Stay Calm and Focused

This simple expression pretty much sums it up regarding the qualities needed to succeed at anything in life. Whether it be the Masters Championship – congrats Jon Rahm on yesterday’s win – or the yearly presentation to your company’s shareholders, or the PTA meeting with your daughter’s Kindergarten teacher, or your daily fitness program for that matter.

Simply put…just do it.

Staying calm and focused helps you “stay in the moment” while remaining free and observant – and absorbent – to perform your very best. Just be prepared and confident to let your talents shine and your fortitude prevail.

As we reach the 100th day of 2023, I hope your goals and aspirations for this year and the future remain alive and well – even when extreme patience is required to reach your final destination. And may your mind, body and spirit, aka your temple, be brimming with strength, power and positivity. Mine is, as well as my plans for a new and improved season of TOLA TALKS bringing back our LIVE broadcast format on YouTube and Spotify – something I’ve been looking forward to since the show first launched on LATalkRadio back in 2017.

Have an awesome Spring everyone…and get your workout in! Peace – R

New Learning Show for Kids…Top 10 with Mr. B

Creators create, teachers teach and producers produce.

And when you’re all three, eventually you give birth to a modern-day Blues Clues show for kids called, Top 10 with Mr. B. That’s right, I LOVE educating and inspiring children of all ages, even the 59 year-olds like me!

So if you’re that BOLD, BRAVE and BRILLIANT children’s producer in search of the next great opportunity, be great to hear from you: [email protected]

As for everyone else, enjoy learning everything there is to know about rainbows and pandas and have fun with Mr. B…and get your workout in!

Peace – R

Never Live in Fear – Ep 20 – Tola Talks Texas

Today is all about doing whatever it takes to never live in fear. Because during the past two years of this COVID pandemic, the powers to be have done their best to control you by instilling fear in your mind, body and spirit. No doubt fear controls – so never let it happen. In our last Tola Talks Texas, at least for now while I travel and spend time with family, I do my best to communicate why we need to get rid of the divide between the vaccinated and unvaccinated. Plus kudos to Bill Maher for his recent monologue about not wanting to live in a masked, paranoid world and never being scared of COVID, but rather the reaction to it. Not to mention this particular comment that I totally agree: So, the fact that America, the medical establishment never even attempted to get people to live a healthier lifestyle as response to this pandemic is a giant scandal to me. Right on Bill, because everyone needs to get with the program and Drink from the Fountain of Youth, like I do. And no matter what, stay strong, stay positive, stay true to your dreams…and get your workout in.

Peace – R

Capital Punishment – Ep 14 – Tola Talks Texas

Today’s we’re talking about crazy crime stories involving victims young and old throughout the United States who were stabbed, frozen to death, shot and killed and/or left for dead, plus road rage incidents that’ll have you questioning your thoughts on who deserves to live or die for their offenses. Capital punishment is real and can be debated as positive or negative, depending on your personal values. Either way both are valid, just like being for or against Coronavirus vaccines that may or may not work. Both or valid and like the saying goes, to each his own. Plus more fitness tips to keep you drinking from the Fountain of Youth, and some quick talk about my Wall Street days as well as cryptocurrency prices and how no matter what, nothing goes straight up.

Fact vs. Fiction – Ep 12 – Tola Talks Texas

Today we’re talking fact vs. fiction when it comes to inaccurate claims about children being hospitalized for COVID (3,500 actual vs. 100,000) plus total US deaths and comorbidity, including highlights of the Fox News interview with Bret Baier and CDC director Rochelle Walensky; the negative affects of 5,000 schools still being closed for in-person learning; kudos to Marc Cuban for his clarity on Dogecoin vs. Bitcoin as an inflation hedge and better than a lottery ticket; plus a breakdown of soaring obesity rates throughout the US (up 26% since 2008) to an all time high of 42.4%.

Fountain of Youth Wins The Firebird Book Award

EIGHTY FOUR AUTHORS AWARDED THE FIREBIRD BOOK AWARD

April 2021 – Speak Up Talk Radio announced the winners of 2021’s first quarter FIREBIRD BOOK AWARDS contest. Eighty four winners were announced in 98 categories.

One of the winning entries was from California author Rich Tola whose book titled How to Drink from the Fountain of Youth: 30 Steps to Everlasting Youth, won in the Aging and Mind/Body/Spirit categories.

Authors and publishers from around the world submitted their work to the Firebird Book Awards. A panel of 12 judges within the writing and publishing space then read every book and independently scored each entry according to a set of standardized criteria that evaluates the quality of the writing as well as production aspects. Only entries with the highest of scores are awarded the coveted Firebird.

Patricia J. Rullo, founder of the Firebird Book Awards, says, “This quarter’s entries were a joy to read and speak to the talent out there. At Speak Up Talk Radio, our mission is to offer radio interviews and podcasting services to help authors expand their reach. In addition to additional prizes, our winners have the opportunity to be interviewed and aired on iHeart Radio, Pandora, as well as 50 additional online venues, giving them new ways to speak up and share their work.”

Pat adds, “We’ve included a charitable component to our awards by making all entry fees tax-deductible to the author. In return, we personally make and send handmade fun and whimsical pillowcases to women and children in homeless shelters via Enchanted Makeovers, a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All entry fees fund this project. In this way, authors can get notoriety for their work while doing good for others. It’s been such a rewarding venture for everyone.”

The Firebird Book Awards run quarterly contests so authors can receive recognition on a timely basis. Authors from all genres, mainstream, independent, and self-published are welcome. Additional winning authors and titles as well as entry information is available at https://www.speakuptalkradio.com

How to Drink from the Fountain of Youth is available in paperback and eBook (English & Chinese) plus the Audiobook narrated by Rich. For information visit www.richtola.com

Tola Talks – Guns and Roses – Episode #152

There are two sides to every coin, no doubt, just like there’s good and bad in everything, including Guns and Roses. That’s right, they both can be beautiful and powerful as well as draw blood, and yes, we’re also talking about Slash and the legendary rock band, Guns N’ Roses (still reading his autobiography).

When it comes to Drinking from the Fountain of Youth, be sure you take that same “greatness” approach with Everlasting Youth and you’re halfway there!

Have an awesome day everyone, and get your workout in! Peace – R

Step it Up…When We’re Down

I don’t know about you, but I’ve definitely been stepping it up with a few projects about to bloom, even during these “up-and-down-again” pandemic times. Gotta do it. Keep moving forward that is, when you have the time to make good use of your time, with actions and small victories.

With our recent setback, feels like a swimmer on the starting block who takes off only to be whistled back for a false start. I should know, I swam competitively as a child and for two years in high school, and no doubt getting called back sucks. That’s right, and it goes like this; you make a great start off the block, or so you think – and hope – the official didn’t catch you leaving early, then your heart skips a beat when you hear that whistle blow and you know it’s you. Now you swim back, pull yourself outta the pool, pull yourself together, then get set again. But this time you’re a little more cautious so you don’t get another false-start, and thus, get knocked outta the race.

Tola Talks is coming back in August!

Sound familiar?

For those of us in LA and anyone else who’s been told to lockdown – yet again – that swimmer is us. But we gotta stay positive and keep rockin’ our worlds.

No matter what.

And rather than bore you with my June Exercise Report Card – as you can imagine, it’s the same as the two months prior with some actual gym time in there, albeit not nearly enough, I’ve also been getting ready to publish my next book (woohoo!) as well as re-launch Tola Talks (podcast + on youtube.com/tolatalks).

We’re just two weeks away from the R &R, release and relaunch, so I won’t give any more away other than my next book is about Everlasting Youth and is definitely a one-of-a-kind creation. And the talk show is, well, ditto.

Have an awesome July everyone, and get your workout in! Peace – R