November Savings, Bitcoin Basics, Positive Body Image, Our Relationship with Animals, National Geographic Atlas of National Parks, Making it TV Show, Mini Book Club

November Savings (0:00:00) Thanksgiving is a time of happiness for many, but everyone who has been in charge of the wallet around Thanksgiving time also knows how expensive it can get. Traveling expenses, food costs, cute fall décor, and Black Friday can add up to the point where it may seem overwhelming (and we’re not even at Christmas yet!). Consider this as your time to calm down, take a deep breath, and tell yourself that it’s going to be ok. Our guest, Rachel Ritlop, is here to give us her tips for saving money during Thanksgiving time. She is the founder of the lifestyle blog “The Confused Millennial” which covers important topics such as family finances. Bitcoin Basics (0:17:10) There’s a nebulous new force creeping into the edges of the American economy. In 2009, an anonymous person online found something fascinating: virtual gold in an online resource called Bitcoin. This faceless programmer created a system where online mathematicians can “mine” for this gold, and then use it as money. Money that isn’t regulated by the government. Sounds a little complex doesn’t it?  Luckily, with us is Thomas Flake, an economist and founder of a Bitcoin operating business. Positive Body Image (0:32:34) As we pull our pumpkin and pecan pies out of the oven next week, and then gingerbread and sugar cookies out the following week, maintaining self-control can be difficult. Something else that is just as important to maintain during this fun time filled with festive food is our positive body image. We have Connie Sobczak, the co-founder and executive director of The Body Positive and author of Embody: Learning to Love Your Unique Body, here to share how we can enjoy all that the holiday season has to offer while still loving ourselves. Our Relationship with Animals (0:50:34) You may love your dog or cat, but when a raccoon or mouse enters your property you call an exterminator. Whether you love them or hate them, eat them or don’t, you can’t deny that we’ve got a pretty complicated relationship with our four legged friends. Why is this and how do these relationships differ across the world? Here to talk us through it is Hal Herzog teacher, anthrozoologist and author of Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat. National Geographic Atlas of National Parks (1:07:40) Did you know that over 330 million people visit America’s national parks each year? Here on the Lisa Show, we love our National Parks. We talked about them throughout the summer, highlighted specific parks, and even visited them! Maybe you’re gearing up for your national parks visit this year, or maybe you’re just looking for a little adventure this morning. In any case, we're talking with Jon Waterman, adventurer and author of National Geographic’s Atlas of the National Parks. He’s going to tell us a little bit about this new book and our beautiful national parks! Making It TV Show (1:23:00) If you haven’t checked out NBC’s creative competition series “Making It”, then this is your invitation to do so! The show is about eight talented creators from across the country that make homemade projects in hopes of impressing the judges. It promotes a spirit of creativity for those competing and for those at home. That can definitely benefit us around this time of year! One of the two guest judges for the show is Dayna Isom Johnson who also happens to be Etsy’s trend expert. She’s with us to share what we can expect from this season of “Making It” and how we can find creative holiday gifts on Etsy.  Mini Book Club (1:33:03) Rachel Wadham, host of Worlds Awaiting, shares great dystopian books.