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Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here. In today's episode of Simple Joe, we're talking about a lost wallet, a pregnancy-test lollipop, and a couple of pretty remarkable surprises. First, we're heading to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, where a carpenter renovating a house discovered a wallet that had been hiding beneath the floorboards for 51 years. It disappeared in 1975, complete with a driver's license, student ID, handwritten birth certificate, a dollar bill, and even a ticket to see Hamlet. Thanks to a Facebook post and a little detective work, the wallet finally made its way back to its original owner, Richard Gilroy. It's a great little story about lost memories, unexpected discoveries, and somebody taking the time to do something kind. Then we'll look at TACT, an unusual pregnancy-test lollipop being developed by a Carnegie Mellon University design student that could someday help blind and visually impaired women independently detect pregnancy through a touch-based result. It's still a prototype, but the idea raises some interesting possibilities for privacy and independence. Along the way, we're celebrating birthdays, remembering the premiere of I Love Lucy and Dolly Parton's Jolene, talking cheese curds and lemon bars, and checking the weather in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Cincinnati, Ohio. Plus, I've got a little family time with the grandkids coming up this weekend. Just another Thursday with a couple of fascinating stories, a little nostalgia, and a reminder that sometimes the things we find aren't valuable because of what they're worth, but because of the memories attached to them. Email me at [email protected] or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you. You can get Simple Joe T-Shirts and other cool stuff at thesimplejoe.com/store Check out what I'm reading at thesimplejoe.com/reading If you share the show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please use #simplejoeismyfriend; you might get a free t-shirt!

Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here. I have discovered yacht rock, and apparently I'm about 45 years late to the party! On this Wildcard Wednesday episode of Simple Joe, I'm talking about why I've suddenly fallen in love with the smooth sounds of Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, the Doobie Brothers, Ambrosia, Little River Band, and yes, even Steely Dan. I grew up listening to hard rock and heavy metal, so how did I manage to miss all this great music? I'll tell you how yacht rock became the soundtrack for road trips with Karin, our recent vacation, and even trips to Waffle House. We'll talk about why this music feels brand new to me instead of nostalgic, some surprisingly good life lessons I've discovered in classic yacht rock lyrics, and why it's never too late to discover something wonderful that's been right in front of you all along. Plus, we've got birthdays, historic events, National Dessert Day, and even chocolate-covered insects. So climb aboard, my friend. We're talking yacht rock, staying curious, and discovering new favorites in old places. Email me at [email protected] or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you. You can get Simple Joe T-Shirts and other cool stuff at thesimplejoe.com/store Check out what I'm reading at thesimplejoe.com/reading If you share the show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please use #simplejoeismyfriend; you might get a free t-shirt!

Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here. It's Tuesday, and we're visiting Truro, England, for another round of Tuesday's Random Questions! Today I'm talking about the gift I'm most proud of giving, our family vacations together, and what would happen if the internet disappeared for an entire month. I'm also picking one skill I'd love to download directly into my brain, sharing an old family mystery involving a possible fugitive from the French Revolution and a last name that might not be our original family name, and remembering the smell of homemade chili that always makes me feel at home. Along the way, we're celebrating Paul Simon, Sammy Hagar, Jerry Rice, and a few other birthdays, remembering the debut of Paddington Bear and the beginning of commercial cellular service in America, and talking about National M\&M Day. Plus, I've got an update on our Simple Joe plank contest, where a free T-shirt is on the line. I'd love to hear your answers, too! Tuesday’s Random Questions What gift have you given that you were especially proud of? If the internet disappeared for one month, what would change most in your life? If you could download one skill directly into your brain, what would it be? What family mystery would you love to solve? What is one smell from a kitchen that feels like home? Email me at [email protected] or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you. You can get Simple Joe T-Shirts and other cool stuff at thesimplejoe.com/store Check out what I'm reading at thesimplejoe.com/reading If you share the show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please use #simplejoeismyfriend; you might get a free t-shirt!

Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here. On today's episode of Simple Joe, I'm talking about popcorn, caramel corn, movie theater snacks, and one of my biggest regrets involving unlimited popcorn refills. We're checking the weather in São Paulo, Brazil, and Cincinnati, Ohio, celebrating birthdays including Dusty Rhodes and Hugh Jackman, and looking back at Christopher Columbus, the origins of Oktoberfest, and Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. Then it's time for Monday's Interesting Headlines! We've got a missing dog showing up at a police station, a wallet lost for 51 years, another expedition searching for Amelia Earhart's plane, a 61-year-old woman holding a five-hour plank, and a lollipop that could help blind women independently detect pregnancy. Which story should we dig into on Thursday? Text me at 513-399-6468 or email [email protected] and cast your vote. And I've got another challenge for you: tell me how long you can hold a plank. The listener reporting the longest time gets a free Simple Joe T-shirt! Monday Interesting Headlines Missing dog reunited with owner after showing up at Tampa police station Home renovation project leads to discovery of wallet lost for 51 years Amelia Earhart expedition heads to Pacific atoll hoping to find her plane 61-year-old woman holds 5-hour plank — a new world record — at Huntsman World Senior Games This Lollipop Could Help Blind Women Independently Detect Pregnancy Email me at [email protected] or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you. You can get Simple Joe T-Shirts and other cool stuff at thesimplejoe.com/store Check out what I'm reading at thesimplejoe.com/reading If you share the show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please use #simplejoeismyfriend; you might get a free t-shirt!

Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here. Who gets the best version of you? In today's Personal Development Saturday episode of Simple Joe, I'm asking a question I've been wrestling with myself: Why do we sometimes give more patience, kindness, and courtesy to complete strangers than to the people we love most? I share some memories of those not-so-peaceful family drives to church, when frustration filled the car but everybody suddenly became friendly the moment we walked through the church doors. We talk about the difference between being comfortable with someone and taking them for granted, why our closest relationships deserve more attention and encouragement, and how a simple one-day experiment might help us make a change. The big idea? We don't need to impress the people closest to us. We need to invest in them. Plus, we're celebrating birthdays, exploring the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, and talking about angel food cake, chess, and maybe why neckties aren't so good for our brains. I also give a shout-out to my imaginary friend SM2N, whose thoughtful response to my episode about working while on vacation challenged me to reconsider some of my commitments. I'd love to hear your thoughts about today's conversation. Text me at 513-399-6468 or email [email protected]. And remember, memories are better than stuff. Listen to SM2N's episode on Spotify Email me at [email protected] or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you. You can get Simple Joe T-Shirts and other cool stuff at thesimplejoe.com/store Check out what I'm reading at thesimplejoe.com/reading If you share the show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please use #simplejoeismyfriend; you might get a free t-shirt!

Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here. A Segway tour I spotted while on vacation got me thinking about all the great ideas we gave up on. You know, those inventions, products, and experiences that actually existed, that people bought and used, and then somehow just disappeared. This Friday, I'm counting down my Top 10 Great Ideas We Gave Up On, and some of these are absolutely fascinating. We're talking about forgotten technology, unusual transportation, clever inventions, and experiences that seemed like the future until the world moved on without them. Some probably deserved to disappear, but others make me wonder why we haven't given them another chance. And my number one choice? I'd love to see somebody figure out how to bring that experience back. Along the way, we've got birthdays, a little Cincinnati Reds history, some unusual celebrations, and the usual Simple Joe detours. What great idea do you wish somebody would bring back? Text me at 513-399-6468 or email [email protected]. I'd love to hear what I missed! Email me at [email protected] or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you. You can get Simple Joe T-Shirts and other cool stuff at thesimplejoe.com/store Check out what I'm reading at thesimplejoe.com/reading If you share the show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please use #simplejoeismyfriend; you might get a free t-shirt!

Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here. In this episode of Simple Joe, I’m digging into one of the strangest stories I’ve seen in a while: the weird trash Yellowstone geologists retrieve from geysers, hot springs, and other hydrothermal areas. We’re talking about more than 20,000 pieces of trash this year, including hundreds of hats, AirPods, retainers, fake fingernails, toys, Pokémon cards, an Uno card, hotel key cards, and even a tiny copy of The Vampire Diaries. Some of it gets blown or dropped in accidentally, but coins, rocks, and other objects can actually interfere with these delicate thermal features, and Morning Glory Pool is a great example of how debris can change what happens below the surface. The whole thing got me thinking about that awful feeling when you drop something somewhere you can see it but absolutely cannot reach it, including a friend who lost a phone from a roller coaster and a recent stop at a pier restaurant where the spaces between the boards are apparently just wide enough to swallow a credit card. Along the way, I also talk about Paul Hogan, R. L. Stine, Sigourney Weaver, Matt Damon, Bruno Mars, the Great Chicago Fire, the first enclosed shopping mall, National Pierogi Day, World Octopus Day, and a pair of cowboy boots I’ve owned for about 35 years and even wore when I got married. I also spend a little time on World Dyslexia Day and how sometimes simply understanding why something has always been difficult can give us a little peace and help us figure out how to work around it. If you’ve ever dropped or lost something in a place where you knew it was gone for good, I’d love to hear the story. Email me at [email protected] or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you. You can get Simple Joe T-Shirts and other cool stuff at thesimplejoe.com/store Check out what I'm reading at thesimplejoe.com/reading If you share the show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please use #simplejoeismyfriend; you might get a free t-shirt!

Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here. In this Wildcard Wednesday episode of Simple Joe, I’m asking you to prove me wrong: is it okay to work a little bit while you’re on vacation? I just got back from vacation, and while I recorded Simple Joe every day, I don’t really think of the podcast as work because it’s something I genuinely enjoy and a creative outlet for me. The harder question is what happens when I open the laptop for “just 45 minutes,” check email, answer a few questions, and convince myself that staying connected actually helps me relax. We look at research on psychological detachment from work, the importance of real recovery time, and the uncomfortable possibility that sometimes I’m checking in because I want people to notice that I’m still engaged. That gets even more complicated because I’m a leader who tells my own team to disconnect completely when they’re on vacation. I talk through boundaries, why we work when we’re supposedly off, whether helping a coworker is really so different from helping a friend, and whether a little intentional work can coexist with a real vacation. I’m still not sure there’s a perfect answer, but I do know this: if I believe the people who work for me deserve a real vacation, maybe I need to give myself permission to take one too. Email me at [email protected] or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you. You can get Simple Joe T-Shirts and other cool stuff at thesimplejoe.com/store Check out what I'm reading at thesimplejoe.com/reading If you share the show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please use #simplejoeismyfriend; you might get a free t-shirt!

Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here. In today’s Simple Joe, I start with the wild story of Daniel Boone’s 14-year-old daughter Jemima being kidnapped in 1776 and leaving clues through the wilderness that helped her father find and rescue her. From there, we check in on Melbourne, Australia, celebrate birthdays including wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino, Super Soaker inventor Lonnie Johnson, Tony Dungy, Elisabeth Shue, and Trevor Lawrence, and look back at the first widely recognized robbery of a moving train, the founding of the American Library Association, and the launch of Instagram. We also celebrate National Taco Day, National Noodle Day, World Cerebral Palsy Day, and National Badger Day before getting into Tuesday’s Random Questions. Along the way, I talk about why I wish I had started saving money much younger, what I learned from buying a bar and grill in my twenties, the infamous Christmas gravy burn my kids and I still laugh about, a couple of strange body-measurement facts that have been stuck in my head for years, and why I think what often looks like confidence is really bravery. I also come back to one of the biggest financial lessons I’ve learned: be careful who you trust with your money, do your due diligence, and remember that sometimes the most expensive lessons are the ones that stick with you the longest. Tuesday’s Random Questions What is the best advice you ignored? What is your funniest cooking failure? What completely random fact has stayed in your brain for years? What is something people often misunderstand about confidence? What is the best financial lesson you learned the hard way? Email me at [email protected] or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you. You can get Simple Joe T-Shirts and other cool stuff at thesimplejoe.com/store Check out what I'm reading at thesimplejoe.com/reading If you share the show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please use #simplejoeismyfriend; you might get a free t-shirt!

Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here. I’m back home in Cincinnati after vacation, running on a little post-vacation exhaustion but happy to be behind the microphone again. Today we check the weather in West Milford, New Jersey, celebrate a huge list of October 5 birthdays including Ray Kroc, Steve Miller, Brian Johnson, Bernie Mac, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Mario Lemieux, Kate Winslet, Jesse Eisenberg, and Travis Kelce, and look back at the Beatles releasing “Love Me Do,” the debut of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and the beginning of PBS. We also recognize Rhode Island Day, National Child Health Day, World Meningitis Day, World Teachers’ Day, and World Space Week. That last one hits especially close to home after I got to witness two SpaceX launches during vacation, including an incredible nighttime launch visible from Daytona Beach. Then it’s Monday’s Interesting Headlines, with weird discoveries in Yellowstone geysers, a towering charitable stack of canned goods, skydivers coming to the aid of plane-crash victims, Venus flytrap-inspired robotics, and SpaceX launching three rockets in a single day. Pick the story you want me to explore for Thursday and let me know by text or email. Monday Interesting Headlines “The weird trash that Yellowstone geologists retrieve from geysers” “Tower of canned goods sets unofficial record to mark Hunger Action Day” “These skydivers parachuted 3,000 feet to help people in a plane crash” “Venus flytrap-inspired robot hand material senses objects and grasps them under light” “SpaceX flies three rockets in one day, including a record trip to the station” Email me at [email protected] or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you. You can get Simple Joe T-Shirts and other cool stuff at thesimplejoe.com/store Check out what I'm reading at thesimplejoe.com/reading If you share the show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please use #simplejoeismyfriend; you might get a free t-shirt!

Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here. I’m a little over a month into the return of Simple Joe, and today’s episode is really about one thing: gratitude. I talk about why I brought the podcast back after a seven-month break, including needing the creative outlet, wanting to stay active in podcasting and coaching, and wondering whether anybody would still be there when I turned the microphone back on. The answer has been incredibly encouraging. Longtime listeners have returned, new listeners are showing up in cities around the United States and around the world, and many of you continue to text, email, argue with my Top 10 lists, suggest ideas, and remind me that there are real people behind those podcast analytics. I also talk about what I mean when I call you my friend, why disagreement doesn’t have to get weird, and what I hope Simple Joe can continue to be: something interesting, funny, encouraging, thoughtful, occasionally completely weird, and sometimes just a little company during your day. Most of all, this episode is my thank-you to the people who came back, the people who just found the show, the people who regularly reach out, and the quiet listeners who may never contact me but keep pressing play. I know you’re there, I appreciate you, and I hope we keep doing this together for a long time. Email me at [email protected] or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you. You can get Simple Joe T-Shirts and other cool stuff at thesimplejoe.com/store Check out what I'm reading at thesimplejoe.com/reading If you share the show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please use #simplejoeismyfriend; you might get a free t-shirt!

Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here. I’m wrapping up our time in Daytona Beach, Florida, and today’s Simple Joe takes us from groundwater hiding beneath our feet to a Friday Top 10 built around something most of us have probably experienced: being told all our lives that something is illegal, only to find out later that it really isn’t. I talk about the final day of vacation, the possibility of doing a vacation wrap-up, and maybe even joining my pal Connecticut Curt on Geeking on Travel to talk about the trip. We celebrate birthdays for Groucho Marx, Steve Sabol, Don McLean, Avery Brooks, Annie Leibovitz, Sting, Kelly Ripa, Tiffany, and Efren Ramirez, then look back at Jerusalem’s surrender to Saladin, the debut of Peanuts, and Thurgood Marshall becoming the first African American justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. We also celebrate National Smarties Day, National Fried Scallops Day, and Guinea Independence Day. Then it’s Friday’s Top 10: Top 10 Things You Think Are Illegal, But Aren’t. Some of these are childhood myths, some are workplace myths, some involve driving, and a few sound so wrong that they almost have to be illegal. I also share a few stories of my own and ask what you grew up believing was against the law, only to discover later that it wasn’t. Email me at [email protected] or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you. You can get Simple Joe T-Shirts and other cool stuff at thesimplejoe.com/store Check out what I'm reading at thesimplejoe.com/reading If you share the show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please use #simplejoeismyfriend; you might get a free t-shirt!

Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here. I’m spending October 1 in Daytona Beach, where vacation plans have shifted a little while Karin deals with a bronchial infection, but I still managed to get out for an electric-bike ride along the beach, meet Tony, a retired New York pizza-shop owner now living his dream selling Nathan’s hot dogs and Hershey’s ice cream, and make plans for a Halifax River cruise. Along the way, I’m talking about fishing cats that actually seem built for the water, birthdays including Jimmy Carter, Tom Bosley, Richard Harris, Randy Quaid, Mark McGwire, Zach Galifianakis and Brie Larson, some big October 1 moments involving Yosemite, NASA, Walt Disney World, EPCOT and the first commercial CD player, plus National Black Dog Day, homemade cookies, raccoons and my own five-year experiment with being a vegetarian. Then, for The Story Behind the Headline, I dig into the remarkable Bell-Harlow family, where five consecutive generations spanning 118 years were all born on September 14. I look at the roughly one-in-17.7-billion simplified math, whether the family could have tried to plan for the shared birthday, the fact that fifth-generation Arthur Bell was actually due on September 14 and arrived exactly on that date, and another strange pattern: the five generations alternate boy, girl, boy, girl, boy. It’s a fun story about coincidences, family traditions, birthdays and the little connections that can stretch across generations, and I want to know if your family has a strange repeating date, number or coincidence of its own. Email me at [email protected] or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you. You can get Simple Joe T-Shirts and other cool stuff at thesimplejoe.com/store Check out what I'm reading at thesimplejoe.com/reading If you share the show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please use #simplejoeismyfriend; you might get a free t-shirt!

Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here. I’ve been thinking about Batman, Bruce Wayne, and a question I’d never really considered before: how rich would Bruce Wayne actually have to be to make Batman work in the real world? In this Wildcard Wednesday episode of Simple Joe, I dig into what it might really cost to finance the Batmobile, Batwing, specialized equipment, research and development, repairs, computers, medical support, manufacturing, and the hundreds of people who might be needed behind the scenes at Wayne Enterprises. I talk about why my preferred Batman is Christian Bale and why the Christopher Nolan version makes this question especially interesting, whether Bruce Wayne could make it work with $50 billion or might need a personal fortune closer to $75 to $100 billion, and why Lucius Fox and Wayne Enterprises may actually be more important to Batman than Bruce Wayne’s personal wealth. Then there’s the question nobody seems to ask: how do you employ all those engineers, scientists, mechanics, accountants, HR people, and support staff without somebody eventually figuring out that they’re working for Batman? Along the way, I celebrate International Podcast Day, wonder why any kid would choose white milk when chocolate milk was available at school, remember The Flintstones, talk about Truman Capote, Barry Williams, Fran Drescher, Marty Stuart and T-Pain, and share a little of what’s happening during my final days of vacation in Daytona Beach. It all comes back to a fun question that turns out to be a lot bigger than I expected: maybe Bruce Wayne’s greatest superpower isn’t being rich at all. Maybe it’s somehow keeping the most complicated secret organization in Gotham from being discovered by somebody in payroll. Email me at [email protected] or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you. You can get Simple Joe T-Shirts and other cool stuff at thesimplejoe.com/store Check out what I'm reading at thesimplejoe.com/reading If you share the show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please use #simplejoeismyfriend; you might get a free t-shirt!

Welcome to Simple Joe. In this episode of Simple Joe, I’m coming to you from Daytona Beach while we check in on Tangier, Morocco, celebrate National Coffee Day, and work our way through another round of Tuesday Random Questions. I share some vacation updates, including our somewhat disappointing dolphin and manatee tour and our plans to explore St. Augustine, where the haunted and paranormal stuff is definitely getting my attention. The Random Questions take us in a few different directions, from the teachers I still remember to how my thinking about being a dad changed as my daughters grew up. I talk about old high school friendships that faded with time, what I’d call the documentary of my life, and two very different kinds of late-night conversations I’ll always remember: meaningful talks with my daughters and those wonderfully ridiculous late-night conversations with friends after closing down a bar. It’s a Tuesday episode about memories, relationships, getting older, coffee, a little nostalgia, and seeing where five random questions take us. Tuesday’s Random Questions What teacher had the biggest impact on you, and why? When was the last time you changed your mind about something important? What would your personal documentary be called? What friendship ended that you still occasionally think about? What is the best conversation you remember having late at night? I’m glad you’re here. Email me at [email protected] or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you. You can get Simple Joe T-Shirts and other cool stuff at thesimplejoe.com/store Check out what I'm reading at thesimplejoe.com/reading If you share the show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please use #simplejoeismyfriend; you might get a free t-shirt!