As you can tell by our homophonic title, this one’s got classic Biz-Souls energy all over it. Listen in to this episode for some fun, high-octane, tongue-in-cheek, comments on the 2026 outlook for professional and not so professional speakers.

In this episode, your ever-dependable Titans of Fact, Opinion, and Digression dive headfirst into the AMEX Global Meetings & Events Forecast to decode what the future of speaking might look like… and what it will definitely argue about.

As is tradition, the conversation at once goes off the rails in a warm, trustworthy, Biz-Souls way.

Highlights include:

• A spirited breakdown of what actually excites audiences verses what planners hope excites audiences

• A stroll through the 2026 trend jungle featuring engagement, experience, and possibly light chanting

• Jeffrey’s legendary story of the time he turned an audience of 300 into 5 in under 30 minutes (a masterclass in unintentional minimalism)

• The first official episode in the new, shorter, tighter, less-digressive-but-still-definitely-digressive format

• And… a major announcement that will thrill and terrify meeting planners worldwide:

Jeffrey Hansler is back on the speaking circuit, fighting a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way (and occasionally hotel AV teams).

Also featured: one of our favorite listener comments ever:

“The show is real — not perfect, just real and heartfelt.”

Which pretty much sums up Biz-Souls:

Not polished. Not pre-packaged. Just congruent, consistent, transparent, and occasionally dangerous to convention.

If you want predictions, perspective, and proof that even professionals can wander gloriously off-topic, this episode is for you.

Warning: What you think you’re about to hear is a podcast. What you are actually about to experience is an unfinished symphony of hypotheses, half-baked Bayesian ruminations, and the ghost of critical thinking haunting the digital realm.

In this installment of Biz-Souls, Jeffrey dominates the screentime — not by design, but because the universe couldn’t decide whether Rona’s video was synced or Schrödinger’s-podcast version of “in the can.” Cue dramatic and mysterious music in your head. No, we didn’t budget for a soundtrack; yes, you should still imagine it.

On the surface, Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler “talk about Bayesian Equations.” But peel back one layer of cognitive onion and you’ll discover the real topic: critical thinking in the age of the Internet (and its slow, dramatic collapse). Spoiler alert - someone, somewhere hopes you won’t think critically. Some of them are working on your children right now. Chill? Intriguing? Absolutely.

Jeffrey has stewed on this topic for ages. This time he lets you peek inside one of his neural circuits. The result isn’t polished though it is packed with eclectic data, odoriferous observations, and the occasional existential whisper.

For the Bayes nerds: Reverend Thomas Bayes first came up with this eponymous theorem in the 1740s. It was later published by Richard Price and further shaped by Pierre-Simon Laplace, because even math likes to a throw epic backstory into the mix.

Adjust your mental aluminum foil hats (no, seriously — don’t panic), tune in, follow, and subscribe for more Biz-Souls adventures. Critical thinking not included though strongly encouraged. The choice is yours for now at least.

Perfect for showing your audience why they came for business wisdom and stayed for the weird humor. Here are some earlier Biz-Souls episodes on YouTube & Spotify:

Spotify links:

• Episode 139: Play for Better Living!

o https://open.spotify.com/episode/5EOyx44QYvEkrzE6Fg6fA8

• Episode 127: Tickled About Piccles! with Chris Bent

o https://open.spotify.com/episode/1m0lrAjU0EoA0YpWqq9n9K

• Episode 125: How to Retrain Your Brain with Kelley Raleigh

o https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Sl8zVZB6Jx5DMHg8lN9aH

• Episode 137: Just Say No! Maybe.

o https://open.spotify.com/episode/5O9pVnMLtrVRHfSrkE3dZn

• Episode 136: Mature Gnome with Ego

o https://open.spotify.com/episode/4SrTBRzWZ9MbhycJw5Nkwv

YouTube Links:

• Episode 139: Play for Better Living!

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdUd8cU1JXg

• Episode 127: Tickled About Piccles!

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQNREqXwV8k

• Episode 125: How to Retrain Your Brain

o YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA4P9HvbKVI

• Episode 137: Just Say No! Maybe.

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ffpbkA2n8

• Episode 136: Mature Gnome with Ego

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl6sKzNUWTo

The official Biz-Souls YouTube channel:

• https://www.youtube.com/@biz-souls3926

Ladies and gentlemen, business leaders and business weirdos, Episode 200 of Biz-Souls is live!

That’s right — two hundred glorious, caffeine-fueled conversations where Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler have tried (and sometimes failed spectacularly) to act professional which is today’s topic. Performative Professionalism — or as we like to call it, “business casual with bedhead.”

Picture this: two co-hosts who look like they just rolled out of a hammock, debating why what you say, how you stand, and whether your socks match actually matter in the workplace.

Their takeaways?

• Be yourself (preferably sober).

• Build trust (unless trust went out with fax machines).

• And Rona? Be of legal age. Always. (We checked. She passed.)

In a world full of AI-generated buzzwords and faux-authentic LinkedIn posts, your most valuable asset is the real you.

Grab your inner child (just don’t let them near Rona because she’s still recovering from the last rodeo), burn your imposter syndrome at a Viking funeral, and stop displaying Dunning-Kruger pontifications at family reunions.

Remember: if respect is your destination, transparency is your best co-pilot — though Jeffrey insists you don’t impersonate Daniel Stern as Phil Berquist from City Slickers in the boardroom.

Seriously. Don’t be that transparent.

In the meantime, listen, share, comment, and subscribe to Biz-Souls.

Below are a few standout episodes of past Biz-Souls:

• Episode 139: Play for Better Living!

o Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5EOyx44QYvEkrzE6Fg6fA8

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdUd8cU1JXg

• Episode 127 — Tickled About Piccles! with Chris Bent

o Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1m0lrAjU0EoA0YpWqq9n9K

o YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQNREqXwV8k

• Episode 125 — How to Retrain Your Brain

o Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Sl8zVZB6Jx5DMHg8lN9aH

o YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA4P9HvbKVI

• Episode 137 — Just Say No! Maybe.

o Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5O9pVnMLtrVRHfSrkE3dZn

o YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ffpbkA2n8

• Episode 136 — Mature Gnome with Ego

o Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4SrTBRzWZ9MbhycJw5Nkwv

o YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl6sKzNUWTo

Hardly ever — well, nearly never before — have we ventured into the mysterious world of behind-the-scenes shots of Jeffrey watching Rona. Wait — no, she doesn’t, because we thought her camera was recording.

Jeffrey, ever the visionary, stayed with the wide-angle shot while Rona delivered straight to the camera that wasn’t running.

In any case, THIS episode is about Networking. Our never-quit, never-surrender hosts cover everything from the golden moments to the gloriously awkward, all in eleven minutes flat.

From staking out the most strategic position in the room to how to convey respect without tripping on your own name badge, we’ve got you covered with memorable tips that might actually work in real life.

So, join us, listen in, pass it on, and jump on the bandwagon with Biz-Souls! Because networking may not always be working… but we sure are!

Other Biz-Souls Episodes you may enjoy:

• Episode 158: Return to Office or Not!

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFA1Dgw7P3Y

• Navigating the Political Asphalt Jungle with Martin Williams

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5sn2rTNGoE

• Episode 192: Interruptions, Bots & Kaizen

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dp1FhUokYE

• From Playful Purpose to Engagement Excellence (Julie Trell)

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm9SoBNnK1M

• Episode 167: From Ikigai to AI — Surviving the Modern Madness

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq1W_EExVfU

• The Beauty, Beguile, and Business of Writing with Jonny Thomson

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3VnyboVtgI

• Episode 168: She's Not Clowning Around! Take the Stage, the Lead…

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjVU4Is7L0Q

• Official Biz-Souls YouTube channel & playlist:

o https://www.youtube.com/@biz-souls3926

Strap on your jingle bells and loosen those ugly sweaters — Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler have crash-landed into your holiday spirit like two mistletoe misfits on a mission!

In this delightfully absurd episode, these Festive Facilitators of Fun brave the wilds of workplace joy. (Side note: Jeffrey’s face looks like someone asked him to smile for a selfie he didn’t approve — yet somehow it adds to the holiday charm.)

They unwrap the power of micro-joy moments like mischievous elves on candy cane crack — sprinkling insights about coworkers, leadership expectations, and yes… dogs (because of course they agree on dogs). Between stockings of helpful tips and heaping spoonfuls of glorious hypocrisy, they hunt down the joy killers lurking in office cubicles everywhere.

This episode is lovingly dedicated to Roscoe, Rona’s legendary four-legged companion who has bounced onward to the great dog park in the sky. We feel the feels — and we play through them.

So, pour some eggnog, crank up the laughter, and subscribe for more Biz-Souls antics — because who needs another round of MASH reruns when you’ve got this level of holiday hijinks?

Other Biz-Souls Episodes You Might Love:

Episode 197 – Business Wisdom with a Side of Chuckles with Kevin Hubschmann

https://biz-souls.com/episode197 Apple Podcasts

Episode 195 – AI: Turning Customer Service into Customer Suffering

https://biz-souls.com/episode195 Apple Podcasts

Episode 194 – Hope This Episode Finds You Well (It Won’t): Passive Aggression & Management Skills

https://biz-souls.com/episode194 Apple Podcasts

Episode 190 – Elephants, Riders, and Calculators (with Rich Batchelor)

https://biz-souls.com/episode190 Apple Podcasts

Episode 189 – Threadbare Culture: When the Corporate Soul Starts to Fray

https://biz-souls.com/episode189 Apple Podcasts

Episode 123 – The Power of Humor in Learning & Development

https://biz-souls.com/episode123 (via the Listen Now page) BizSouls

Who says you can’t have fun at work anymore? Not your hosts Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler, and certainly not Kevin Hubschmann—the guy who literally sells laughter as a service. That’s right: he turned comedy into corporate wellness before it was cool.

Kevin set out to be a police officer. But then Georgetown University happened and somewhere between marketing classes and open-mic nights, he realized the only thing he wanted to arrest was boredom at work. And if paying off college loans with comedy seems absurd… well, that’s basically Kevin’s business model.

‘Feedback equals failure!’, right? Or is it ‘Failure equals feedback!’ No matter, it all leads to applause, giggles, and comedy. Forget “HR Required Training” — Kevin brings song, improv, and those mysterious messages tucked under seats for engagement. No, they aren’t packages from Poughkeepsie.

With a doctor for a dad and nurse for a mom, Kevin grew up where ER meets SNL—medical chaos and comedy gold, served bedside-style.

Dive into the subtle (but hilarious) difference between:

Stand-up comedy – where you bomb alone on stage.

Improv – where an entire team bombs together (but earns bonus points for trying).

Want psychological safety at work? Kevin literally wrote the playbook on it — patching serious development with belly laughs and “yes-and” mindsets that make every meeting feel like Whose Line Is It Anyway? (minus the cattiness… mostly).

So, go ahead, like, subscribe, share with a friend… maybe you’ll be our one-millionth subscriber and win… bragging rights?

Bonus fact: Did you know the average human heart beats about 3 billion times in a lifetime? If Kevin had a dollar for every laugh he’s created… he’d still probably be paying off college loans.

Laughing isn’t just fun — it’s a strategy of Laughing in Development.

Biz-Souls is the business podcast with heart, soul… and humor, hosted by Rona Lewis & Jeffrey Hansler. Here are some other episodes:

Episode 195 – AI: Turning Customer Service into Customer Suffering

https://biz-souls.com/episode195

Episode 194 – Hope This Episode Finds You Well (It Won’t): Passive Aggression & Management Skills

https://www.biz-souls.com/episode194

Episode 193 – White Labels, Wild Speculation & Where Jeffrey Shops

https://www.biz-souls.com/episode193

Episode 192 – Interruptions, Bots & Kaizen

https://www.biz-souls.com/episode192

Episode 191 – When the Going Gets Tough…

https://www.biz-souls.com/episode191

Episode 190 – Elephants, Riders, and Calculators (with Rich Batchelor)

https://www.biz-souls.com/episode190

Episode 189 – Threadbare Culture: When the Corporate Soul Starts to Fray

https://www.biz-souls.com/episode189

Episode 188 – Scratch Glass and Climb Walls – Guest Success Edition!

https://open.spotify.com/episode188

Episode 185 – Trust Us (No, really… Trust Us)

https://open.spotify.com/episode185

Official Biz-Souls episode page (full archive):

https://biz-souls.com/episodes/BizSouls

Apple Podcasts page (latest episodes & links): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/biz-souls/id1617532413

Biz-Souls on YouTube (video versions available):

http://www.youtube.com/@biz-souls3926

I do believe in Porn, I do believe in Porn, I do believe in Porn…

Well Toto, buckle up—this definitely ain’t Kansas anymore.

This week, our dynamic duo—Rona “Clickbait Queen” Lewis and Jeffrey “Incognito Mode” Hansler—bravely unzip the truth behind Sam Altman’s other big venture: Letting ChatGPT dip its perfectly sanitized toes into the world of porn. (Not his personal journey—calm down, Karen.)

With all the coyness of Mary Pickford and the earnest heroism of Dudley Do-Right—and somehow the time-traveling, windswept, bodice-heaving energy of Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour on Mackinac Island—our hosts take you on a wholesome-but-spicy stroll through:

• 30 years of digital disruption courtesy of the porn industry

• Why porn has always been the early adopter nobody wants to give credit to

• How AI may (or may not) be the next big… thing.

And yes—a few true confessions because you can’t discuss porn without at least one awkward overshare.

Porn has been around forever—longer than the internet, longer than Hollywood, and definitely longer than Jeffrey can pretend he doesn’t know what “buffering” means.

So, join the fearless pair as they carefully, respectfully, delicately guide you down the hallway of porn and AI. With minimal fluffing. Truly minimal.

(Production wouldn’t approve the budget for full fluffing.)

Episode 128 – Insuring HR Is Taken Care of With Innovative Approaches

• https://biz-souls.com/ep128

Episode 127 – Tickled About Piccles! A Unique Way of Connecting Communities

• https://biz-souls.com/ep127

Episode 193 – White Labeling: Where Costco and Trader Joe’s Get Kinky

• https://biz-souls.com/ep193

Episode 195 – AI Pissing People Off (Jeffrey’s Revenge Episode)

• https://biz-souls.com/ep195

Episode 182 – For Love and Money: Romance in the Workplace (Still safer than discussing porn.)

• https://biz-souls.com/ep182

Like, subscribe, follow, rate, review, tattoo “Biz-Souls” on your lower back—whatever feels right. Just don’t make ChatGPT write your fanfic. It gets ideas.

This week, our delightful hosts, Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler, dive headfirst into the digital swamp where customer service goes to die—the brave new world of AI systems that somehow manage to be both “revolutionary” and “spectacularly useless.” Jeffrey kicks things off with his favorite pastime: complaining about his bank. AI locks down his decades-old DBA account over a minor hiccup and the humans refused to do anything but repeat, like stereotypical parrots, “Open a new account.”

Customer service without thinking… how futuristic.

And of course, no one is monitoring any of this. Companies keep installing AI like it’s a magic wand, then shockingly forget to ask customers the obvious: “How badly did our bot piss you off today?” Meanwhile, executives keep making decisions with all the originality of Hollywood—copy, paste, reboot, and pretend it’s innovation.

Rona and Jeffrey point out that maybe, just maybe, leaders should dust off those Toyota and Deming principles and actually check whether the multimillion-dollar AI they bought is helping… or lighting their customer experience on fire.

By the end, we’ve got frogs, frustrated humans, clueless systems, and CEOs hoping no one notices the chaos. So, tune in to Episode 195, where Biz-Souls explores the heart, soul, and sheer absurdity of business in an AI world that still can’t transfer you to a human without an existential crisis.

And since you’re in town, check out some other Biz-Souls episodes:

• Episode 192 – Toyota Principles & the Deming Follow-Up http://biz-souls.com/episode192

• Episode 127 – Tickled About Piccles! A Unique Way of Connecting Communities

• http://biz-souls.com/episode127

• Episode 173 – Imagination and Its Importance to Business http://biz-souls.com/episode173

• Episode 178 – Mature Gnome with Ego: Building Humor into Tough Business Moments http://biz-souls.com/episode178

• Episode 184 – Proactive Communication for Positive Results http://biz-souls.com/episode184

• Episode 190 – Deming’s 14 Principles (Part 1) http://biz-souls.com/episode190

Like, Subscribe, Review—Show Us the Love!

If you enjoyed this episode’s mix of sarcasm, storytelling, and AI-induced trauma, hit that subscribe button, leave a review, and share Biz-Souls with the humans in your life (the AI already knows where to find us). Every rating helps us reach more listeners who need a shot of Biz-Souls.