Author | Filmmaker | Host of Tola Talks
Discover 5 fun facts that will surprise you! From historical milestones to modern quirks, learn why these insights matter in everyday life.
Rich shares fun facts and practical tips on gambling history, digital actor Val Kilmer, weight loss drugs, dog breeds, travel etiquette, and more, all delivered with humor and insight.
Rich has some fun today talking about last night’s Oscars winners including Barbra Streisand’s heartfelt tribute to Robert Redford. He also talks about the Razzie Awards for the worst in cinema, fun facts of the day including March Madness and the USA Baseball team moving on to the finals in the World Baseball Classic, plus the 6 Etiquette Mistakes that’ll cost you abroad.
Watch now and discover: → Robert Redford would only play characters with a backbone. → Sorry Ice Cube for winning those Razzies…make another Barbershop or 21 Jump Street. → The odds of scoring a perfect March Madness bracket is 1 in 120 Billion. → Top 3 Jobs for Women today compared to 100 years ago. → Way to go USA Baseball…next up for the finals, hopefully Italy.
Join Rich as he dives into the Top 10 reasons to reconsider social media for tweens, reflecting on personal experiences from the disco era to today’s digital age. Discover insights on mental health, social skills, and the impact of screen time. Plus, explore the latest trends in crime rates and the rise of micro-vacations. Don’t miss this engaging episode of Tola Talks!
Watch now and discover: → Using social media 3 hrs/day doubles the risk of anxiety and depression for tweens. → Inappropriate content online can lead to self-harm, eating disorders and bad viral challenges. → Social media platforms design features (likes) that can lead to addiction and impulse control. → 2025 crime data throughout 35 U.S. cities found across-the-board decreases from 2019. → Elon Musk & Tesla’s Optimus robot is coming in 2026, with unsupervised Robotaxis already in Austin, TX.
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📘 Featured Book: The Sub: Tales of an Inner-City Teacher by Rich Tola
In this episode of Tola Talks, Rich Tola discusses various topics including New Year resolutions, fitness routines, a recent trip to Chattanooga, the nostalgia of the ER series, the excitement of football championships, and the career aspirations of Gen Alpha. He emphasizes the importance of personal accountability in health and fitness, shares insights on the changing landscape of career aspirations among younger generations, and advocates for better educational exposure to diverse career paths.
Watch now and discover: → The ABCs of life: workout, sleep, and a colorful diet are essential. → Sticking to resolutions requires personal accountability. → Gen Alpha is gravitating towards creative careers. → Education should expose students to diverse career options. → Personal experiences shape the understanding of career aspirations.
Stay strong Floridians, in the wake of Hurricane Ian and thanks for having me in your Sunshine state. Albeit, not much sun the past few days as I’ve experienced my first Category 4 hurricane. The good news is I’m located in central Florida and the brunt of the storm just missed us. The bad news is my friends in St. Pete’s and Ft. Meyers weren’t so lucky. No worries, just stay positive and enjoy the rebuild!
And as luck would have it, since I left Los Angeles about a year ago I’ve survived 30,000 miles of “nomad living” while trans-versing the United States and getting to know 50 unique and exciting cities. That’s right, 50 amazing cities in 10 different states where I’ve spent anywhere from several hours to several months (most recently in Frisco, TX). Check them out:
Oceanside, La Jolla, San Diego, and Needles – CALIFORNIA
Yuma, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tuscon, Mesa, Chandler and Flagstaff – ARIZONA
Las Vegas – NEVADA
Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Vegas and Tucumcari – NEW MEXICO
Amarillo, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Waco, Ft. Worth, Grapevine, Denton, Dallas, Plano, Frisco and McKinney – TEXAS
Texarkana and Little Rock – ARKANSAS
Memphis, Nashville and Chattanooga – TENNESSEE
Atlanta, Augusta and Savannah – GEORGIA
Charleston – SOUTH CAROLINA
Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Melbourne, Ocala, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Dunedin, Ft. Meyers, Sarasota, Naples, Hollywood and Miami – FLORIDA
Now I can only imagine what’s in store for the next leg of life’s journey. Have an awesome Autumn everyone…and get your workout in!
Peace – R
As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.
At least when it comes to those good things that have a positive impact on your life and are meant to be provisional. That is to say, they’re meant to inspire and empower you in the present moment, but definitely not the long haul.
Like nomad living.
Because any individual who roams about for any length of time will certainly desire a more permanent resting place. Trust me, I should know. After 9 months of transversing this great country – from LA to Plano to Las Vegas to San Diego with many many stops and cities in between – I’ve found my way back to Texas (no kidding). Although I loved every minute of the journey as well as my time in San Diego – a place akin to heaven – it was time to return to the land of the free and home of the brave. Thus, I’m back in Lone Star state.
As for cryptocurrencies, well that’s another story. Since my last post they’ve crashed by more than 50% and have no doubt sent seismic shocks to my portfolio, to say the least. But then again when it comes to anything in life and especially stocks and cryptos, nothing goes straight up. So keep the faith and HODL on for dear life everyone, because like I’ve said many times before on Tola Talks Texas, we’re in the first inning of a very long ball game.
Be kind and stay strong everyone, and no matter what, get your workout in!
Peace – R
Six months and 15,000 miles since leaving Los Angeles, I guess you could say my nomadic ways are coming to an end. At least for now, as I thoroughly enjoy exploring and transversing the plethora of amazing neighborhoods throughout San Diego (including Oceanside below).
After a dozen years living in LA and just a few months here in SD, no doubt San Diego trumps LA-LA-Land. In so many ways, but let’s just say it feels much safer and it’s definitely much cleaner here. Not to mention I haven’t had one homeless person approach or harass me, or worse, grab me like that time in LA. So rock’on San Diego! And speaking of rocking on, if you’re still HODL-ing firm with your cryptocurrency portfolio – like I am – keep the faith and know that prices will skyrocket again. That is to say, when the retail buyers come back with a vengeance coupled with 401K allocations for Bitcoin and hopefully Etherium and my fav, Dogecoin.
That’s what I believe, albeit perhaps against the grain, and like I said numerous times on Tola Talks Texas, we’re in the first inning of a very long ball game, so stay positive and stay the course everyone.
And as always, get your workout in. Peace – R
Four months ago I packed my shiny new Bronco to the gills and departed California on a beautiful sunny morning (of course). On my way to Texas, with no particular city in mind or specific travel map in place except for my one goal: to find a place to live within a month. Just the right amount of time to visit and explore at least a dozen major cities along the way.
You may call it a long road trip, but I call it Nomad Living. Nomad as in “a member of a people who have no fixed residence but move from place to place”. And that would be me.
The good news is I love to explore and have since adapted to the inconveniences of not having a fixed residence – trust me, there are many. Plus, nomad living is never boring because you’re always scrambling to familiarize yourself with the plethora of unknowns. Until you eventually land and get the lay of the land, like I did in Plano for a few months and where I also produced my podcast, Tola Talks Texas. Opinionated and oftentimes political for sure, and be sure to check out my two favorite episodes Ep 8 – Suicide Sucks and Ep 20 – Never Live in Fear.
Then it was back on the road, again, this time desiring to spend quality time with my father who’s battling liver cancer as well as revisit some old friends and haunts in Las Vegas and of course, my formerly beloved LA. Not to mention a bunch more cities along the way.
All told I’ve driven 12,000 miles in 120 days while heartily visiting the following 30 cities: Yuma, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tuscon, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Flagstaff, Sedona, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Henderson, Summerlin, Boulder City, Amarillo, El Paso, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Waco, Fort Worth, Dallas, Denton, Frisco, Plano, Needles, Riverside, Pasadena, LA and most recently, San Diego – as I write this I’m curiously exploring the boatloads of amazing neighborhoods and beaches of SD!
Have an awesome weekend and keep moving forward with your goals and dreams everyone…and get your workout in! Peace – R
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
Hope you’re awesome everyone, and in case you were wondering, this isn’t a tribute to the music of Bon Jovi or INXS.
On the contrary, it’s more like a welcome home post after spending the past five months traversing the U.S. in search of the Holy Grail, much like a modern-day Indiana Jones. Well, not exactly, but I’ve definitely been a modern day cowboy cruising the countryside since I left my beloved Los Angeles in June.
Why, you might ask? Because I love to explore new lands while checking out the fitness and yoga scenes – not to mention the music and entertainment and comedy club scenes – of America’s largest and most popular cities.
And on this particular leg of the adventure I’ve traveled to Austin, Dallas, Denver, and most recently, the lovely beaches of Santa Barbara (picture)
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For those of you who have been following my life’s colorful journey since I moved to Hollywood in 2007, I’ve now lived in 11 major cities over the past 11 years.
The good news is I’ve also walked over a thousand miles and met tons of cool locals that made my sojourn an especially enjoyable experience. No doubt traveling to other cities is something I definitely recommend to anyone who has the time and vigor to do it. Notice I didn’t say money, because if you fly solo like I do, you really don’t need that much to explore. Just a pair of comfortable walking shoes and a lightweight backpack. Oh, and don’t forget an open-minded attitude that comes with a big fat smile on your face…because that ALWAYS helps.
So pack your bags and enjoy your journey wherever it takes you this holiday season, and have an amazing Halloween!
Peace – R