We’re all in a moment. And, we’re asking the big questions. Especially about work. Should I join The Great Resignation? Should I stay and just keep on, keeping on. Or, reimagine, reinvent, maybe even start my own thing? Can I really expect more than just a paycheck and stability from work? How do I navigate the overwhelm, burnout, and work-life-bleed that’s turned work-from-home into never-stop-working? What about purpose, joy, excitement, time to breathe, and live? What about that nagging t ...
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Dr. Jessica Kriegel | Unfair Work Labels Got You Down? Here's How To Overcome Them
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How often have you felt diminished or dismissed, pigeonholed into some generational stereotype that fails to capture your true potential as a human being? Maybe you're a young striver constantly battling the "entitled Gen-Z or millennial" narrative. Or a seasoned veteran having to prove your relevance in a youth-obsessed culture. If these experienc…
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Kim Scott | How To Advocate for Respect in Any Work Situation
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Have you ever found yourself in a meeting, eyes wide, stomach dropping as a colleague says something that cuts right through you? Maybe it was an offhand comment laced with bias. Or a flat-out prejudiced belief masquerading as opinion. Perhaps it was the sting of outright bullying that left you feeling small and disrespected. If you've been there, …
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Cultivating Flow at Work: Finding Peak Productivity and Enjoyment
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What if you could tap into a state of optimal productivity, creativity, and joy whenever you wanted? I'm talking about flow - that magical feeling when you're so immersed in an activity that the rest of the world seems to melt away. For some of us, slipping into a flow state brings a rush of energy and laser-like focus. We can get more done in less…
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How to Trust your Essential Nature throughout your Life
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This week on the SPARKED podcast, we invited a listener to share what’s going on in their work & life, then pose a specific question to Jonathan Fields and a rotating lineup of wise and kind mentors - the SPARKED Braintrust. In today’s episode we’re in conversation with: SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Jadah Sellner | Website Jadah is a multi-time foun…
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Jessica Chen | How to Bring Your Quieter Self to a “Loud Culture” workplace
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Have you ever felt like you just don't quite fit into the culture of your workplace? That the way you naturally communicate, in a quieter mode, doesn't align with what's expected and rewarded in a loud culture? If this resonates with you, then you'll want to listen closely to our conversation today, with guest Jessica Chen, an Emmy Award-winning jo…
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Samhita Mukhopadhyay | A different take on having it all
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Have you ever felt like you're being pulled in a million directions, stretched incredibly thin as you try to juggle all the expectations of career, family, and personal fulfillment? Have you struggled with the narrative that women can "have it all" if they just lean in and work hard enough? In today's episode, we challenge this myth of "making it" …
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James Rhee | How to Lead with Kindness over Ego, Dominance and Control
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Have you ever felt that the cutthroat, win-at-all-costs mentality celebrated in business today leaves you feeling empty instead of fulfilled? In chasing status and wealth above all else, are we sacrificing our humanity along the way? How can we redefine success to prioritize significance over promotion and real human connection over control? My gue…
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How to Know When to Jump into Your Side Hustle
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This week on the SPARKED podcast, we invite a listener to share what’s going on in their work & life, then pose a specific question to Jonathan Fields and a rotating lineup of wise and kind mentors - the SPARKED Braintrust. In today’s episode we’re in conversation with: SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Jenny Blake | Website Jenny is the bestselling auth…
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How to Find Fulfillment Beyond Your Day Job
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* Discover Your Sparketype here * What if you've been searching for purpose, passion, joy and energy in all the wrong places? Or, if you’re limiting yourself to “having” to find only in the thing you get paid to do. In today's SPARKED Hot Take, we challenge the notion that meaning at work only comes from your job. Sure, when you can find it in your…
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Carolyn Chen | When Work Becomes Religion (and how it preys on us)
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You may not think of your work as your religion, but for many, it’s trying to become exactly that! Without us even realizing it. Question is – is that a good thing? A bad thing? Or just a thing? Today’s guest, sociologist, Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley, and Co-Director of the Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion, Carolyn…
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Bonnie Hammer | How to Tell if Your Mentor is Holding You Back
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What if much of what you’ve been told about how to come alive and get ahead in work was, well, wrong? That’s what today’s guest, Bonnie Hammer argues. And she’d know. As the Vice Chair of NBCUniversal, with decades at the highest levels of business, she’s the author of the new book 15 Lies: How Women are Taught to Fail and the Truth That Sets Them …
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How to Discover the Work That Energizes You
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* Discover Your Sparketype here * We all want to feel more alive in work, and also in life. But, how? Where do we even begin. I'm sure you've noticed there are certain activities that light you up at work. When you're doing them, you lose track of time, enter a state of flow, and feel deeply energized, like you’re fueled by purpose, meaning and joy…
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Jeff Wetzler | How to Help People Speak Their Minds, And Benefit From Their Wisdom
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Are you unintentionally shutting down those around, so you you never get the benefit of their wisdom? Or, are you the one being shut down? In work, in relationships, in life? Have you ever wondered what your coworkers, friends, or even kids really think but don’t say? I’m sure you’ve experienced those rare moments when someone finally opened up and…
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How to Choose Freedom over Familial Responsibility
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This week on the SPARKED podcast, we invite a listener to share what’s going on in their work & life, then pose a specific question to Jonathan Fields and a rotating lineup of wise and kind mentors - the SPARKED Braintrust. In today’s episode we’re in conversation with: SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Jenny Blake | Website Jenny is a podcaster, career …
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Dan Pink | How to Harness Regret's Hidden Power
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Follow the SPARKED Newsletter on LinkedIn here. What if our biggest regrets secretly held the keys to unlocking our greatest potential in work and life? What if it was the path to self-improvement, clarified priorities, and more courageous living? That's what we’re exploring in this episode of Sparked, with my guest, bestselling author Daniel Pink.…
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How Business Can Change the World, One Life at a Time
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Imagine, being in your 20s, fresh out of washing dishes at a local restaurant, borrowing just enough money to open a tiny, local deli with a friend who shared your passion for food, community, and business? Now, imagine that, decades later, that single decision would profoundly change the lives of not just thousands of regular customers, but millio…
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How to Blend Well-Paid Work & Engaging Side Passions
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How do you blend a well-paying job and a side passion that lights you up? This week SPARKED podcast, we invited a listener to share what’s going on in their work & life, then pose a specific question to Jonathan Fields and a rotating lineup of wise and kind mentors - the SPARKED Braintrust. In today’s episode we’re in conversation with: SPARKED BRA…
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How to Reset Your Stress Response and Rewire Your Brain for Resilience
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Have you ever felt like you're drowning in stress, no matter what you try? That the weight of it all seems impossible to overcome? I've been there too. Today I'm speaking with Dr. Aditi Nerurkar, a Harvard stress expert on a mission to help us reframe and reset our relationship with stress. In my experience, we often feel alone when stressed, as if…
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When was the last time you asked yourself if your career is truly headed where you want to go? Do you feel like you’re just coasting along or following someone else’s script? It’s tempting but playing it safe is no way to build a career that allows you to grow into your best self. In today’s conversation, Grace helps you grab the wheel and chart a …
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How To Unlock Creativity In All Parts of Work and Life
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Have you ever felt like creativity is a gift only meant for others? Like you just weren’t born part of that illustrious and somewhat mysterious “creative class?” Total bunk. Creativity lives inside all of us—and uncovering it could unlock meaning and joy in every aspect of your life? In this conversation, Cynthia and I explore the myths holding us …
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Have you ever felt that nagging sense that you're capable of achieving so much more, yet held yourself back because taking a leap felt too risky? I know I have. We all have big dreams inside us - of launching that business, asking for the promotion, or finally working up the courage to leave the unfulfilling job. But so often, we shy away from full…
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When Vision Meets Reality: Adjusting Your Plans to What Matters Now
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Have you ever started the new year feeling unstoppable, only to hit February and realize your plans need a major refresh? I've been there too. The ambitious goals we set in January can seem so achievable in the moment. But life has a way of asserting itself. Unexpected challenges arise. Priorities shift. New opportunities emerge. The question is: w…
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Money. Some view it as a dirty word. Others live their entire lives in pursuit of it. There is so much mythology and misinformation about what it really takes to build life-changing levels of wealth. Even if we find a way to be well-informed, and are fortunate to be in a position to be thinking about building wealth, so many are still left to deal …
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How to Say No Without Feeling Bad About It
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*Coaches & Leaders: Tap a Game-Changing Credential - The Certified Sparketype® Advisor Training. Next Training starts March 2024. Why do we feel so bad when we say no to people? Even to complete strangers who request our time, advice or even money out of the blue? What’s going on there? What is the deeper psychology of our inability to comfortably …
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How to Say Yes to Reinvention (and Start a Movement)
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Many of us have felt the call to create our own professional path and start our own business. The call is especially strong when your why is deeply personal and mission driven. And, sometimes, that even means walking away from something else that, from the outside looking in, is everything you’d ever want. How do you handle these moments, make good…
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How to avoid the allure of the weeds and get back to the big picture
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Ever feel like you spend way too much time in the tactical details and lose sight of the bigger picture? Especially when you don’t have to be doing much of the detailed work, but you somehow can’t stop yourself from it? You're not alone. We've all felt the temptation to retreat into the comfort zone of tackling familiar tactical tasks instead of ve…
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Overcoming Overwhelm: Strategies to Move from Numbness Back to Flow
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Overwhelm has become the post-pandemic pandemic. And it’s showing up in all parts of life - personal, professional, social, health and beyond. So many feel like they’re one seemingly small thing away from completely shutting down. That your work, task and emotional load has hit a saturation point, leaving you unsure how to move forward. And terrifi…
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How to Simplify Your Message So People Get It
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What story will your audience notice and act on? How do you cut through noise to connect? And why does it seem so difficult for people and organizations to communicate clearly? In today’s SPARKED hot take episode, messaging expert Ben Guttmann joins me to explore simplifying communication to ensure it resonates. Together, we tackle why most message…
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How to Reframe Performance Reviews from a Confrontation to a Collaboration
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Imagine feeling like no matter how hard you work, how much you contribute, you just can't seem to get the recognition or advancement or even feedback you deserve. It's frustrating. Especially that last part. Can you remember a time when a vague performance review left you unsure what to actually change? Or when subtle biases infected feedback, limi…
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How do we transcend “us vs them” thinking? In turbulent times how do we build bonds instead of walls? In today’s episode, Talia Fox joins me to explore the skills that shape conscious connection. Talia reveals the nightmare of disconnection plaguing our teams and work culture and shares frameworks to transform noise and vitriol into understanding a…
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How to Feel Lit Up, Without Blowing Everything Up
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What truly ignites your inner spark? Does the work you’re doing fuel your fire or is it time to rewrite stale stories of “success”? How do you know when logic alone can no longer guide your path? Karen offers insights on protecting space for what matters, even within traditional careers. Because radical change may not be required to reclaim meaning…
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*Coaches & Leaders: Tap a Game-Changing Credential - The Certified Sparketype® Advisor Training, Next Training starts March 2024 * When is it time to walk away from work? How do you know when that creative spark has faded? Have you ever felt torn between loyalty to a job, cause or team, and honoring your own well-being? In this conversation, we add…
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Why do we stay silent when we know things aren’t right? How can leaders spark truth-telling in turbulent times? And how can we foster environments that make it feel safer and worthwhile for people to voice opinions or issues? Together we tackle why people don’t speak up more, the often devastating impact of staying quiet, both on ourselves and on o…
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How do we build a future of work that moves fast, makes amazing things happen, yet is more humane? One where care, wellbeing, and innovation coexist? In today’s episode, we dive into the often brutal state of workplace culture, how it celebrates pace and drive, but often at the cost of humanity and sustainability, and we talk about how we can conti…
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How to Advocate for a Point-of-View With Empathy and Intention
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Have you ever struggled to find the right words when tensions run high? Wanted to stand up for what you believe in but risked fueling the fire? In divided times, how do we speak out thoughtfully, with intelligence, heart and nuance? Today we’re exploring moving through polarizing moments with intention, in this episode we ask, What if there was a w…
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How to Simplify Your Idea Without Losing Its Essence
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Have you ever had a lightning bolt of inspiration, only to second-guess yourself when it's time to execute? I'm sure you can relate to staring at a blank page, realizing your brilliant idea feels muddled and unclear. In today's episode of Sparked, we explore why it's so hard to distill multidimensional concepts into singular big ideas. In today’s e…
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What if just 15 minutes could make or break your day? We all have habits and routines that seem to last only minutes, yet end up influencing how our entire day unfolds. Those small, seemingly innocuous things we do that unwittingly either prime us for productivity, happiness, and success - or leave us uncentered, unproductive, and adrift. Things li…
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How to Unlock New Possibilities When Plans Unravel
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When was the last time life threw you a major curveball that upended your plans? Can you picture a time when you found yourself blindsided by disruptive events that derailed your goals and left you scrambling to adapt? If so, how did you handle it? Looking back, you wish you’d had the skills to approach it differently? It’s an inevitable part of li…
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We all want to work in places where everyone feels included, valued, embraced, and maybe even celebrated. But, what if good intentions aren't enough to build a truly inclusive culture? We know equity and belonging matter, but systems and people, all too often, seem stuck in paradigms that exclude and, often, cause harm. So how do we implement real …
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The Dark Side of Startup Life: Inside the Startling Stats of Founder Stress
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We’ve all seen it and maybe even experienced it, the high pressure workload of starting your own business. The long hours, extreme stress and rollercoaster of highs and lows. Enduring these realities is almost celebrated in the entrepreneurial world and rarely questioned, when in any other setting they would be cause for alarm. So why do entreprene…
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The Perfect Morning Routine (is not what you think)
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Morning routines. There is just soooo much mythology around them. Some of it’s true and valuable. But a whole lot of it is also just plain wrong. And, it can lead us to think we have to adopt a certain approach to starting our days that is universally helpful for every person. Life just doesn’t work that way. So, today we’re taking on the topic of …
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How do you know if you’re genuinely no longer interested in the work you’re doing and it’s time to do some reimagining, or if you’re actually just burned out and, literally, nothing you do will excite you until you step into a place of renewal? So many of us have felt it - completely depleted, disconnected from work we once loved. The cynicism cree…
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Have you ever wanted to express your needs but held back for fear of rocking the boat? Only to finally explode and regret the fallout? How do you stand up for yourself without compromising important relationships, values, or commitments? Navigating the messiness of holding people and systems accountable without damaging relationships can feel impos…
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Gretchen Rubin | Unlock Productivity, Creativity & Memory with the 5 Senses
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Follow the SPARKED Newsletter on LinkedIn here. What if your 5 senses secretly controlled everything from your mood to your creativity, intelligence, memory, or even your ability to succeed in work and life? We all tend to take our senses for granted, using them automatically without much thought. But what if curating sensory experiences was a hidd…
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How to Create a Workspace That Lights You Up
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Ever feel like you’ve just outgrown your surroundings, and your environment is actually limiting your growth? Like the desk, room, studio, space that got you here just isn’t working for you any more? Maybe, it’s even working against you? Our workspace has a profound effect on us, our work, and even our wellbeing, relationships, and interactions. It…
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Have you ever felt like your team could do so much more if you just worked better together? We’ve all been there – stuck in dysfunctional team dynamics, unproductive meetings, and confusion around decision-making. The doubts start to creep in: “Are we even capable of working smoothly together?” “Why does collaboration feel so hard?” When was the la…
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Got a career or business question for the Brainstrust? Submit here. We've all been there - mired in a project, job or pursuit and wondering "when will this get easier?" The doubts start to creep in: "Am I cut out for this level of effort? Is this pain just part of the process, or a sign it's not right for me? Why does this feel so hard?" When was t…
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How to Navigate Change With Ease (Part 2)
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Listen to part one here. Change is in the air, and it’s making many of us recoil. But, why? And, what can we do to change how we respond to change? To turn it from something we fear into something we embrace, maybe even seek out. Because the other side holds so much potential and possibility, once we’ve learned how to move through it with so much m…
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Change. Just the word makes so many people anxious. But why? Why do so many of us experience change, and even the thought of it, as something negative to be feared and resisted, rather than something positive to be met with hope and excitement, and embraced? That’s the question we’re diving into today with author of the fascinating new book, FLUX, …
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The Confidence Trap: Why You DON'T Need it to Do Big Things
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Have you ever looked at someone else, someone you admire, who’s maybe accomplished a lot, and just assumed they must be wildly confident and always winning at everything? You’re not alone. But, the truth, it turns out, is much more complex. So many of those luminaries are not, in fact wildly, or even remotely confident. And if they are, they go thr…
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