In this episode of You Can’t Take it With You, Jim Dunlop speaks with Dr. Doug Spotts, Associate Professor of Health Policy and Administration at Penn State University, to talk about building a life centered on generosity. They discuss how small, intentional acts of giving create profound ripple effects, why relationships are the cornerstone of impactful giving, and the significance of aligning time, talent, and treasure to serve others.
Dr. Doug Spotts is the Associate Professor of Health Policy and Administration at Penn State University, a top-ranked school that advances education and research in healthcare and public policy. With a background as an executive and family physician, Dr. Spotts has served in private practice, mentored future healthcare leaders, and held leadership roles in professional organizations such as the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation. A lifelong resident of Pennsylvania, he is deeply committed to fostering community health and is an advocate for service and generosity through education, medicine, and civic engagement.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- [03:58] How family values and mentorship shaped Dr. Doug Spotts’ approach to life and generosity
- [06:26] How Dr. Spotts’ grandmother inspired his generosity origin story
- [09:31] The impact of community and acts of anonymous kindness
- [11:36] Dr. Spotts’ college scholarship and its influence on his giving philosophy
- [13:48] A thoughtful approach to generosity focused on time, talent, and treasure
- [18:39] Dr. Spotts reflections on Jimmy Carter and Fred Rogers as models of service
- [25:27] Loving extravagantly and building a legacy through relationships
In this episode:
What does it mean to live a life of true generosity? Is it simply about giving money or donating to charity, or does it extend deeper into how we connect with others and serve our communities?
According to Dr. Doug Spotts, a family physician and educator, true generosity begins with relationships. He highlights the importance of time, talent, and treasure as foundational to living generously. Reflecting on his upbringing in rural Pennsylvania, Dr. Spotts credits his family’s quiet acts of kindness with shaping his approach to giving. These values, he explains, not only define how we serve others but also foster gratitude and purpose in our own lives. Through his work, Dr. Spotts demonstrates that generosity is most powerful when rooted in community and focused on impact.
In this episode of You Can’t Take it With You, Jim Dunlop speaks with Dr. Doug Spotts, Associate Professor of Health Policy and Administration at Penn State University, to talk about building a life centered on generosity. They discuss how small, intentional acts of giving create profound ripple effects, why relationships are the cornerstone of impactful giving, and the significance of aligning time, talent, and treasure to serve others.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
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- Jim Dunlop on LinkedIn
- Advent Partners
- Dr. Doug Spotts on LinkedIn
- Penn State University
- Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP)
- American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation (AAFP)
- Sharon Lutheran Church
- Sue Ellen Spotts on LinkedIn
- Juniata College
- Family Medicine Cares USA
- Family Medicine Cares International
- Habitat for Humanity
Related Episodes
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- “How Personal Experiences Shape Philanthropic Impact With Jim Langley” on You Can’t Take it With You
- “Not All of Me Will Die: Leaving an Impact Beyond Wealth With Phil Cubeta” on You Can’t Take it With You
- “Building a Legacy of Generosity: How Janet Riggs Champions Empathy and Education” on You Can’t Take it With You
- “The Profound Impact of Strategic and Personal Philanthropy With Ron Cohen” on You Can’t Take it With You
Quotable Moments
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- “I think you’ll hear a recurrent theme as we go through this conversation, Jim, about the importance of family, the importance of relationships.”
- “She just gave me a sense of dignity. And that has stuck with me, even though my grandmother was deceased by that time.”
- “For Maya Angelou, I have found among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.”
- “Love others extravagantly and let people ponder that as they’re driving down Route 81 or across Route 80.”
- “It seems like, you know, when we’re centered outside of ourselves and we’re giving to others, that creates a profound change in the world.”
Action Steps
- Engage in community service: Actively participate in local organizations or volunteering opportunities. This not only helps address immediate community needs but also strengthens personal connections and a sense of belonging.
- Cultivate relationship-driven philanthropy: Focus on building and maintaining personal relationships when giving. This approach fosters an environment where generosity is seen as a natural extension of caring for one another, not just an obligation.
- Incorporate diverse giving: Allocate time, talent, and resources to a variety of causes to create a balanced approach. This diversification helps address multiple areas of need and allows you to explore different ways of making an impact.
- Influence through mentorship: Encourage and mentor younger generations to develop a habit of giving. Mentorship not only supports the growth of future leaders but also perpetuates a culture of generosity.
- Live by example: Adopt a lifestyle that showcases generosity. Living by example can inspire others to follow suit and create a ripple effect of positive change in society.
Sponsor for this episode:
This episode is brought to you by Advent Partners — a financial planning partner dedicated to helping you make informed decisions that simplify your financial journey.
Our seasoned team of professionals is committed to guiding you toward your financial goals. We offer tailored solutions based on your specific needs, from standalone financial planning to integrated financial management.
Whether you are planning for the future, investing for growth, or navigating financial hurdles, Advent Partners is here to provide insights, recommendations, and a clear financial roadmap.
To learn more about Advent Partners and how we can guide your financial success, visit AdventPartnersFP.com.
Episode Transcript
Intro 00:00
Welcome to the You Can’t Take it With You show, where we feature stories around generosity designed to inspire and encourage others to do meaningful things in their communities. Now, here’s your host, Jim Dunlop.
Jim Dunlop 00:17
Hi. Jim Dunlop here, a wealth advisor and host of the show, where I sit down with people who get it when it comes to generosity. I’m excited to have guests who can give us stories on generosity to not only inspire our listeners, but to give practical ideas on ways we can give. Today’s guest is Dr. Doug Spotts. Past guests include Jim Langley, Phil Cubeta, and Janet Riggs. But before we get to Doug, I wanted to share that this episode is brought to you by Advent Partners. Ready for good. Advent is a financial planning team dedicated to helping you make informed decisions that simplify your financial journey. At Advent Partners, we’re ready for good. Our bold, ten year vision is to help clients donate $100 million to transform lives through generosity and planning. United by generosity, relationship excellence, authenticity and fun, we empower meaningful lives and lasting community impact. To learn more about Advent Partners and how we can guide your financial success, visit readyforgood.com. Just yesterday, one of our clients gave away more than $30,000 to organizations and causes important to them in their communities. It’s exciting for us to partner with our clients and be in the front row and witness these incredible journeys. Before introducing today’s guest, though, I want to give a big thank you to Ron Cohen, who introduced us to Doug. Go check out Ron’s episode. It was episode three of our podcast. Now let’s talk about Doug Spotts. Doug is a family physician who has enjoyed a varied career, which has included the private practice of family medicine, holding multiple physician executive roles, and serving as a mentor and educator to many. He currently teaches full time at Penn State University MHA program at University Park, and part time in the College of Medicine. Doug is a lifelong resident of Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania, and received his undergraduate degree in biology from Juniata College and his doctoral degree in medicine from the Penn State University College of Medicine. He remains actively engaged with both institutions, having served Juniata College as Alumni Trustee and Penn State as the College of Medicine Alumni Society president elect. He’s been married to Sue Ellen Shively for 31 years, and they are the parents of two adult children. Professionally, he has served as the past president of the PA Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation, and serves the community outside of medicine as a board member of a number of arts organizations the Susquehanna Council, Scouts USA, and as a Rotarian. He is an active member of Sharon Lutheran Church and enjoys music, outdoor activities, travel with his wife and most important, being a brand new grandparent to grandson Kieran, age eight months.Doug. Welcome.
Doug Spotts 02:55
Wow. Great to be here with you, Jim. And yeah, Kieran, that’s the most important part of that whole introduction was Kieran Spotts.
Jim Dunlop 03:03
I don’t want to betray anything, but, you know, it wasn’t long after our daughter was born. She’s now 17. She was my first grandchild for both sides. And it wasn’t very long into being a grandmother that my mom admitted to me that she liked being a grandmother better than she liked being a mom.
Doug Spotts 03:26
I love that. I think there probably would be an agreement.
Jim Dunlop 03:31
So, I don’t have that experience other than through my mother, but I, I get it it’s great. So Doug, as we get into our conversation on generosity today, let’s start off by having you talk a little bit about yourself. Introduce yourself over a couple of minutes about your little autobiography, and I think that’ll lead into some great questions as we go along.
Doug Spotts 03:58
Well, thanks. Yeah. I think you’ll hear a recurrent theme as we go through this conversation, Jim, about the importance of family, the importance of relationship. And there’s definitely been examples that have, you know, filled me with personal and professional gratitude. I’ve been really privileged to have, you know, deep and meaningful relationships in all of those avenues and have had mentors who have really, you know, set great examples for me along the way. You know, in terms of giving and, like I said, gratitude.
Jim Dunlop 04:30
Oh, neat. So I think it might be helpful. You’ve lived in Mifflinburg, it sounds like, or near Mifflinburg your whole life, which is Union County, Pennsylvania. Smack dab in the middle of Pennsylvania. And so tell me a little bit about growing up in that community and people who were influences in your life there.
Doug Spotts 04:51
Sure. Yeah. I had the real privilege of living next door to one set of grandparents on my dad’s side on family farms, two small farms combined, you know, together. You know, I just would always say I was a farm kid growing up, but everybody really farmed as a second career. They did many other things. But I really sort of had that rural upbringing relationship. My other set of grandparents were about five miles away, so I really had, you know, good knowledge of them and really deep relationship with them. And you’ll hear soon that, you know, that was a really important part of my life. As the oldest boy of three boys in my family and my parents, you know, were married, you know, at age 20. So they were young. I actually knew all four great grandmothers very well and have really good recollection of them and one great grandfather. So I am sure that that played a big role as I got more serious about medicine, and particularly picking family medicine and the importance of those dynamics, they all serve the community. They all did various roles, big and small and helping others. And I just had that constant example in my life. And then, you know, sort of found other mentors along the way outside the family, teachers, scout leaders, a number of really influential people in my life that continued on into college and professional school, and it just really shaped my life.
Jim Dunlop 06:11
So I, and I’m not sure, I know there’s an important story that I want to lead off with because I think it’s part of your generosity, origin story. And that’s the story of your grandmother. And I don’t know if this is the grandmother next door or the grandmother five miles away, but tell me about your grandmother and breakfast.
Doug Spotts 06:26
They both had a lot of generosity. But this is the grandma next door who was a school teacher in the neighboring school district. So I didn’t have her as my teacher, but she gave me a great love of music. She was a classically trained pianist at Bucknell, but then, as now, there weren’t any music education jobs. So they said, Ruth, we like your teaching. We want you to teach math and English. So that’s what she did the majority of her career. But she was a real go getter and would be out, you know. Gardening at 5 a.m. before going to school. Baking in the morning. My brothers and I never slept in on a weekend because we knew we could run next door and there’d be fresh baked cookies on the table cooling off. So we were like the neighborhood urchins coming up to her, to her door, where there’d be a glass of milk and cookies waiting. So that kind of existence, right? Americana and rural Pennsylvania at its best. But she was very significant in my life. And it was years later when I came back to practice. A large part of my professional practice was private practice of family medicine here in my home community, and that was a richness and a depth to my practice that I really feel the rest of my career was built upon. And it was one of my patients who happened to be who happened to grow up not too far away from my grandparents home and the farms, who used to be a local bus stop for the kids. And this would have been like in the 1950s. And the kids would wait out on the on their big front porch of the farmhouse. And, you know, often would be a longer wait. In those days, there wasn’t as many buses and the bus routes were took longer. And she would prepare breakfast for them. She would have fresh baked rolls or muffins. And this individual who became my patient said, you know, your grandmother fed me every morning, and if she hadn’t done that, I would have likely gone to school hungry, you know, way, way before the days of school breakfast programs and things like that, she said. But she didn’t single me out and she fed all the kids or had something for all the kids, even some of those kids that had a full breakfast before they left their homes. And so I didn’t feel singled out as different or somebody to be pitied. And she just gave me a sense of dignity. And that has stuck with me, even though my grandmother was deceased by that time, and I never had a chance to process that with her. In retrospect, it doesn’t surprise me at all because she was that kind of person. But yeah, she was very influential in my life.
Jim Dunlop 08:59
So you didn’t have any idea that your grandmother did this for the neighborhood kids? You know, this was, I assume, happening before you were born. And so this was a surprise to you, but not really a surprise, but to learn this later on.
Doug Spotts 09:14
Yes, exactly.
Jim Dunlop 09:16
Oh, neat. So I know that obviously families are very important part of your story. And so tell me about your parents and some of the examples that they had set for you and your brothers.
Doug Spotts 09:31
Yeah. Well they also were really, you know, just very active in the community. Still are. My dad’s retired now, and so is my mom. My mom was trained as a medical secretary. But once I came along and my brothers, she was a full time homemaker, worked in the home, and it wasn’t until we were often independent that she actually, you know, went out and interestingly worked for the US Postal Service as a rural mail carrier. She was the kind of person in the day where you could actually deliver the packages to the door, and you were encouraged to do that. And she loved it and people loved her. They just said she was joyful and what she did, and it was always fun around the holiday time because we got all the goodies that, you know, resulted from that. Dad built houses and then transitioned to take over the farms, even though he said he would never do that. He did that for the majority of his career. They also, you know, would have a lot of fun doing some small things anonymously. One of our neighbors didn’t really have family of their own. They were struggling. And so for many years, my parents would just sort of make a full holiday meal and all of the ingredients to that. Plus, some gifts appear on the doorstep. You know, for them so that they could sort of have Christmas and they would just always sign the note. Ho ho ho, you know, from Santa Claus. Merry Christmas. And they would do things like that, you know, in the neighborhood. So they never wanted to attach their name to it. But that is something that I saw happen in real time, which was also a really powerful, you know, example.
Jim Dunlop 11:13
Yeah. And those are the kinds of things that help, I think, set your own DNA around how you’re going to be and generosity. And what a powerful example. Can you tell me shifting gears a little, but kind of staying with you and your what I’ll call your generosity origin lineage here. Tell me about your personal college scholarship story.
Doug Spotts 11:36
Oh, yeah. So I knew early on that I was accepted my junior year as a Penn State scholar and thought for sure I’d be going to Penn State undergraduate. I, you know, claim my lineage through the College of Medicine. That’s my Penn State heritage. So I can still say I was a part of Penn State and am now as a teacher there. But I fell in love with Juniata College. And at the time, you know, there was a pretty big differential in terms of the pricing and we, you know, didn’t qualify for aid. And so, you know, I had to make some of those real decisions. And I was fortunate enough to be selected to be one of the finalists for at the time, what was called a Simpson scholarship. And it was essentially a tuition free room and board. But you, you know, would basically cover all your tuition as long as you maintain a certain grade point average. And it was the generosity of the late Senator Simpson, his family members, his western Pennsylvania Tyrone story, who said, I want to make this available. I want to I want to have, you know, a junior who is supported all through their career. And I was lucky enough to receive the phone call from the then dean of admissions who said, Doug, you’ve you’ve received that scholarship has always stuck with me and has always then, you know, made me want to do the same, you know, in terms of our giving priorities for Suellen and I both. So yeah, that was very powerful. And to go back and serve as an alumni trustee and be involved in meaningful ways to magnify that effect has been a great joy.
Jim Dunlop 13:20
Well, that’s awesome. So I think you’re helping bring this full circle. So you and Sue Ellen have been married 31 years. And so I know that this is an important part of your marriage. And so tell me a little, tell us a little, bit about where you are today with generosity and how you and Sue Ellen like to, to approach it. And, and I don’t think it’s just about money. It’s about other things as well. So go ahead.
Doug Spotts 13:48
Well, you know, a little bit of our faith background. And I think that our faith informs us, no matter what our belief or our practice, to, to give and to give abundantly and that giving, you know, I’ll use some language that I think is familiar in faith communities is really time, talent and treasure. So we look at that that way and, you know, serving our local church, our community, we both serve on different boards. We’ve served some organizations, you know, together in various ways. And we always ask the question and approach and ask to be involved with, you know, sort of, okay, is this one of our sort of top 3 to 5 giving priorities? And that means in all categories, time, talent and treasure. And if it rings true with us, I would say that, you know, that’s an easy yes for us. And if it doesn’t or we’re, you know, questioning some of that, it’ll be a slower answer to it. Or maybe let’s investigate this further and look down the road. So at a, at a high level, at a general level, that’s sort of how we’ve approached it.
It’s been fun for us to be at a stage of life now where we can start to do more and give more and, you know, to be more meaningfully involved. Because Sue Ellen has had stories also in her life of the same type of generosity. And so any way we can magnify that is important to us and show our, our kids and our and now our grandson eventually. Right.
Jim Dunlop 15:14
So I know that, again, you’ve been involved with arts, medicine, education, faith, things through your church. Any stories stick out there that you find inspiring, whether they’re your own or one that you had the privilege of witnessing?
Doug Spotts 15:32
Oh, gosh, I can think of probably, you know, several for me personally, serving as president of the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation board, I was able to be a part of the officer’s corps of about 12 years of service, where we sort of brought around some philanthropic goals for the organization. There were lots of many, you know, lots and lots of great efforts around philanthropic giving for from a family medicine lens. But we sort of brought the categories together to Family Medicine Cares USA for free clinics in the USA, Family Medicine Cares International, ongoing international efforts where there were disaster areas. Family medicine leads creating a leadership scholarship series for up and coming students and residents and promoting, you know, sort of a project competition that they could work on. And then finally, Family Medicine discovers, for those who may not come from a large research institution, maybe in small private or rural practices, but have a great research question and giving them the mentorship and the guidance to do some research and promote family medicine in that way. That’s, you know, a personal example that I would say. Because it all comes back around to trying to expose individuals at younger and younger stages to, to giving and in all the categories of giving, because I think reaching people, the statistic is somewhere, by the time that they’re college age has your best chance of them, you know, living lives of gratitude and giving it forward. I may have that not exactly right, but that’s what I’ve always thought of. I think you can reach people at many stages of life, but that’s really an emphasis on our future and that continues. I know Sue Ellen has had a similar experience. You know, when she did some service work in Bolivia, just when we first met, before we were actually engaged and before we were married. And that has continued with a lot of efforts around Central and South America and sort of, you know, very prevalent in the news today. What’s really going on with immigration and refugee, you know, needs That’s.
Jim Dunlop 17:39
Well, thank you for sharing that and those things. I know that family medicine is something that less people unfortunately seem to be going into, and that there’s such a tremendous need in communities everywhere for general physicians and so and, and family doctors. So, you know, what a great way to help promote what that is and what you’re doing there.
Doug Spotts 18:06
Thank you. Yes.
Jim Dunlop 18:07
So I think it would probably be good to just reflect a little bit today as we’re recording it now. This will get released in a week or two. But today is the funeral of President Carter. And I know that, you know, talk about a model for generosity. I know that his work, particularly post-presidency, has been a pretty powerful example for many. Do you want to share a little bit of your observations around that?
Doug Spotts 18:39
Yeah. One of my big regrets is I didn’t have a chance to travel to Plains and ever, you know, sit in with him like so many people did when he was teaching Sunday school. But I, I really have been to the Carter Center and have followed, of course, not just the work. Humanitarian work around medical needs, elimination of the guinea worm, things like that. But it really makes a difference when you use your own personal circles of influence to better others and to serve others outside yourself. Rotary has the motto service above self, and I can think of no finer way to describe Jimmy Carter than service above self. It seems like, you know, when we’re centered outside of ourselves and we’re giving to others, that is a it creates a profound change in the world, but also in ourselves. And it seems like we’re living in times where there’s more emphasis on let’s just accumulate more and more and more power, more position. And it just never seems to lead to, you know, good results. It leads to more conflict, not, you know, being a bridge to peacemaking, not being a bridge to service. And he there’s gosh, there’s just so many reflections. He really has had a remarkable post-presidency. And he did some significant things during his presidency too. I think, you know, sort of President Ford was the first president I remember. Well, I have a little bit of recollection of President Nixon, but I certainly, you know, really sort of was much more engaged, you know, when Jimmy Carter came into office and although that was a short period look at his long life at age 100 of what he did after that. It also sort of is a great illustration that you can do so many things until that last day, you don’t have to think of, oh, my life ends at retirement or my life ends when I finish my formal career. There are many ways to reinvent and continue to live meaningful lives of service.
Jim Dunlop 20:40
I appreciate it, I’ve always had. First of all, Jimmy Carter was the president when I was born. And so, you know, there’s some resonate that resonates with me to some degree. And the other thing is, he was born the exact same day as my grandmother, October 1st, 1924. And so I always kind of tracked him with my grandmother. And of course, unfortunately, she died about eight years ago. But, you know, I always thought of him alongside my grandmother, who was also a person of tremendous service and generosity to others. And, you know, there was something special about people born that day, 100 and almost 101 years ago. So, you know.
Doug Spotts 21:26
Jim, he also, you know, his service with Habitat for Humanity. Sue Ellen and I participated in a former parish with a regular work group. It quickly made me realize I was not going to be a carpenter like my dad, and that spackling tape can cover a multitude of errors. But just that idea again of relationship I think was important to him. It resonates, you know, with me, with my other gratitude stories and also as a family physician, I think he was quoted as saying, you know, that we become not a melting pot, but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams. And taking the time to sort of get to know stories and relationships is meaningful no matter what we do.
Jim Dunlop 22:11
Yeah. I, you know, and another person that I’ll put in the category with probably Jimmy Carter, who kind of lived a life of generosity and faith. And I know as somebody that you have admired and maybe you can talk a little bit about him as Fred Rogers, Mister Rogers.
Doug Spotts 22:28
Another great Pennsylvanian. Yes. You know. Oh, gosh. I think the world needs a lot more gentle. Fred Rogers, just watch an episode sometime, you know, with a child. With a grandchild. When you get to that stage, it moves at a slower pace. There’s quiet reflection. There’s just a generosity of spirit. And and he was the one who said, you know, I’ve never met somebody that I didn’t like when I took the time to get to know their story, which resonates wholeheartedly with the family physician taking that time to really hear the story, that perspective, even someone that we may disagree with. That is such a path for future success for, you know, our communities, our country and the world. And it seems like we need a whole lot of generosity of spirit and forbearance to engage with people in that way, not from a power position, way.
Jim Dunlop 23:26
Well. You know, Doug, as we wrap up, this has been really helpful. And I think one of the things that I’ve heard today is the idea of it’s always helpful to give money, and it’s also investing time in an organization, knowing what your talents are. If they’re not spackling walls, what are they? And sharing those talents and gifts with others in ways that can lead to meaningful change. Starting, you know, with your grandparents and your grandmother, making sure that hungry kids had food before they went to school and before she went to school to teach. I’m married to a teacher. I’m the son of a teacher. Teachers work a lot of hours to begin with, and then to be baking and taking care of others is pretty extraordinary. I, I think as we wrap up, though, I wanted to prompt you on two things. I know there’s a quote from Maya Angelou that you like, if you could share and and then and then I’ll wrap us up with a couple last thoughts here.
Doug Spotts 24:34
Sure. For Maya Angelou, I have found among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.
Jim Dunlop 24:43
I love it. I do too. I, and I think I share with you another one of our guests has used that quote. I think it’s in her email. She shared it. It’s in her like email signature block. And I think that’s so powerful. So I want to thank you for being with us today. I want to encourage our listeners, if they want to connect with Doug. He is on LinkedIn. He is a professor of medicine and a family physician. So you can look for Dr. Doug Spotts in Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania. Doug, our final question for today is if I paid for a billboard where you could put a message where you reach lots of people, what would your message be and why?
Doug Spotts 25:27
Oh, gosh. Well, like I talked about relationships mattering. But I think when it comes down to a catchy phrase, I would say love others extravagantly and let people ponder that as they’re driving down route 81 or across route 80, and how they can add to the net increase of relationship and positive outcomes in their communities by loving extravagantly.
Jim Dunlop 25:55
What a better place the world will be when more people do that.
Doug Spotts 26:01
Well, let’s work hard to make that happen.
Jim Dunlop 26:05
Absolutely. Well thank you. We’ve been talking with Dr. Doug Spotts today. Doug, we appreciate your time. Thank you so much for being with us.
Doug Spotts 26:08
Thanks, Jim.
Outro 26:15
Thanks for joining us to hear stories of generosity that remind us that you can’t take it with you. Visit our site at canttakeitwithyou.com for more details on today’s episode and to subscribe to future shows.
Disclosure 26:33
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