Transformation Mondays: Getting Healthy, Being Realistic (Hour 2)

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Welcome to the mid-morning on the Civic Media Radio Network.

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Lots of great programming ahead, not to mention after the 1030 break.

We're going to be talking about how you are doing your transformations.

What are you doing in the new year?

How are you going to make a new plan?

We can talk about resolutions.

I feel like there's a lot of eye rolling when it comes to that.

But when you want to start off something new, it's nice to kick it off maybe in January.

And that's what we're doing here with Transformation January.

We're going to be talking to people.

in and around the community who are helping folks make changes.

And we want to hear from you on that.

You can call or you can text again, 855-752-4842.

You can also leave a comment on the live stream.

We are currently live streaming on Facebook, YouTube and the platform in this house.

We still call Twitter and we're going to be closing out the show today.

Well, of course, what this shouldn't be a thing, the cop and the frog edition.

So don't go anywhere.

We got lots and lots of great programming still.

ahead.

Yes, it is January.

It is January the fifth.

And when we talk about making changes, a lot of folks utilize the beginning of the year as a way to do that to reach their goal.

And I think in the in the in the

discussion of transformation, January's, what better way to talk, what better way to start than with what a lot of people discuss, which is maybe a health journey, whether it's physical or mental.

And we brought on a great guest to talk about that.

He is the executive director of the Menominee East and South YMCA.

John England is our guest right now.

John, good morning.

Welcome to the show.

How are you today?

How has your New Year's been so far?

How's your 2026?

Good morning.

Thanks for having me.

Um, 2026 is kicked off with a bang.

Um, I personally have been able to take some time off and get out on the ski hills.

We snowboard, but, um, that's one of, one of my loves and my passions

that I share

with my, my daughters.

So

how long, how long, how long, how long have you been snowboarding and how long, when did you get your daughter?

You said daughter or daughters?

Daughters, all three of them snowboard.

How old were they when they started?

I want it because little kids on snowboards are adorable.

Yeah, we were just trying to come up with that the other day I Believe all three of them started around six or seven.

Okay, and I know there's kids out on the hill that are younger than that

Yeah, absolutely.

Absolutely a

good way to get out during the winter when everybody else is all cooped up,

right?

Yeah, yeah, honestly, that's that's there were moments and there were moments during my I took up I took a vacation last week and I was just like I need to go I need to just step outside.

I don't have to go do something.

I just need to feel

non house air on my face.

And that's what I did.

I ran around with the dog in the background in the back.

Well, she ran around.

I just sort of watched her run around.

But still, I got outside.

All right.

Counts.

But,

uh, you know, we're talking transformation January.

We're talking to people who are helping those get new, you know, new goals in their lives.

And I really think one of the most.

One of the best examples of that is the YMCA and you are the executive director of the Menominee East South YMCA What do you what does that mean as far as executive director and what do you do in your job at the Y?

Yeah, so best way to explain the executive director.

It's the owner of the locations right and actually prior to the

us selling to the Y in April of this last year in 2025, I was.

I owned what was Menominee Health and Fitness.

So ultimately anything you can think of that an owner would do, that's ultimately what the executive director is responsible for.

So anything facility-wise, management of staff.

being networked within the community, that kind of thing, all the way down to like day-to-day membership, signing people up and member service and that kind of thing too.

So

you said that before it was the why it was called what again, please?

Menominee

health and fitness.

And was that something that you were always aware, did you, you know, it sounds like you've had a career then in the fitness industry?

Yeah, for the last six years, it's something I've always been involved with sports and fitness, going all the way back to like really young.

We talked about my daughter starting snowboarding at six.

I remember playing baseball and basketball and all that stuff when I was six.

So really just kind of grew a passion for the fitness industry.

41 now.

Been in this world for quite some time, but had always wanted to own a gym and be able to share my passion of fitness and nutrition and wellness with others.

June of 2019 is when we bought our first location, got up to three, sold one off in January of 24.

And then, uh, recently the last two locations here in Menominee, um, April of 25 to the YMCA.

So.

And I mean, the YMCA is a synonymous term.

It's a, you know, every, you know, when you talk about the gym, I think you can think about all these.

branded names, but it always comes back to the why.

And I think the reason why, no pun intended, I'm sorry for that one.

I think the reason is because it's about community as well.

You can go to a place, you can hit your key fob and you can go work out at three o'clock in the morning and you get your work on, you go home and that's fine.

And that's fine if that's what you want to do.

But I feel like the why has so much more of a hub-like nature of where people come for community.

And we'll talk about

exercising fitness and gold in a moment, but I want to talk about the services that your why provides that people don't know about because they maybe not explored in a while, you know, and how the why has changed over the decades.

Yeah, so for for Menominee, because we're so new, we're working towards offering some of those additional services.

We, as Menominee Health and Fitness, we're just basically another fitness facility with a different culture and a different environment.

You speak to the community, that's something that we were big on as Menominee Health and Fitness, and obviously as the Y, that was kind of a

a common ground for us.

It was an easy transition because that's who we were already.

And so really just creating a third place is what we've called it for people.

So you've got your work, you've got your house, and then what's your third place?

How are you connecting with others?

And so really that's the difference between the why.

and other facilities.

Like I said, we've got a lot of the similar equipment and that kind of thing, but really just finding a community of people who are headed in the same direction and community in and of itself, just conversation and socialization with others is really a lot of what we gear ourselves around.

whether it's a group fitness class or you're working out with a friend, having coffee in the lobby with others, just again, a place to connect with people, a third place that people can feel like they belong kind of thing.

So.

And I think that component is a very important part of a transformation too, because I mean, again, you can go.

workout at the gym.

I mean, I'm, I, when I, when I work out, I know, I know, I do.

Don't look at me like that people.

When I do, I'm very much put the earbuds in, get my workout and go home.

But for so many more people, it's about connection.

And I think that's an important part of the conversation to reach out to people, especially people who might be, we're, we're in a, we're in a world where the loneliness is a problem.

And I think the, I think the gym and I think the Y are great places to go and then, and that'd be part of your transformation.

And

Because you've been part of that industry, you've owned facilities before that.

Let's start there.

Someone walks through the door and just says, I want to make a change.

What do you, as John, but also as the facility, what do you do to help foster that beginning?

Because for some people, that first step is the hardest step, because it's daunting to make changes.

What is your advice to someone who just says, I need to make a change?

Yeah, I mean start small we it's always been you know people want to jump in you talked a little bit about news resolutions Kind of become a catchphrase right like people people restart every year which is which is great The key for a lot of people is not going in and just jump in both feet right start slow do slow sustained changes over time which are gonna yield results We live in a world where it's

you know the instant gratification that's

not the way

that that's not the way fitness works you know if somebody hasn't worked up for a long time um or has never worked up for that matter beyond walking and daily life um your body has to get acclimated to challenging it in different ways and so um really just starting out small and that that could even be

five to 10 minutes on a treadmill, right?

And do a little bit more the next day and a little bit more the next day and just make sure you don't overdo it.

You know, even as somebody that's been in the gym for a long time, I like pushing myself.

I'm an athlete.

I push myself to the brim and a little bit further.

I got to a point where I was outworking my

body's ability to recover from those workouts.

And so I started having different issues.

Well, then it's a physical therapist and a personal trainer.

And so I really had to reset my mind in terms of how I'm approaching my workouts.

And so I've actually pulled that quite a bit and yielded similar or better results, you know, better than that.

I'm not dealing with some of the issues I was.

So

yeah.

If you're just joining us on the show, we are talking to John England, who is the executive director of Menominee East and South YMCA, talking about transformations, talking about New Year resolutions, talking about how you make those changes.

And, you know, John, I think one of the big problems, and you said it perfectly right there, which was instant gratification.

And because of television, because of social media, we see people out there who have the ability, I shouldn't say ability, people who have access.

to making transformations.

What we see is very quick, but they're not very quick and also not sustainable because of, you know, someone goes on a TV show and they say, we'll make you lose 150 pounds.

Well, yeah, because they have hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, experts, food, power behind them.

And then, you know, you don't read the story about how these folks end up gaining the weight back because they don't have the access.

And I think what you just said there is the instant gratification and it's about the small steps.

Starting with that first step, whether it's going for a five minute walk, because that's what you can handle versus going to the gym and trying to do an hour and a half because you want to lose 80 pounds in six months because there's a reunion.

But how do you pull people back from that?

I mean, it's one thing to come in and say, I don't know where to start.

And then you have to have people who say like, oh, I'm going to do this stuff.

And you have to say, hold on, cowboy.

Let's be reasonable.

Right.

Yeah, there's a lot of noise out there too.

And everybody, you know, if you're on social media and that kind of thing, you would do that a little bit.

We actually tell people then stay away from that stuff because not everybody on social media is credentialed to be able to be giving the advice that they're giving.

And so you got to take everything with a grain of salt and spend some time researching one thing that will help negate that or allow you to

kind of drown out the noise is getting a personal trainer.

If you're getting a personal trainer, they're certified to be able to give you the advice that they're giving you,

and they're

going to be able to customize the programming for you and not allow you to get going too fast.

So that's the ideal situation.

Getting somebody you know you can meet with in person, there's the accountability, there's the knowledge through the certification.

A lot of them will end up doing further education and credentialing.

So that's obviously the best case scenario.

That's not affordable for some people.

That's not realistic in terms of a schedule.

And so if that's the case where that's not a realistic expectation for somebody, literally it's getting out and taking that first step.

That's always the hardest step, I should say, is taking that first step, going to get the membership.

taking a walk around the block, you know, just doing it and having the discipline to get going.

So

we're going to keep the conversation going with John England, who is the executive director of Menominee East and South YMCA's.

If you have any questions, any comments, please get in touch 855-752-4842, a 5575 civic comment on the live stream.

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Good, good morning.

Welcome back.

It's mid mornings on civic media.

My name is Greg Bach, and I am your host along with sweet kelby on the ones and twos.

And you can always get in touch with us by calling or texting 855-752-484-2855-75 civic.

Leave a comment on that live stream.

We are on Facebook, YouTube and the platform.

We still call Twitter still show ahead for you.

Still lots of show ahead for you, including a discussion on your routine, your transformation.

Cause this is transformation Monday.

talking health and fitness in the new year.

We want to know about your journey.

Where is it taking you right now?

What are you doing to make better decisions in your life?

And then we want to hear those discussions and any New Year's resolutions you may have for 2026.

And then this shouldn't be a thing.

After that, to close the show out today, it's the cop and the frog edition.

So don't go anywhere.

Happy to have you a part of the day.

Happy you're spending your time with us.

We are talking to John England, who is the executive director of Menominee East and South YMCA.

And we're talking about transformations.

We're talking about how we introduce goals into our lives, how we achieve them and the services that are wise.

I am a member of the Y in Kenosha and what you can get out of that, not just health and fitness, but also a sense of community.

John.

Talking earlier, you are in the industry.

You're about fitness, nutrition, you're about good lifestyle.

And also in our discussion, you're about reality, not shows, reality.

The fact that none of us are on reality shows right now.

We are on a live stream right now, but no one's helping me lose weight because of it.

But we are exposed to a lot of information, social media, TV, all that.

I'll say stuff to be diplomatic.

What are the myths that people need to also stay away from as far as like people might be thinking maybe something we've been brought up to believe as far as health and fitness or Something maybe there's a trend on social media.

You're seeing right now.

That's saying just don't do that at all.

Don't do that at all Just talk to a personal trainer talk to an attritionalist talk to your doctor that sort of thing

Yeah, I would say the biggest myth is the scale

right?

Yeah, everybody, everybody wants to lose the weight and they've got a number in mind.

That's one thing I've told it can be a great tool for the right person.

For many, they just want to get down to that number.

It doesn't matter how much muscle tone they have or fat percentage or whatever.

The scale is a liar is what I always say, you know, it can be a great tool if you're using it in the right way.

Yeah.

You know, weigh yourself a day after you've eaten something.

You're like, oh, my body reacted and I retain more water or whatever.

A lot of people don't know how to use the scale in that way.

And so I always tell people just to stay away.

If you like the way you look in the mirror and your clothes are fitting better and you're feeling better in terms of your daily living, you're walking upstairs without pain or without being exhausted.

who cares what the scale says, right?

So I think that, and that's been for years.

And of course, now they have more intuitive scales that tell you body fat percentage and can give you more feedback, which can be useful.

But I always just tell people to stay away from it.

That's one of the things that can get people to be inconsistent or lose discipline with what they're doing to get physically fit is being discouraged by what the scale says.

I think that, you know, I'll be, I'll make, I'll give my story very quickly.

I am someone who I'm 48 and I have struggled with weight loss my entire life.

I've lost count, but I would, if I had to put money on it, I probably lost and gained a total of probably about eight to 900 pounds from that.

I lost 20 pounds too.

I lost a hundred pounds, but then I gained it back, back and forth and back and forth and back and forth.

And you're right.

There are so many things that we were raised to think, okay, the scale is your friend.

You, you, you, you track yourself, you keep yourself accountable, but

That's not how that works.

And also those things that are there to help us can be the things that hinder us.

And if you gain two pounds all of a sudden, instead of just coming in with a mindset of I gained two pounds, all right, I'll just, you know, I've got to make changes or it's two pounds.

I'll lose it and whatever.

We allow it to then say to ourselves, well, that's it.

I'm never going to do this.

We take it as such an affront to ourselves and we see ourselves as failures when it's a longer, it's a lifetime journey.

It's not about trying to lose 50 pounds in six months.

It's about trying to, as you said, be in shape for how we are comfortable.

Being in shape as far as like, you know, making sure our set of stairs don't hurt us.

And I think that's something we need to give ourselves more grace.

We need to be, I totally agree with the scale.

Get rid of the scale.

I don't use a scale.

I don't want to scale.

I know what my clothes feel like.

I know how my body feels.

And I think you got to trust that.

And of course, always, and I want to consult with your doctor too, because that's the thing is you said, someone could come in with a very, very, very aggressive goal and you could do some damage to yourself trying to lose a lot of weight.

Too fast.

Yes.

Yeah.

Well, I'm not going to lead into the whole diet.

Diet is another myth.

Like, if you stick to any diet out there, they will work.

They'll help you lose weight.

But are they?

Teaching you healthy habits.

They're not like the none of them are sustainable and I'll date myself a little bit with the diet the names of the diets, but South Beach Atkins You know any of the ones there's one real popular one now, Keo Geo then Basically, it's cutting carbs, right?

That's that's all work

help you

lose

weight, but they're not sustainable long term.

You lose the weight.

And then when you stop and you go back to old eating habits, you're going to gain everything back plus interest because your body is then in survival mode.

They're like, I don't know when I'm going to get my next meal.

I mean, this is going back to way, you know, caveman times where you literally had to hunt for your food.

Your body is doing the same thing nowadays.

We don't have to hunt for it.

But if you're going to

diet and you're depriving your body of certain things that it's used to having, it's going to hold on to that then when you, when you go back to all of the eating habits.

And so that's why people end up, they call it yo-yo diet, right?

So as soon as you get off that diet, your body is going to gain everything you lost plus a little bit more to make sure that it can survive.

And people not knowing about their bodies like that think, well, I've just failed because I ate nachos last week.

John.

Thank you so much for being here today.

John England is the executive director of Menominee East and South YMC.

I'd love to have to back to talk more about this because I think that transformation, those goals, be a great thing to do.

So please stay in touch.

We'd love to have you back, my friend.

Yeah, you bet.

I love it.

Thank

you for the invite and

good luck with your goals.

Thank you very much.

We're going to talk more about my goals, your goals, everybody's goals.

Get in touch with us.

You are listening to us.

It's mid mornings on Civic Media.

My name is Greg Bach.

Stay tuned.

Stay close.

Good, good morning.

It's the mid morning.

You're on civic media.

I'm on civic media.

I'm your host.

My name is Greg Bach.

I'm here for you today.

Happy Monday.

Happy new year.

2026 has arrived and boy, Calvin, it's been boring 2026 so far.

Nothing going on.

Calvin, by the way, is our producer here.

He's on the ones and twos.

Good morning, Calvin.

How are you today?

I'm doing good, Greg.

That's good.

I'm glad to hear 2026 has been pretty good so far.

Has been everything you hope for.

Yeah.

I mean, I haven't

Didn't really hope for much, I guess.

Is that because you're, you're, uh, uh, no, I'm, uh, Jen Zier.

Um,

sure.

We'll chalk it

up to that.

Okay.

All right.

All right.

Well, uh, we really, really, well, thank you for being here right now.

We really thank you for being part of the show.

Thank you for giving us your time.

You can always be part of the conversation.

855-752-4842, 855-75 civic.

If you want to leave a comment on the live stream, we are on Facebook, YouTube and the platform that we.

and this house still call Twitter.

Very, very, very grateful to have our guests on today earlier in the program.

We had Melissa Kay, who is a reporter, who is an actor, a pigeon parent, if you will, talking about all the great stuff happening up at WFFHR.

and WIRI.

You can find more about that if you get the Civic Media app.

You can listen to those stations directly.

By downloading the Civic Media app, get it on your device, and then you can stream WFHR, WIRI, and all the other great programming stations here on Civic Media.

And also thank you to John England from the Menominee of South and East YMCA talking about transformations.

That's what we're doing today, Transformation Monday here in January, talking about how we're making goals for ourselves, what we're doing to achieve those goals and how we are keeping ourselves accountable in 2026.

I know we can roll our eyes at new year's resolutions.

It's so basic, but it's what people do.

And that's what I want to know from you, everyone.

I want to know.

Is there a goal for you in 2026?

What do you want to do in 2026?

That's different.

How are you going to keep yourself accountable?

How are you going to keep those goals realistic?

And do you have community out there, family and friends who can help you out if you need it?

That's what I'd love to know.

855-752-4842-855-75 civic.

And again, the live stream has been very, very, very popular today.

It's going to kind of give you an overview of what we're discussing today.

Earlier in the show, at the beginning of the show, we kicked it off with the news out of Minnesota that current governor, Tim Walls will not seek reelection for a third term.

He did launch a reelection bid.

a few months ago, but has stepped down from it saying he cannot give his personal all to a political campaign.

Jenny on the live stream says, Tim Walls is a rare breed of politics.

He embodies everything people say they value in leadership.

And his decision to step away from the reelection campaign speaks to what may many despise about modern politics, hyper partisan, hyper partisanship and political violence.

His message today.

alludes to remaining involved in the fight against anti-authoritarianism, which I absolutely think that Tim Walls will do.

And I hope this isn't the last we see of him.

I totally agree with that as well.

My cousin Debbie on the live stream says, have a blessed new year.

You as well, cousin Debbie, miss you very much.

Love you very much.

Hello to South Dakota.

And then Alicia on the live stream talking about, oh, this is this in con with our conversation with Melissa about staying in.

Tune with local politics.

Alicia says our local government has been making some seriously powerful Has been making a seriously powerless against what their constituents have expressed people need to be more involved in their local elections and We need we totally need that we need local government coverage and that's what we do here at civic media whether you're listening to us on the radio or reading our stories on civic media dot US news you're gonna find great

local coverage.

You're going to find stories that directly affect you, and you're going to hear stories coming from the international and national level that come right down here to Wisconsin or to where your community is, because that's where it hits us all is in the communities.

And then finally, our friend, Lisa Schiller, friend of the show from the Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin says, Happy New Year, Greg.

Happy New Year to you, Lisa.

love hearing from you, love having you on the show.

I just saw a story about scams and phone scams for elderly folks.

Maybe we will have you back on the show soon because she comes to the show, talks about the scams that are out there that we need to be on the lookout for.

And it's not just for older folks, it's everyone can be a victim of these scams.

So Lisa Scheller, thank you so much for reaching out.

And Calvin.

What did you do for New Year's?

Was it was it a big party at the Butenhof Res?

I'm imagining I'm imagining fireworks pony rides.

I'm imagining a Great Gatsby-esque attire and a champagne toast of no less than 2,000 people Am

I am I am I am I right?

No, you are Unfortunately incorrect.

Well, I don't know about unfortunate.

I was gonna say really good cuz that's what you wanted.

Yeah, my

My dad's a bit of a drama queen, so he was still sick.

Is

that

a drama queen or is he just sick?

I mean, I still didn't feel amazing, so he definitely probably was a little under the weather, but he really likes to play it off.

So me, my mom, my brother and his girlfriend played a board game.

Which

one?

It's called WinkSpan.

It's what I got my...

brother and his girlfriend for Christmas.

Wink span.

Wingspan.

Wingspan.

Okay.

All right.

Okay.

It's

called birds.

Oh, and where's Jane to talk about this?

I tell you.

Okay.

She would like it.

It's a fun

game.

Um, then I think everyone was in their rooms by 10 o'clock.

I watched a movie.

Um, yeah.

Okay.

And then that's pretty much what we did for the whole weekend.

Actually,

We didn't even play games.

We kind of just all did our own thing.

I watched a couple more movies, played video games.

Okay.

And, and as I, you know, I said earlier, I mean, to be fair, that's, that is what I expected from your new years.

I didn't expect a gigantic community wide party expected quiet and low key, which is fine, which is great.

It's exactly what Bridget and I did too.

We

broke out the fine glasses from our wedding and we did a champagne toast at 9 15 p.m And I think I was in bed by 9 30 and that was it and then the next morning was You know send some text to people wish them New Year's have some have a mimosa and we're good to go I mean keep it and and as I said earlier

Even the young people I spoke to, people in their 20s, none of them did a big party.

They all went to family or friends' houses, stayed inside, kept it real low-key and just made a quaint night of it because I feel like that New Year's can be a stressful evening if you're darting out into the world.

You said to your father, Calvin, had a, was sick and Jenny on the live show referred to as man cold.

Yeah, that's more or less what I was referring to.

I

didn't realize that was a thing.

Yeah, I think it's because you and I, Greg, we're not like other men.

We're strong.

Yeah, totally Calvin.

You're exactly right, man.

I never get sick.

I never allow maybe a cough to keep me from going places or maybe making up a cough to keep me from going places.

Cause I love going out and doing things cause I'm a man.

All right.

Sorry.

That kind of hurt my back when I did that.

But yeah, we're talking about New Year's Eve celebrations.

What did you do?

What are your goals?

What do you want to do in 2026?

You can always get in touch with us.

eight, five, five, seven, five, two, four, eight, four, two, eight, five, five, seven, five civic.

What is your transformation?

Cause today's transformation Monday in transformation January, we're talking about how we're going to make ourselves.

I don't want to say better, but we're already great.

How we can do better by ourselves, how we can do better for ourselves and for others.

So Jean is on the line right now from Eau Claire.

Jean, good morning.

Happy new year.

How are you?

How has your 2026 been thus far?

Well, you don't want to do this because we're transforming ourselves and we got to get in happy land Yeah, no right now the United you know the UN Security Council is holding an emergency meeting on what's going on in Venezuela with our president and In addition to that, you know, I watched the Jack Smith Deposition which I strongly strongly urge everybody to turn on you can get it on

PBS eight hours, but believe you me, I think it's opening and also you can get it on the Midas Touch Network.

But you know, we have to pay attention to what's going on here.

You know, I've been paying attention for years.

I've never paid attention.

I mean, seen something like this.

But you know what?

The only way we can get things great is by being educated and make plans of what we can do to protect all the kids in America.

and all the people in our country and our states and our local communities.

That's

right.

Because none of this information is coming out.

That's why we need you guys and keep up the great work.

And I'm so glad to hear you guys on this here.

I am so excited and look forward to what you have to say.

So, you know, be healthy.

I know sometimes you have to look at issues stuff, but we have to stay informed.

And thank you for all you do.

And

You have a happy new year.

Okay.

You as well,

Jean.

Take care.

Thank you so much for calling in.

Yeah.

I mean, it's, it's, it's a daunting task for any of us, whether it's like my job where I see the news all the time or just, you know, trying to stay up to speed.

And that's, you know, the, the conversations that happened at the local community are also very important.

I think those are the easiest ones to maybe step over and say, ah, the council meeting big deal.

I don't care about that.

Oh my gosh.

Did you see what's happening in Washington?

Well, the council might be voting on something that directly affects your neighborhood.

And, uh, it's

it's as important to stay in touch with that.

And I mean, Gene brought up the Jack Smith testimony and I'll say this, civicmedia.us slash shows, look for amicus, a law review this past Saturday, not only did Jim talk about Venezuela, he also talked about the Jack Smith deposition that took place recently, which a lot of new information has come to light during that discussion.

So yeah, civicmedia.us slash shows, look for

Amicus, download it, listen to it anytime you'd like.

And yeah, we got a text on the line here from Brett in Brown, dear, listening to WAUK.

Thank you so much, Brett, for getting in touch with us.

Love hearing from you.

He says, happy New Year, Greg, and all civic media listeners.

I never use the New Year to make changes.

I try to do that every day.

My transformation will start by spending a month in Thailand to a group.

Then I'm going to try to paint more this year.

I think that's fantastic.

I think that's wonderful.

I think it's a, and that is the thing too.

When we talk about transformations, you don't have to have a life altering change.

If you will, I mean, they're all going to alter your life, but it doesn't have to be, I'm going to lose a thousand pounds this year.

I am going to get a better job that makes me, you know, 50% more than I make it.

Those are, you want to try to do that.

That's fine.

But if it's about

painting a little bit more.

It's about reorganizing your house a little more.

Those are the transformations I'm also talking about because all of those things will make you feel good and will make you feel like you've accomplished something.

And I think that is the important thing.

You know, it doesn't have to be about losing 20 pounds.

It can be about, say, I'm going to actually clean out the garage this year because it needs to get done.

I want to be able to use it for what it's intended.

That's very important.

Those little changes can be just as part of your transformation as what we attribute to New Year's goals.

So find that thing you want to do.

Give yourself a timeframe.

Say it's all of 2026 and it's one thing.

You do that.

You did it.

And on top of that, you should celebrate it as well.

That's an important thing too.

When you reach goals, you celebrate them.

Put them out in the world, let people know.

Be proud of yourself.

That's very, very important.

Don't have a lot of time right now.

Troy from Mount Horror, we got a few, about 30 seconds or so.

What are you going to be doing in 2026?

About a day going guitar.

You bought a guitar?

I love it.

Oh, oh my goodness.

Well, I look forward to hearing all the fabulous, have you played before or is this brand new?

Brand

new.

Brand, all right.

Well, you get yourself, you get yourself three chords, sit down, start practicing slowly.

Give yourself about 20 minutes a day.

Don't try to play stairway to heaven right away.

Make it attainable, make it realistic.

But that makes me very happy.

Troy from Mount Horrib calling very much to happy new years to you.

We're going to go grab some water, grab some snacks.

Come on back when we do.

It's this shouldn't be a thing.

The cop and the frog edition.

It's mid mornings on civic media.

My name is Greg Bach.

Stay tuned.

Stay close.

You're listening to Civic Media.

Find the latest news, information, and archives of all your favorite shows on the Civic Media website, civicmedia.us.

Good morning.

Welcome to the mid mornings on Civic Media.

It's the Civic Media Radio Network.

My name is Greg Bach.

I am your host, your companion, your pal, your goal buddy.

Got a goal?

Tell me.

I'd love to know.

I'd love to...

be a part of that journey for you.

You can always get in touch with us, eight, five, five, seven, five, two, four, eight, four, two, eight, five, five, seven, five civic.

You can leave a comment on the live stream.

You can always do that.

It's very, very easy, very, very simple.

You can also leave a comment via, you can leave a text message or call via the civic media app.

Very simple as well.

You can download that to your device, but yeah.

great, great ways to talk to us and be a part of that conversation.

Lots of, lots of great program.

I had today, after us, after the 11 o'clock news is going to be Tom Hartman from 11 to two, then John and Gordy, two to five, Pete Schwabba with Nightlife, five to eight.

And, and then also

We've got a brand new morning show six to eight Brian Noonan and Jamie Martinson from six to eight and then the Rick Smith show from eight to nine and then us again tomorrow Tomorrow is gonna be full of great show here Calvin.

I don't know if you know this but Melissa I'm sorry Miranda Dunlap from the Wisconsin watch will be here and also Connie Siskowski from the American Association of Caregiving Youth Discussing are here for great discussions as well Again

brand new year, brand new day.

It is the mid mornings here at Civic Media and I really appreciate your time and your energy and I appreciate you giving your kind words to us throughout the show and throughout the time.

When Jane was here and after she retired, it means the world to us that you're still out there listening and still engaging with this mission, which is to bring you the news and the conversations that affect us, that allow us to be informed, that allow us to smile.

to have fun and to work together as a community.

Something Gene from Eau Claire said just in the previous segment, these types of things bring us together and together we work to create a better community, a better country.

So we do appreciate you partaking in Civic Media and the mission that we are trying to get across for all of you.

And so yeah, again, gratitude, always part of the mission in a new year.

understanding and expressing more gratitude and I have gratitude for each and every one of you.

So it's rocking along here.

So we got to get it going.

It's 1055.

That means it's time for another edition of this shouldn't be a thing.

If you ever have a thing that should not be send it in to Kelvin at me.

Still, Jane says at civic media.us.

You can always use that email.

Jane says at civic media.us.

Send us stories, send us guests, send us thoughts.

Again, you don't have enough to like us to email us.

But if you have a tisbath that you'd like to throw our way, send it.

Jane says at civicmedia.us.

Today it is the cop and the frog edition coming out of Utah from a website called Futurism.

Victor Tangerman has the byline, cops forced to explain why AI generated police report claimed officer transformed into a frog.

Apparently,

Law enforcement is another aspect of our life that's been embracing AI It says here in the story from everything from drafting police reports to facial recognition.

This has resulted in some weird Problems particularly one Funny incident where in Heber City, Utah a a police force was had to Tell us why their police report

said it declared an officer had somehow shaped shifted into a frog.

Well, here's what happens.

The body cam software and the AI report writing the software picked up on the on the movie that was playing in the background, which happened to be the princess and the frog.

Police Sergeant Rick Keel told the broadcaster referring to the 2009 musical comedy that when we learn the importance of correcting these AI issues,

We need to do it through our reports.

Yes.

It is important to take a second glance at what AI generates.

I'm not anti AI.

I am skeptical.

I think we need to know more about it.

But yeah, it shouldn't just be, there's the report.

There you go.

Because apparently this guy turned into a frog and it wasn't true, Calvin.

It wasn't true.

Does that break your heart?

Would you, if you read that, you'd want to know more, correct?

Yeah.

I mean, I think it would.

Be proof of magic which would be pretty incredible.

Yeah, you said you're not anti AI Mm-hmm.

I kind of am okay.

Okay.

Why I I It's mostly vibes to be completely honest with you.

I think it's just a bad vibe but I think it's not I think

It's being applied to cases that it was never intended to be used for.

It's not in an intelligence.

It's a language learning model.

It's just generating what it thinks you want.

It's basically just a probability that's rolling a die on each word on which word is going to be most likely to appear next.

It's not thinking about anything.

Well, despite, you know, despite, and I understand that, and I don't disagree with that.

I'm not anti AI just because that's not going away.

So, but I want it to be more accountable, more transparent.

And yeah, it needs to get better because it says here in the story, even a simple mock traffic stop meant to demonstrate what the tool is capable of a turn into a disaster.

The report.

required plenty of corrections.

And despite the drawbacks, they're still going to keep doing it.

I mean, we're going to still see the embracing of AI.

And I'm saying, all right, fine.

If that's what you want to do, I'm just my simple piece of advice, look over the report, give it a fresh set of human eyes and make sure there's no like, you know, wicked Disney transformations in there.

Because, you know, if anything, it just, it just, it doesn't help.

And it also makes me sad when we're not, we're not seeing magic like that in the real world.

So.

That has been another edition of... This shouldn't be a thing!

Thank you, everyone.

Thank you very much, Calvin.

Thank you, Tucker.

Thank you, traffic.

Thank you, engineering.

Thank you to our guests today, Melissa Kay, my colleague here at Civic Media.

Go listen to all of the stations here, the reporting, the news that's coming out of Civic Media, civicmedia.us slash news is where you can find all those local stories.

Thank you to John England from the YMCA up in Menominee.

We really appreciate his time and really appreciate his expertise.

You can...

keep in touch, keep it, keep it right here on Civic Media.

We're not going anywhere.

After the 11 o'clock news, we've got Tom Hartman and great programming after that.

But my name is Greg Bach.

I've been your host.

We'll talk to you tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.

Remember, stay tuned, stay informed, stay close.

Have a great morning, everybody.

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