Get Your S--- Together!: Judge Scolds Defense in Au Pair Affair Murder Trial, Brendan Banfield Set to Testify NEXT Week

Summary

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Podcast Summary:

Podcast: Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes Present
Episode: Get Your S--- Together!: Judge Scolds Defense in Au Pair Affair Murder Trial, Brendan Banfield Set to Testify NEXT Week
Date: January 24, 2026
Hosts: Amy Robach, T.J. Holmes
Subject: Breakdown and analysis of the latest developments in the high-profile "Au Pair Affair" murder trial, especially the tumultuous day of court proceedings, the defense’s strategy, and the pivotal forthcoming testimony of defendant Brendan Banfield.

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode dives deeply into the chaotic and consequential day in the “Au Pair Affair” murder trial of Brendan Banfield. The hosts provide a real-time account of Friday’s surprising courtroom drama, which included a heavily criticized defense, unusual disruptions, compelling forensic testimony potentially upending the prosecution’s theory, and the much-anticipated, but delayed, direct testimony from Banfield himself.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The High-Stakes Atmosphere and Weather Impact

• Trial Rushed by Impending Snowstorm ([04:02]):
  • Judge and jury are anxious due to an approaching severe winter storm threatening to halt proceedings for several days.
  • "It felt like a race against the clock, against the storm that is now the talk of everyone." — Amy Robach [04:02]
  • Probable delays of three to five days raise legal concerns; jurors may hold onto their last impressions.

2. Disarray in the Defense Case

• Objections and Confusion ([06:57]):
  • Defense's presentation criticized as disjointed: "It was like watching a bad football game with a bunch of penalties. Like, you couldn't get a good flow to what was happening." — TJ Holmes [10:12]
  • Judge repeatedly admonishes lead defense attorney John Carroll for his organizational mishaps: "[The judge said] everything short of get your shit together, John Carroll." — Amy Robach [11:38]
  • Frequent mix-ups with exhibit numbers and evidence presentation; both hosts note the defense attorney seemed "befuddled" and overwhelmed by the time crunch ([12:35]).

3. Forensic Testimony Disrupts the Prosecution’s Theory

• Crucial Digital Forensics Evidence ([08:44]):
  • Key testimony from two independent digital forensics experts (Fairfax County police) directly contradicts the prosecution’s catfishing theory:
    • "They were the two who said what we see forensically does not match with the catfishing theory and they have testified to that specifically." — Amy Robach [08:44]
    • Strong implication that the victim, Christine Banfield, not the accused or the au pair, accessed the crucial FetLife account.
  • The flow of evidence was interrupted by remote testimony inserted to avoid storm-related power outages.
• Potential ‘Perry Mason moment’ ([10:12]):
  • "[The] lead forensics investigator... my evidence, my training, my history, my methods, and my expertise show me that the prosecution theory is wrong. That was some Marisa Tomei and My Cousin Vinnie shit." — TJ Holmes [10:12]
  • The two digital experts were removed from the initial investigation after their findings did not support prosecution, suggesting possible misconduct ([15:12]).

4. Risk to the Prosecution’s Entire Case

• If the defense’s evidence is believed—showing Christine herself accessed relevant accounts—the prosecution’s cornerstone theory collapses.
  • "If that is wrong, it means they have no case." — TJ Holmes [13:47]
  • Jurors are left to question not just the facts, but the ethics of the prosecution and the quality of the initial investigation.
• Defense’s narrative now questions whether the au pair’s testimony was influenced by a leniency deal, and whether the prosecution ignored forensic evidence ([11:17]).

5. Anticipated Testimony of Brendan Banfield

• Testimony expected imminently but delayed due to remaining witnesses and weather.
• Testifying in one’s own defense is rare in homicide trials, indicating defense’s high-stakes strategy.
  • "Which is something we never… and certainly in a homicide case, you do not see the defendant get up on the stand…" — TJ Holmes [05:00]
• The defense and prosecution will each present final witnesses before Banfield testifies; the outcome may hinge on his credibility on the stand ([19:35], [20:25]).
• Both hosts underline the palpable suspense and shifting public/jury perception.

6. Confusion and Suspense as the Case Nears Its Climax

• Evidence now muddled enough that hosts and presumably jury are uncertain about guilt.
• Amy voices what many viewers may feel: "Even though I think that, like, it's very highly likely that Brendan Banfield killed his wife. But I. I'm confused now. And now I'm not sure what to think." — Amy Robach [22:35]
• The trial is coming down to an essential "he said/she said" between Banfield and the au pair ([23:17]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Judge’s Scoldings:
  • "Everything short of get your shit together, John Carroll." — Amy Robach paraphrasing Judge [11:38]
  • "She said, we are just spinning our wheels right now. She was so frustrated because he kept missing." — Amy Robach [11:38]
• On the Disjointed Defense:
  • "It was like watching a bad football game with a bunch of penalties." — TJ Holmes [10:12]
  • "Are you befuddled if the Exhibit number is 97 and you say 96? Right. This happened Ropes. If it happened once, it happened 20 times." — TJ Holmes [12:35]
• On the Potential Collapse of the Prosecution:
  • "When jurors start looking and think there’s some kind of OJ-type investigation... jurors don’t like that." — TJ Holmes [11:17]
• Amy’s Perspective:
  • “I do think, my God, hearing from Brendan himself...I get to watch him, I get to hear his explanation. That's going to be the...deciding factor.” — Amy Robach [22:35]
• On Reasonable Doubt:
  • “It definitely casts enough reasonable doubt as to who was in control of that computer...Right now I am in that [not guilty mindset]...” — Amy Robach [22:27]
• High Anticipation:
  • "We scheduled all day around it...We were so excited. We actually found a way to put the trial on our big tv. Got on the couch, pop some popcorn, were like we are going to listen to this dude testify. This is going to be amazing." — Amy Robach [19:35]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |:-------------:|-----------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:22 | Start of substantive trial discussion | | 04:02 | Weather’s impact on trial pacing | | 06:57 | Defense case disarray and testimony interruptions | | 08:44 | Forensics experts dispute prosecution’s catfishing theory | | 10:12 | “Perry Mason moment” — forensics expert torpedoes prosecution | | 11:38 | Judge scolds defense attorney John Carroll | | 12:35 | Evidence confusion and defense’s organizational troubles | | 13:47 | Summary of defense’s biggest gains and prosecution’s peril | | 15:12 | Forensics experts removed from case = appearance of misconduct | | 19:13-19:35 | Anticipation for Brendan Banfield’s testimony | | 20:25 | Prosecution’s intention to call two more witnesses | | 21:28-22:27 | Discussion of FetLife account evidence and reasonable doubt | | 22:35 | Amy doubts guilt; the importance of Banfield’s forthcoming test.| | 23:11-23:22 | The trial as “he-said/she-said” |

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Conclusion

This episode laid bare the trial’s messy dynamic, the defense’s crucial forensic victories (despite procedural failings), and left listeners on the precipice of a trial-changing moment with Brendan Banfield’s highly anticipated testimony. The hosts’ lively, candid, and sometimes humorous play-by-play—along with palpable tension over the approaching storm and trial delays—brings listeners into the thick of one of the most talked-about true-crime cases of the moment.

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Transcript

[Amy Robach]

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[Amy Robach]

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[TJ Holmes]

Hey there folks. It is Saturday, January 24, and what a day it was yesterday in the Aupair Affair murder trial. And it wasn't the day we expected. It was full of objections, it was full of damning testimony and it was full of moments that the judge had to smack the hand of the defense for their behavior. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Roach. I said it wasn't the day we were expecting because the judge desperately wanted testimony to be over on Friday yesterday. And Brandon, Brendan Banfield is going to testify in his own defense. He ain't getting nowhere close to that stand just yet.

[Amy Robach]

Not even close. It felt like a race against the clock, against the storm that is now the talk of everyone. Obviously, even still today, so many millions and millions of Americans are bracing for this huge swath of ice and snow and sub freezing temperatures. And that was very much on the mind of the judge and the jury there in that Fairfax county courtroom. And so it actually felt like the pacing, I was feeling stressed and anxious as the judge was trying to hurry everyone along and it felt everyone.

[TJ Holmes]

One guy.

[Amy Robach]

Yeah, the defense attorney. But the, but the point is this. Brendan Banfield's life is on the line and they're actually getting somewhere. Now. The defense is actually scoring some major, major points to the point where now my head is spinning about what I think the jury is gonna do based on what we've already heard and we still have yet to hear from Brendan Banfield himself, which is going to be remarkable.

[TJ Holmes]

Which is something we never. Oh, I mean, it's close to saying never. But just and certainly in a homicide case, you do not see the defendant get up on the stand. So that is what we are anticipating. And we do anticipate him being the final person to take the stand in this trial. But we were expecting possible that was to happen yesterday. That did not happen. What did happen yesterday in this trial? The au pair affair trial when Brendan Banfield of Fairfax County, Virginia is accused of killing his wife and another man did this based on a whole plan that he and his au pair put together an au pair that he was in a relationship with. But they had this whole plan to lure this other man through a fake fet life fetish website to the house, kill the wife and then frame this man for it. Okay, we're all caught up there. So robes yesterday was when we started watching, we said, okay, when are they going to get to Brendan Banfield? He's coming up today because the judge wants this to end because this storm is on the way. We're in the midst of it. We have now robes into trial yesterday, not knowing when trial is going to start again. They're anticipating maybe being out for five days.

[Amy Robach]

Yes. The judge very much said, look, if, if the, if the county is shut down, we are shut down. And look, Having lived in D.C. for several years and I don't know how much they've improved their snow removal in that area, but it ain't great. I remember kind of being surprised at how terrible it was. So she's anticipating a heck of a mess because this storm is hitting, I think in the mid Atlantic. It's tomorrow as well. Right. It's Sunday into Monday. So very unlikely court would be in session on Monday. So she's thinking there's at least a three day delay. Could be a, could be a five day delay. And some legal analysts are saying, hey, the jury doesn't just in their mind say, oh, we'll just pick up where we left off. They actually remember what they heard last and it's an impression that can actually sit with them for days. So I'm sure that was on the minds of the defense, certainly on the mind of the judge. And it, it didn't end where anybody wanted to have it end. It actually ended in a total mess.

[TJ Holmes]

Yeah, maybe the defense doesn't mind having a couple extra days. Maybe the defense doesn't mind their case being stopped the way it did. But this was a disjointed defense day. You had, I think, at least three people that testified. One of them was up there for a fourth time, another guy was up there at least second or third time. And then somebody testified remotely that they had to interrupt other testimony to get him in because they were concerned because he's somewhere else in Tennessee and They might get power outage and he might not be able to testify if they don't have power. It was that kind of a mess.

[Amy Robach]

Yeah. Have you ever seen a judge, I mean she literally jumped in the middle of the defense on a roll with this very important witness who was a. Is a forensic digital analyst who was working with the Fairfax County Police Department on this case and he was absolutely completely bolstering the defense's case and ripping apart the prosecution's theory. And she just jumps in and says yeah, we're going to have to stop this because we need to get this other witness in. And it really disrupted the flow. I was surprised.

[Bowen Yang]

It was fairly jarring but it lets.

[TJ Holmes]

Us know just how serious of a situation she thinks this storm. Well, everybody knows it's a serious situation but she expect we might not be able to get this witness in because he might be without power for the next week.

[Amy Robach]

Yeah.

[TJ Holmes]

So what she said this is so yes, the weather is playing a serious factor now ropes. We talked about what happened yesterday with the defense. They haven't quite. Is this the way I would put it? They haven't landed their plane yet but you at least finally see the. What is their airport destination? Because I didn't know if they were going to Seattle or San Diego but at least now I know which direction what airport we're going to. It looks like we're getting close robes to what they're trying to prove.

[Amy Robach]

It is fascinating to watch the process play out how they try to get the witness to say what they want them to say without the prosecution constantly, constantly objection, objection, objection foundation leading the witness speculation. I mean it was just non stop however we were able to piece together hopefully the jury did. But look, the defense had not one but two members of the Fairfax county police detectives where they were in charge of looking at the digital footprint and they were the two who said what we see forensically does not match with the catfishing theory and they have testified to that specifically what was really of note in the afternoon and this happened after our last update. They it seems like. Tell me if you got the same impression that they were able to say that Christine, that's the wife Christine Banfield's computer was going on to FetLife or at least the Gmail account that was set up to use the FetLife account while Brendan's devices and the au pairs devices were in completely different locations. And that would imply or suggest that it was in fact Christine who was going on to the FetLife account who was utilizing that Gmail account that was set up to access the FetLife account, while Brendan and the au pair, according to their devices locations, were not at home.

[TJ Holmes]

So you had to listen. Yes, you had to listen very closely, and I'm sure the jurors are. To pick up those points. It was so disjointed. There was no flow to how the defense was going about it. He kept screwing up to the point of all those objections. It was hard to watch. It was like watching a bad football game with a bunch of penalties. Like, you couldn't get a good flow to what was happening. So that was. But the information was clear. And I said, finally, we got a Perry Mason moment. When you have the lead forensics investigator who is sitting up there saying, my evidence, my training, my history, my methods, and my expertise show me that the prosecution theory is wrong. That was some Marissa Tomei and my cousin Vinnie shit.

[Amy Robach]

And if that's the case, and that was their theory that the defense is trying to prove they began with and tried to make evidence fit into, and that they then fed that theory to the au pair, gave her a sweetheart deal that. That she regurgitated on the. On the witness stand. The entire case is blown to bits.

[TJ Holmes]

So, yeah, you make a good point. Not just about evidence that the jury gets to question now. They get to question the ethics and the investigation at all of the prosecution and their motivation. Now when jurors start looking and think there's some kind of OJ type investigation where they were after him or something was going on with misconduct, jurors don't like that.

[Amy Robach]

Yeah. And the. The other problem. So the defense was having. It was weird. While they were having a great day from an evidence standpoint, he was having a terrible day as a. As an attorney. The. The. There was one point where the judge was getting so frustrated, she said, everything short of get your shit together, John Carroll. Like, that is basically what she said to him. She said, we are just spinning our wheels right now. She was so frustrated because he kept missing. He couldn't keep track of his evidence and the numbers and. And what he was submitting and what the number was. And he kept messing it up. And that, unfortunately, was it. The jury takes it all in. He seemed befuddled. And I don't know if he felt the pressure of the time crunch because I will tell you, the judge seemed so annoyed and so irritated, and she said so many times that she wanted the evidence to be wrapped by the end of the day Friday. Maybe that was adding pressure to him. That was Making him get all disjointed and befuddled.

[TJ Holmes]

Are you befuddled if the Exhibit number is 97 and you say 96? Right. This happened Ropes. If it happened once, it happened 20 times.

[Amy Robach]

You were laughing. At certain point.

[TJ Holmes]

It was absurd. You could just predict. All right, this is exhibit number 17. You mean 18. It was constant.

[Amy Robach]

Even the prosecution was correct.

[TJ Holmes]

It was embarrassing. It was. This wasn't a good moment for him because it wasn't a matter of legal strategy. This is a matter of just performance and being efficient, being good at your job. Just on the basics.

[Amy Robach]

Yeah. So she was like, take your time. Now that we have to stop testimony and pause because of this weather, Please take these days to get your evidence in order and let's not let this happen again.

[TJ Holmes]

Didn't she make clear? It didn't sound like she's going to be as tolerant. She's given him a warning. You just cost us a day in court, sweetheart. He cost a lot of time.

[Amy Robach]

Because now I'm actually confused. When court does come back in session, who is actually going to be on the stand? I have no idea because we don't even know where the audio video expert who was called in to interrupt the other expert. But then when the prosecution said that they didn't have foundation to enter a certain type of analysis, I mean, honestly, it was like, I don't even know what's happening right now.

[TJ Holmes]

But here is the bottom line that we got, folks. These forensics experts are getting up there, and these are two guys who looked at the same evidence independently and came to the same conclusion that the prosecution theory of catfishing is wrong. So if that is wrong, it means they have no case. So you could certainly see why the prosecution maybe is jumping in and interrupting every chance they get. Maybe they do think he is making some inroads with the juror. So presentation aside, performance aside, with no critique of this guy in terms of his lawyering, because he is now starting to. You see them building finally, and the direction they're going. But the moment when they say that prosecution theory, as a digital forensics expert, I believe is wrong. Jurors have to listen to that ropes. These are two guys who aren't coming off. I mean, they were brought on to get the killer. Here's your evidence to help you get the killer, and you're rejecting the evidence we're giving you. Fine. You have the right to do that as police. But, Ro, these guys are very credible.

[Amy Robach]

They're very credible. And the fact that we now know that they were both removed off of the investigation and reassigned against their will because the conclusions they came to did not match or fit the prosecution's theory.

[TJ Holmes]

Looks bad.

[Amy Robach]

That is significant.

[TJ Holmes]

Looks bad. All right, stay with us here folks. We will tell you what we are anticipating from Brendan Banfield. Yes, he is expected to take the stand in his own defense in the so called Aupair Affair murder trial.

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[Hunter Woodhull]

For the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com disclosures Ready.

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[TJ Holmes]

All right, we continue here on Amy and TJ giving an update on what we thought we might, we thought earlier this week we might be sitting here on Saturday with jury deliberations going on. Even the judge was hoping but it appears nowhere close. And given now what's happening with the weather, this trial could continue for another week plus based on whether if they're able to get back into the courts.

[Amy Robach]

Yeah, everybody got this wrong in anticipation of where we would be. In fact if you look at any because we jumped on yesterday because my goodness. Hearing at 10am on Friday that Brendan Banfield was going to testify in his own defense. That everyone went wild. So all the news reports, Brendan Banfield to testify this afternoon.

[TJ Holmes]

We scheduled all day around it.

[Amy Robach]

Oh we were so excited. We actually found a way to put the the trial on our big tv. Got on the couch, pop some popcorn, were like we are going to listen to this dude testify. This is going to be amazing. And it was everywhere. They were all saying please watch our feed. Brendan Banfield testifies. Yeah, we still have at least two more witnesses to go through because the, the digital expert who was testifying when court ended on Friday still has a lot more to go through. I think he said he still had two or three more days of evidence to go through for the defense to, to, to Question him. And then the prosecution still gets to cross examine him. And then we have the audio video guy who has to then come back, and then Brendan Banfield.

[TJ Holmes]

But then you told me the prosecution's gonna call two more. Didn't they say they're gonna call two more?

[Amy Robach]

They said this earlier in the week, that once the defense rests, that they had two more witnesses they wanted to recall. And look, I can see why the defense has made some massive inroads in dismantling, frankly, their theory that they need to actually be believed by the jury for these charges to stick against Brendan Manfield. For. For the jury to believe the au pair, their theory has to be believed. Their catfishing theory. That is the central part of their case.

[TJ Holmes]

So the central part of the case is that someone set up this FetLife account. Prosecution. The basis of their theory is that Brendan Banfield and the au pair did that. These forensics experts are saying they have evidence and they firmly believe that Christine Banfield was aware of and was using the accounts associated with that FetLife account. If that's the case, the case is over.

[Amy Robach]

Yeah. She was going between her work, or I shouldn't say she. Her computer.

[TJ Holmes]

Yes.

[Amy Robach]

Was going between within seconds, her hospital website, where she worked, she was an ICU nurse, to this Gmail account that was set up specifically to access a FetLife account. And so within seconds on Christine's computer, it was going from her work website that she would have to log into, that she would know because it's her, you know, it's something specific to Christine. And then going straight to this, they kept calling it the suspect Gmail account. And within seconds, so it couldn't have left her possession. And that was what these digital forensics guys were testifying to. Like, we know people's habits. Yes. We can't say 100% because we don't have visual corroboration as to who was on that computer. But logic should apply here. Reason should apply. And how would anyone other than Christine be going on and accessing her personal work? Does that fly? It does for me. It definitely casts enough reasonable doubt as to who was in control of that computer for me as a human.

[TJ Holmes]

Yes, but then you're voting not guilty because if you say you have enough reasonable doubt that it was her on the account, then that's the case.

[Amy Robach]

Right now I am in that. Even though I think that, like, it's very highly likely that Brendan Banfield killed his wife. But I. I'm confused now. And now I'm not sure what to think. And I do think, my God, hearing from Brendan himself, I get to see him, I get to watch him, I get to hear his explanation. That's going to be the. That is going to be the deciding factor.

[TJ Holmes]

Maybe that's the calculation because it is confusing. And they might want to believe the au pair, but they just didn't really like her. So if it's in the balance, they're putting him up to possibly save his.

[Amy Robach]

Own life and he's going to counter what the au pair said. So either you believe the au pair or you believe Brendan.

[TJ Holmes]

It's he or this is it. This case is the he or she, period. Because now the evidence is so confusing.

[Amy Robach]

The evidence is so confusing. And honestly, I feel like the defense has poked enough holes in it where I am now questioning the theory. So now it will come down to do you believe the au pair or do you believe Brendan? I cannot wait for this testimony. It is going to make or break the defense, period.

[TJ Holmes]

Yeah, we say we can't wait for the testimony and we do not know how long we might be waiting. Folks, we always appreciate you and we know you all have been following this story along with us. So we, we'll keep the updates coming because clearly you all this case, I guess as it's getting winding down, maybe more people are getting interested here. But folks, we'll continue to keep the updates coming to you as always. Top right corner of your Apple podcast app where you see our show page. That little button that says follow, hit that. You can make sure all of our updates come directly to you. We always appreciate you spending some time with us. I'm TJ Holmes. On behalf of my dear Amy Robach, we will talk to y' all soon.

[Bowen Yang]

This is Bowen Yang from Lost Culture Research with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. We all know the feeling when life gets really busy. Taking care of yourself can feel impossible. That's why Premier protein shakes are my go to. They have 30 grams of protein, 160 calories, no added sugar, and they taste amazing. So they're a healthy choice you'll actually want to make. It's not just for fitness. It's for getting after life. Premier Protein empowers me to say yes to more. Find your favorite [e-mail] that's P-R E M I E R protein.com at CVS.

[Amy Robach]

It matters that we're not just in your community, but that we're part of it. It matters that we're here for you when you need us, day or night. And we want everyone to feel welcomed and rewarded.

[Cindy Crawford]

It matters that CVS is here to.

[Amy Robach]

Fill your prescriptions and here to fill your craving for a tasty and yeah, healthy snack. At cvs, we're proud to serve your community because we believe where you get your medicine matters. So Visit [e-mail] or just come by our store. We can't wait to meet you. Store hours vary by location.

[Chelsea Handler]

This is Chelsea Handler from Dear Chelsea, I have some very exciting news. I am always looking for companies to support that are ethical. And let's be honest, the phone companies we've all been stuck with are not that. You know, I travel constantly and supposedly I have international free roaming on Verizon, yet my phone bills are still 300, 400 and even $500 a month. It makes zero sense. So I switched to a company with actual ethics, Noble Mobile. And they pay you for staying off your phone. The more you unplug, the more money you save each month and the most you'll ever pay is 50 bucks. Unlimited coverage when I need it, cash back when I don't. It was started by people I know and trust. So if you trust me and want to join my mission to stop being a phone addicted zombie, come along. Go to noblemobile.com Chelsea right now and try it for just 10 bucks. That's noblemobile.com Chelsea running a business is hard enough.

[Amy Robach]

Don't make it harder With a dozen apps that don't talk to each other. One for sales, another for inventory, a separate one for accounting. That's software overload. Odoo is the all in one platform that replaces them all. CRM, accounting, inventory, E commerce, hr. Fully integrated, easy to use and built to grow. With your business. Thousands have already made the switch. Why not you try Odoo for [e-mail] that's odoo.com this is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.