Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Passport Mommy. I'm your host, Michelle Jerson. This
show is for anyone raising little humans. We feature experts
with tips and advice to enrich the lives of our children.
Mom and dad.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Entrepreneurs tell us.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Their inspiring stories, learn about products that could make both
you and your child's life easier and more fun, and
of course, fellow parents discuss and laugh about what's happening
in their child's world.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Motherhood is a journey. Thanks for joining me onmine.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Welcome to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson. I hope you're
having a fabulous weekend. So this first interview was taped
outside my studio, so you'll have to forgive if I
sound a little far away than usual from the microphone.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
But it's a great interview.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
It's a very important one because it talks about distracted driving,
and we're coming up on the holidays when we have
to be even extra careful because people are so consumed
with so many things going on in their lives. I
think we're all guilty of it. We are all guilty
of being distracted when we are driving. So I'm really
happy to bring this next interview to light and hopefully
we can all learn something from it and change our
(01:04):
habits when we are in the car next. The other week,
we talked about driving and how crazy teenage drivers are
these days, a lot because of social media trends. But
another big issue is just distracted driving. And according to
the US Department of Transportation, twenty nine percent of all
motor vehicle crashes are caused by distracted drivers and this
(01:24):
results in more than ten thousand fatalities, one point three
million injuries, and five point six million damaged vehicles each year.
And yet people don't stop looking at their phone, putting
on their makeup, eating everything while they're just supposed to
be paying attention to the road. And so I'm really
happy to have with me today, John Way. Is it
(01:47):
way your way? It's why nailed, It's okay, And so
I'm really happy to have with me today, John Way.
He is the director of Customer Experience Research and Transportation
and Building Research for State Farm Insurance. Thank you so
much for joining me today, John.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Super happy to be here, Michelle, appreciate your time.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Sure, so, working for State Farm, you must see a
lot and hear about a lot. We all know that
distractive driving is dangerous, so many of us have kids.
We want to keep them safe. Why does it seem
like we just can't stop?
Speaker 4 (02:20):
Michelle, you're talking to a father of two teenagers soon
to be drivers. You hit the nail right on the
head something I care about deeply. How do we start
talking about this differently to get different results when we
know that we're not doing well enough? And I think
I'd love to hear that you've been talking with your
listeners about teenagers and the impact that distraction has on them. Unfortunately,
(02:41):
it's broader than just our teams. Our teens are probably
the most susceptible right because they're the most digitally native.
They've kind of never not known being connected or the
ability to have digital technology in front of.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Them all the time.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
But increasingly for all of us, the concept of distraction
and really the ability to be distracted is ever present
in all of our lives, be that in the workplace
where we're operating through email or through zoom calls routine
lead the ability to take that work to home that
further blurs kind of the personal and work life and
just the general sentiment Michelle that again we're always connected,
(03:15):
or can't always be connected if we want to be
is a somewhat recent phenomenon, and it's one that we're
struggling as a society to work our way through. What
we're starting to think about and talk about more actively
here at State Farm is talking about driving as an opportunity,
and it's an opportunity to exercise wellness and personal wellness
(03:36):
by taking that moment in time and leveraging your behind
the wheel time as me time, as reconnect with me
time and disconnect myself from the rest of the world
and all the distractions that exist in my daily life.
And easier said than done, but we think that talking
about it in different ways and maybe showing this as
an opportunity as opposed to an obligation, perhaps it gets
(03:58):
people more excited about what that opportunity means. Because in
current state, Michelle, we know that there's a lot of
distraction and that distracted drivers are dangerous.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Drivers exactly, and even if you're stopped at a stop sign,
or you're out of light, or you're in traffic, that's
not necessarily the time to pull out your phone. And look,
we've all been guilty of it, but I get so
frustrated when, let's say, I'm even just crossing the street
maybe with my kids. I'm walking and drivers are not
even looking up. They're staring down at their phones as
(04:27):
they're making a turn, and so it's very scary. So
let's talk about it from an insurance perspective. Is there
some sort of policy that we can get that could
cover distracted driving?
Speaker 2 (04:40):
So great question.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
I would say that there aren't great policy solutions right now, Michelle,
but it's a topic of conversation for anybody that's involved
in the policy making space. I would argue in insurance
or regulation as well, is how do we start to
better understand the nature of the challenge and how we
might offer products or services around those while we wait
for those solutions to take form. We want to get
ahead of that with some of the mental framing right.
(05:04):
Recognize that it may take some time for us to
have the toolbox completed to enforce this or encourage it
in the ways that we want. Let's start talking about
it in different ways and start encouraging folks to start
thinking about it in different ways. We do have products
at State Farm that contain measures of distracted driving conversation
in them, but again that's not what we're focused on
(05:25):
here today. Today, the focus is on mentally shifting the
conversation from what we should be doing when we're in
the car to what we should want to be doing when.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
We're behind the wheel. Absolutely so, if the danger of
distracted driving won't motivate people to stop, what do you
think will?
Speaker 4 (05:43):
I think, Michelle, it's trying to call to mind or
make visually impactful the opportunity of disconnecting and what this
kind of wellness sentiment means when we're behind the wheel.
For me personally, the time in which I get in
my truck in the morning and slam that door shut
and realize that I'm surrounded by silence is one of
(06:03):
the most enjoyable times of my day. And don't get
me wrong, I love the first hour of the day
in which I'm getting up and I'm engaging with my
kids and helping them get ready for school, and I'm
ensuring that my significant other has what she needs to
go about her day. But those are chaotic times, and
I know that pretty soon I'm going to be at work,
which is going to be an equally chaotic time, and
so increasingly so leveraging that time behind the wheel to
(06:27):
really tune out the outside world and reconnect with myself,
to think about my day and how I'm feeling about things,
and to think about how I can show up throughout
the course of the day in more impactful ways for
those that I work with and the people that live
in my house. And again, right now, Michelle, I think
our human natures that jump behind that wheel, slam the
door shut, get the radio on, make sure my phone's
(06:47):
set up so I can see whatever text message comes
through doesn't have.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
To be that way.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
And we have very personal choices we can be making
when we jump behind the wheel.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
I love that, and it is such a good reminder
to do just that because I used to do what
you're talking about, and I looked forward to maybe turning
on my favorite talk show on the radio and just
listening or catching up on the news. And now it's
like sometimes when I sit in traffic, I feel, oh,
I should call this person, And even though I talk
through my dashboard, still it's not a total quiet mind.
(07:20):
But when I do, I so appreciate it, and it
is so nice, and I think especially moms should use
that time to reconnect with themselves and to have that downtime.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
Michelle, I'm super glad you went there, because that was
another personal anecdote that I wanted to offer up this morning. Was,
you know, as I've started to think about the challenges
around distracted driving, and as we as an organization have
started to talk with the public more actively about the
opportunity to do better, I'm realizing that that resonates at home.
That as I'm thinking about this and talking about this
(07:53):
and impactfully, as I'm changing my behaviors behind the wheel,
I've got little people sitting in the backseat that are
paying attention. And Michelle, you know this as a mother.
Our children are watching us from the day that they're
born to take cues and signals as to how they
should be operating in the world. And if they're constantly
seeing their parents in a state of distraction, either fumbling
around on the phone or messing with the radio or
(08:14):
talking a loud about the crazy meeting that they just left,
and they can't believe this, that or the other, it's
logical to assume that that our children will carry forward
those same behaviors. And so again, the call to action
here is let's lead by example, and when we get
behind the wheel of our automobile, let's leverage that as
a time to really disconnect from the chaos and reconnect
with ourselves.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
I love that.
Speaker 6 (08:36):
And if you are driving, let's say you're on a
road trip with your kids or just taking them to school,
let's use that as a time to talk with one another.
And I know right away my son, oh, can I
have my iPad? No you can't, No, you can't.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
They should be able to go twenty minutes without staring
at a screen. That is a very popular conversation in
our household too, Michelle.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Same, same, And my kids are young six and eight,
and I'm always like, no, you are going to learn
how to wait, You're going to learn how to be patient,
and you're going to learn how to just relax.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
I love that, And now is exactly the time to
be enforcing that with our children. And again, I think
we have a glorious opportunity to do that when we're
in the car behind the wheel, really role modeling those behaviors.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Absolutely so, is there anything else that we should know?
Speaker 4 (09:24):
There is a whole lot more content around distracted driving,
both the challenge and the impact statements, but also the
opportunity for us to collectively do better out on statefarm
dot com. So for listeners and viewers, please take a
moment to go visit statefarm dot com, look up our
simple Insights page and you will find much more around
this topic.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Terrific, John Wayne, thank you so much for joining me
today on Passport Mommy. What a great reminder of what
we should be focusing on both in the car and
outside the car to keep everybody safer on the roadways.
Speaker 4 (09:55):
Thank you so much for the time.
Speaker 7 (09:56):
Mishell.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
I hope you and your family had a wonderful high
Halloween yesterday, had lots of fun, lots of trigger treating,
and I cannot believe it is almost the holidays. So
coming up over the next few weeks, we're going to
talk about some really great ideas for holiday trips. I'm
going to be taking my family down to Orlando in
a couple of weeks. We're going to check out Universal
(10:18):
Studios and Island of Adventure. We're really excited. We haven't
been there yet to Universal. We've covered a couple of
the Disney parks, but not Universal yet, and we're going
to be staying at one.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Of the Universal properties.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
So I look forward to telling you all about that,
because when you do stay at a Universal property, you
get those extra perks at Universal Studios, you get to
get there an hour early, and so we'll have that
coming up on the show over the next couple of weeks.
And also we're going to start having those gift ideas
if you're trying to think about what to get your
kiddo for the holidays, or maybe the special adult in
your life if you think they have everything. I recently
(10:51):
went to an event and it showcased some of the
latest tech gifts, and it's just so cool what is
out there nowadays.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
I just can't believe it.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Sometimes I feel so technologically behind because things are moving
so quickly. But we're going to showcase some of those
in the next few weeks. You're listening to Passport Mommy.
I'm Michelle Jerson. More coming up in a few You're
listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson. And it is
that time of year we are making our travel plans.
(11:19):
Christmas break is coming up soon and many people will
make the same travel plans as in past years, but
with a smaller budget. So today I'm happy to have
with me Shika Narula. She is the Managing Director, head
of Consumer and small business Product Strategy, transformation and rewards
at Bank of America. And we're just going to talk
about how we can get more for our money when
(11:41):
traveling this season. Shika, thank you so much for joining
me today.
Speaker 5 (11:45):
Thank you for having me, Michelle.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
My pleasure.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
So talk to me about some simple strategies that people
can utilize to spend smarter.
Speaker 8 (11:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (11:55):
Sure, I think to some smart planning, people can give
themselves and their family the.
Speaker 5 (12:00):
Holiday trip that they deserve. Some tips that I would share.
Number one, begin by planning early.
Speaker 7 (12:08):
It's always a good idea to plan for holiday travel
as early as possible so you can give yourself the
time to find the best deals. There's a lot of
hotel and flight trackers out there that can help you
get the best price on travel and accommodations. There's even
apps and trackers that can predict if the prices are
going to increase or decrease, so take advantage of some
(12:30):
of these tools.
Speaker 5 (12:31):
Number two, stick to your budget.
Speaker 7 (12:33):
Make sure you're accounting for not just flights and accommodations,
but also thinking through you know the purchases you're going
to make when you're on that trip. And then number three,
make sure you're maximizing the rewards that you can on
your credit card as well as other loyalty programs, so
you can potentially use the points you may have accommodation
(12:53):
accumulated to book travel.
Speaker 5 (12:55):
As an example, we know through a.
Speaker 7 (12:57):
Survey that we did with all the people that are
traveling this year, sixty one percent of gen Z's a
set they're planning to use their awards to fully or
partially fund their holiday travel. So that's a great way
for you to be able to fund your travel. And
then when you're traveling and you're making purchases during that travel,
make sure that you're using a card that can help
(13:17):
you maximize your rewards. So that would be some of
the strategies I would share.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Yeah, excellent advice.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
And I always say I need to research more about
the best cards. And I think once you know where
you might be going or what you might need as
far as airfare or hotels, then you can look for
a card.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
That works for you for that.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
And so beyond just points or miles, what are some
less obvious but very valuable perks that a strong banking
rewards program can offer holiday travelers.
Speaker 7 (13:46):
Yeah, so banking reward program can offer a variety of
benefits and rewards. One of the great things about Bank
of America is no fee Preferred Awards program. Is the
reward clients for their loyalty based on their entire banking
and investing relationship, so not just.
Speaker 5 (14:03):
For credit card spending.
Speaker 7 (14:05):
So we have a wide variety of perks that come
handy for our clients during their travel, whether they're traveling
domestically or internationally. Some examples I can share the program
offers a foreign currency exchange rate discount. It offers no
fee ATM transactions, as well as partnerships with some premier
travel brands so that you can get some great deals
(14:29):
through some of those travel providers. So just a great
way to make your travel more rewarding.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Absolutely, And so you mentioned planning ahead. Is there any
other tips, easy to implement tips that you'd recommend to people, say,
who are just beginning to budget for holiday travel.
Speaker 7 (14:46):
Yeah, I would say try to layer the various rewards
programs that you have access to. So as an example,
layer one think of the retailer and travel programs. Make
a list of the hotels, airlines, restaurants that you're going
to be using during your trip, and make sure you're
signed up for their loyalty programs there and you're looking
into any offers they might have. Layer two, think if
(15:07):
using a cash back credit card that can give you
maximum cash back during your travel. So Bank of America's
Customized Cash Awards credit card is another great example of
a card that gets you three percent cash back in
one of the six popular spending categories of choice each month,
which includes travel, online shopping, and other things.
Speaker 5 (15:28):
Layer three, think of a best in class loyalty program.
Speaker 7 (15:31):
As an example, the Bank of America Preferred Towards program
you know, which gives a bonus on credit card rewards
on top of the base credit card awards that.
Speaker 5 (15:40):
Card members already earn.
Speaker 7 (15:42):
So as an example, with the custom Cash credit card,
on top of the three percent standlard cash back in
the choice category, the members can earn anywhere from a
twenty five to seventy five percent towards bonus. And then
layer four, you know, think of the merchant deal platforms.
We have Banker Mary deals where you know, card holders
can get bonus cash back on some.
Speaker 5 (16:03):
Popular retailers and restaurants.
Speaker 7 (16:05):
So just make sure you're taking advantage of all the
various benefits.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Yeah, and I think it's a good reminder because a
lot of times we just use the same card over
and over again and we're not really maximizing what we
could for our holiday travels. And so as we start
a new year, what are some ways that people can
just include reward offerings in their annual budget if they
want to plan ahead.
Speaker 7 (16:30):
Absolutely, So, as twenty twenty six approaches and people are
starting to formulate their financial plans thinking about their goals,
it's important to make sure that you're banking of the
financial institution that fits your unique needs.
Speaker 5 (16:43):
As well as rewards you for your everyday banking.
Speaker 7 (16:46):
So you're planning to buy a car next year, renovate
your home, take up that dream vacation, make sure you're
getting rewarded along the way. So our no fee Preferred
Rewards program is an excellent way to earn extensive rewards
and benefits across deposits, investments, credit cards, mortgages, auto loans.
So make sure you're taking advantage of all of that
(17:08):
to help you reach your goals in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Perfect, And where can we go for more information on
everything that we just talked about.
Speaker 5 (17:17):
Yeah, you can learn more about the Bank.
Speaker 7 (17:19):
Of America Preferred Rewards program by visiting www dot Bankofamerica
dot com forward slash Preferred Rewards Perfect.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Thank you so much, Chika Narula, Managing Director, head of
Consumer and Small Business Product Strategy, Transformation and Rewards at
Bank of America. Thank you for the wonderful tips that
you provided so that we can get on our holiday
travel and really start saving.
Speaker 5 (17:42):
Thank you, Michelle for the conversation. Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
You're listening to Passport Mommy.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
I'm Michelle Jerson, and as National Orthodontic Health Month comes
to a close, we are talking about braces. I know,
I have an eight year old and she's already seeing
some of her friends wearing braces, and she's like, when
can I get braces?
Speaker 2 (18:01):
When can I get braces?
Speaker 1 (18:02):
And she wants the metal braces, she wants the different
color of evands, and I'm like, don't rush it, you
don't need it right now. But they're having like a
resurgence and kids are thinking that the metal braces are cool.
So I'm happy to have with me today doctor Farrah Carr.
She's going to talk to us about metal braces versus
(18:23):
maybe some other options. Hi, doctor car Thank you so
much for joining me today. Thank you so much for
having me my pleasure. So tell me, are we seeing
a resurgence in the popularity of metal braces these days,
because I feel like they've been around since the nineteen seventies.
Speaker 9 (18:41):
You're absolutely right, I had braces in the eighties. We are,
we are seeing a little bit of that, and I
think that a lot of it is driven by social media, right.
I think that you know, patients are seeing you already
touched on this the colors. You know, when I had braces,
you know, getting my colors change was pretty much the
only thing that got me through treatment, right, so, you know,
(19:02):
because because you're dealing with the pain and the and
the and the cutting and the soreness and all of that.
So nonetheless, yes, there's definitely that element to it. So
social media plays a big part in this. I think
for some of our older patients it could be a
little bit more of like a nostalgic thing. You know,
maybe they wanted metal braces when they were younger but
weren't able to have it and want to experience that.
(19:24):
But you know, ultimately, as a mom and as an orthodonist,
when patients come to us for consultation. It's so important
to really sit down and go over the pros and
cons of all the tools that we now have available
to us and make an educated decision that's best for
the patient. We really don't want to be making health
(19:45):
decisions based on trends that are coming and going.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Oh of course, and I know as an adult. You know,
it's funny you said, as an adult we want nostalgia.
If I got braces again, which I've always thought about
because of my overbite, I personally it would help me
would go with in visi line because as an adult,
I don't want metal braces on my teeth.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Absolutely.
Speaker 9 (20:08):
I mean, I will tell you half of my patients
are adults, you know, And I think that you're absolutely
right because for most of us, you know, for adult patients,
it might be more of an aesthetic thing where you're like,
I want to I really want to fix this issue
without there being a whole lot of interference with my
daily life. And of course in visline is great for that.
(20:29):
But what a lot of people don't realize actually is
that there's so many advancements now with the clear liner
that you can treat pretty much any case type now
a lot of complex issues like you mentioned the overbite
or for example, severe crowding or spacing or crossbite. These
are issues that we are able to tackle in a
(20:50):
very effective way with clear liners, where for so many
years the only tool we had were traditional braces. And
what's interesting is actually the NIH National Institute of Health
released a study recently that showed that if let's say
you're embraces on average for about two years, the same
treatment tight would only take eighteen months. So what I'm
(21:12):
seeing in my practice is a lot of patients want
to get their treatment done in a quick manner, in
a more comfortable manner, and they want less oral irritation,
which I know for me personally, embraces was a big issue.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Yes, yeah, you just brought back memories of the cancer,
sours and everything else, and the wires in the mouth, so.
Speaker 9 (21:36):
The brackets breaking, the wire's packing. It's a struggle, right exactly.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
And so it's so interesting that the clear aligners can
do so much nowadays because I remember, I don't know,
maybe I looked into it ten fifteen years ago and
I was told, no, they can't help for what you need.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
So that's really encouraging.
Speaker 9 (21:54):
Think about all the different advancements around us, right, you know,
if you think back to when I was in high school,
I had a page. Now we have a smartphone, there's
so many amazing advancements, and so you know, you know,
truly our patients today are so lucky in many ways
because maybe they don't have to relive a lot of
the things that we did because of those advancements, they're
(22:15):
able to get a lot of really severe issues addressed
in a very predictable way. And so that's just that's
I think that benefits everybody. It benefits the patient more
than anybody that we can do this and really consider
oral health benefits. Right, if you think about the fact
that you know, we know with braces, there's so much
(22:36):
time and energy that goes into keeping your teeth clean
because you're basically a magnet for bacteria and food.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
I mean, that's just a fact.
Speaker 9 (22:43):
And so a lot of our parents and even adults
really don't realize the amount of time and energy that
needs to go into maintaining proper oral health with traditional braces.
And if you think about clear liners being removable, you're
not changing the way that your breast and flossing because
you get to remove them to do those things. And so,
(23:04):
you know, coming back to the NIH article, which was
really interesting because it's just so validating because we've been
seeing this for years. You know, we have a lot
less gingble bleeding, a lot less gingible inflammation. Those are
the puffy gums we see with braces, and a lot
less PLAQ accumulation when it comes to clear aligners. And
the other thing I'll mention, because this is one thing
(23:26):
that I never really accounted for over the years, is
the amount of patients that that I have that play
contact sports and you know, having them being in aligners
is just such a safe approach compared to having something
that could cause soft tissue trauma if God forbid, you know,
they were to have an accident.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
Right, absolutely well, really great insight and very helpful, and
something I think all parents should explore with their orthodontis
that there are different treatment options. Thank you so much
for giving me such a great update on what Invisible
Line can do in the clear aligners. Where can we
go for more information.
Speaker 9 (24:03):
Doing vizline dot com, forward slash find a doctor.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Thank you so much, Doctor Farrah Carr. I'm Michelle Jurson.
The Passport mommy. More coming up in a few you're
listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jurson and I am
thrilled to have on the show with me today Keith Varney.
He stars and created the new solo play Ten Times
I Should Have Known I was autistic. Thank you so
(24:27):
much for joining me today, Keith.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
Thank you. I'm really honored to be here and I
really appreciate you taking the time.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
Oh my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
So it was funny when we first connected to talk,
I like envied everything that was behind you and your background,
your star trek, figures, your collectibles, everything you have going
on there, and you said, it's amazing. I should have
known that I was autistic before the age of forty.
So talk, Let's just back up for a little bit
and tell me about the play Ten Times I Should
Have Known I was autistic.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
What is it about, Well, it's basically about me discovering
that I was autistic in middle age and through the
structure of ten sort of missed clues, mostly comedic. It's
my way of understanding how being autistic and not knowing
it has shaped my life and my childhood and my
(25:17):
career and my relationships and so this is all very
new to me, so I didn't discover this until about
a year ago. So writing this show has been my
way of processing this new understanding of myself and looking
back and forward sort of on how it has shaped
my entire life.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
So interesting, and so what inspired you to bring your
personal story though to the stage? What made you decide
to share that your story should be a theatrical piece.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
That's a very fair question to anybody whoever writes autobiographical material.
But this is part of the ways that I've always
been as a writer. I've been a writer for a
long time, and this is not my first autobiographical show,
but it is my first autobiographical play, in my first
solo play. And so I sort of as I was
(26:08):
working through all of these parts of my life and
these relationships, I've realized that this is incredibly universal to
a whole burgeoning generation of people who are being diagnosed
later in life. And I've found on social media. I
have a TikTok account, and I found this incredibly warm
(26:29):
and community of other people like me who are all
sort of discovering together and helping each other understand the
ways that our minds work, the way that it's different
how it's affected our lives, and so I sort of
felt like, wow, these stories are uniquely specific, but also
(26:50):
more universal than I ever would have expected, and so
I'd like to I want to share it for other
people like me who may or may not be either
finished the road or on the road to diagnosis or
understanding what they are, but also for the people in
their lives to understand better the neurodivergence in their lives.
(27:12):
And you know, so it's for in a lot of ways,
it's for people my age and older to learn new
things to give them a contemporary understanding of what autism means,
what neurodivergence means, because it was very different in the
eighties it was growing up, yes, And for younger people
who can maybe understand what the experiences of their parents
(27:36):
who came into the world not having any of the
contemporary understandings of these things.
Speaker 5 (27:41):
Right.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
No, It's interesting because I was just having a conversation
the other day. We were talking with other parents about
why the numbers are so great these days and when
we were kids about DIAGNOSM, and I'm like, I just
don't think people talked about it as much. I don't
think people were diagnosed as much when we were younger.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
Yeah, not at all. And I you know, it's such
an interesting topic today because everyone's like, oh, there's a
whole bunch of newly autistic people. No, there aren't. There
are people who have always been that way, And our
understanding of neurodivergence is finally widening enough to accept people
who have always been that way but had no idea,
like myself exactly.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
And so how would you, like, just for example, if
you're in a marriage or relationship, how would you say
it affected your relationships?
Speaker 3 (28:27):
Oh, it certainly did. And I talk about it in
the show, Yeah, because my ex wife plays a large
role in the play because she was the person who
had to experience this all with me. And so, you know,
it shows up in a lot of different ways in
the way that I communicate my need for routine, my
(28:49):
need for boundaries, my special interests, which can be overwhelming obviously,
And you know, I think the biggest way that I
faced it within my romantic relationships is the way that
I process conflict, and that it's very different for a
neurodivergent person than for a neurotypical person because the way
(29:10):
I describe it. And this is a little bit cribbed
from the great Saul Smith. You should check out his book.
He's wondering but talking about processing conflict. He says it
from the ground up. But the way describe it is,
I'm watching conflict like it's a scene in a play,
and so I'm standing a little bit outside of it,
and I'm doing all of this analysis of the conflict
(29:32):
like it's script analysis, and I'm using my words literally.
Literal thinking, obviously is another autism thing, and it's we
get in trouble because you know, the other person I'm
talking with is not watching the scene. They're in the scene, right,
and they're not meaning their words literally, They're trying to
(29:53):
express a feeling. And so I wish, and we both
wish that we had understood this fifteen years ago as
a better way of understanding how we're processing the world.
And that shows up in conflict, but it shows up
in lots of other ways.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
Yeah, it's so interesting because I feel like there are
probably a decent amount of couples who were in or
are in your same situation. They don't understand their partner,
They don't you know it, Like so many people say, oh,
you just have to communicate, but.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
Sometimes you just can't. It's just not connecting.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Well, it's the way that you communicate needs to be
understood as much as the communication itself.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Right, So what do you want audiences to take away
from the experience after seeing ten times I should have
known I was autistic?
Speaker 3 (30:41):
Well, I'd like kind of what I said before. I
would like us to have a better cultural understanding of
contemporary understandings of neurodivergence, because when I was raised, autism
meant one very specific thing, and I never thought I
could possibly be in that world. And so so many
(31:06):
the conversations that I am having today with with with
my family and other friends who grew up in that environment,
they're like, what, they have no understanding of what it
They well, they have a very limited understanding of what
autism is and means, and think it's it's this one
thing that I learned in nineteen eighty nine and that's
what I am. And I think younger generations have a
(31:31):
much better understanding today, and so I would like to
sort of meet and have a little bit of understanding
either way, and more importantly, to create a safe space
for other neurodivergence to have the same journey that I've had,
because it has been immensely fulfilling and eye opening and
(31:52):
relieving and exciting for me to understand this about myself.
It's it is filled in a missing piece that's been
there forever, and it's been so frustrating to not understand
this piece of myself. So for other people like me,
I would love to have a safe, kind space to
explore those ideas and maybe, you know, help people who
(32:13):
are peeking out from behind their own mask come out
and feel safe and feel welcomed like I was made
to feel. Yeah, all these people were ahead of me.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
Sure. I think it's incredible.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
And you mentioned that your ex wife plays a big
part in this show.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
And the show also features, as.
Speaker 1 (32:29):
You say, revealing, comedic and potentially incriminating stories. Can you
give us a preview of one of them?
Speaker 3 (32:36):
Oh for sure. Well, I mean it depends on how incriminating. Yeah,
I mean, you know, a lot of the stories are
are comedic and silly about ways that my mind works.
But the I think the most fun one is they're
all titled. So one of them is the time the
US government thought I was going to something I can't
(32:57):
say on the Radio to Sarah Palin. So that's a
true story that you're going to have to come see
the show to see what I mean by that.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Okay, okay, well you got me. The hook is in.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
So has this show been seen by audiences before?
Speaker 2 (33:14):
This will be your first time.
Speaker 5 (33:16):
This is it.
Speaker 3 (33:16):
This is the very first time this will be up.
And so I've been working very hard with my incredible
director Derek Rowlands too to shape this and get this
up in front of an audience. So you know, look,
it's always going to be in development. I'm learning new
things about it every ten minutes, so it is growing
and changing and I can't wait to have an audience
see it for the first time and see where it goes.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Yeah, I can't wait to see it.
Speaker 1 (33:40):
And I know that it's going to be presented as
part of the United Solo Theater Festival.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
Tell me about the festival.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
Yeah, So the United Solo Festival has been going for
years and it's basically this beautiful festival of a wide
variety of solo shows from all over the world, all
over the country in every topic you could possibly imagine,
and they all sort of convene both in the fall
in the spring, in Theater Row in Manhattan on forty
(34:09):
second Street, and so you can go every single night
and have a completely different experience with another solo artist
expressing any number of interesting ideas.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Wow, I love that, And I feel like these are
the types of shows that are really intriguing and that
are really interesting to see, like yours, that really makes
us think and brings us into a story and someone's lives,
and a lot of work went into this.
Speaker 3 (34:36):
Yeah, well, I mean it's yes, it is a tremendous
amount of work and I'm terrified, but it has also
been incredibly exciting and to to it's very revealing, right,
So you're like, oh, I can't believe I'm gonna go
out and tell these stories and be this emotionally open.
But that's also the joy and excitement of theater. That's
(34:59):
joy of it, excitement of doing something something like this.
That's there's something special, something that crackles in the air
when you are open and honest in front of you know,
a live audience.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
I used to feel like I used to host a
relationship talk show and I felt like that was my therapy.
I sure talking to everybody else, and you know, it's
putting it out there.
Speaker 3 (35:21):
No question. I mean I talked about in the show.
But you know, I've been in therapy on and off
for almost thirty years, and yet this piece, filling in
the missing piece that therapy never understood, has absolutely been
therapy for me. It's been incredibly therapeutic and continues to
be and will be again when I'm performing it right right?
Speaker 1 (35:40):
And so, what other projects you have coming up after
ten times I should have known I was autistic?
Speaker 3 (35:44):
Well, I've got a bunch of different shows in development.
The one I can I can talk about. I have
a musical parody of SVU of Law and Order SVU
the Pipeline.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
So okay, hold on to your hat. I can't wait.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
Yeah wait, So how can we get tickets for this show?
For ten times I should have known I was autistic?
When and where does it play?
Speaker 3 (36:07):
It is playing on November fourth at seven pm at
Theater Row in New York City. You can get tickets
at autisticshow dot com. And yeah, so seven o'clock come
out and see me.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Perfect.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
Well, let's see November fourth. I can make that. I'll
be there. I'll be there.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
Crazy, yes, yes, that's so exciting.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
It And for those if by chance somebody will not
be in New York City or can't make it into
New York City on that day, can they see clips
of it somewhere else after the show?
Speaker 3 (36:41):
You know, there's a pretty good chance you'll be able
to you can see a little bit of it on
TikTok at Keith Varney and Keith Varney Writer will be
my website where you can see whatever's coming there. And hopefully,
hopefully this show will have a life moving forward and
I'll be performing it in various places, so hopefully there
will be more opportunities.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Terrific.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
And you know, I just realized November fourth is election day,
so here in the city, I think we might need
some levity and some laughter.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
Nice.
Speaker 3 (37:09):
We're all going to be hanging on by our fingernails,
no doubt.
Speaker 8 (37:12):
Yeah, So perfect thing to go see. How let me
say that perfect show to go see? Go get your
tickets for ten times. I should have known I was
autistic with Keith Varney. We have about a minute and
a half left.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
If there's anything, any advice or anything that you'd want
to leave the audience with today, what would that be?
Speaker 3 (37:32):
Oh? Well, I would say, be curious about the neurodivergence
in your life and that there are there's so many
conspiracy theories and nonsense about autism, but there's a beautiful
and interesting world out there if you can go and
(37:54):
investigate it a little bit. There's some great podcasts out
There's a great book called Autistics Guide to Self Discovery
by Saul Smith if you would like to read up
about it. But you know, go go talk to a
neurodiverson We're really fun, We're really.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
Interesting, absolutely, and you have two podcasts of your own.
Speaker 2 (38:14):
Tell me about those really quickly, I do.
Speaker 3 (38:17):
If you really want to go deep down a special
interest in Star Trek, you can listen to me on
Keith and Mike watch Deep Space nine both podcasting and
on YouTube. And my show about Star Trek action figures,
which I can't believe exists, called Look at My Star
Trek Toys also on YouTube.
Speaker 2 (38:34):
That is great. How long have you been doing those?
Speaker 3 (38:37):
For doing those for a couple of years. Yeah, we're
almost done Deep Space nine. Yeah it's been. It's a
small community, but it's a passionate community of people with
I'm assuming a lot of neurodivergence, really sharing our special
interest together, which is one of the joyful parts. It's
not all bad, it's some of it is deeply joyful.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
Oh, absolutely well. Thank you so much for sharing it
with us today. Keith Barney, thank you for joining me
today on Passport Mommy. I had so much fun speaking
with you me as well.
Speaker 3 (39:06):
Thank you very much for having me.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
Thank you you're listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson.
Wildfire risk is increasing. This is because of several factors,
more homes and communities in wildfire prone areas, changing environmental conditions,
and then things that aren't completely out of our control
as we have seen. So I'm really happy to have
(39:28):
on the show with me today. Karen Collins, vice president
at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, and doctor Andy Cope,
she is the chief engineer at Insurance Institute for Business
and Home Safety. Thank you both so much for joining
me today. Thank you so talk to me about being
under insured, because I know that when the tragedy is
(39:51):
struck in the Palisades. I have a friend of mine
who posted as much as he could. He lost everything,
and he he said the one thing he was thankful
for was that he had the right insurance. So how
does one make sure that their finances are protected before
a wildfire.
Speaker 10 (40:12):
Yeah, you don't want to set it and forget it
with insurance, make sure you're having those conversations before the event.
Go and do your annual insurance check up to go
over your key coverages. Talk to your age and or
insurance company about your policy limits. We know inflation has searched.
Everything is roughly forty percent higher than it was before
the pandemic for rebuilding, so you need to make sure
(40:34):
your policy limits have been adjusted for recent inflation trends.
And also talk about what your policy includes. Talk about
optional endorsements, things that can give you extra financial cushion
to absorb things when the demand does surge and all
the costs go up even higher from there. Go over
what your policy covers if it's replacement costs versus actual
cash value. Again, different optional endorsements might give you more cushion.
(40:59):
And just make sure you're key, I mean that policy
in place. And if you're a renter, don't overlook you
might also need to have financial resources if you're displaced
or if you lose all of your personal belongings. So
it's really a message for both homeowners and for renters
to go and have those insurance conversations so that you
do have that available to you in the event of
a loss.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
Absolutely, And what are the key steps to make sure
your home is more resistant two embers igniting and burning
your home?
Speaker 5 (41:26):
Right?
Speaker 11 (41:26):
Three key things. You want to make sure that you
have a Class A roof, and that you keep all
of the debris off your roof, all those leaves and
things like that. Keep your roof clear so you don't
have burning stuff on top of your roof. The vents,
the vents that go into your attic or your call space,
those can let embers into your attic, and now your
house is burning from the inside out, so you want
(41:48):
to replace the vents with ember resistant vents, or if
you're a do it yourself er, you can use a
wire mesh one eighth inch or tighter and you can
put that wire mesh on your vent to keep the
embers from getting into those spaces. And then the third
and really critical piece is you want to have a
safety zone right around immediately adjacent to your house. The
(42:09):
first five feet that's a safety zone where if the
embers land there, you don't want them to make a
fire that's going to burn your house down. So you
want to remove wood moult, you want to remove firewood.
You don't want anything that's going to burn in the
five feet right closest to your house. You don't have
to give up on your landscaping. You just need to
relocate it so that you can enjoy it from the
(42:31):
window or enjoy it by sitting on the porch and
looking out.
Speaker 2 (42:34):
But you don't want it to be.
Speaker 11 (42:36):
Right next to your roof where it can right next
to your home where it can.
Speaker 2 (42:39):
Catch your house on fire.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
Right, And so what are some options? How can we
easily change our landscaping and are fencing?
Speaker 11 (42:47):
Yeah, you just needed the last five feet. So if
you have a wood fence, replace the last five feet
with a metal or something that's noncombustible. Use hard scaping
pavers and stuff like that. Set yourself up a beautiful table,
a noncombustible metal table, or you know some other table
where you can sit and have your coffee on a nice,
beautiful hardscape and look out at your gorgeous, shady landscaping.
(43:12):
But just you need that safety zone right there next
to your house so that that is the place that
lights most homes on fire, so just move that stuff away.
Speaker 1 (43:21):
Excellent tips and ones that we probably don't often think
about and we should be and it just takes you know,
we might say, oh, I have no time to do
this or that, but you know what, do it once
and feel comfortable that you have done as much as
you could do. And speaking of that, what about a
home inventory to make recovery easier, because I'm sure after
an event like this, that's the last moment you want
(43:43):
to be thinking about, oh, what did I just lose.
Speaker 10 (43:46):
Yes, home inventories are so beneficial for every type of
natural disaster, but even more for wildfires, because too often,
once your homem ak nights, it's a total loss. There
is nothing left. And so in the aftermath of these fires,
you still need to submit to your copy documentation of
what you're needing to get reimbursed for. And once you've
created that record, just make sure you save it somewhere,
(44:07):
save it to your cloud or email it to yourself
so that you can access it afterwards in the event
you do need to come up with kind of here's
the list of everything I had that I do need
to get reimbursed for as part of my.
Speaker 1 (44:18):
Claim right exactly, And so where can we go for
more information on everything that we talked about today. If
we want to remember some of the tips that you just.
Speaker 10 (44:26):
Mentioned www Dot APCI dot org, slash wildfire.
Speaker 11 (44:32):
And for all of those things about how to make
your property more wildfire resistant, go to wildfire prepared dot org.
Speaker 2 (44:39):
Thank you both so much. I'm Michelle Jurson.
Speaker 1 (44:41):
Thank you so much for joining me this week on
Passport Mommy assass
Welcome to Passport Mommy. I'm your host, Michelle Jerson. This
show is for anyone raising little humans. We feature experts
with tips and advice to enrich the lives of our children.
Mom and dad.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Entrepreneurs tell us.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Their inspiring stories, learn about products that could make both
you and your child's life easier and more fun, and
of course, fellow parents discuss and laugh about what's happening
in their child's world.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Motherhood is a journey. Thanks for joining me onmine.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Welcome to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson. I hope you're
having a fabulous weekend. So this first interview was taped
outside my studio, so you'll have to forgive if I
sound a little far away than usual from the microphone.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
But it's a great interview.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
It's a very important one because it talks about distracted driving,
and we're coming up on the holidays when we have
to be even extra careful because people are so consumed
with so many things going on in their lives. I
think we're all guilty of it. We are all guilty
of being distracted when we are driving. So I'm really
happy to bring this next interview to light and hopefully
we can all learn something from it and change our
(01:04):
habits when we are in the car next. The other week,
we talked about driving and how crazy teenage drivers are
these days, a lot because of social media trends. But
another big issue is just distracted driving. And according to
the US Department of Transportation, twenty nine percent of all
motor vehicle crashes are caused by distracted drivers and this
(01:24):
results in more than ten thousand fatalities, one point three
million injuries, and five point six million damaged vehicles each year.
And yet people don't stop looking at their phone, putting
on their makeup, eating everything while they're just supposed to
be paying attention to the road. And so I'm really
happy to have with me today, John Way. Is it
(01:47):
way your way? It's why nailed, It's okay, And so
I'm really happy to have with me today, John Way.
He is the director of Customer Experience Research and Transportation
and Building Research for State Farm Insurance. Thank you so
much for joining me today, John.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Super happy to be here, Michelle, appreciate your time.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Sure, so, working for State Farm, you must see a
lot and hear about a lot. We all know that
distractive driving is dangerous, so many of us have kids.
We want to keep them safe. Why does it seem
like we just can't stop?
Speaker 4 (02:20):
Michelle, you're talking to a father of two teenagers soon
to be drivers. You hit the nail right on the
head something I care about deeply. How do we start
talking about this differently to get different results when we
know that we're not doing well enough? And I think
I'd love to hear that you've been talking with your
listeners about teenagers and the impact that distraction has on them. Unfortunately,
(02:41):
it's broader than just our teams. Our teens are probably
the most susceptible right because they're the most digitally native.
They've kind of never not known being connected or the
ability to have digital technology in front of.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Them all the time.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
But increasingly for all of us, the concept of distraction
and really the ability to be distracted is ever present
in all of our lives, be that in the workplace
where we're operating through email or through zoom calls routine
lead the ability to take that work to home that
further blurs kind of the personal and work life and
just the general sentiment Michelle that again we're always connected,
(03:15):
or can't always be connected if we want to be
is a somewhat recent phenomenon, and it's one that we're
struggling as a society to work our way through. What
we're starting to think about and talk about more actively
here at State Farm is talking about driving as an opportunity,
and it's an opportunity to exercise wellness and personal wellness
(03:36):
by taking that moment in time and leveraging your behind
the wheel time as me time, as reconnect with me
time and disconnect myself from the rest of the world
and all the distractions that exist in my daily life.
And easier said than done, but we think that talking
about it in different ways and maybe showing this as
an opportunity as opposed to an obligation, perhaps it gets
(03:58):
people more excited about what that opportunity means. Because in
current state, Michelle, we know that there's a lot of
distraction and that distracted drivers are dangerous.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Drivers exactly, and even if you're stopped at a stop sign,
or you're out of light, or you're in traffic, that's
not necessarily the time to pull out your phone. And look,
we've all been guilty of it, but I get so
frustrated when, let's say, I'm even just crossing the street
maybe with my kids. I'm walking and drivers are not
even looking up. They're staring down at their phones as
(04:27):
they're making a turn, and so it's very scary. So
let's talk about it from an insurance perspective. Is there
some sort of policy that we can get that could
cover distracted driving?
Speaker 2 (04:40):
So great question.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
I would say that there aren't great policy solutions right now, Michelle,
but it's a topic of conversation for anybody that's involved
in the policy making space. I would argue in insurance
or regulation as well, is how do we start to
better understand the nature of the challenge and how we
might offer products or services around those while we wait
for those solutions to take form. We want to get
ahead of that with some of the mental framing right.
(05:04):
Recognize that it may take some time for us to
have the toolbox completed to enforce this or encourage it
in the ways that we want. Let's start talking about
it in different ways and start encouraging folks to start
thinking about it in different ways. We do have products
at State Farm that contain measures of distracted driving conversation
in them, but again that's not what we're focused on
(05:25):
here today. Today, the focus is on mentally shifting the
conversation from what we should be doing when we're in
the car to what we should want to be doing when.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
We're behind the wheel. Absolutely so, if the danger of
distracted driving won't motivate people to stop, what do you
think will?
Speaker 4 (05:43):
I think, Michelle, it's trying to call to mind or
make visually impactful the opportunity of disconnecting and what this
kind of wellness sentiment means when we're behind the wheel.
For me personally, the time in which I get in
my truck in the morning and slam that door shut
and realize that I'm surrounded by silence is one of
(06:03):
the most enjoyable times of my day. And don't get
me wrong, I love the first hour of the day
in which I'm getting up and I'm engaging with my
kids and helping them get ready for school, and I'm
ensuring that my significant other has what she needs to
go about her day. But those are chaotic times, and
I know that pretty soon I'm going to be at work,
which is going to be an equally chaotic time, and
so increasingly so leveraging that time behind the wheel to
(06:27):
really tune out the outside world and reconnect with myself,
to think about my day and how I'm feeling about things,
and to think about how I can show up throughout
the course of the day in more impactful ways for
those that I work with and the people that live
in my house. And again, right now, Michelle, I think
our human natures that jump behind that wheel, slam the
door shut, get the radio on, make sure my phone's
(06:47):
set up so I can see whatever text message comes
through doesn't have.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
To be that way.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
And we have very personal choices we can be making
when we jump behind the wheel.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
I love that, and it is such a good reminder
to do just that because I used to do what
you're talking about, and I looked forward to maybe turning
on my favorite talk show on the radio and just
listening or catching up on the news. And now it's
like sometimes when I sit in traffic, I feel, oh,
I should call this person, And even though I talk
through my dashboard, still it's not a total quiet mind.
(07:20):
But when I do, I so appreciate it, and it
is so nice, and I think especially moms should use
that time to reconnect with themselves and to have that downtime.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
Michelle, I'm super glad you went there, because that was
another personal anecdote that I wanted to offer up this morning. Was,
you know, as I've started to think about the challenges
around distracted driving, and as we as an organization have
started to talk with the public more actively about the
opportunity to do better, I'm realizing that that resonates at home.
That as I'm thinking about this and talking about this
(07:53):
and impactfully, as I'm changing my behaviors behind the wheel,
I've got little people sitting in the backseat that are
paying attention. And Michelle, you know this as a mother.
Our children are watching us from the day that they're
born to take cues and signals as to how they
should be operating in the world. And if they're constantly
seeing their parents in a state of distraction, either fumbling
around on the phone or messing with the radio or
(08:14):
talking a loud about the crazy meeting that they just left,
and they can't believe this, that or the other, it's
logical to assume that that our children will carry forward
those same behaviors. And so again, the call to action
here is let's lead by example, and when we get
behind the wheel of our automobile, let's leverage that as
a time to really disconnect from the chaos and reconnect
with ourselves.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
I love that.
Speaker 6 (08:36):
And if you are driving, let's say you're on a
road trip with your kids or just taking them to school,
let's use that as a time to talk with one another.
And I know right away my son, oh, can I
have my iPad? No you can't, No, you can't.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
They should be able to go twenty minutes without staring
at a screen. That is a very popular conversation in
our household too, Michelle.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Same, same, And my kids are young six and eight,
and I'm always like, no, you are going to learn
how to wait, You're going to learn how to be patient,
and you're going to learn how to just relax.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
I love that, And now is exactly the time to
be enforcing that with our children. And again, I think
we have a glorious opportunity to do that when we're
in the car behind the wheel, really role modeling those behaviors.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Absolutely so, is there anything else that we should know?
Speaker 4 (09:24):
There is a whole lot more content around distracted driving,
both the challenge and the impact statements, but also the
opportunity for us to collectively do better out on statefarm
dot com. So for listeners and viewers, please take a
moment to go visit statefarm dot com, look up our
simple Insights page and you will find much more around
this topic.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Terrific, John Wayne, thank you so much for joining me
today on Passport Mommy. What a great reminder of what
we should be focusing on both in the car and
outside the car to keep everybody safer on the roadways.
Speaker 4 (09:55):
Thank you so much for the time.
Speaker 7 (09:56):
Mishell.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
I hope you and your family had a wonderful high
Halloween yesterday, had lots of fun, lots of trigger treating,
and I cannot believe it is almost the holidays. So
coming up over the next few weeks, we're going to
talk about some really great ideas for holiday trips. I'm
going to be taking my family down to Orlando in
a couple of weeks. We're going to check out Universal
(10:18):
Studios and Island of Adventure. We're really excited. We haven't
been there yet to Universal. We've covered a couple of
the Disney parks, but not Universal yet, and we're going
to be staying at one.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Of the Universal properties.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
So I look forward to telling you all about that,
because when you do stay at a Universal property, you
get those extra perks at Universal Studios, you get to
get there an hour early, and so we'll have that
coming up on the show over the next couple of weeks.
And also we're going to start having those gift ideas
if you're trying to think about what to get your
kiddo for the holidays, or maybe the special adult in
your life if you think they have everything. I recently
(10:51):
went to an event and it showcased some of the
latest tech gifts, and it's just so cool what is
out there nowadays.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
I just can't believe it.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Sometimes I feel so technologically behind because things are moving
so quickly. But we're going to showcase some of those
in the next few weeks. You're listening to Passport Mommy.
I'm Michelle Jerson. More coming up in a few You're
listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson. And it is
that time of year we are making our travel plans.
(11:19):
Christmas break is coming up soon and many people will
make the same travel plans as in past years, but
with a smaller budget. So today I'm happy to have
with me Shika Narula. She is the Managing Director, head
of Consumer and small business Product Strategy, transformation and rewards
at Bank of America. And we're just going to talk
about how we can get more for our money when
(11:41):
traveling this season. Shika, thank you so much for joining
me today.
Speaker 5 (11:45):
Thank you for having me, Michelle.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
My pleasure.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
So talk to me about some simple strategies that people
can utilize to spend smarter.
Speaker 8 (11:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (11:55):
Sure, I think to some smart planning, people can give
themselves and their family the.
Speaker 5 (12:00):
Holiday trip that they deserve. Some tips that I would share.
Number one, begin by planning early.
Speaker 7 (12:08):
It's always a good idea to plan for holiday travel
as early as possible so you can give yourself the
time to find the best deals. There's a lot of
hotel and flight trackers out there that can help you
get the best price on travel and accommodations. There's even
apps and trackers that can predict if the prices are
going to increase or decrease, so take advantage of some
(12:30):
of these tools.
Speaker 5 (12:31):
Number two, stick to your budget.
Speaker 7 (12:33):
Make sure you're accounting for not just flights and accommodations,
but also thinking through you know the purchases you're going
to make when you're on that trip. And then number three,
make sure you're maximizing the rewards that you can on
your credit card as well as other loyalty programs, so
you can potentially use the points you may have accommodation
(12:53):
accumulated to book travel.
Speaker 5 (12:55):
As an example, we know through a.
Speaker 7 (12:57):
Survey that we did with all the people that are
traveling this year, sixty one percent of gen Z's a
set they're planning to use their awards to fully or
partially fund their holiday travel. So that's a great way
for you to be able to fund your travel. And
then when you're traveling and you're making purchases during that travel,
make sure that you're using a card that can help
(13:17):
you maximize your rewards. So that would be some of
the strategies I would share.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Yeah, excellent advice.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
And I always say I need to research more about
the best cards. And I think once you know where
you might be going or what you might need as
far as airfare or hotels, then you can look for
a card.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
That works for you for that.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
And so beyond just points or miles, what are some
less obvious but very valuable perks that a strong banking
rewards program can offer holiday travelers.
Speaker 7 (13:46):
Yeah, so banking reward program can offer a variety of
benefits and rewards. One of the great things about Bank
of America is no fee Preferred Awards program. Is the
reward clients for their loyalty based on their entire banking
and investing relationship, so not just.
Speaker 5 (14:03):
For credit card spending.
Speaker 7 (14:05):
So we have a wide variety of perks that come
handy for our clients during their travel, whether they're traveling
domestically or internationally. Some examples I can share the program
offers a foreign currency exchange rate discount. It offers no
fee ATM transactions, as well as partnerships with some premier
travel brands so that you can get some great deals
(14:29):
through some of those travel providers. So just a great
way to make your travel more rewarding.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Absolutely, And so you mentioned planning ahead. Is there any
other tips, easy to implement tips that you'd recommend to people, say,
who are just beginning to budget for holiday travel.
Speaker 7 (14:46):
Yeah, I would say try to layer the various rewards
programs that you have access to. So as an example,
layer one think of the retailer and travel programs. Make
a list of the hotels, airlines, restaurants that you're going
to be using during your trip, and make sure you're
signed up for their loyalty programs there and you're looking
into any offers they might have. Layer two, think if
(15:07):
using a cash back credit card that can give you
maximum cash back during your travel. So Bank of America's
Customized Cash Awards credit card is another great example of
a card that gets you three percent cash back in
one of the six popular spending categories of choice each month,
which includes travel, online shopping, and other things.
Speaker 5 (15:28):
Layer three, think of a best in class loyalty program.
Speaker 7 (15:31):
As an example, the Bank of America Preferred Towards program
you know, which gives a bonus on credit card rewards
on top of the base credit card awards that.
Speaker 5 (15:40):
Card members already earn.
Speaker 7 (15:42):
So as an example, with the custom Cash credit card,
on top of the three percent standlard cash back in
the choice category, the members can earn anywhere from a
twenty five to seventy five percent towards bonus. And then
layer four, you know, think of the merchant deal platforms.
We have Banker Mary deals where you know, card holders
can get bonus cash back on some.
Speaker 5 (16:03):
Popular retailers and restaurants.
Speaker 7 (16:05):
So just make sure you're taking advantage of all the
various benefits.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Yeah, and I think it's a good reminder because a
lot of times we just use the same card over
and over again and we're not really maximizing what we
could for our holiday travels. And so as we start
a new year, what are some ways that people can
just include reward offerings in their annual budget if they
want to plan ahead.
Speaker 7 (16:30):
Absolutely, So, as twenty twenty six approaches and people are
starting to formulate their financial plans thinking about their goals,
it's important to make sure that you're banking of the
financial institution that fits your unique needs.
Speaker 5 (16:43):
As well as rewards you for your everyday banking.
Speaker 7 (16:46):
So you're planning to buy a car next year, renovate
your home, take up that dream vacation, make sure you're
getting rewarded along the way. So our no fee Preferred
Rewards program is an excellent way to earn extensive rewards
and benefits across deposits, investments, credit cards, mortgages, auto loans.
So make sure you're taking advantage of all of that
(17:08):
to help you reach your goals in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Perfect, And where can we go for more information on
everything that we just talked about.
Speaker 5 (17:17):
Yeah, you can learn more about the Bank.
Speaker 7 (17:19):
Of America Preferred Rewards program by visiting www dot Bankofamerica
dot com forward slash Preferred Rewards Perfect.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Thank you so much, Chika Narula, Managing Director, head of
Consumer and Small Business Product Strategy, Transformation and Rewards at
Bank of America. Thank you for the wonderful tips that
you provided so that we can get on our holiday
travel and really start saving.
Speaker 5 (17:42):
Thank you, Michelle for the conversation. Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
You're listening to Passport Mommy.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
I'm Michelle Jerson, and as National Orthodontic Health Month comes
to a close, we are talking about braces. I know,
I have an eight year old and she's already seeing
some of her friends wearing braces, and she's like, when
can I get braces?
Speaker 2 (18:01):
When can I get braces?
Speaker 1 (18:02):
And she wants the metal braces, she wants the different
color of evands, and I'm like, don't rush it, you
don't need it right now. But they're having like a
resurgence and kids are thinking that the metal braces are cool.
So I'm happy to have with me today doctor Farrah Carr.
She's going to talk to us about metal braces versus
(18:23):
maybe some other options. Hi, doctor car Thank you so
much for joining me today. Thank you so much for
having me my pleasure. So tell me, are we seeing
a resurgence in the popularity of metal braces these days,
because I feel like they've been around since the nineteen seventies.
Speaker 9 (18:41):
You're absolutely right, I had braces in the eighties. We are,
we are seeing a little bit of that, and I
think that a lot of it is driven by social media, right.
I think that you know, patients are seeing you already
touched on this the colors. You know, when I had braces,
you know, getting my colors change was pretty much the
only thing that got me through treatment, right, so, you know,
(19:02):
because because you're dealing with the pain and the and
the and the cutting and the soreness and all of that.
So nonetheless, yes, there's definitely that element to it. So
social media plays a big part in this. I think
for some of our older patients it could be a
little bit more of like a nostalgic thing. You know,
maybe they wanted metal braces when they were younger but
weren't able to have it and want to experience that.
(19:24):
But you know, ultimately, as a mom and as an orthodonist,
when patients come to us for consultation. It's so important
to really sit down and go over the pros and
cons of all the tools that we now have available
to us and make an educated decision that's best for
the patient. We really don't want to be making health
(19:45):
decisions based on trends that are coming and going.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Oh of course, and I know as an adult. You know,
it's funny you said, as an adult we want nostalgia.
If I got braces again, which I've always thought about
because of my overbite, I personally it would help me
would go with in visi line because as an adult,
I don't want metal braces on my teeth.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Absolutely.
Speaker 9 (20:08):
I mean, I will tell you half of my patients
are adults, you know, And I think that you're absolutely
right because for most of us, you know, for adult patients,
it might be more of an aesthetic thing where you're like,
I want to I really want to fix this issue
without there being a whole lot of interference with my
daily life. And of course in visline is great for that.
(20:29):
But what a lot of people don't realize actually is
that there's so many advancements now with the clear liner
that you can treat pretty much any case type now
a lot of complex issues like you mentioned the overbite
or for example, severe crowding or spacing or crossbite. These
are issues that we are able to tackle in a
(20:50):
very effective way with clear liners, where for so many
years the only tool we had were traditional braces. And
what's interesting is actually the NIH National Institute of Health
released a study recently that showed that if let's say
you're embraces on average for about two years, the same
treatment tight would only take eighteen months. So what I'm
(21:12):
seeing in my practice is a lot of patients want
to get their treatment done in a quick manner, in
a more comfortable manner, and they want less oral irritation,
which I know for me personally, embraces was a big issue.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Yes, yeah, you just brought back memories of the cancer,
sours and everything else, and the wires in the mouth, so.
Speaker 9 (21:36):
The brackets breaking, the wire's packing. It's a struggle, right exactly.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
And so it's so interesting that the clear aligners can
do so much nowadays because I remember, I don't know,
maybe I looked into it ten fifteen years ago and
I was told, no, they can't help for what you need.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
So that's really encouraging.
Speaker 9 (21:54):
Think about all the different advancements around us, right, you know,
if you think back to when I was in high school,
I had a page. Now we have a smartphone, there's
so many amazing advancements, and so you know, you know,
truly our patients today are so lucky in many ways
because maybe they don't have to relive a lot of
the things that we did because of those advancements, they're
(22:15):
able to get a lot of really severe issues addressed
in a very predictable way. And so that's just that's
I think that benefits everybody. It benefits the patient more
than anybody that we can do this and really consider
oral health benefits. Right, if you think about the fact
that you know, we know with braces, there's so much
(22:36):
time and energy that goes into keeping your teeth clean
because you're basically a magnet for bacteria and food.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
I mean, that's just a fact.
Speaker 9 (22:43):
And so a lot of our parents and even adults
really don't realize the amount of time and energy that
needs to go into maintaining proper oral health with traditional braces.
And if you think about clear liners being removable, you're
not changing the way that your breast and flossing because
you get to remove them to do those things. And so,
(23:04):
you know, coming back to the NIH article, which was
really interesting because it's just so validating because we've been
seeing this for years. You know, we have a lot
less gingble bleeding, a lot less gingible inflammation. Those are
the puffy gums we see with braces, and a lot
less PLAQ accumulation when it comes to clear aligners. And
the other thing I'll mention, because this is one thing
(23:26):
that I never really accounted for over the years, is
the amount of patients that that I have that play
contact sports and you know, having them being in aligners
is just such a safe approach compared to having something
that could cause soft tissue trauma if God forbid, you know,
they were to have an accident.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
Right, absolutely well, really great insight and very helpful, and
something I think all parents should explore with their orthodontis
that there are different treatment options. Thank you so much
for giving me such a great update on what Invisible
Line can do in the clear aligners. Where can we
go for more information.
Speaker 9 (24:03):
Doing vizline dot com, forward slash find a doctor.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Thank you so much, Doctor Farrah Carr. I'm Michelle Jurson.
The Passport mommy. More coming up in a few you're
listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jurson and I am
thrilled to have on the show with me today Keith Varney.
He stars and created the new solo play Ten Times
I Should Have Known I was autistic. Thank you so
(24:27):
much for joining me today, Keith.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
Thank you. I'm really honored to be here and I
really appreciate you taking the time.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
Oh my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
So it was funny when we first connected to talk,
I like envied everything that was behind you and your background,
your star trek, figures, your collectibles, everything you have going
on there, and you said, it's amazing. I should have
known that I was autistic before the age of forty.
So talk, Let's just back up for a little bit
and tell me about the play Ten Times I Should
Have Known I was autistic.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
What is it about, Well, it's basically about me discovering
that I was autistic in middle age and through the
structure of ten sort of missed clues, mostly comedic. It's
my way of understanding how being autistic and not knowing
it has shaped my life and my childhood and my
(25:17):
career and my relationships and so this is all very
new to me, so I didn't discover this until about
a year ago. So writing this show has been my
way of processing this new understanding of myself and looking
back and forward sort of on how it has shaped
my entire life.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
So interesting, and so what inspired you to bring your
personal story though to the stage? What made you decide
to share that your story should be a theatrical piece.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
That's a very fair question to anybody whoever writes autobiographical material.
But this is part of the ways that I've always
been as a writer. I've been a writer for a
long time, and this is not my first autobiographical show,
but it is my first autobiographical play, in my first
solo play. And so I sort of as I was
(26:08):
working through all of these parts of my life and
these relationships, I've realized that this is incredibly universal to
a whole burgeoning generation of people who are being diagnosed
later in life. And I've found on social media. I
have a TikTok account, and I found this incredibly warm
(26:29):
and community of other people like me who are all
sort of discovering together and helping each other understand the
ways that our minds work, the way that it's different
how it's affected our lives, and so I sort of
felt like, wow, these stories are uniquely specific, but also
(26:50):
more universal than I ever would have expected, and so
I'd like to I want to share it for other
people like me who may or may not be either
finished the road or on the road to diagnosis or
understanding what they are, but also for the people in
their lives to understand better the neurodivergence in their lives.
(27:12):
And you know, so it's for in a lot of ways,
it's for people my age and older to learn new
things to give them a contemporary understanding of what autism means,
what neurodivergence means, because it was very different in the
eighties it was growing up, yes, And for younger people
who can maybe understand what the experiences of their parents
(27:36):
who came into the world not having any of the
contemporary understandings of these things.
Speaker 5 (27:41):
Right.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
No, It's interesting because I was just having a conversation
the other day. We were talking with other parents about
why the numbers are so great these days and when
we were kids about DIAGNOSM, and I'm like, I just
don't think people talked about it as much. I don't
think people were diagnosed as much when we were younger.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
Yeah, not at all. And I you know, it's such
an interesting topic today because everyone's like, oh, there's a
whole bunch of newly autistic people. No, there aren't. There
are people who have always been that way, And our
understanding of neurodivergence is finally widening enough to accept people
who have always been that way but had no idea,
like myself exactly.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
And so how would you, like, just for example, if
you're in a marriage or relationship, how would you say
it affected your relationships?
Speaker 3 (28:27):
Oh, it certainly did. And I talk about it in
the show, Yeah, because my ex wife plays a large
role in the play because she was the person who
had to experience this all with me. And so, you know,
it shows up in a lot of different ways in
the way that I communicate my need for routine, my
(28:49):
need for boundaries, my special interests, which can be overwhelming obviously,
And you know, I think the biggest way that I
faced it within my romantic relationships is the way that
I process conflict, and that it's very different for a
neurodivergent person than for a neurotypical person because the way
(29:10):
I describe it. And this is a little bit cribbed
from the great Saul Smith. You should check out his book.
He's wondering but talking about processing conflict. He says it
from the ground up. But the way describe it is,
I'm watching conflict like it's a scene in a play,
and so I'm standing a little bit outside of it,
and I'm doing all of this analysis of the conflict
(29:32):
like it's script analysis, and I'm using my words literally.
Literal thinking, obviously is another autism thing, and it's we
get in trouble because you know, the other person I'm
talking with is not watching the scene. They're in the scene, right,
and they're not meaning their words literally, They're trying to
(29:53):
express a feeling. And so I wish, and we both
wish that we had understood this fifteen years ago as
a better way of understanding how we're processing the world.
And that shows up in conflict, but it shows up
in lots of other ways.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
Yeah, it's so interesting because I feel like there are
probably a decent amount of couples who were in or
are in your same situation. They don't understand their partner,
They don't you know it, Like so many people say, oh,
you just have to communicate, but.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
Sometimes you just can't. It's just not connecting.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Well, it's the way that you communicate needs to be
understood as much as the communication itself.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Right, So what do you want audiences to take away
from the experience after seeing ten times I should have
known I was autistic?
Speaker 3 (30:41):
Well, I'd like kind of what I said before. I
would like us to have a better cultural understanding of
contemporary understandings of neurodivergence, because when I was raised, autism
meant one very specific thing, and I never thought I
could possibly be in that world. And so so many
(31:06):
the conversations that I am having today with with with
my family and other friends who grew up in that environment,
they're like, what, they have no understanding of what it
They well, they have a very limited understanding of what
autism is and means, and think it's it's this one
thing that I learned in nineteen eighty nine and that's
what I am. And I think younger generations have a
(31:31):
much better understanding today, and so I would like to
sort of meet and have a little bit of understanding
either way, and more importantly, to create a safe space
for other neurodivergence to have the same journey that I've had,
because it has been immensely fulfilling and eye opening and
(31:52):
relieving and exciting for me to understand this about myself.
It's it is filled in a missing piece that's been
there forever, and it's been so frustrating to not understand
this piece of myself. So for other people like me,
I would love to have a safe, kind space to
explore those ideas and maybe, you know, help people who
(32:13):
are peeking out from behind their own mask come out
and feel safe and feel welcomed like I was made
to feel. Yeah, all these people were ahead of me.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
Sure. I think it's incredible.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
And you mentioned that your ex wife plays a big
part in this show.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
And the show also features, as.
Speaker 1 (32:29):
You say, revealing, comedic and potentially incriminating stories. Can you
give us a preview of one of them?
Speaker 3 (32:36):
Oh for sure. Well, I mean it depends on how incriminating. Yeah,
I mean, you know, a lot of the stories are
are comedic and silly about ways that my mind works.
But the I think the most fun one is they're
all titled. So one of them is the time the
US government thought I was going to something I can't
(32:57):
say on the Radio to Sarah Palin. So that's a
true story that you're going to have to come see
the show to see what I mean by that.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Okay, okay, well you got me. The hook is in.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
So has this show been seen by audiences before?
Speaker 2 (33:14):
This will be your first time.
Speaker 5 (33:16):
This is it.
Speaker 3 (33:16):
This is the very first time this will be up.
And so I've been working very hard with my incredible
director Derek Rowlands too to shape this and get this
up in front of an audience. So you know, look,
it's always going to be in development. I'm learning new
things about it every ten minutes, so it is growing
and changing and I can't wait to have an audience
see it for the first time and see where it goes.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Yeah, I can't wait to see it.
Speaker 1 (33:40):
And I know that it's going to be presented as
part of the United Solo Theater Festival.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
Tell me about the festival.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
Yeah, So the United Solo Festival has been going for
years and it's basically this beautiful festival of a wide
variety of solo shows from all over the world, all
over the country in every topic you could possibly imagine,
and they all sort of convene both in the fall
in the spring, in Theater Row in Manhattan on forty
(34:09):
second Street, and so you can go every single night
and have a completely different experience with another solo artist
expressing any number of interesting ideas.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Wow, I love that, And I feel like these are
the types of shows that are really intriguing and that
are really interesting to see, like yours, that really makes
us think and brings us into a story and someone's lives,
and a lot of work went into this.
Speaker 3 (34:36):
Yeah, well, I mean it's yes, it is a tremendous
amount of work and I'm terrified, but it has also
been incredibly exciting and to to it's very revealing, right,
So you're like, oh, I can't believe I'm gonna go
out and tell these stories and be this emotionally open.
But that's also the joy and excitement of theater. That's
(34:59):
joy of it, excitement of doing something something like this.
That's there's something special, something that crackles in the air
when you are open and honest in front of you know,
a live audience.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
I used to feel like I used to host a
relationship talk show and I felt like that was my therapy.
I sure talking to everybody else, and you know, it's
putting it out there.
Speaker 3 (35:21):
No question. I mean I talked about in the show.
But you know, I've been in therapy on and off
for almost thirty years, and yet this piece, filling in
the missing piece that therapy never understood, has absolutely been
therapy for me. It's been incredibly therapeutic and continues to
be and will be again when I'm performing it right right?
Speaker 1 (35:40):
And so, what other projects you have coming up after
ten times I should have known I was autistic?
Speaker 3 (35:44):
Well, I've got a bunch of different shows in development.
The one I can I can talk about. I have
a musical parody of SVU of Law and Order SVU
the Pipeline.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
So okay, hold on to your hat. I can't wait.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
Yeah wait, So how can we get tickets for this show?
For ten times I should have known I was autistic?
When and where does it play?
Speaker 3 (36:07):
It is playing on November fourth at seven pm at
Theater Row in New York City. You can get tickets
at autisticshow dot com. And yeah, so seven o'clock come
out and see me.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Perfect.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
Well, let's see November fourth. I can make that. I'll
be there. I'll be there.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
Crazy, yes, yes, that's so exciting.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
It And for those if by chance somebody will not
be in New York City or can't make it into
New York City on that day, can they see clips
of it somewhere else after the show?
Speaker 3 (36:41):
You know, there's a pretty good chance you'll be able
to you can see a little bit of it on
TikTok at Keith Varney and Keith Varney Writer will be
my website where you can see whatever's coming there. And hopefully,
hopefully this show will have a life moving forward and
I'll be performing it in various places, so hopefully there
will be more opportunities.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Terrific.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
And you know, I just realized November fourth is election day,
so here in the city, I think we might need
some levity and some laughter.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
Nice.
Speaker 3 (37:09):
We're all going to be hanging on by our fingernails,
no doubt.
Speaker 8 (37:12):
Yeah, So perfect thing to go see. How let me
say that perfect show to go see? Go get your
tickets for ten times. I should have known I was
autistic with Keith Varney. We have about a minute and
a half left.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
If there's anything, any advice or anything that you'd want
to leave the audience with today, what would that be?
Speaker 3 (37:32):
Oh? Well, I would say, be curious about the neurodivergence
in your life and that there are there's so many
conspiracy theories and nonsense about autism, but there's a beautiful
and interesting world out there if you can go and
(37:54):
investigate it a little bit. There's some great podcasts out
There's a great book called Autistics Guide to Self Discovery
by Saul Smith if you would like to read up
about it. But you know, go go talk to a
neurodiverson We're really fun, We're really.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
Interesting, absolutely, and you have two podcasts of your own.
Speaker 2 (38:14):
Tell me about those really quickly, I do.
Speaker 3 (38:17):
If you really want to go deep down a special
interest in Star Trek, you can listen to me on
Keith and Mike watch Deep Space nine both podcasting and
on YouTube. And my show about Star Trek action figures,
which I can't believe exists, called Look at My Star
Trek Toys also on YouTube.
Speaker 2 (38:34):
That is great. How long have you been doing those?
Speaker 3 (38:37):
For doing those for a couple of years. Yeah, we're
almost done Deep Space nine. Yeah it's been. It's a
small community, but it's a passionate community of people with
I'm assuming a lot of neurodivergence, really sharing our special
interest together, which is one of the joyful parts. It's
not all bad, it's some of it is deeply joyful.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
Oh, absolutely well. Thank you so much for sharing it
with us today. Keith Barney, thank you for joining me
today on Passport Mommy. I had so much fun speaking
with you me as well.
Speaker 3 (39:06):
Thank you very much for having me.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
Thank you you're listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson.
Wildfire risk is increasing. This is because of several factors,
more homes and communities in wildfire prone areas, changing environmental conditions,
and then things that aren't completely out of our control
as we have seen. So I'm really happy to have
(39:28):
on the show with me today. Karen Collins, vice president
at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, and doctor Andy Cope,
she is the chief engineer at Insurance Institute for Business
and Home Safety. Thank you both so much for joining
me today. Thank you so talk to me about being
under insured, because I know that when the tragedy is
(39:51):
struck in the Palisades. I have a friend of mine
who posted as much as he could. He lost everything,
and he he said the one thing he was thankful
for was that he had the right insurance. So how
does one make sure that their finances are protected before
a wildfire.
Speaker 10 (40:12):
Yeah, you don't want to set it and forget it
with insurance, make sure you're having those conversations before the event.
Go and do your annual insurance check up to go
over your key coverages. Talk to your age and or
insurance company about your policy limits. We know inflation has searched.
Everything is roughly forty percent higher than it was before
the pandemic for rebuilding, so you need to make sure
(40:34):
your policy limits have been adjusted for recent inflation trends.
And also talk about what your policy includes. Talk about
optional endorsements, things that can give you extra financial cushion
to absorb things when the demand does surge and all
the costs go up even higher from there. Go over
what your policy covers if it's replacement costs versus actual
cash value. Again, different optional endorsements might give you more cushion.
(40:59):
And just make sure you're key, I mean that policy
in place. And if you're a renter, don't overlook you
might also need to have financial resources if you're displaced
or if you lose all of your personal belongings. So
it's really a message for both homeowners and for renters
to go and have those insurance conversations so that you
do have that available to you in the event of
a loss.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
Absolutely, And what are the key steps to make sure
your home is more resistant two embers igniting and burning
your home?
Speaker 5 (41:26):
Right?
Speaker 11 (41:26):
Three key things. You want to make sure that you
have a Class A roof, and that you keep all
of the debris off your roof, all those leaves and
things like that. Keep your roof clear so you don't
have burning stuff on top of your roof. The vents,
the vents that go into your attic or your call space,
those can let embers into your attic, and now your
house is burning from the inside out, so you want
(41:48):
to replace the vents with ember resistant vents, or if
you're a do it yourself er, you can use a
wire mesh one eighth inch or tighter and you can
put that wire mesh on your vent to keep the
embers from getting into those spaces. And then the third
and really critical piece is you want to have a
safety zone right around immediately adjacent to your house. The
(42:09):
first five feet that's a safety zone where if the
embers land there, you don't want them to make a
fire that's going to burn your house down. So you
want to remove wood moult, you want to remove firewood.
You don't want anything that's going to burn in the
five feet right closest to your house. You don't have
to give up on your landscaping. You just need to
relocate it so that you can enjoy it from the
(42:31):
window or enjoy it by sitting on the porch and
looking out.
Speaker 2 (42:34):
But you don't want it to be.
Speaker 11 (42:36):
Right next to your roof where it can right next
to your home where it can.
Speaker 2 (42:39):
Catch your house on fire.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
Right, And so what are some options? How can we
easily change our landscaping and are fencing?
Speaker 11 (42:47):
Yeah, you just needed the last five feet. So if
you have a wood fence, replace the last five feet
with a metal or something that's noncombustible. Use hard scaping
pavers and stuff like that. Set yourself up a beautiful table,
a noncombustible metal table, or you know some other table
where you can sit and have your coffee on a nice,
beautiful hardscape and look out at your gorgeous, shady landscaping.
(43:12):
But just you need that safety zone right there next
to your house so that that is the place that
lights most homes on fire, so just move that stuff away.
Speaker 1 (43:21):
Excellent tips and ones that we probably don't often think
about and we should be and it just takes you know,
we might say, oh, I have no time to do
this or that, but you know what, do it once
and feel comfortable that you have done as much as
you could do. And speaking of that, what about a
home inventory to make recovery easier, because I'm sure after
an event like this, that's the last moment you want
(43:43):
to be thinking about, oh, what did I just lose.
Speaker 10 (43:46):
Yes, home inventories are so beneficial for every type of
natural disaster, but even more for wildfires, because too often,
once your homem ak nights, it's a total loss. There
is nothing left. And so in the aftermath of these fires,
you still need to submit to your copy documentation of
what you're needing to get reimbursed for. And once you've
created that record, just make sure you save it somewhere,
(44:07):
save it to your cloud or email it to yourself
so that you can access it afterwards in the event
you do need to come up with kind of here's
the list of everything I had that I do need
to get reimbursed for as part of my.
Speaker 1 (44:18):
Claim right exactly, And so where can we go for
more information on everything that we talked about today. If
we want to remember some of the tips that you just.
Speaker 10 (44:26):
Mentioned www Dot APCI dot org, slash wildfire.
Speaker 11 (44:32):
And for all of those things about how to make
your property more wildfire resistant, go to wildfire prepared dot org.
Speaker 2 (44:39):
Thank you both so much. I'm Michelle Jurson.
Speaker 1 (44:41):
Thank you so much for joining me this week on
Passport Mommy assass
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