Vital Signs (Aired 08-07-25) Dash Splints: The Breakthrough Changing Emergency and Sports Medicine

[00:00:00] Speaker A: SA welcome to Vital Signs. I'm Jen Gauted, your fearless host where we spotlight groundbreaking innovation and the people behind them who are changing the face of health well being peak human performance. Today's guest is not only a veteran and former emt, he's also an innovator changing the game in emergency and sports medicine. Brad Domingue is founder of Dash Splints and his patented split design is catching the attention of first responders, coaches and medical professionals alike. In this segment, we're going to explore what makes his design so different and what the future holds for injury care and rapid response solutions. Brad, not all splints are created equal. I know in sports medicine I've seen some interesting things, but true design is changing the game. How is Dash Splint different than what we have come to know? [00:01:24] Speaker B: It's different because I kind of looked at all the splints that are currently being used, which is really about three of them, and I took the flaws in those three and that's where I designed this one. So that way if you have a splint that you need something to be able to put it on faster, that's what Dash Splint does. If you need something that is a kind of fit all if you want, that's where Dash comes in. It's easy, it keeps it simple. So that way even a layperson can figure out how to apply it. [00:01:56] Speaker A: So it's interesting. I want you to unpack this, show it to us like what is actually different for those of us who maybe not are in the field. [00:02:05] Speaker B: Okay. So one of the leading splints that's on the market, you have to really shape it, which takes a while. You're sitting there trying to shape it, whereas with the dashboard, it's already there, you know, you can quickly open it. So you can do, you know, a little kid's foot. This is one size. This is actually another size. Depending which size you use, you can do it like this as well. So this is another size and this is another size. Or you can leave it all the way now for like a little kid like my son, I can do this and it'll do his ankle all the way up to his leg. So you carry one does so much, I guess you could say, and it eliminates the voids. So other splints, when you put it on, it'll have voids where you have to use extra material in here. Whereas this one already form fits. So that I guess makes it quick, it's easy and it's simple and so. [00:03:02] Speaker A: You know, where do you see this innovation being used the most? Are we talking about schools? We're talking about sidelines, we're talking about disaster zones? [00:03:10] Speaker B: Well, all of them, really. I guess a lot of it, which was really neat, is a lot of parents, when they found out about it through social media and that they would buy them and we would basically donate them to the schools, which was awesome because, you know, we donated one to a school on a Monday and they used it that Friday, and the school nurse was just excited about having it. You know, ambulances are using it. We have an ambulance in Alabama. They're using it. I'm in talks right now with a ski patrol, actually, who's wanting us to maybe do a pilot program with them. So that's pretty interesting. I see sports medicine definitely is using it. We went to the national show for them and we got a lot of good feedback. Ul Sports medicine's using it. Out here in Texas, I believe they're called Word Incarnate, is the university. They're using it as well. [00:04:09] Speaker A: And so the thing that really struck me, because I was in sports medicine, I'm a physical therapist by trade, for those of you who don't know. And I was in elite sports medicine for 20 years. And you don't need to take this off when you get an X ray. Correct? [00:04:21] Speaker B: Exact. Yes, exactly. So you can leave it on. There's nothing in it that's made out of metal. You can leave it on. You can go to MRI even, and you don't have to worry about it. Which was kind of on the news recently with someone that, that walked into a room with MRI and they got, you know, fatally was injured. So that's another thing. You don't even have to worry about that. Which also can add to the treating of the patient because you're not having to put it on, take it off while you're already at the hospital. So that's it. That's another good plus. [00:04:51] Speaker A: Well, and for those of you who don't know, especially the parents out there, if you have children who are in sports or if you are an athlete, you get injured, you get into a spot and then you get to where you need. You're. You're ready to take X rays or MRI and they take that off, that is an incredibly painful experience. And so by just the fact that this doesn't have to be removed already makes it more comfortable. It makes it much more comfortable for the patient, and it actually makes it more safe because you're not manipulating in a different way for your, for your diagnostics, which makes for a better experience. So let me ask you, what's the next evolution here? Because you're an innovator, you're getting these in. What are people asking for now that they're using this? Is there a next iteration? [00:05:42] Speaker B: Yes, I've had sports medicine actually asked me if there was a way that I could possibly make it bigger. So I'm looking into that. I'm thinking about maybe making another one that's a lot bigger, that only folds twice. You know, I hear a lot how the, the systems that, that some of them are using are very expensive. They use a pump type of system and that can be broken and it's, you know, real expensive to replace anything, whereas this is a lot easier. So if I can make one even bigger, you know, for your elite athletes, I'll call it, you know, that's what they're looking at. So that's another possibility. [00:06:21] Speaker A: You know, it's really interesting on the show, we talk a lot about technology and AI and robotics, but this is something that has been around for. Splints have been around for a really, really long time. It seems to me like it's been a long time since there's been any innovation in the space. And yet you're innovating here and you're coming up with good, great options. So let me ask you, what prompted it to begin with? Because, because people are going to want to know, well, how did you think to do this? Because this has been the same for so long, right? [00:06:46] Speaker B: Like, I never thought, thought I would be somebody to invent something. Never, like, furthest thing from my mind. I mean, I might have thought of some things, but it kind of came to me, really, in Iraq, they would always have, you know, trainings that we had to do. I got put on to a certain type of training that was with some special forces guys. And in the training, it just something clicked that I needed to look at something different. Like, don't just accept what is given to us. And I started thinking about, you know, the splints that we were using is time consuming to apply. So I started playing around with basically some pieces of wood and some army duct tape, if you will, and made a couple of other things as well. I get to Kuwait, and we're making a drive from Kuwait to Baghdad. We get pulled over and there was a doctor that came up to me and, you know, a lot of times they like to drill you. They want to make sure you know what you're talking about and what you're doing. And he wanted to see my medic bag. And I had a lot of different things that I made on the outside of my medic bag, which there was a space very similar to this that was on my bag. And he asked, what was that? So I showed it to him. He was like, well, what is this for? And I showed him what that was for and he really liked it and it blew me away. And he just didn't have anything else to say and he walked away. So that let me know I needed to do it. [00:08:07] Speaker A: Absolutely. It's the people like you that are crazy enough to think up the new solutions that actually make these things that drive, drive our future. And so I'm going to ask you the next question because I know people are asking, how do I get my hands on this? How do I advocate for this? How do I ask my sports medicine doc, do I bring this to team physicals? How do I bring this to my school for my kid so that we can have something that's more comfortable, faster to apply, easier if they were to get injured. [00:08:33] Speaker B: Okay, so Dashpins has a website. We also have an email address. If you just want to buy like one or two, you can go on site and buy it. A lot of people are buying it because they'll carry it in their little bag. A lot of times moms will have their little, you know, recreational bag to go watch their kids play sports. It's good to have it in there because you never know who's going to be there or who's going to get hurt too, sports medicine wise. Send me an email. Dash Spence on the website also has an email. We can talk about, you know, how many you want to buy. We could possibly give you a discount on that as well. And that's really the main thing. Also by emailing us and talking to us, I can customize these so I can make it to where it has your university or your name on the splint as well to make sure that you get them returned from the er, which is helping because a lot of the sports medicine are worried about that. Well, what happens when it gets to the er? How am I going to get it back? And well, this, you know, when we customize it, it'll have a number. Do not throw call to pick up. So we can customize them also for you. [00:09:40] Speaker A: That's fantastic. So what is the takeaway, folks? The takeaway is innovation doesn't always mean complex technology. It's about smart, usable solutions that save time, reduce harm and improve outcomes. Dash Splints is one of those things. I strongly recommend you reach out to Brad because this is amazing. It's great for our athletes. It's great for us as well. I mean, I'm going to be frank. Sometimes we're out there being weekend warriors, and I know multiple times I would have liked to have this in my bag. So sometimes the best solutions come from those who have been in the field. And his work proves that firsthand experience breeds innovation. So, Brad, for those who want to learn more and get in touch with you, you've already shared your website, but share it one more time, all right. [00:10:23] Speaker B: @Www-Splints.Com. [00:10:26] Speaker A: Thank you. We do have to take a brief break, but we will be right back after these important messages. Welcome back to Vital Signs. Loving what you're watching. You're not going to want to miss a moment of it. Download our Now Media TV app on Roku or iOS and enjoy instant access anywhere you are, wherever you want to be, you can be listening to your favorite shows. And so I'm here with Brad Domingue and we talked about splints in the last segment, but we're going to shift gears a little bit and get tactical, literally. Brad's military and EMT background gives him a unique perspective on readiness, whether you're facing a hurricane, civil unrest, or just want peace of mind for your family. Today we're going to unpack the go bag. What is it that you really need on hand when emergency strikes and how do you prepare when life is unpredictable? Brad, what is a go bag, and why should every household have one? [00:11:53] Speaker B: Okay, so some people call it a go bag. Some might call it like an everyday carry bag, and it can be both. It's basically a bag that has whatever sensors you think you may need for a certain situation. Like you said earlier, if it's maybe, you know, civil unrest or protest, you might need something to get out of that bind. Maybe it's, you know, you might be just driving on a really, you know, cold abandoned road often because of wherever you live. What happens if your car goes off the road? You may need to survive for a couple of days, and that's what that bag would be for. [00:12:29] Speaker A: Fantastic. And we've had no shortage of disasters, especially here in Houston, Texas. Rather. We've had floods, we've had hurricanes. There's all kinds of things that could happen that are, you know, would cause us to need to be on the go relatively rapidly. So we have here this bag. Listen, folks, this is light. It's easy. It's easy to carry. I'm like a one handing it over here. Talk to me about this a little bit. [00:12:51] Speaker B: All right, so this would be a good example of like an everyday carry bag that you just leave in your car. It's small, it's light, you know, you can add all kinds of things to it. It comes with like a molly topic system. But you can put gloves, you can put, you know, your tourniquets, first aid kits, or you can even fit a dash point in it, which would be nice. And then, you know, you can have other bags too for different situations. You may even depending on what where you at, you might need two bags. Just depends on what's where you're at and what. What your guess making it for. [00:13:23] Speaker A: Okay, so what's in yours? [00:13:25] Speaker B: This one? Just simple stuff for this one for now, for maybe like your, I guess, protest type of thing. I have bear spray, actually, which you never know if you get surrounded, you know, in your car and you need to get out, you know, you don't want to physically get out of it, you know, so you can crack your window. Spray some bear spray in the air. That should get some people out of there because they're not going to like not being able to breathe and they're not going to like their eyes burning. So that's one thing you can also put, you know, if you have a concealed license, you can conceal your weapon in there. First aid kit. Tourniquet is another one. I have a tourniquet right here. Flashlight. I have a flashlight in there. Even something that I Learned from John McAfee. That's where I got the idea for the bear spray too, is you can use like smoke, like orange smoke. So when you spray someone with bear spray, they're going to turn orange. So if you would release orange smoke and then you spray that, anyone that's around your car is going to think it's that orange smoke and they're going to get away. And that's what you want. You want them to get away so you can get away. So that would be another thing inside as well. [00:14:36] Speaker A: So a bug out bag. But I learned folks in the break that not only does Brad do this, but when he found out we were going to talk about the go bag, his wife put together a bag. And we don't know what's in it yet, but we're going to see how someone married to this expert does with her go bag. [00:14:57] Speaker B: Right, Right. So let's see. Sometimes you always think that is your spouse really listening? So I guess we get to see. And she's usually, I'll be honest. Whoa. She got something emergency wise, I don't even know. So she's got something to warn people. It's a flashlight. There you go. [00:15:27] Speaker A: Well, we definitely woke up today. [00:15:29] Speaker B: So she's, she's ready for that in the flashlight. Looks like she has something that you can cut a seat belt with. So you know if you're in your car, also break the glass. You might need that if your car is flooding. So she has a little camping light. Let's see what else she's got in here. That's a good choice too. She has a solar power panel which you can use to maybe even charge that light back up or your phone. And then it even has a compass on man. That's pretty good though. [00:16:02] Speaker A: Oh, his wife did good. Look, she must be listening. [00:16:05] Speaker B: She's doing real good. That's a filter pads. Let's see what this is. Ah, that's another one. So like I was saying, you might be driving down the road and you lose control. You're in the snow, you, you, you got to be there for a while. You might have to drink whatever water you can find. And she has some chlorine like tabs like to help purify the water. So she was thinking there, you know, she's doing pretty good. See what else. [00:16:30] Speaker A: I don't know if I listen to my husband this. Well, how about you folks? [00:16:34] Speaker B: She's doing great. She's really doing great. Let's see. [00:16:37] Speaker A: So you've got something to alert in emergency, something for people to find you or to scare people off. [00:16:41] Speaker B: Right. She got alcohol prep pads so you know, in case you get injured pain relieving cleansing spray. So again like to help clean for wounds if you got hurt tape, you can always, you know, no matter what's going on there. [00:17:00] Speaker A: I know what everybody's wondering. Brad, is your wife ex military as well? [00:17:04] Speaker B: No, not at all. [00:17:05] Speaker A: She is not. So this is an everyday one of us. Just anybody could be putting this together. I think the biggest and most important takeaway that I'm hearing is make sure that you have what you need to survive. Think about what it is that could potentially happen and have that ready to go. [00:17:24] Speaker B: Gloves. Well she's like on it like different types of gloves. Never know, you know, you might need to build something while you're stuck out there, like a shelter or whatever, you know. And then she's got the gloves and. [00:17:36] Speaker A: Then I think only a woman would think about that because I, I think about that too. [00:17:40] Speaker B: I Know, but I like it. [00:17:41] Speaker A: I don't want to destroy my hands. [00:17:42] Speaker B: But I like it. It's a great idea. [00:17:43] Speaker A: She. [00:17:44] Speaker B: She even has some books in here which are pretty popular if you ever seem. [00:17:50] Speaker A: So talk to us about these resources because I've seen a lot online. What happens if we get cyber hacked and electric grid goes down and we don't have electricity for two weeks? Or what happens if we have a hurricane and everything's out for a prolonged period of time? What are these resources? [00:18:07] Speaker B: Well, okay, so that would be kind of like what these books are for. It's going to show you how to survive in those situations, how to. How to make purified water, maybe even if you're sick, what you could like make. You know, some of those things are kind of lost. We're so used to going to the store and just buying it. And that's where these books come in handy. I mean, I'm not. I don't know all of these by my heart. So having the books is great. It's a great idea. [00:18:34] Speaker A: So we have a bug end guide. [00:18:38] Speaker B: Yes. So she has the Navy SEALS bugging guide. So if you need to hunker down in your house and how to protect it in it. And then this is like the Lost ways. So this is a book on how people had to survive way back when. [00:18:52] Speaker A: You know, identification, what's poisonous, what's not, what can help us. [00:18:58] Speaker B: Exactly. And then how they survived and what they made. [00:19:00] Speaker A: I have this book, by the way. It's a great resource. [00:19:03] Speaker B: So she's, she's. Man, she's on the ball, you know, I'm proud. She's. She did great. See what else she has in here. More glue. What's this? A little fan. All right. You know, and they got a light on it too. [00:19:18] Speaker A: I mean, you know, we are in the South. It could be very hot. [00:19:21] Speaker B: Yeah, it could get hot. [00:19:22] Speaker A: You know, I give her credit. [00:19:24] Speaker B: She did great. [00:19:25] Speaker A: So in today's world, we've got all of these different kind of things to think about and to prepare for. Like, what's a realistic way, an affordable way to build a first go bag without feeling overwhelmed. [00:19:36] Speaker B: Well, again, it's gonna kind of come down to what situations you're gonna be in. I try to think of what's the simplest. Sometimes just being simple with it is all you need. You know, if you're not gonna be but around like the city area, you might be just that flashlight. You know, just having that flashlight in a bag, maybe with some stuff to. In case you get hurt. Or someone else gets hurt, because it might not be you, you might be around someone else that got hurt. But it doesn't take a lot. It's really situational on where you live and what you're preparing for here is more of a city, you know, type of atmosphere. So you think of, you know, the cars you see on the news where they're underwater and things like that, or. [00:20:21] Speaker A: Somebody coming with a gun to your car at a stoplight, that's another one. [00:20:26] Speaker B: So having that go bag or that bag, I have another friend here. His is more like the small one like this, and he keeps it on his seat. You know, it has a lot of tourniquets and all the stuff that's in this bag and he uses it right there. It's with him everywhere as he goes. [00:20:42] Speaker A: I'm starting to think I need to be carrying one in my seat too. So pretty much what I'm hearing, Brad, is you don't need a military background to be ready. But the reality is it's not about panic, folks. It's about preparedness. And a few essentials and a little bit prep today can make all the difference when something happens. I mean, we've seen, seen it in the news. It's happened in Texas. We had those horrendous floods. There's always something. But if you're prepared in advance, even just a little bit more prepared, you're gonna be a lot more confident when it counts. So, Brad, this has been incredible. I thought it was excellent to go through the resources that you've put together. How can viewers reach out to you if they want to learn more, if they want to put together their own go bag, where should they reach out to you? [00:21:27] Speaker B: Well, they can actually still just go to the Dash points website or email. Email me there. I mean, I'm very much monitoring the email systems there. Another good idea is just going to YouTube. Like I got a lot of ideas as well from John McAfee, who, you know is very popular and he puts out a lot of good videos. So going there can help you out a lot. [00:21:50] Speaker A: Fantastic. Thank you so much for joining us and sharing not just your innovations, but really something that all of us need to know from your experts days as a combat medic, as an emt, building life saving tools and educating the public. So thank you for your time. Thank you for you. Whether you're a parent, a coach, a first responder, or simply somebody who wants to be better prepared, readiness can save lives. Stay safe, stay informed and keep tuning in to vital signs as we continue to spotlight the people and innovations who are improving health, wellness and here, emergency care and preparedness. I'm Jan Gode and I'll see you same time, same station next week. It's okay. Foreign welcome back to Vital Signs. If you're just tuning in, you're going to want to catch us on NowMedia TV, go to shows, click on Vital Signs and you can catch this and all other segments there. Or you can download our app from, from iOS and Roku and watch anytime, anywhere. But now I'm going to switch gears just a little bit. We had a lot of fun learning all about survival and our go bag and so many things with Brad. But we're going to dive in to creativity time, reclaiming parts of ourselves we often put last. I'm joined now in studio by GA Giddings, a powerhouse professional who not only wrote a novel, festivals and trials, but he did it while juggling a demanding career. And the twist AI helped make it possible. In this segment, we're going to explore how tech can give back time and reignite that creative spire that many of us have put on pause. Welcome to the show. GA welcome. [00:24:01] Speaker C: Glad to be here. [00:24:02] Speaker A: Well, we all say I'd write a book if I had the time. But what if AI gave you that time and made the process less overwhelming, more joyful and totally doable? Let's start with what was the impetus behind writing the book with AI So. [00:24:18] Speaker C: Have a very demanding career. Some days can go 17 hours, multiple days in a row. And so I've written before where I wrote out in a notebook and things like that. And it just seemed real hard to find the time to do this. And so AI seemed like the best solution. [00:24:36] Speaker A: So talk to us about the before. Before AI what kind of time commitment did it require? What did you experience? What, what were the big blocks or obstacles really that you faced when you were trying to write? [00:24:50] Speaker C: So it was very low tech. So I had dozens of notebooks I'd just go get from the dollar store or whatever and would scribble out my ideas of the story. And I would take that and type that into a word processor. And so it was taking away from my joy just of creating, of getting the worlds built and things like that. And so with AI it allowed me to take some of that, the labor out of it, if you will, so I can focus on the thing that I really like to do, which is build worlds. [00:25:21] Speaker A: Great. So talk to us a little bit about how you leveraged AI to help you organize, edit, or even brainstorm parts of your story. [00:25:30] Speaker C: So it's conversational. It started with fumbling around what even is this thing? And then learning how to use things like prompt engineering. So, so if you go in to use something like a chatgpt or a Grok or something like that and you just dive right into it, you may get garbled results. So what I found works really well is to tell it, act like a best selling publisher's editor and give me high level feedback on character arc. And so when I started to learn to engage with it in that way, I could do very surgical type tasks with it. [00:26:04] Speaker A: Well, it's really interesting because with large language models and like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, whatever that we're using now, it's not the same kind of technology as what we've become accustomed to. It's actually conversational. You can actually press the little voice button and talk to it as if you're talking to me like another human. And it will do tasks, it'll take that kind of feedback. Has that been a game changer for you? [00:26:30] Speaker C: It has been because now I don't have to sit down and type. I can click the microphone button and I can be even across the room doing, doing other things, having a conversation with AI. And so it's taking those notes for me. Then I can export them into scrivener or notepad or something like that. And so a lot of that work that I have to sit down there and focus, I'm able to do multiple things at the same time. [00:26:53] Speaker A: You know, it's really interesting because a lot of professionals were creative. I know when I was in sports medicine, I also enjoy painting and music, but I never quite found the time to do it. So for the professionals out there who are thinking about writing a book or they want to write a book or they feel like doing anything creative is actually a luxury that they can't afford. What would you recommend to them from a leveraging AI standpoint to make it more accessible? [00:27:21] Speaker C: I'd say give it a try. I know from a creative person's perspective there might be this mentality of purism and I don't want this thing. Is it still me if I'm allowing this tool to write for me? But what I found is it is a tool. It is something that you use, no different than like your iPhone or something like that to schedule your day or what have you. It's just another mechanism to help you do things more efficiently and effectively. [00:27:50] Speaker A: Yeah. And so let's kind of shift gears just a little bit. And I want to ask you, how did tapping into your creativity affect your sense of well being and balance even while you're still working full time? [00:28:01] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. So I love what I do in my day job, but I was just also looking for that other outlet to experiment with this creativity thing that I love to do. And so this made that possible. And I do, I have the long days, but when I have this tool that can do a lot of that work for me, I can do little bits and pieces when I have in between time and still feel productive both in my, in what I'm doing in my career, but also on the side thing that I'm doing. [00:28:32] Speaker A: And so you have an opportunity to bring some joy into your day that you maybe didn't have before. [00:28:37] Speaker C: Yeah, just like if you're in the middle of your day, you might get up and stretch from your desk and do some exercises or things like that. And that's, you know, that's the one thing you can do. This is just another way, just a creative outlet. [00:28:47] Speaker A: Okay, so talk to me before AI, when you weren't really leveraging this creative outlet when you were in the gauntlet because you're still working sometimes 17 hour days, et cetera, that hasn't changed. But talk to me about the difference and what the work life balance felt like before you were actually reconnecting with your creativity and your hobbies, if you will, versus now. [00:29:11] Speaker C: Yep. So I think what's different is then it was scheduling time in the weekends or way late in the evenings and trying to do things more linearly. Like this. This is the time for work. This is the time to work on my creative project. Now all of that is kind of merging together. So I don't feel as much now that I have to wear this one hat right now and then this other hat another time. All of that is blended together. And so for me, it has enhanced a sense of well being for sure. [00:29:43] Speaker A: And so I'm gonna have another question for you because if people are like, yeah, this sounds great, but I'm thinking about this. I'm on the floor, I'm a nurse, I'm a caregiver, I'm running, running, running, running. So the only real time I have is when I'm on lunch or something like that. But, well, how important is it to take the time? Even when you have an exceptionally busy career, a busy home life, how important is it to take the time for your own self and hobbies and that. [00:30:14] Speaker C: One thing that's for you, it's critical. And yeah, in different roles, that amount of time you can allow yourself maybe shorter, say, but you could take even two minutes just to do a breath exercise. Or in this case, if you're a creative person, maybe you have like your headphones in and you're walking from one door down the hall to another and you're just having a quick little hey, take this note and we'll talk about this later kind of thing. So it's further compartmentalizing your time in segments that work for you. [00:30:47] Speaker A: Well, and I really like this because if you're watching this, these are tools you can use in your day job and in your work life as well as in your hobbies and your outside of work. Because now, for example, with chat, you can literally have the phone. And I do this when I'm in the car. I have to drive places like drive to clients or whatnot. And I'll just hit that voice and I'll literally just talk the ideas that I'm having and it's recording it and I'll ask it what it is that I need or if I need a clarification or I wanted to put it into an email or whatever. It can literally formulate that while I'm doing something else. So, you know, it's, it's really interesting how many things can get done in the time that we used to be sort of latent or waiting or if I'm, for example, in a meeting that I don't have to be active in, I can literally be on the side kind of jotting those down in the interim spaces when it's not my role. And so I think that's where really we're finding more time, more efficiency during our workday so that we can get done faster what we need to do during the day and have more leisure time. So ga we are going to have to break in just a minute. But if people have a story inside them and they feel like they don't have time to tell it, what would your advice to them be? [00:32:08] Speaker C: Stream of consciousness. This into the AI. So what does that mean? Go find one that you like, a chatgpt or grok and just experiment with. It has a microphone button and just start talking and see what happens when it comes back. Take the notes and just keep exploring and stay curious. [00:32:27] Speaker A: And let's do go one step further. For people who feel like they have something but they're not sure how to write, how can you leverage LLM to help you with the formatting and with what you need to know in order to write? [00:32:39] Speaker C: Yeah, I think it's asking open ended questions. So if you have a writer's block or something going on, maybe ask, hey, I'm experiencing this right now. Can you help give me some exercises you recommend that maybe you see others doing that would help me in this situation. And the beauty of that is it will go out and search, you know, all the things that are out there for you and bring that information back so you have it at your fingertips very quickly. [00:33:07] Speaker A: So I would love for you to share with those who are watching what is the title of your book and how can they look you up so they can sort of follow your journey? [00:33:16] Speaker C: Oh for sure. Festivalsandtrials.com and just scroll to the bottom and buy the book. And you can also reach out to me on social media. The links are on the website. [00:33:27] Speaker A: Fantastic. So festivalsandtrials.com it's a really interesting book. And incidentally, what is your book about? [00:33:35] Speaker C: It's about Earth no longer being home and it's a consciousness prison where the main character Saishe is the only hope to bring humanity back to what it was before, which was celebrations, festivals. [00:33:55] Speaker A: That's fantastic. So we do have to take a brief break, but you're going to want to stick around because after the break we're going to dive deep into how do we build balance and joy into our day. But for now, stay tuned. We'll be back after these messages. Welcome back to Vital Signs. Loving what you're watching. Don't miss a moment of it or any of your other favorite Now Media TV shows. Live on demand, anytime, anywhere. Download the free Now Media TV app on Roku or iOS and enjoy instant access to our full lineup of bilingual programming. Prefer to listen on the Go catch the podcast version of our show right on the Now Media TV website at www.nowmedia.tv. from business and breaking news to lifestyle, culture and everything in between, now Media TV is streaming 24.7real ready whenever you are. Without further ado, we are here with G.A. giddings, author and full time has a full time career but has managed to have a creative hobby on the side, leveraging the technology that we have. Let's go deeper. The conversation around AI often focuses on productivity, but there's a much more powerful angle quality of life. Today we're going to unpack how using AI to streamline tasks, organize ideas and reduce overwhelm doesn't just help you do more, it helps you feel more alive. This is about reclaiming our joy, our creativity and our personal power. What if AI isn't stealing creativity, it's giving it back to the people who've been too busy to breathe. I'm going to ask GA to answer that and weigh in. [00:36:06] Speaker C: So having the ability to breathe, so you're in your busy day, maybe you're in the hallway and people are talking at you and these kinds of things, and you're just trying to find some space. So the technology can be always at your fingertips. You have it in your earphone or something like that, and you can just kind of speak out your ideas, it records it, and then you can have it for later, all while other things are going on and you're trying to process. Process stuff. [00:36:36] Speaker A: And so how did writing festivals and trials during your downtime actually help you decompress and feel more fulfilled? [00:36:44] Speaker C: Yeah, for me, the creative process helps me to unwind. So it, you know, it started with managing time, as I was used to managing. It was like, I have this work block and then I have this other thing. But with it, because I don't have to pay close attention to it, I can kind of do things simultaneously. And so now it's, for me, redefining what time is in a day. It used to just be this is the time for this and this is the time for that. Very linear. And now it's amalgamous. [00:37:17] Speaker A: And, you know, I'm going to go. I'm going to go a little bit deeper in this because I know that you've also used AI to write children's books. [00:37:23] Speaker C: Yes. [00:37:24] Speaker A: And so you've written the children's books with and without AI you? [00:37:29] Speaker C: That's right. [00:37:29] Speaker A: Give us a little glimpse as to what that looks like. [00:37:32] Speaker C: Yeah. So the first children's book was for our grandchild, and it was sketched out on just a piece of notebook, and he did the lyrics and things for it or whatever, and we put it together. And the second time around, it was him with the computer. Same thing, except now we're talking into it and it's creating those images. And so I guess the difference is we had the time to enjoy each other's company while we were building this world together. So again, it kind of comes back to that thing of it's taking away because we want to be present in the moment. Right. And so if I have to sit down and focus and draw, it's hard for me, just for me to, like, also have the conversation with my grandson. But now that I can kind of talk and this technology is taking that over, I can do two things at once. And that's a whole other way of thinking about how we just operate naturally. [00:38:33] Speaker A: And let me ask you a question, because I know there's a lot of people watching who, they have children, they have grandchildren. How important is it that we engage with our kids with this new technology? [00:38:43] Speaker C: I think this is going to be our new reality as we go forward. It was interesting. We had a conversation with a couple just the other night who. We were having our conversation and they overheard and they were starting to talk with their kids. Hey, you got to start thinking about what jobs look like as we go into the future. And, you know, is AI going to do that in the future? And how do you deal with that? So I think it's just dealing with it and having open and honest conversations. And I think the way to really have a good conversation about that is to understand it. And the best way that I can think of to understand something is to go out and try it and just see what. What you learn. [00:39:24] Speaker A: And so I love that. And I really wanted to bring that in because I think it's really important for us. You know, this is a. We are. We are experiencing a tremendous change. And in every aspect of business and life, this is going to not just spill over into our career, but in the next couple of years. We heard from students even a couple episodes ago, robotics with artificial intelligence are going to become available in our homes to help us with tasks. And so if we start getting comfortable now and we start leveraging AI, even if it's to do a creative outlet or a hobby, such as what we're talking about today, or if it's to learn it so that we can experience it with our children, I think it's vitally important that we become a little bit more comfortable with how do we leverage the tools at hand. Because the reality is it is coming, it's here. And we can either choose to leverage it or we can. It's going to take control of some of the things in our businesses or in our lives. And so I'm going to turn the next question to you and ask you, what advice would you give to somebody who's watching today, who's feeling really burned out, and they feel like they don't have the mental bandwidth for a passion project? Because I know you have been in that space, you have been burned out before, but yet you still found a spaciousness to create. [00:40:44] Speaker C: Yeah. So AI isn't a panacea. Like, it's not going to just replace everything. So I think if you're in that burnout place, you probably have a sense about what gets you out of it and starts to kind of, you know, de escalate you from that place? Maybe it's walking outside, whatever that is for you. But then I think the best word I can think of is just to be curious. So if you go into it with that mentality and have no expectations, your experience of it is going to change. [00:41:17] Speaker A: I couldn't agree more. And you've used the word presence several times. You've used it when you were talking about leveraging the technology to create with your grandson. You've used it just now with going outside and being present. So can you define what that means to you and how our viewers might be able to find that actual presence so that they can de escalate? [00:41:38] Speaker C: Yeah, it's like in that moment I was describing before, if I'm distracted and my grandson's trying to get my attention and he sees me not giving him that full attention, he's going to feel like, well, hey, he's not paying attention to me. You know, we're trying to do this thing. But now if I have this thing that's taking care of some of the things I had to do before and it's taken care of, I can trusted or whatever, now I'm fully engaged. So for me, presence is being fully engaged, no distractions. I am here in the moment and experiencing it with you. Like we're doing here, being focused. [00:42:16] Speaker A: Absolutely. So let me ask you the next question. Do you think that AI is redefining what work life balance looks like for creative professionals? [00:42:24] Speaker C: Yeah, I think it is. I think it's coming to terms with it. And this is interesting. Just is it a replacement? No, I don't think it's a replacement. It's a tool. And so the first question I ask is, is this technology taking away my voice as an author? And it's not, it's really, it's like a partner or like an assistant, if you will. And it helps take away some of the things that you would otherwise have to focus on. And what it does is it gives you back your presence and creativity, in my case. So you can just take that. You know, if you're a professional or with your kids, you can take the presence you were giving to that task and now you're giving that back to your family. So I think that's a huge benefit. [00:43:11] Speaker A: Absolutely. So folks, what we're talking about here, creativity is not a luxury, it's actually medicine. It's well being. And with the right tools, anyone can make space for it. So if you want to start your creative project, but you don't know where to begin. Try using artificial intelligence to create your outline or to brainstorm your first scene. Talk about what's in your brain and ask it to help you craft an outline so that you can have a little bit more of a guideline as you begin to create the future of storytelling. It's accessible to all of us, and it only starts with a prompt. So ga how can viewers reach out if they're interested in learning more about the topic today, about some of the tools that you've used, or about your book? [00:43:54] Speaker C: Sure thing. Go to festivalsandtrials.com you can find the contact information there. I'd love to have a conversation with you. [00:44:03] Speaker A: And while they're checking out your festivalsandtrials.com or they're reaching out to you in that space, what tools could they think about if they're looking at writing a book? What are some of the tools, the actual tools that you're using? [00:44:19] Speaker C: So it's more than just AI. So for writing, I wanted something that could help me organize the work a little bit better. So I use I'm in a MacBook and then I also use a tool called Scrivener. So it allows me to very carefully organize all my notes and things like that. But for posting and things like this, I use iPhone notes and then I use that to transfer over into Facebook and Instagram. You know, we're recording using Camtasia and we're using Camtasia to create podcasts. We're doing soundtracking using Ableton. So it's a lot of different things. It's not like there's just just one thing that does everything for you. But I'll say that having the tools, I did not think I was gonna write a 90,000 word science fiction book in my spare time. That could not have happened working 17 hour days, you know, even five years ago. So it's just amazing. Like if you stay curious and you're like, well, what is this AI thing? I'm just go check it out. Can this benefit me in some way? And like, I'm on TV talking about a novel that I wrote, like, what is even happening? [00:45:25] Speaker A: Anything is possible. Anything is possible for sure. Okay, well, thank you so much for sharing your journey with us. I really appreciate you being in here. Your insight into how we can reclaim our creative energy, not just through time management, but through the healing act of storming storytelling and getting our creativity out. It's been truly inspiring. So thank you for being here today. [00:45:47] Speaker C: Thank you for having me on the show, Jen. I appreciate it. It was really fun. [00:45:51] Speaker A: Absolutely. And folks, health isn't just about labs and workouts. It's about feeling, feeding your soul, your spirit. And GA reminds us, writing your truth, storytelling, even with the help from AI, can be one of the most healing things you can do. I encourage each and every one of you to think about the stuff we've heard today. We heard from Brad. We learned about survival and being ready, having readiness. And then we heard from GA about how do we tap into the joy in our life? How do we reclaim time so that we can have some spaciousness for ourselves, for our mental well being. Whatever you heard today, take one action step and just start. If it's checking out AI and playing with it a little, if it's putting together your survival bed, pick one thing that you heard today and I encourage you to put it into action. Because that's how we're able to really take control of our greatest asset, our health. I'm Jen Gode and this is Vital Signs, where we believe that wellness isn't just about living, but about thriving. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, including this show. But we'll be here same time, same station next week. Until then, have an amazing rest of your day. [00:47:00] Speaker B: It.