[00:00:00] Lucas Root: Welcome to Elements of Community podcast about discovering and exploring the elements of community. I am Lucas Root, and each week we talk with a community leader about what makes their community thrive and bring value to both the leaders and the members. Join me as we unpack the magic of the Elements of Community.

[00:00:22] And we are back Ashley, thank you so much for joining us.

[00:00:25] Ashley Connell: Oh, the pleasure is all mine.

[00:00:26] Lucas Root: Would you like to tell us a little bit about you?

[00:00:28] Ashley Connell: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. So hello, everyone really pumped to be here. I’m Ashley Connell, CEO, and founder of Prowess Project. So what Prowess Project is, we are an online platform that takes women from home to hired.

[00:00:45] So the way we do that is through upskilling, networking. And as they’re going through all of that, we’re gathering hundreds of data points on their skills, their expertise, their communication style, behavior style. And then we use all that data to match them up with jobs.

[00:01:01] Lucas Root: Love it. I’ve known you for a couple of years and I have loved this project that’s growing into something amazing and I’m a huge fan of every single bit of it.

[00:01:12] Ashley Connell: Thank you.

[00:01:12] Lucas Root: So those of you who have heard this and are interested, you should reach out. Tell me about the community of Prowess Project.

[00:01:22] Ashley Connell: Yeah so I think to get us started, it may help a little bit more of the background in my history and why Prowess got started.

[00:01:31] So you have some context there. Yeah. I started my career in B2B tech marketing. I did that for 15 years, looked up at all of the leaders in the companies that I was at and they were all men. And then if there was one woman. She had decided not to have children and it’s because she said I didn’t have the bandwidth to do both.

[00:01:54] So as you know, management, I got really nervous and really scared. How was I going to have both children and a career? Was it even possible? I then went to Google, found the horrific Harvard business review statistic that if a woman is out of the workforce for just three years, specifically raising children or care giving, she loses 37% of her compensation power forever.

[00:02:24] Forever. So that’s nearly 40% of your compensation power forever. This happens to 43% of educated, experienced women in the U.S. And that was shocking to me at the time this was.

[00:02:40] Lucas Root: That’s not okay.

[00:02:41] Ashley Connell: No at the time this was 2018 and, I could not believe it. So I went out and talked to thousands of women who were in this scenario.

[00:02:53] So I’m talking women who have one to three degrees, had been in the workforce for 10, 15 years. Had taken maybe two, three years out of the workforce and were looking to return. And I heard every single time I would love to return, but all I can get are unpaid internships because of the break that I had.

[00:03:17] Lucas Root: That’s not okay.

[00:03:17] Ashley Connell: And these are PhDs. No, in no way. And so I dug deeper in after just hearing. No, no, no, no.

[00:03:26] Lucas Root: Okay. Hold on. I want to derail.

[00:03:28] Ashley Connell: Yeah. Yeah.

[00:03:30] Lucas Root: As capitalists, we vote with our dollars.

[00:03:33] Ashley Connell: Yep.

[00:03:33] Lucas Root: We choose to spend our dollars on cheap food and the market produces more cheap food. We choose to spend our dollars on cheap housing and the market produces more cheap housing.

[00:03:42] If we’re voting with our dollars every single day, what is the vote that we are telling the mothers of our society? What is the vote that we’re telling them?

[00:03:52] Ashley Connell: Exactly.

[00:03:54] Lucas Root: Yeah.

[00:03:54] Ashley Connell: We’re telling them they are not valuable. We’re telling…

[00:03:58] Lucas Root: That’s what we’re telling them and that’s not okay.

[00:04:01] Ashley Connell: It’s not okay. And what is crazy to me is who has, I wanna say the statistic is like 85% of the purchase power in a household who has that?

[00:04:14] Lucas Root: Women.

[00:04:15] Ashley Connell: Mothers.

[00:04:16] Lucas Root: That’s right

[00:04:18] Ashley Connell: So we’re telling them that they are not valuable. And this is not just mothers. This is caregivers too, because now there’s the whole sandwich generation where oftentimes it’s women who are taking care of children and then also they’re taking care of their parents. So they’re really sandwiched and needing that time.

[00:04:34] Oftentimes I break from work, even though they’ve had this amazing, like professional experience, but anyway, we’re telling them that their past experience. And we’re telling them that their experience as a caretaker is obsolete.

[00:04:49] Lucas Root: That’s worse. It it’s worse than taking a three year vacation. We’re telling them that they’re less valuable now than they were before. It’s horrible.

[00:05:00] Ashley Connell: Absolutely. And you know, what is crazy if there are two people who were both out of the workforce for three years, one was taking a sabbatical for three years. The other was raising children or taking care of parents. The one who is a caregiver is three times less likely to get the interview.

[00:05:22] Three times.

[00:05:23] Lucas Root: Oh, wow.

[00:05:23] Ashley Connell: And so, you know what that’s saying to our younger generation of women who are trying to rise through the ranks, you can’t do it. You can’t have both. It’s also telling them that you are stuck in middle management and don’t even try to go any higher or choose. And then, people are angry that there’s no women in leadership, but the whole system’s broken.

[00:05:52] Lucas Root: I’m also angry. So we’re adding out some of our own societal dirty laundry here, which is important, cuz things that are hidden don’t get solved, but things that are seen, things that are visible can not necessarily will be, but can be solved.

[00:06:11] Ashley Connell: Correct.

[00:06:13] Lucas Root: Okay, thank you for derailing a little bit with me.

[00:06:17] Ashley Connell: Oh, absolutely. I could go into this topic.

[00:06:21] Lucas Root: Yeah. You and I could both talk.

[00:06:22] Ashley Connell: Yeah, this topic forever.

[00:06:23] Lucas Root: Let’s try to steer ourselves back to the Prowess community.

[00:06:29] Ashley Connell: Sure. To sum up what we were just saying. These women have been through a lot. They were once high flying in their careers, decided to be high flying at home as a mom, and now they want both and can’t get that.

[00:06:48] So what I kept hearing over and over again is Ashley, I no longer have the confidence to get back into the workforce. And I also know that the 40 hour work week button seats doesn’t work for me anymore. So that was a massive problem that I heard over and over again on the talent side.

[00:07:11] And then on the employer side, I had a bunch come to me and say, Hey, I could absolutely use someone 20 hours a week, 30 hours a week. And I value emotional intelligence, which guests who has been emotional intelligence in spades caregivers. And so I would jump at hiring these people. And so that’s really the marriage that Prowess Project brings is on one side, this untapped talent who has amazing emotional intelligence and amazing professional experience.

[00:07:51] And then employers who value flexibility, value emotional intelligence and value past experience of professionalism. So that’s Prowess. As far as the community where we see it most is on what we call like the talent side. So women who are either returning to the workforce, pivoting in their career, wanting something more flexible.

[00:08:15] You don’t have to be caregivers. Many of them are. We’re seeing that because they all have felt slighted in their professionalism or felt like they couldn’t do both. They are constantly seeking people who feel that same way and will admit that they have felt that same way and admit that it’s hard, but it’s possible.

[00:08:46] That’s what we see.

[00:08:48] Lucas Root: Hmm. Interesting. Okay. So you have a mission, you have an approach to the market, which is unique and amazing and something that I wholeheartedly support.

[00:09:03] Ashley Connell: Thank you.

[00:09:03] Lucas Root: But how are you bringing these women together and, what kind of space are you creating that makes it possible for them to be in community?

[00:09:15] Ashley Connell: I love this question. So. First and foremost where it starts is the energy and the language that we are putting out there. So, and by we, I mean, Prowess Project as the brand, as employers or as not employers as the brand, as our team, as the people who are part of the community. The way that I describe it is we are woo woo meets results.

[00:09:46] I am very energy, universe, positivity. I deeply, deeply believe in all of that. And I believe in the structure and the steps and the hard work that it takes in order to make all of that and make those dreams come true.

[00:10:07] Lucas Root: I wonder we’re such good friends.

[00:10:09] Ashley Connell: I know, I know. I think I learned a little bit from you actually on some of that. So yes, I have to give you credit there a hundred percent. So it’s women who relate to that, it’s women who get that there is positivity and energy that needs to be harnessed and want to use that energy to take action. To get it done, and whatever get it done means different to each person in the timeline.

[00:10:43] It could be starting a freelance company. It could be going back to get a W2 job. It could be starting their own business and we help with all aspects of that.

[00:10:51] Lucas Root: Sure. That seems like a pretty wide net and, all of these women are able to come together and have conversations together as part of this community.

[00:11:03] Ashley Connell: Yes, because they are all connected by what we were talking about before turning those experiences of slight or of feeling less than, or feeling like they have to choose. They all can come together and prove and show each other that together they can make something really amazing happen.

[00:11:27] Lucas Root: Hmm. Yeah.

[00:11:29] Ashley Connell: And achieve their dreams. It’s truly incredible.

[00:11:32] Lucas Root: Mm, that’s so awesome. Okay. So what is it? And you’re you’re building and you have built and are still building, right? You’re not done, but you have built a community.

[00:11:43] Ashley Connell: Yes.

[00:11:43] Lucas Root: What is it that makes a community effective?

[00:11:51] Ashley Connell: In my opinion, what makes the community effective is you gotta have the gift of shift factor. You have to all relate on at least one single factor. And typically where I see the factor is most powerful is if it’s an emotional thing that is bringing everyone together, not, we are all accountants. Yes, that can be a fantastic, that can be a fantastic community, but where I see true power is when you have that emotional and, I actually don’t think it has to be a positive emotion that brings you together.

[00:12:52] I think it can turn into be something that happens for good, but I don’t necessarily think that it has to be this, I think it could be a negative emotion that ties you together, and then you feel connected to someone because you have both been through something. Does that make sense?

[00:13:10] Lucas Root: Sure. Yeah, it does. What comes to mind, I don’t know if this, this analogy works, but what comes to mind to me is spartan.

[00:13:21] Ashley Connell: Yeah. Yeah. That’s a great example.

[00:13:24] Lucas Root: Yeah.

[00:13:27] Ashley Connell: I don’t know if I want to liken the Prowess community with Spartan, but you know, one of the reasons why we decided on the name Prowess Project. Prowess specifically is obviously means skill and all of these women have a variety of skills, but the second definition is bravery and battle.

[00:13:45] And I think these women, as we’ve talked about before are gearing up to battle whether it’s battling their own insecurities or battling what society’s telling them or battling this dream or future that they want to achieve. And so it was so on the nose and in the best way.

[00:14:08] Lucas Root: Awesome. That’s so cool. I had an episode early on where the interview focused on a spear, like an actual spear. Yeah. And the conversation was if you’re willing to pick up a spear and go to battle for the person standing next to you, then it might be a community. And if you’re not, then it probably isn’t.

[00:14:31] Ashley Connell: I love that. I love that. I absolutely see that. So good. So good.

[00:14:44] Lucas Root: Yeah. And it sounds like you got a bunch of women who are ready to pick up some spears and go to battle . That’s awesome.

[00:14:52] Ashley Connell: They would agree with you. They would absolutely agree with you.

[00:14:56] Lucas Root: That is awesome. What is it that makes an effective community leader? I have some ideas based on the conversation we’ve just had, but I’d like to hear your thoughts first.

[00:15:10] Ashley Connell: I think being an effective community leader what’s coming to mind immediately is you have to have the charisma to get people to believe in your purpose. So I would almost say that you have to have a purpose behind what you’re doing, but then also the leader has to be engaging and relatable enough and have the energy to get people to do the double take, to stop scrolling, to immediately feel that emotion.

[00:16:00] Which oftentimes can be extremely difficult in this online world that we live in. So I think it’s actually, whereas the barrier to entry to be a community leader is lower. I think it’s actually harder to be an effective community leader when you’re not person to person, but the people who have figured that out. It’s to the moon.

[00:16:34] Lucas Root: Interesting. I love it. Here are some other things that you brought up in seeing the opportunity for Prowess Project, you noticed through your own experience, that all of the leaders in your organization were men. So you saw a gap and you focused in on that gap, and then you did the research on that gap, right?

[00:16:55] So, it’s vision, seeing a gap perseverance, hard work, right. Focusing in doing the research on that gap. And then, so you could have stopped there, maybe given the idea away to somebody and that would’ve been very cool, that does not a leader make you then took that and you built a story around it.

[00:17:18] Not an untrue story. This is a true story, but you’ve built a story around it. Right. And building a story requires a deep level of connection to your conversation, to your language, to building that language for the community so that you can go deep with the community as they start to sign up.

[00:17:36] They like, yes, me. I’m in.

[00:17:38] Ashley Connell: Yes. Yes.

[00:17:39] Lucas Root: What do you think of those?

[00:17:45] Ashley Connell: So me being vulnerable, what’s coming up for me is part of me is like, oh, I don’t wanna take credit for that. But I think that women should take more credit for things that they have achieved. And so I’m going to say thank you because I would never have said to myself much more on a public forum.

[00:18:05] Like I had this, I great idea. And I put it into action, but I should. And I should be, again, this feels weird to say, but I should be a role model and I should come into that power and say, you know what, I did do this and I didn’t back down and I didn’t stop. And I became obsessed with this and I gave up a career where I was making a ton of money to focus on this and like, and so thank you.

[00:18:29] Thank you for saying that. I appreciate that. And it’s uncomfortable, which I think you grow when you’re uncomfortable. But, thank you. Thank you.

[00:18:40] Lucas Root: Yeah, you’re awesome. Cool. So a leader combines the things that we talked about, a leader pulls together a really powerful purpose, which is what you said.

[00:18:50] Maybe it’s got an emotional content, maybe it doesn’t in your case it does. So it’s more powerful because of the emotion, but it’s not just the purpose. You build a story that pulls together that purpose.

[00:19:02] Ashley Connell: Well, and it’s relatable. Like that’s the aspect of it. People in our community can relate to it.

[00:19:13] And at the end of the day, we’re pack animals. You know, at the end of the day, we want to find people who understand us, where we don’t feel alone. And that’s what also so powerful about Community.

[00:19:31] Lucas Root: Yeah, we are pack animals. It’s a hundred percent true.

[00:19:35] Ashley Connell: Yes. Yes.

[00:19:38] Lucas Root: Cool. It seems like we’ve sort of focused in a little bit on language and a little bit on purpose, which is fun.

[00:19:44] If we were to take one of the five elements of community and spend some time talking about it, which one do you want to talk about? Which one would be the most fun to talk about as it relates to what you’ve built in Prowess?

[00:19:56] Ashley Connell: Oh, the one you can’t, or we don’t have a word for heart. I love that one and I think I love it even more because we don’t have a word for it in the English language.

[00:20:08] Lucas Root: Yeah. It’s so much fun.

[00:20:10] Ashley Connell: Yes.

[00:20:10] Lucas Root: Cool. Okay. So bringing it back into our heads so that everybody’s on the same page. The heart is a placeholder for this idea of bidirectional enrollment, ie; i care that I show up. I also accept that the community cares that I show up. I accept that the community cares. So by directional enrollment showing up with the intent and commitment to do the right thing for the community and doing the work in the community with pride, that’s what heart is a placeholder for.

[00:20:42] And we don’t have a word for it in English, but, but we should

[00:20:46] Ashley Connell: absolutely should.

[00:20:47] Lucas Root:How do those show up in the Prowess Community?

[00:20:52] Ashley Connell: So my best example of this is this just happened. So we had a masterclass event. And one of it was a multi-day and one of the days we had testimonials and we invite everyone to who is watching the master class of free range, ask her questions to people who are part of the Prowess community need, if you want to join.

[00:21:22] And the question was, do you feel like. You could call up anyone in your cohort or anyone who’s part of the community and ask for a introduction, ask for advice, or just vent to them in some way, shape or form even after, even if you haven’t talked to them in a while. And without a doubt, the panel of people were like, absolutely.

[00:21:55] And I did that this week and I needed an intro to this person and Stacy gave me that intro and boom, like we’re solid. We saw, I think it was 20 people sign up just from hearing that. Yeah, just from hearing about that power and that action that other people will take on their behalf because they’re part of this community.

[00:22:24] Lucas Root: That’s so cool.

[00:22:26] Ashley Connell: It was amazing as a leader. There are very few times in my entire life that I have felt I’ve beamed in that way. I just was so incredibly proud.

[00:22:41] Lucas Root: Wow. Yeah. I want to be in, I want people to say yes to you and I ask for help.

[00:22:47] Ashley Connell: Right, right.

[00:22:49] Lucas Root: In fact, I want to feel comfortable asking for help. I don’t always even feel that.

[00:22:55] Ashley Connell: We are talking about that all next week. I know, and that shouldn’t be the case. We shouldn’t feel like we can’t ask for help. And we shouldn’t feel that when someone does ask for help, that that is a burden. And I think that one of the biggest tools in that is community.

[00:23:15] One of the biggest permission slips maybe as a better word. Or better way of looking at it is all being a part of a community.

[00:23:26] Lucas Root: Yeah. Interesting. Wow. So how does that play in with the way that we’ve described heart?

[00:23:39] Ashley Connell: To me, it plays in because people automatically saw the value of other people, like wanting to be part of something and wanting someone else to be a part of that as well and caring that they are deeply invested because it helps the greater good.

[00:24:04] Sure. It’s that saying? What is it? High tides rise, all ships. Is that the saying?

[00:24:08] Lucas Root: A rising tide lifts all ships. Yes.

[00:24:10] Ashley Connell: There we go. There we go. That one, and I think too, because it goes both ways and because that was told to this group with such pride, that to me encompasses. The heart aspect of the element of the community.

[00:24:36] Would that fall under your definition as well?

[00:24:39] Lucas Root: I think that makes sense. Yeah, I like it. So we are proud that we do the work together. We’re proud that we’re able to lift up the ships around us.

[00:24:50] Ashley Connell: Yes.

[00:24:51] Lucas Root: Yeah. I love it. It seems obvious to me, but let’s put words to it. How does that create deeper enrollment in the community and engagement?

[00:25:10] Ashley Connell: I think the best way I could describe that is it almost puts the Prowess community on a higher priority list. So I think as women, we constantly are thinking through our mental load, our emotional load of being a caregiver of being a professional of being a partner of being a friend of all these different things.

[00:25:38] And so we have this priority, right? Oftentimes number one is family close second is job or, friend or. You know, health, whatever, all of those things are. Well, we live in this very complicated world right now. And I think that what that allows is it puts the people and the time and the effort that needs to go into the Prowess community higher on that priority list.

[00:26:12] Lucas Root: Hmm. Yeah, that’s really cool. So I could be doing this other thing. You know, I could go read a book or I could make these phone calls, but instead I’m gonna focus in on my community, on my Prowess people.

[00:26:30] Ashley Connell: Absolutely.

[00:26:31] Lucas Root: That’s the thought process.

[00:26:36] Ashley Connell: Yes. That’s the thought process. You’re going to take the time away from something else to focus on that, but also it’s more of an emotional aspect of it too, because.

[00:26:48] Lucas Root: Or it feeds you.

[00:26:50] Ashley Connell: Bingo. Yes, those are the words I was looking for. It feeds you.

[00:26:55] Lucas Root: Nice. I love it. I get it. I get it. This is to you, but to everybody, do you ever receive a phone call and you didn’t have time to answer it?

[00:27:06] And you’re like, you know what, I’m gonna call him back, two weeks go by and you haven’t called him back.

[00:27:11] Ashley Connell: Yep.

[00:27:12] Lucas Root: It’s not because that person isn’t important. It’s because they’re on a different priority list.

[00:27:18] Ashley Connell: Exactly.

[00:27:20] Lucas Root: And what you’re describing is that through this deep level of engagement and the trust and the power that’s built behind the combination of the purpose and the language and the heart of your community, they’re on the priority list where it doesn’t go by, two weeks don’t go by, you actually do make that phone call, or even you drop what you’re doing and you pick it up.

[00:27:44] Ashley Connell: Exactly. That is exactly it. And I think the reason why that is so strong is again, because of the emotional aspect and because what we focus on is really. Women in particular are multidimensional, we’re not black and white. We’re not, this is our work life. This is our family life. And not saying that men are, but more so.

[00:28:15] And I always have a hard time with this word compartmentalize are they’re more likely to do that, and so I think because within our.

[00:28:26] Lucas Root: That’s probably why men are more likely to have a heart attack.

[00:28:30] Ashley Connell: There we go. But because in our community, yes, it started as professional. And it’s all about like moving in your career. I just sent three emails this morning asking, Hey, I know your daughter has COVID. Hey, I know that your husband was interviewing for something, how’d it go? Hey, I know that your mom just is getting outta the hospital. Like how was your welcome party for her?

[00:28:57] Lucas Root: Yep.

[00:28:57] Ashley Connell: It’s that. It’s those things.

[00:28:59] Lucas Root: Yeah. And it’s not because you have to it’s cuz you actually care.

[00:29:05] Ashley Connell: Because at three in the morning, I was like, oh, you know, I wonder how Susie’s father was doing. And so I take that action. It becomes a priority to make sure that I am following up so they know I care.

[00:29:20] Lucas Root: Yeah.

[00:29:21] Ashley Connell: And I see it all day, every day.

[00:29:24] Lucas Root: That’s awesome. They know your care and equally they accept the care.

[00:29:31] Ashley Connell: Oh yeah. Yeah. That’s a really good way of putting. I didn’t think about it that way, but you’re right. They accept, welcome, and it fills them up.

[00:29:43] Lucas Root: It fills them up.

[00:29:45] Ashley Connell: And then they reciprocate to someone else. Love it.

[00:29:49] Lucas Root: So. Cool. Amazing. Thank you. Yeah. I have a curve ball question for you now.

[00:29:58] Ashley Connell: Oh, dear. Let’s hear it.

[00:30:01] Lucas Root: It’s okay. It’s gonna make you shine, they all do.

[00:30:05] Ashley Connell: Oh.

[00:30:05] Lucas Root: That’s right. What question did I not yet ask that you really wish I had?

[00:30:15] Ashley Connell: Hmm. That’s a tough one, specifically about community?

[00:30:25] Lucas Root: About the Prowess community.

[00:30:32] Ashley Connell: One thing that I wish you would have asked is who makes a good candidate for the Prowess community?

[00:30:46] Lucas Root: Oh yeah. Yes. Tell me about who makes a good candidate for the Prowess community.

[00:30:56] Ashley Connell: So, as I told this story, I started off with mainly mothers who were returning to the workforce and it expanded to caregivers, women who are possibly taking care of parents as well.

[00:31:14] And then it expanded to women who knew about this, tug of war that they would have to play of having kids and a career and wanted to find flexible work. And now it is women who maybe are are in that tough place where they are high level professional, and also have children are also taking care of parents are also in the same age generation and they’re throwing their hands up and just being like, I don’t want this life anymore.

[00:31:55] And I wanna figure out how to go into consulting, where I own my own time. I have my own consulting business where maybe I’m charging triple that I’m making per hour at a company and only working 20 hours a week. And what does that look like and how do I do that. And so I know that probably sounds like a little schizophrenic, but it’s not. At the end of the day, it’s really women who wanna own their time so that they can design their dream life.

[00:32:32] Lucas Root: Yeah. I get that. I went through that seven years ago.

[00:32:37] Ashley Connell: There we go. Yep.

[00:32:39] Lucas Root: Totally get that. If I wanted that. Why shouldn’t they?

[00:32:43] Ashley Connell: A hundred percent. A hundred percent. But there’s this deep fear, I think that many people have about going out on your own or stopping what you’re doing or finding something that’s flexible or finding something that isn’t. What we are told is what work should look like or what life should look like.

[00:33:06] Or what being a mother should look like or caregiver or what have you. Let’s blow that up.

[00:33:15] Lucas Root: Yeah, let’s blow it up. As we are wrapping. Can you tell our guests, our listeners, where to find you?

[00:33:24] Ashley Connell: Absolutely. So head over to ProwessProject.com. That is where you can find all of our upskilling and access to jobs and community.

[00:33:35] And then we are @ProwessProject on all social media platforms. We will be hosting another masterclass coming up in at the end of September. So be on the lookout for that.

[00:33:47] Lucas Root: Yay. Thank you, Ashley.

[00:33:51] Ashley Connell: Yes. Fun as always.

[00:33:52] Lucas Root: Thank you for being with us and thank you for sharing your story.

[00:33:55] Ashley Connell: Oh, I loved it every second.

[00:33:59] Lucas Root: Thank you for joining us this week on Elements of Community. Make sure to visit our website ElementsOfCommunity.us, where you can subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or via RSS. So you’ll never miss a show. If you found value in this show, we’d appreciate a rating on iTunes or if you’d simply tell a friend about the show that would help us out too.

[00:34:24] If you like the show, you might wanna check out our EOC Inner Circle, where we deep dive with each guest on the inner workings of their community. We cover things like community model, profitability and engagement strategies. You can join the inner circle at ElementsOfCommunity.us/inner circle. Be sure to tune in next week for our next episode.