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APRIL 2026
Staying in Motion Building Strength Through Consistency, Recovery, and Support
In recent years, I’ve made a dedicated effort to improve my physical health and fitness. It hasn’t been easy, but I spent all of 2025 staying consistent with my workout schedule. Anyone who has known me for years is probably laughing at the image of me heading to the gym because you know just how much I despise exercise. However, I committed myself to this endeavor and even went as far as getting a personal trainer who holds me accountable. Since April 18 is National Exercise Day, I want to share a little about my exercise journey and some of the lessons I’ve learned along the way. While I was recovering from my eye surgery at the end of last year, I experienced an injury that I thought would sideline me for months. There was snow on the ground, and I was feeling confident while walking down some steps. I didn’t hold the railing and went down, busting my tailbone in the process. I thought this was the end of my exercise journey for the time being, and I was heartbroken. The tailbone is central to the body, and it can be pretty painful when you hurt it. I was fully prepared to miss 4–6 weeks of exercise. On one hand, I was happy for the break, but I also knew that if I lost my momentum, it would be difficult to get it back. Thankfully, my trainer kept me focused and crafted a plan to keep me moving. She worked with a physical therapist to make a plan that would allow me to continue exercising safely and also increase my healing rate. A well-used maxim says that motion is lotion, but I wouldn’t have believed it before going through this experience. Even my doctor was impressed by how quickly my displaced fracture healed. I was off Tylenol within three weeks after the injury and even traveled to St. Louis and bounced the grandson without any issues. While injury recovery is the most recent benefit I’ve seen with exercise, I’ve experienced countless others during this multi-year journey. It has the obvious physical benefits of helping us lose weight, strengthen muscles, and improve our overall well-being, but exercise can also help improve our mood, increase brain function, and even lead to better sleep. Just a few minutes of
intentional movement each day can make a huge difference in how you feel, mentally and physically.
My team has also recently been bitten by the exercise bug, though I can’t take any credit for their initiative. Recently, one of the team members came to me to tell me that four people from the office had decided to do the Through the Zoo 5K, and they wanted to see if I wanted to sponsor a water station. I love seeing that my team wants to do healthy activities together outside of work, so I decided to take it a step further. I am now sponsoring any team member who wants to participate. They will all get a dry-fit shirt with our logo, and we will take care of their registration costs. Any team member who wants to cheer on their coworkers will also receive a shirt. It’s a great way to build upon our bond and improve our team culture. I also want to invite you to participate and show your support. Please let us know if you are going to be there. We’d love to catch up and may even have a little gift for you!
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The Original Rap Battles Were Held in Castles Long Before Freestyles, Poets Went for the Jugular
If you think rap battles are a modern invention born on crowded street corners, history would like a word. Long before microphones, turntables, or diss tracks dropped on streaming platforms, people were already lining up to watch verbal sparring matches every bit as sharp, ruthless, and entertaining as today’s lyrical showdowns.
Scotland wasn’t alone in this tradition. Across the world, cultures developed their own versions of poetic smack talk. Ancient Irish poets built reputations on their ability to verbally dismantle rivals. Norse mythology includes legendary moments where the gods themselves traded insults. Similar traditions popped up in places as far as Japan, West Africa, and the Middle East. Wherever humans gathered, someone eventually decided to turn clever insults into an art form. Over time, these formal verbal duels faded, but their influence never really disappeared. You can hear echoes of them in classic literature and theater, and later in modern music. When rap battles rose to prominence in the 1980s, they didn’t invent the concept but revived it. Today’s battles may use beats instead of lutes and rhyme with rhythm instead of courtly verse, but the heart of the contest is the same. It’s proof that no matter the century, humans love a well- crafted verbal takedown, especially when delivered with confidence, creativity, and just the right amount of swagger.
Back in medieval Scotland, poets squared off using nothing but their wits and a well-stocked ( and oftentimes vulgar ) vocabulary. These exchanges, called flyting , weren’t casual
insults tossed over ale; they were performances, often delivered in front of royalty, where clever wordplay and creative humiliation were the main event. The goal wasn’t just to insult your opponent, but to do it with style, rhythm, and enough imagination to make the audience laugh, gasp, or groan in appreciation. If that sounds familiar, it should. Some of the most famous verbal face-offs were preserved in poetry, complete with biting humor and language that feels surprisingly modern. These poets went for the jugular, piling on jokes, exaggerations, and personal attacks with gleeful abandon. Even hundreds of years later, the spirit of those exchanges is unmistakable: Say it louder, smarter, and more memorably than the person standing across from you.
BERAIAH MAKES LEGAL SUPPORT MORE ACCESSIBLE A Trusted Advocate
Experiencing an accident and being involved in a personal injury lawsuit is already stressful and complicated enough, but it becomes even more daunting when you don’t speak the same language as your attorney or anyone else involved with your case. In recent years, we’ve been making extra efforts to provide support and assistance to the Spanish-speaking community in the Louisville area. Last year, we decided to take another step toward providing even better representation to these individuals when we added bilingual associate attorney Beraiah Benavides-Marsh to our team. Beraiah has known she wanted to be in the legal field since she was 5 years old. She grew up watching legal dramas and loved seeing how attorneys advocate for people. As a Spanish speaker, Beraiah knew she could do even more for the Hispanic community. She
earned her Bachelor of Arts in sociology with a concentration in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, before attending Roger Williams University in Rhode Island for law school. After disagreeing with the cold temperatures and missing family, Beraiah moved back to Tennessee and finished her degree at the Duncan School of Law at Lincoln Memorial University. Since joining our team, Beraiah has cemented herself as a pillar of the firm. She is our only Spanish-speaking attorney and consistently delivers for her clients. Beraiah aims to be a kind, knowledgeable voice and is always welcoming to anyone who steps through our doors. Regardless of what you need, she will be happy to help, as she prides herself on getting to know each client and developing a trusted relationship.
Beraiah stays busy outside of work, too. She loves weightlifting and traveling with her husband. They hope to visit Amsterdam in the future for a real vacation after getting a small taste during a one-day layover. She also has two dogs, Arya and Archie, who love playing and cuddling up late at night. We’re so glad to have Beraiah on our team. She’s a great source of support to our clients and the rest of the team!
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Imagine this scenario: Like many Americans, you decided to set a New Year’s resolution to get in shape. You pushed through January and February, not letting your momentum slow you down while everyone else was giving up. You brought your lunch to work, adjusted your diet, visited the gym regularly, and even shoveled your driveway when the snow piled up. April arrives, and you’re still going strong. With the warmer weather, you’re even getting out more, and then, it happens. You experience a car wreck and immediately worry that you will lose all progress and momentum toward your health goals. What do you do next? The good news is that you don’t have to let an injury completely derail your momentum. Now, it will depend on the severity of the accident. There may be some serious instances where people are really unable to move much, but for most injuries, you can find ways to maintain your progress. However, you need to be safe about it to ensure that you don’t injure yourself further. The best thing you can do in this situation is talk with your doctor about your options. While you might not be able to continue the same workout routine and may even need to make some lifestyle changes, there may still be some opportunities for movement. You can even request a referral to a physical therapist who can create an entire exercise plan for you that helps you maintain momentum without risking further injury. When I hurt my tailbone this past year, I kept up my progress by doing less intense exercises. There were no weights involved, and I couldn’t lie on my tailbone, but as I saw improvement in my recovery, we started to add more weight. Although my gains backslid slightly, my motivation remained strong, and I could continue working toward my goals. Injuries do not have to completely derail your life and all of the efforts you’ve made to improve yourself and your health. While you shouldn’t dive right back into your normal exercise routine, you should consult your doctor and speak with a physical therapist to determine what you can and cannot do during your recovery. FITNESS AFTER AN ACCIDENT OR INJURY Don’t Lose the Momentum
Have a Laugh!
A light but satisfying soup with tender
Ingredients • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • 5 small carrots, thinly sliced • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped • 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped • 1/4 tsp salt chicken, wilted spinach, and umami-rich miso.
• 9 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth • 4 cups cooked shredded chicken • 12 oz fresh baby spinach • 3 tbsp white miso • 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion
Directions 1. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat the oil. 2. Add carrots and onion and cook 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally. 3. Stir in garlic and salt and cook 1 minute. 4. Add broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. 5. Stir in chicken; cook 2 minutes. 6. Add spinach in batches, stirring until wilted. Remove pot from heat. 7. In a small bowl, stir 1/4 cup hot broth into miso until dissolved, then return mixture to pot. 8. Divide soup into bowls and top with scallions.
Inspired by EatingWell.com
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6100 Dutchmans Ln., Ste. 601 • Louisville, KY 40205
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INSIDE
LESSONS FROM A PERSONAL COMMITMENT TO BETTER HEALTH 1 BEFORE HIP-HOP, THERE WAS MEDIEVAL TRASH TALK MEET THE FIRM’S SPANISH-SPEAKING ATTORNEY 2 MAINTAINING YOUR HEALTH JOURNEY DURING INJURY RECOVERY
CHICKEN MISO SPINACH SOUP 3 THE BARKING THAT SAVED A LIFE 4
The Dog That Saved a Veteran From a Stroke When Hank Ford ended his service with the U.S. Army and Marines, he felt completely alone. The veteran had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and struggled to trust people. But dogs were a different story. When he received his service dog, a yellow Labrador named Tommy, he gained a steadfast companion who made each day a little less scary. Hank wasted no time driving himself to the hospital, and it was only then that he realized how crucial his dog’s fast thinking really was. The doctor informed him he was experiencing an A-fib or irregular heartbeat. Left untreated, it could lead to life-altering or deadly strokes. BARKING AT THE RIGHT MOMENT
“Used to be, I walk into a place, and I’m looking for exits,” Ford said in an interview. “I’m watching everybody. I’m just not trusting anything that’s going on, and with him, all that seems to have gone away.” Though his four-legged friend had brought so much relief and calm to his life, he never expected Tommy would actually save his life. The pup prevented a massive stroke that could have had dire consequences. Early one morning, Tommy broke all of his usual routines, barking at Hank at an odd time while the veteran snoozed. He was persistent, using his voice like never before and pawing at Hank’s chest until he arose. Clearly, Tommy sensed something was wrong, and as soon as Hank stood up, he felt it too. His heart was pounding so hard he could feel it, and when he checked his blood pressure, he was shocked at the number.
“They told me, had he not woken me up, I could have had a major stroke in bed, or not woken up at all,” he said. “He saved my life.” Hank received treatment, and in the months since the incident, he’s been feeling more like himself. The veteran was incredibly thankful to Dog, Inc., the nonprofit that trained and provided Tommy to assist with his day-to-day mental health needs. Though the Lab was well-trained to handle his owner’s PTSD, Dog, Inc. said his life-saving action went above and beyond. Tommy’s feat proves just how close the bond between a service dog and their human really is.
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