This is part accountability post and part thank you. We’ve done quite a bit in the month of July to grow a couple brands under the Area 224 umbrella. And yours truly has done his best to stay in shape. So here goes:

The Vandy Program: 5 Long-Form Interviews

Starting to find a groove and that’s fun; aiming to exceed that figure in August.

July 1: Congressional Candidate Angel Oakley

In response to the growth of Democratic Socialist candidates throughout the country, I sat down (for the second time this year) with Angel Oakley, who is a GOP candidate for U.S. Congress in the 3rd District of Illinois.

July 9: Sportswriter Matt Sieger Talks About the 78 San Francisco Giants (And the 2026 Giants’ Pride Hat Controversy)

This was the most-popular video of the month, with 43,000 views and counting. Really illuminating conversation with Matt Sieger on faith, sports, the intersection of the two, and tying to have reasonable conversations with those who may not agree with you.

July 21: Sean McGinnis from The Manager Vault

With his colleague Ashley Graham, Sean McGinnis has created The Manager Vault as a platform to share what he and Ashley have learned throughout their years as leaders of people.

July 24: Liam Gallegos Talks ‘MAHA’ and AI

He calls himself “The King of LinkedIn Live” and Liam Gallegos has devoted his time lately to both AI and spreading the word on healthy living.

July 28: Tom Shanahan On College Football’s Integration Titans

I learned a ton in this interview, and Tom Shanahan has written books about the subject of the 1960s and college football integration. (Duffy Daugherty was quite the hero.)

My thanks to the growing number of subscribers. We’re just getting started, eh?

The Saturday List: The Streak Continues!

We’ve now done 39 straight editions of The Saturday List, and it serves as both a recap and a look ahead at what I’m Watching, Reading, Listening to, and Rediscovering each week.

Plus we’ve added a kicker of sorts, “Finally,” as the last word from whatever category I please.

AND, Workout Statistics

In July, I managed to go to the gym for a workout on 25 of the 31 days.

Part of the mission for me is building good habits, and, as author James Clear tells us in his book Atomic Habits, one key is “don’t miss two straight days.” And, despite a couple minor injuries, I…didn’t miss two straight days. A tiny victory.

What’s Next?

August will bring, at the minimum:

• 6 long-form interviews on The Vandy Program.
• 5 Editions of The Saturday List (you can see the August 1 edition at the link).
• And I won’t miss two straight days at the gym.

You can hold me to that. And thanks so much for your support!