Recharge & Rediscover: The Joy of Crystal-Clear Hearing with Starkey Genesis AI

Justin Osmond, who is part of the famous Osmond family, has navigated the world of hearing loss since birth. In this enlightening conversation, Justin talks candidly about the emotional roller coaster associated with hearing loss, discussing the pressing need for early detection, intervention, and support.  Growing up with severe to profound hearing loss posed unique challenges for Justin, from playing sports to interacting with peers while wearing hearing aids. Yet, he did more than just survive; he thrived, thanks to technological advancements boosting his confidence and easing his nerves. Justin reflects on the impact hearing loss has had on his mental health  - and how he was able to overcome his anxiety and isolation associated, educating those around him and even turning the tide on bullying. The game-changer? Starkey’s Genesis AI, an innovation that has transformed his life and armed him with a new superpower.  Justin and Dave also delve into the profound impact of hearing aid technology on his life and those around him, including reduced anxiety, the sheer joy of participation in daily activities, and the thrill of experiencing clarity and understanding that was previously elusive. Join us to hear Justin's hearing journey and discover the invaluable role of hearing aids in reducing anxiety, overcoming hurdles, and living a fulfilling life. It's a conversation that promises to be as informative as it is inspiring. 

Link to full transcript

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to Starkey Soundbites. I'm your host, Dave Fabry, Starkey's Chief Innovation Officer. And I'm so excited to welcome today's guest back to the podcast. Justin Osman is a longtime friend and friend of Starkey, and even more importantly, a fierce advocate for those with hearing loss. Today we're going to talk about a topic that isn't often a headline when it comes to hearing health care, and that is the burden of anxiety that can often go along with addressing hearing loss and the use of hearing aids. And it's something really that impacts patients on a daily basis for many of them. And we're really grateful for Justin coming to talk with us today about what can be a sensitive topic for some people. So, Justin, welcome back. It's great to see you.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

It's an honor. I'm delighted, I'm excited, and I'm humbled to be to be a part of this great uh occasion. So thank you, Dave. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_00 1:05

Well, I just I love your passion, your positivity, um, your ability to really identify innovations um in the way it is that you address your hearing loss and the use of hearing aids to help compensate to the degree possible uh with your hearing loss. And so, you know, it's it's just always a pleasure to to have you here in that respect. And we've been so privileged to partner with you over the past, I don't know, how many years have you been partnering with Starkey? It feels like forever. It's just such a natural partnership. But how many years has it been?

SPEAKER_01 1:49

It's been over 20 years, uh, 23 years. I started in 2000. Uh, and and those 23 years, you have just elevated my life uh in so many, so many ways. And so, because of that, um, I've got a I like you, I'm just a huge advocate. Um, my whole life, I've I've had a severe to profound hearing loss. And so love, Starkey, everything you do, everything you represent, everything you do is for the benefit of the deaf and heart of hearing. And so thank you on behalf of all the deaf and heart of hearing, thank you for making our life so much better.

SPEAKER_00 2:23

Well, thank you. And we're gonna talk about that a little bit, but I want to talk about you first in terms of your experience with hearing loss. Uh, talk about when you were identified with hearing loss, uh, born into a very famous family. Uh, I grew up uh with the Osmonds and listening to the Osmonds. And uh um, you know, talk a little bit about your experience in history with hearing loss.

SPEAKER_01 2:49

Thank you, Dave. Um, so I first noticed uh my hearing loss when I was in my mother's womb. Hey everybody, um I'm coming out here. Um I know you didn't have the newborn screening back then. No. Um I was born, um, but nobody noticed, uh, of course. I was just one of those that fell through the cracks, and and um, and so it wasn't until I was almost two years old. Yeah, I was playing in the sandbox with my two brothers. And my mom comes out and says, All right, kids, it's time to come in for lunch. And both my brothers responded. Of course, my back was facing my mom, and they both got up and and went in. I kept playing um because I was distracted with all these fun toys. And but my mom got closer and closer to me and noticed uh every time she asked my name or called my name, I didn't respond. And so that's when she noticed that there was something wrong. And so she took me in uh to the doctor right away, did some testing, and that's when they found out that I had a a uh at first I thought it was a conductive loss, a hearing loss, but then it turned out to be a central nerve, neural hearing loss. And uh everything went from there. I started out with the body age, and and you know, I was the first one in the whole uh Ivan family in the second generation that was born with this hearing loss. I had two deaf uncles, uh, my dad, uh siblings. Um, none of their kids got it. So it's definitely a hereditary um genetic uh loss. Um, but so that's that's kind of how it is. So in the Ivan family, we know firsthand what it's like not to be able to hear, uh, to understand, and uh, but we have to hear to be able to play the music and to entertain and perform and do what we do on day. Um, a lot of my family members have a hearing loss, not because they were born with it, but because of the loud rock and roll music over the years, yeah. Uh, we could damage their hearing.

SPEAKER_00 4:50

Yeah, I think so many points you raised were just so important in the sense that even with a heightened awareness, given your family's the the larger family's history of hearing loss and sensory neural hearing loss, the fact is that when you were born now, as you said, if you had one born later, um, universal newborn hearing screening now really helps identify those born with a congenital hearing loss. Uh, and yeah, the numbers may be small, three in a thousand, but the impact of that early identification on helping to make that decision to intervene with amplification or cochlear implants is so important because even in a family where hearing loss was already uh recognized as a risk, if you will, a risk factor, um, it still didn't get identified until a little bit later. And um so I just think it's so important uh what you talk about in terms of identification and then intervention. You gotta act. Identification is only the first step, then you gotta act. And and that's why you've been able to do so well with hearing is because when you when you were identified, then shortly afterwards, you were fitted. Correct, Dave.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

And may I add to that the whole intervention part? I mean, I'm grateful I was identified at an early age, but the intervention, I was I'm very lucky and fortunate and blessed to come from a very big support group, my family, uh, that really, you know, took me in and just helped me. And they took me all over the country trying to get some good therapy programs, a speech language uh therapy program, whatever that is out there to help stimulate the brain and to help uh with my cognitive side of things. Uh intervention is a huge, huge thing that uh played a big role in my life. Um, the fact that I can be able to speak with passion now, to hear with conviction, trying to align me with the best hearing products out there, uh, programs and resources uh that was very limited back then. But today, oh my goodness, there's it's it's just beyond. But but I look back at my life and I'm just very grateful for all those who stepped in and helped me and intervened and believed in me. Because it's not always a lack of hearing, it's a lack of hope. Right. And those those things that you're just talking about, those intervention, that early identification, that instilled hope in not only me, but my family, friends, and all those who've been affected uh by this hearing loss.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

Yeah, and you know, you talk about you were identified relatively early, fitted right away, um, and started wearing amplification. And and it really, as you know all too well, for pediatric uh hearing aid users, it's more than the technology itself, it's the intervention and the speech and language training and oral rehabilitation that's so vital to future success and why it is that orally, I mean, you're you live in an oral world, and uh and and we know you hit you know you have and you've spoken eloquently on the the you have a significant hearing loss and what that impact has meant to you, and a musical family, and you know, and and and so the technology. I wanna I want to talk a little bit about the technology in a minute, but I want to also talk about the fact of what you just said. You're born in a supportive family who had uh uh the the the the means and the desire, the will to ensure that you got the very best care in terms of the technology and the treatment that you could get. And yet I know that for many people um anxiety of uh recognizing that you have a hearing loss, even at a young age and using hearing aids um is quite a burden. And can you talk a little bit about what's your earliest memories of the burden of hearing loss and hearing aids? And and initially, you know, early on, as you said, body aids. Um we talk about hearing loss as an invisible disability, but when you strap on a body aid, which you haven't had to wear for a long time, it's it's life-changing in that it provides amplification, but it also is a pretty visible reminder that can also trigger some of that anxiety. What were some of your earliest memories uh of that anxiety related to the use of hearing aids?

SPEAKER_01 9:07

It's a great question, Dave. Um, I look back on my life, and it wasn't just anxiety, it was a complete, utter disconnection, uh, isolation, uh, even depression, if I were to be so open and honest here and make myself vulnerable. I remember going and watching my dad, who's the lead singer at the ISM, performing in the New York Madison Square Garden in front of 25,000 people and hear everybody screaming and singing along with my dad, and I can't even understand a word that my own dad is singing. And I remember I just think I just I just I was just have a meltdown and cry. Like, I don't understand. Why can't I understand my own family? And so that was a lot of anxiety and depression during those days. It's funny to note that because you know, 46 years ago, you know, and then now as I go to my dad's shows, I can understand. It's just so big fun to see the whole contrast between the technology advancements over the years. But I remember growing up, Dave, I was very athletic. I remember playing soccer and football and track and um and other high school sports, and I would sweat. Yeah, I would sweat like crazy in the perspiration. And then in the middle of a game, my my hearing aid would stop working because of the water, and all of a sudden I can't hear my teammates, I can't hear my coach, I can't hear anything other than having to rely on lip reading. Talk about anxiety. Oh, talk about, I mean, just disconnection. And I would just go into this low point. Um, and those are just some examples of anxiety, um, you know, with the battery life. Um, you know, and and and and sometimes I would um be right in the middle of a piano recital, right? Playing my violin or the piano, and all of a sudden my hearing aids go off. No, I can't hear that. It's one thing to have hearing aids in your pocket, or batteries in your pocket. You can stop, put them in, but you can't do that in the middle of a performance. And so those are just some examples of you know, a lot of anxiety that would just, you know, just not peace of mind, but always on guard and always cautious. And that would be a mental exhaustion, uh, a mental drain of me just having to deal with that on a daily basis. Something that most people don't even think about. They don't have for granted.

SPEAKER_00 11:39

They take it for granted.

SPEAKER_01 11:40

Yeah, they don't think about it. They take it for granted. And even going to school, you know, I had to rely on lip reading because technology back then wasn't as crispy clear as it is today. But, you know, I remember, you know, kids next to me, they don't even have to look at the teacher, they can just be writing their notes, but I'm just on constant focus mode. Um, you know, so not just the battery life, um, you know, but also the waterproof, you know. I mean, I remember many times people would just uh push me in the pool and they forget that I have hearing aid.

unknown 12:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:13

Um, you know, and having to deal with all of that just created a lot of anxiety, a lot of um unnecessary uh depression and isolation, disconnection that caused a lot of emotional distress in my life. But like you said, I had a wonderful family, a lot of wonderful support that helped me get through that, helped me overcome that. And um, but you know, I learned to deal with that, learned to accept that. Um, my personal model, I may have a hearing loss, but my hearing loss does not have me. I love it. Meaning, despite the challenges that we all go through, these happen to be some of mine, we can still figure out a remedy or a solution or a way to get through that.

SPEAKER_00 12:53

Oh, so so much there. I mean, um, I've said for a long time the ear is a hostile work environment, and hearing aids, and particularly those hearing aids from more than 40 years ago, were very vulnerable to perspiration and precipitation and just activity. And, you know, as a young kid, you're gonna put the hearing aids to a test that the average geriatric patient doesn't consider. They're not out there physically exerting themselves to the same degree that some young athletic kid is doing. And so I think that's why it's so exciting now to hear about the ways that we've been able to address some of that anxiety with rechargeable batteries that last for up to 51 hours, um, even while streaming a good deal of every day like we're doing now, um, or um the the the that they're waterproof in the manner. Now, that that's not saying that we expect that you're gonna go out and go scuba diving with your devices, but in the manner in which people are wearing their hearing aids, even active young people like yourself, um, you know, if you jump in the shower, jump in the pool with the Genesis AI devices that you've now been wearing for the past several months, um, we can provide you with that confidence and peace of mind that you're not going to have the battery go out in the middle of an important recital or uh meeting or family dinner. Um and so battery life check, you know, we're taking care of that with regards to the rechargeable. You're wearing the um the macro, the the the Genesis RT receiver in the canal device that is equipped with both a telecoil um and it also uh enables you to use accessories, and we'll come to that a little bit later, but uh and is also functioning uh with the confidence that even if you get caught in the rain, you jump in the shower, you uh it's gonna keep working. So um, you know, two of those. Now, uh one thing I want to ask you about before we move from growing up is those kids, you know, you say you got a supportive family, you go to school. No one was thinking uh malintent when they pushed you in the pool, but kids can also be really mean sometimes, too. Did you ever run into any of that? And I don't want you to name names, but can do you remember that contributing to some of this anxiety too? Because, like you said, you feel isolated, you feel lonely. People don't understand what you're going through.

SPEAKER_01 15:24

Yeah, thank you, Dave. You hit all those right points there. But yes, um I was bullied big time. I was bullied on so many, so many levels, uh, elementary, middle, and high school, but especially in high school, you know, at that, even at that time, you know, I had the wires coming out of my ears, I had the big box on my belt, and I had to wear the FM system with my t-shirt. Um, and I did, I stood out like a robot, you know, with wire coming all over the place. But I'll never forget um there were two kids on a on a football team, and they they shut me against the locker and then started making fun of all this hardware. I'm wearing all this hardware and just totally making fun of it. And uh it was a hard time during that time. But then um, thank goodness I had a brother who was the captain of the football team. He was he was the big you know linebacker, and he he always had my back. He was just one year older than I was, and he grabbed them and shoved them against the other locker and made a point, and they never bothered me again after that. Um, but of course, that doesn't make things right. No, no, it doesn't. You know, young guns out there, anybody for that matter, they're going through a really hard time because people are judging you for what you all look like, and the cosmetic side has definitely changed over the years, uh, which definitely helps. But it really comes down to a hearing loss is more obvious than a hearing aid, than a hearing product, than what you're wearing. People will notice that a lot more than than what you look like on the outside, and that's much more important to be able to connect with life and friends and things like that. But by the way, those guys were making fun of me. I became friends with them later on. Once I educated them, once I showed them. In fact, they were in my class one day, and the teacher was when the FM system she left the room and forgot to turn it off. And I could hear everything the teacher was saying, and pretty soon everyone wanted what I had, and I thought it was the coolest gadget ever.

SPEAKER_00 17:24

Um and gave you a superpower in effect. It gave you a superpower. You could hear the teacher when he or she was.

SPEAKER_01 17:29

I was the Iron Man, you know, I could I could I could have the superpowers, but just educating everybody, and once they understand your situation, everybody realizes everybody's got a challenge that they're going through. This happened to be mine, um, but it's how you deal with it, uh, and a positive outlook. And um and so it it was there were some challenging times, I'm not gonna lie. And not just wasn't one interesting, there's been a lot of other um, and so but it it definitely does help uh to have. Um, like I said, it's not always a lack of hearing, it's a lack of hope. And I went through that stage for a while. And but what you uh Starkey has provided for me and many members of my family, uh has just been an absolute answer to prayer and a peace of mind and that hope and and that surge of like, you know, we can do things, we can do hard things.

SPEAKER_00 18:24

Well, I think a lot of people, I'll never speak again about the 51 hours of of uh battery life on the on the product, the Rick that you're wearing, um, or the waterproof nature without thinking not only about ticking off technical features, but the impact that feature set has on lessening anxiety. Uh is it safe to say that wearing Genesis AI like you have been has helped remove that layer of anxiety for those two reasons that you've highlighted already?

SPEAKER_01 18:57

Absolutely, Dave. In fact, I'll tell you, I know when we charge the bull battery or hearing aid first came out, I wanted to be the first one. Uh, but because of my my profound hearing loss, they said that um that it would just drain uh the batteries out too quickly. But when the Genesis AI came out, they said that you know what, they've been able to build it in such a way that it would support um different heart of hearing people like myself that have a very severe to profound hearing loss. And and Dave, I can tell you, even at the end of the day, when I take my UNAIS out, I see that I still have about 30% uh left of battery. And that is that is remarkable, especially because when I stream my urinate uh with music and my phone. And you do it a lot, you do it a lot. Oh, I do. I do it every day most of the day. And it it in the past, it would just drain my battery so fast and so quick, because I'm always having to replace my battery. And Dave, let me just tell you, imagine this 46 years of having to put batteries in your pocket and and always having to think about oh, if I left the house, then I have batteries in my pocket. You know, that was just just and and not having to do that anymore and worry about that anymore, it was just a huge, not a burden, but a weight off my shoulders, and not ever having to worry about that ever again was just just remarkable. And then the whole I was playing pickleball the other day and I still sweat like crazy. I used to have to wear the headband just to stuck to soak in the the water so it wouldn't get into my hein aids. I remember having to put plastic around my urinates to avoid the water, but that didn't help. But now I can go play and work and still sweat, and it's working just fine. That's awesome. And so the Genesis AIs have just been an absolute answer to my prayer.

SPEAKER_00 20:56

Well, thank you for that. And I'll be sure to pass that on to our team here if they're not listening to the podcast. Hopefully they are. But um, you know, I think the the issues that you raise, like I said, they're not just a list of technical features on a specification sheet. They're something that really helps lessen that anxiety, removes that as a barrier or as a concern uh for the reasons we said. And I think also um, you know, you were just on the cusp. Even though many people still think of hearing aids as body-worn, body aid type devices, you were on the cusp. You know, you probably had your first set or two where body, and then you've been able to go up to ear level, which helps. And I think with Genesis AI, you're wearing uh AP molds. Uh, so it enables the receiver and the canal portion behind your ear to be quite small, with the portion that then goes into your ear and delivers with the power that you need for your hearing loss in a cosmetically appealing package. And a lot of people take. For granted again that it was only you know 40 years ago people were in body aids. And so the the Genesis AI, small package, great battery life, waterproof. And one other element of this with regards to anxiety, when you were wearing body aids, and I know that's uh a while ago, but uh one of the issues is you might be able to hear that a sound is present but not know where the sound is coming from. Have you do you find that there is anxiety sometimes in wearing hearing aids when you can tell that a sound is present, but you have no idea where it's coming from? And how does Genesis AI help with that?

SPEAKER_01 22:39

Dave, it it is it's I think we're it's it's uh it's another statement when we when we talk about the anxiety. It's so overwhelming and just just just almost can't sleep at night. But to answer that question, let me give you an example. Just last weekend I went fishing with my with my family, and I you know the boat is loud, you know, especially the motor in the back. And I can't even, I'm I'm completely disconnected. I can't even talk to my family, my brothers, and and and whatnot. But then all of a sudden, uh, one of the features of the Genesis AI is called the edge mode. And I didn't even think about it until halfway, like, wait a minute, let me try this out. And because I didn't know where the sound was coming from, like you said, um, you know, it was just just complete chaos. Um, and so I went to edge mode. And there's just three options that you can see from uh enhanced sound and and whatnot, but I it analyzed the situation, and just in a matter of seconds, Dave, I get very emotional because I did. I almost started to cry. And everybody's looking at me why I'm crying. We hadn't caught a big fish yet, so why am I crying? I did catch a bit, I caught a 15-pounder lake trout that day, by the way. But all of a sudden, it analyzed the environment, and it it literally the noise of the motor went completely down and enhanced the sound of my brothers on that boat that I was able to talk to, and I could completely understand what they were talking about. I even tried the two other options, yes, and it was even made it even more crystal clear, and and how Genesis AI does that, it blows my mind. And I've worn hearing aid for over 46 years, I've won every different product and every manufacturer out there, but nothing comes close to what it can do to help me understand where the sound is coming from and who it is, and it it almost I almost felt like you know what, I now know what it sounds like to hear from a normal uh environment with a normal hearing. Uh, I think I got a little glimpse of what that's like.

SPEAKER_00 24:46

Wow, that's a that's a strong statement. And you know, I just think with regards to edge mode, you bring up some really important pieces is that the hearing aids are in the background, they're capable of making 80 million adjustments every hour because of that AI uh combination of machine learning and artificial intelligence to monitor the listening environment. But there are still situations like the one you just detailed where that automated processing still can't capture where you are at that moment with where you're sitting in the boat and using edge mode, which are you enabling it on the on the devices, a double tap or within the app?

SPEAKER_01 25:27

I do it, I do it on my app.

SPEAKER_00 25:28

Yeah, I think that's the way most people like to. And we've made it really simple. Uh, with this edge mode plus, as you alluded, uh, we now allow you to have the granularity to just press best sound, the easy button, or to really enhance speech or reduce noise. And even as you've articulated, individuals, and especially with those with more significant losses, they might sometimes want to enhance clarity, other times want to reduce noise, depending on the situation. And what can be an inconvenience for some people can be a significant impact, not only in terms of that anxiety, but can even be sort of that ability to locate the sounds in space and understand better or reduce noise. You know, I won't say it's life-saving, but it's certainly life-altering.

SPEAKER_01 26:14

Dave, it was life-changing. It definitely was. I even went, I even went back, I got out of edge mode, just experimenting and went back to that loud chaos again. And and and and and you know, I don't have to worry about that anymore. You know, like I said, that light, that burden, that weight just got lifted, the anxiety just went down. And I'm telling you, this this is we're not just talking the talk, we're walking the walk. I just lived it, I just experienced it after 46 years. Yeah, and it's just amazing. And I'm so thankful, grateful. And I just get emotional every time I talk about that. Yeah, I thank you.

SPEAKER_00 26:51

And you know, and we say with Genesis AI, it's all new everything, and we're quite proud of the fact that uh we have the industry's fastest uh chip with the most number of integrated circuits, and we're we're really we have a DNN accelerator on board the hearing aids. We're just getting started with this chipset in terms of where you are today, and I can't wait you know, when we have the next updates to be able to show you how these will even customize, optimize to a greater degree uh uh than you can do now. And and and I love hearing the stories of how that example you gave on the boat, uh the wind noise, the the boat noise, and the people in the boat not being convenient for you to always be able to lip read uh has made such an important difference. What other features of Genesis AI have you observed or enjoyed using so far in the in the bit of time now, several months that you've had them?

SPEAKER_01 27:49

I love the two-way audio, Dave. Oh my goodness. You know, I remember back in the day, you know, you gotta take it to your phone and don't not to put it in your ears like this. That doesn't work because the microphone's not there, it's up here. Right. And then I get up there, I have to try to find it. And when you're like this, it's kind of an awkward situation. But now, and and and it used to be where it'd just be like this, yeah, but I don't do this anymore. I can put it down, I can walk around. The microphone is now part of my hearing aid, and it is just awesome. Hand-free, don't have to worry about it when I'm driving. Yep, love that feature, Dave. And it it and the person on the other side always says that I'm crystal clear, they can hear me, understand me, I can understand them. So that two-way audio is just incredible.

SPEAKER_00 28:39

I love it. Such an important point, and such, you know, that hands-free element so that you can drive and be talking. I mean, obviously, you want to be focused on the road, but you certainly don't want to be distracted holding the device. You can talk into the microphone. And, you know, I think there are a couple, you you said that that when you're using it, that people on the other end are hearing you. Are there there, there may be times, just to level set, there may be times in really noisy environments you can still use uh if you have the capacity to talk into the microphones. It's really about, as you know, whether it's an FM system or an accessory that we'll talk about more in a minute, um, or the phone. Uh, it's all about talker microphone distance. And if we shorten that as much as possible, the hands-free element is great, even in moderately noisy environments. But when it really gets noisy, you can still talk right into the microphone of your phone if you need to. But what I'm hearing you say is those those situations are pretty rare, right?

SPEAKER_01 29:35

Yeah, oh, absolutely, Dave. I mean, I I had to rely on that my whole life, but but the fact that I don't have to do that anymore, and I I'm a very hands-on kind of guy. Yeah, I know we do a lot of things hands-on. Uh, I I remember one time I had a fish, I had a fish on, and um, and I I saw who was, you know, I can't hold the phone and fish at the same time, and I had a 15-pound lake trout mackkin. I'm not gonna do, but I still had a conversation with somebody while I was, you know, drilling the fish in, and it's just so cool. You can't, you couldn't have done that before. No, um, you know, I know a lot of people they have they have those iPods in there, uh, but that's just that's different. This this is we have the full capacity of a hearing device to help us hear better. So to be able to stream the Bluetooth, the capacity, all that on top of everything else. It's just amazing to be a part of.

SPEAKER_00 30:29

Yeah, and it's all about the user interface. We want to make it as easy to use, we want to make it as seamless, and to provide you with the confidence that, as we discussed, the reliability and quality, not only at the beginning, but along your journey. So you've got the battery life, the waterproof, the hands-free, all of those contribute to reducing anxiety. And and I do want to, I know we've talked about this in the past when you were on the on the podcast, but you have been one of the strongest advocates for the table mic. And I'm for those listening, I'm holding it up. And Justin is holding up his table mic, which he has plugged into the computer and he's using right now to stream on on his um on his hearing aids right now. It's it's a true multi-function, multi-purpose device. Justin was the first person when he was fitted here at Starkey with Evolve devices. You were the first person we fit you and and and the table mic went with you. And you before you landed back home, you had already posted how you had used the the external jack to uh plug into the um movie system on the plane. And you were the first one that that I remember to to so quickly adopt that. You are a hands-on guy, and you were using it, and more importantly, not just hiding it for yourself, but telling other people how they could benefit from this. So you now you could stream on a on a movie on the plane, compensating for your hearing loss, but wirelessly. Talk a little bit about that. What what uh you know, you had this before. It it does it work with Genesis, you've got table mic for your Genesis devices, and how does it impact your life?

SPEAKER_01 32:14

Now, on top of the edge mode, you know, the already analyzed it and helped you hear better in whatever environment you're in. Uh, this, and I think I told you before, Dave, after I experienced this, I called and I and I said, Dave, I found the holy grail. You did. You did. And I mean that. I said you're right. It it just um hand-free, put in the TV, and I went home and I started uh to analyze other situations that could help me. Like for example, when I drive my girl to school, I had a hard time hearing my girl in the back of the car. So I put Velcro on my table mic and I put it on the my seat there so I could hear my wife and my kids in the back. Um, I take it when I go to church and I leave it on the podium right there, uh, so I can hear the speakers. And I I use it at restaurants. Dave, it is absolutely amazing. Just the whole streaming, I can it it it it picks up who's talking in that conversation. Yeah, it answered the question before, where is it coming from? And it just picks that up, and not just picks it up, it's clear. I can totally understand. It's almost like so it works up to about 30 or 40 feet. Yeah, uh, but even 30, 40 feet away, I feel like they're right there. Yeah, they're they're speaking right in front of me in an interpersonal one-on-one, and I can hear them and not just one side, but both. And so why hold this in um when I can't, when I could just share with everybody, when I know that it will benefit and help so many people. I share this with my family, all my friends, and every single one of them love it. It has just elevated their life uh in every situation, in every environment, and every situation that they find themselves in. And so it is the modern day holy grail uh that has truly uh just brought so much hope and uh reduced the anxiety and um to give me so much more to live for.

SPEAKER_00 34:20

So thank you. Well, I don't know if you've ever had the opportunity, and and thank you for talking about this so eloquently and covering all of the use cases, whether it's a place of worship or a classroom, whether it's watching television, whether it's movies on a plane, it even automatically knows when you wear it up on uh around someone's neck, if a person is wearing it when you go to dinner, rather than having it on the table where it automatically selects where the dominant talker is. It'll just isolate the microphone on top uh without you having to change anything and then set it on a table, then it's going back into that mode. And you've really embraced this to the point that you're identifying use cases that are the edge use cases where you can give people hope, like you said, coming back to that theme of hope, reducing anxiety of not being able to hear that person 30 feet away, having your hearing superpower, if you will, similar to what you had, but in a much more cosmetically appealing and effective package than that FM trainer that you had back in the day and you were sharing with your classmates. Now you're sharing with your family and others with hearing loss how they can use this technology. Have you ever encountered Mark Ross from uh uh Hearing Loss Association of America or self-help for heart of hearing? Does that name ring a bell?

SPEAKER_01 35:45

I I've been associated with Hearing Loss Association of America.

SPEAKER_00 35:48

Yeah. Mark was uh an audiologist and he also was the editor of the of their magazine for many years. And one statement that he made, you quoted from HLAA earlier, where you said your hearing loss is more conspicuous than your hearing aids. Another thing that Mark said that was I was reminded of, as you're talking about, is that um when you wear hearing aids, you're admitting to the world that you have a disability, in his words. But when you use some sort of assistive technology, and he was around in the days when people handmade remote mics and all sorts of other things, he said, when you're using that type of assistive technology, you're directly involving other people in your hearing loss. But I think, as you say, and and and you said it, not me, the uh the holy grail of the hearing aids, hearing aids today are remarkable. And Genesis AI, thank you for all of the great words and examples you've provided as to how it's impacted your life, reduced anxiety. But this is a whole lot easier than in the old days to enable that anxiety to be reduced, performance to be increased in very challenging listening situations.

SPEAKER_01 36:58

If I could add one more thing, Dave. Um, not only does uh the accessories and our hearing aids reduce our anxiety, but it also reduces the anxiety of our loved ones and our family. And just to give you an example, uh my wife, uh, who've been married for over 10 years, you know, she always had to turn up the volume on our TV. But ever since I've used this now and walked down and watched the Netflix, I turned this on. And now my wife, I turned down the volume because I don't need it so loud anymore. And now my wife needs to turn up the volume.

SPEAKER_00 37:32

And it's just amazing to see. Well, I think you raised such an important point, and really this moves beyond technology to what we call caring technology. So it's taking sophisticated machine learning, artificial intelligence, processing, all of that, 80 million adjustments an hour. But really, if our greatest compliment is what you just said, where it's caring technology that's connecting you better to your family members, not only reducing your anxiety, their anxiety, because they want you to be fully engaged in every aspect of your life. And so that's probably the greatest compliment you can give. And I think I want to end there with that, because that's that is the holy grail. If we can provide you with technology that helps you hear better and live better in every aspect of your life, then then we're we're doing something right.

SPEAKER_01 38:27

Thank you again from the bottom of my heart. We love Starkey. I love my dinner today.

SPEAKER_00 38:33

I and um if I were to die tomorrow, I would die a happy man. Well, I hope that we're gonna be doing this, bringing you back again and again, because I love talking with you and love talking to you about hearing loss and your use of hearing aids. And so our listeners, thanks for listening to this episode of Starkey Soundbites. And if you enjoyed this conversation, please rate and review us on your preferred platform, share it with your friends. We'd also like to know what's on your mind. What questions do you have for us to cover in future uh topics and future episodes of this podcast? Send us an email to soundbites at Starkey.com and we'll be featuring your questions and getting some answers from other Starkey experts on future episodes. Justin, thank you again for sharing your time with us today. It's always a pleasure to have you on. Thank you, Dave.