ones, you'll
actually put on more weight than from when you started. So,
like I said, as we started just a traditional double
edged sword.

Speaker 2 (17:26):
Yes, And you know what's really frightening is I work
with insurance companies all the time for my private practice,
and I would think once a client reaches a certain weight,
they might not cover six hundred dollars, but I've had
one person saying that a thousand dollars.

Speaker 1 (17:41):
They won't cover.

Speaker 2 (17:42):
So if you're, you know, trucking along and you're at
this weight that you never thought you could be. You
were two hundred pounds and now you're down to one forty,
and you know, you really and a lot of the
people that I've worked with and spoken to are not
eating because they don't want to.

Speaker 1 (17:57):
They're not eating because.

Speaker 2 (17:58):
Not to be gross, they can't keep it in, or
they feel very sick about eating. So then all of
a sudden they're saying, guess what we can't cover your
medication anymore. I mean, I don't know, but who has
seven hundred dollars a month to pay for medication? And
then I would think dating all that weight back physically
would be so traumatic and not healthy, but also mentally

(18:19):
from going from there to that, it's almost I'm wondering
just thought of it going to be a new type
of eating disorder as the years go by, as we
found about long COVID and all these other things that
are coming post COVID, what's going to come post all
these different types of medications and injectables.

Speaker 3 (18:38):
Yeah, and you know, we're at that stage right now
where it really is a question mark because so many
people have accessed the medication so rapidly. Of course, you
have to do your research. You have to find a
situation because they can compound it at compounded pharmacies. You
have to find a situation where you make sure you're
getting the right medication, even if it's not a name

(18:59):
brand medication, and make sure that you're at it. It's
a lot easier now today you can do the research.
If you see which pharmacy your medication's coming from, a
couple of key strokes, you can find out if they're legit,
But there is just so much coming out so quickly
that we are going to be and I think for
a shock. And of course there is just also a
situation where there's another shortage and the price of it

(19:22):
spikes and the insurance companies don't want to cover it
at all. And maybe if you're already private, paying that
amount doubles overnight or for your next month of your injectable,
it's going from five hundred to a thousand. Then do
you see people that are so committed to that injectable
that they're looking for ways to cut other things in
their budget as far as healthy food or shit, Yeah,

(19:46):
that's exactly it.

Speaker 2 (19:49):
That becomes kind of a food addiction, a medication addiction.
And you know, I've also had these different companies I
will mention names, but they're giving out mental health medications
and weight loss medications to help clients lose weight, and
they're not and they're doing it within a week after
speaking to them, because I've had a few that that

(20:11):
have come to me and they didn't do not that
I know of a full blown evaluation. Because whatever the client,
the people were going along pretty pretty baseline. And there's
whatever medications they gave them, they have just so it
helps you lose weight.

Speaker 1 (20:28):
For this, it's for that, But they didn't really understand the.

Speaker 2 (20:31):
Depth of what the client was going through, and it's
been it's been disastrous.

Speaker 3 (20:38):
And on the provider's side, they're slotted for fifteen minute appointments. Yeah,
they're slotted for fifteen minute consultations all day, and that's
just you know, yeah, yep, fifteen minute consultations. They're going
through as many as possible. I think that there is
a situation where it's going out too rapidly, and you know,

(20:58):
it's just like a lot of different things where if
it sounds too good to be true, it just might be.
Which is And again I don't dissuade anybody from using
GLP ones if it's going to help them, if they're
gonna need it. But you've got to do your research,
not only from where the pharmaceuticals are coming from, but
from the telehealth platform and from the providers, because the
providers they're meeting with you just remember, from your side,

(21:20):
this is a big important appointment. From their side, they're
doing twenty of these a day, so there's things in there.
Even the best provider is going to miss Yes.

Speaker 2 (21:29):
It's really asking your questions if you're interested and going
to different providers that you trust that you know, I'm
getting different opinions because just like anything, you need to
really do your research and not just jump into something
because you know it's not right for everybody, and you
also have to be ready for it.

Speaker 3 (21:50):
And your primary care provider, chances are, is the best
first stop. But I don't know how things are your
neck of the woods, but in my neck of the woods,
we're having a huge price imory care provider shortage. So
there's a lot of folks out there that don't even
have a primary care or they're trying to get on
a primary care list. Here, it's about a year weight
to get a new appointment with her primary care. So

(22:11):
if someone is in that situation where they're filling on well,
where they're obese, they're not going to be looking to
wait a year to get that first appointment that then
get another appointment to talk about their weight loss. So
again that's where the telehealth does come in. Fantastic tool.
But if you can, if you do have a primary
care provider, start with them first, tell them you're thinking

(22:31):
about weight loss. You're thinking about these GLP ones and
any good provider is going to point you in the
right direction.

Speaker 2 (22:38):
Yes, yes, and I agree, And I know a lot
of times it's saying that. As a therapist, so many
times I get calls from prospective clients saying, no one's
answering me.

Speaker 1 (22:48):
Everyone is booked, and we are all booked.

Speaker 2 (22:51):
But I feel, at least as my ethical duty, I
have to answer the phone and I try as much
as I can to fit people in. But from what
I'm hearing about, even for just basic appointments, there's a
year wait to get a mammigrat, or when someone has
a really bad cough or something like that, it's four
weeks down the road. So then they go to their

(23:11):
local urgent care, which is great, but they're also overrun.
There are also people coming in and out, and you know,
you just have to make sure that you're not going
to kind of like a drive through McDonald's. That McDonald's
is bad, They're fine, but you don't want a McDonald's
through health care system when you're.

Speaker 1 (23:28):
Making huge, huge decisions about your mental health and also
your medical health.

Speaker 3 (23:35):
I just had a client go through. They're looking for
a new primary They made a couple of calls. They
made a call. They said, oh, yeah, we can get
you in in May, and they said, oh fantastic, that's
not that far away. To clarify, they were talking about
May twenty twenty six, so it's uh, yeah, it's it's
getting bad up here. They are working on some different options,
some different legislation to kind of help push along those

(23:56):
primary care providers and get them seeing patients, but it
is literally going to be years before there's enough primary
care providers, then enough mental health providers. So in the
meantime it's a triage situation.

Speaker 1 (24:09):
We can do another three shows on this, I know.

Speaker 3 (24:11):
Yeah, then you.

Speaker 2 (24:12):
Start getting into insurance and payments and reimbursements. It goes
in five different directions. But before the end of the show,
I want to talk about your radio shows, your podcast.
Tell us a little bit about that, because you're just
all over the place and it's so incredible.

Speaker 3 (24:29):
Yeah, that audio was my first love. So I was
lucky enough to go to a high school that had
an FM station. So after I think tenth grade and on,
you could sign up just as a regular extra curricular
get on the radio. And then from that I went
to Connecticut School of Broadcasting, which isn't even on my
resume because it was so long ago that I was

(24:50):
actually learning how to splice tapes as part of my
broadcasting degree. So things have changed, and I was on
the early edge of podcasting and I saw this thing
coming down the pipeline. I said, wow, this is cool.
You know, people from all over the world. Oh, they're
going to be able to listen what I'm doing here.
The other people at the traditional broadcast station didn't understand

(25:11):
why I was doing extra work to record my show
and put it up in a podcast, and I'm still
doing this and they're all retired, but you know, it
was cool to see that come so quickly. I uploaded
my first few podcasts on dial up internet, which took
so long, and then if someone answered picked up a
phone in another room, you had to start from scratch.
So not only did it take forever to upload, but

(25:32):
there was barely anybody that could listen to it. So
I've kind of always just tried to jump in in
the background and just do as many on air things
as I can do, just to kind of stay sharp
to see what's coming down the pipeline. And it is
one of those use it or lose its skills. So
if you if you stop doing on air, I think
you start to get a little rusty. So I just

(25:53):
try to jump on as much as I can, and
I keep it really laid back. You know, it's nothing
I'm not doing how it's stick or a donaimishtick. It's
just fun bringing you through your day some light music.
And I think it has, you know, a situation where
there's a lot of folks who enjoy it. So as
long as it's still fun, I'll keep doing it.

Speaker 2 (26:11):
Absolutely, absolutely, And I think it's amazing being able to
just to be on the air speak about things. You know,
it's so enjoyable for you as the host, but then
also for all all the listeners and everyone around. You know,
it's very nostalgic from when you were younger, and then
as you grow up. It's nice to always have those stations,
but also to be able to hear things and listen

(26:32):
to what's going on in the news and then different things.

Speaker 3 (26:37):
And if you research music and neuroscience just kind of
you know, to loop it back to what we're talking about.
There is some great research on there about how music
will literally affect your brain.

Speaker 1 (26:48):
Waves absolutely absolutely.

Speaker 2 (26:50):
What would you say to any of our listeners our
viewers that are having a hard time deciding what they
want to do in life, what direction to go, and
having also the confidence to take that first step.

Speaker 3 (27:05):
I think it's a little bit more like we talked
about earlier. Don't worry about what the neighbors think, don't
worry about what mom and dad thinks, because if you're
really pulled in a direction that you're feeling led to,
eventually that's all going to catch up. So when I
first started studying media psychology, people thought I was absolutely
insane for studying media psychology. I'm wasting my money. And

(27:26):
then it turned out that social media platforms are using
media psychology to market to you. They're using things like
flicker rate to get you to spend money, and all
of a sudden that caught up where people are looking
to me as a media psychology expert because nobody else
had really studied it at that point. So if you
are feeling drawn, start and then don't think about what

(27:49):
everybody else thinks. And also, if you can find that
community of like minded folks, jump in there, start interacting
with them, and you will know which direction to go
in later on down the line, but it might take
time for the world to catch up with what you're doing.

Speaker 1 (28:02):
Yes, And that's the most important thing.

Speaker 2 (28:04):
It doesn't matter if the world isn't caught up with
you right now.

Speaker 1 (28:07):
It will because so many years.

Speaker 2 (28:10):
Ago I started off you entertainment and also going to
school to be a social worker a psychotherapist, and I
wasn't really aware until recently of what you're saying about
media psychology, and I incurreent people say they can't be
the same thing, that you can't be this in the
entertainment and also be a therapist. They don't mix, and
I'm like, yes, actually they do. There really is such

(28:32):
a crossing and both meet each other. It's an expression,
but there's also understanding who you are and who your
audience is, which is so powerful and also so inspirational,
and you're able to have people hear you, but also
be able to reach them and let them know that
they're not alone.

Speaker 3 (28:50):
And it's so such so much more accessible now. You know,
when I would drive to Connecticut School of Broadcasting and
then I'd be half asleep and I drive home, I'd
be falling asleep behind the wheel to go to my
day job. Now you can just hop on with one
of these and with one of these and you can
get a fantastic education. So if you make that start,
chances are you're going to have the opportunities. And like

(29:13):
I said, it's going to catch up with.

Speaker 2 (29:14):
You right well, Tony, we're at the end of the show.
I wanted to say thank you.

Speaker 1 (29:18):
So much already.

Speaker 3 (29:19):
I know it keep going.

Speaker 1 (29:20):
Is it almost done? It has been so kind. I
definitely would like to have you back on at so
many different topics.

Speaker 2 (29:28):
I think we can explore again where and my viewers,
my listeners, where can they find you?

Speaker 1 (29:33):
Where can they follow you?

Speaker 3 (29:35):
Tony Jones on Air is the best website right now.
And I'm working on Tony Jones' wellness but there's not
much up there right now, still kind of in the
process of making that. And then I'm also putting together
an app which is going to be for mindfulness and meditation,
one of those things that there's a lot of good
apps out there, a lot of them are cost prohibitive.
I think we're going to look at a free version

(29:55):
for mine. So Tony Jones on Air and then coming
soon Tony Jones well, and I know there's a hundred
Tony jones is out there, but I kind of stick
out like a sore thumb, so you can. Chances are
you can find me.

Speaker 1 (30:07):
I love it.

Speaker 2 (30:08):
I love everything you're talking about. I'm definitely have you
back on about that app. It's so well needed. Again, everyone,
thank you so much for tuning in. Everybody, have a
good night and God bless