At the Podium with Patrick Huey

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Season 4 of At the Podium begins with one of the people who has shaped my life more than almost anyone else. Before she became a bestselling novelist, award-winning screenwriter, and one of America's most important literary voices, Attica Locke was simply my friend. For more than forty years, we've watched one another grow, leave home, return home, and become the people we were meant to be.

In this conversation, we explore identity, creativity, family, race, faith, friendship, and the unexpected ways life reshapes our plans. Together, we wrestle with one of the defining questions of this season:

Who do you become when life guides you home?

This episode also marks the beginning of a new chapter for At the Podium. More than conversations about success or achievement, Season 4 is an exploration of formation—how the people we meet, the losses we endure, the places we return to, and the stories we carry shape the lives we are becoming.

I'm grateful you're here for the journey.

Welcome to Season 4.

Welcome home.

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McCord Henry spent years building a successful career while privately fighting  battles that threatened to take everything from him.

Raised in a conservative Christian household in North Carolina, McCord grew up surrounded by faith, family, and expectations. But beneath the surface, he was wrestling with questions of identity, belonging, and self-worth. As he entered adulthood, alcohol became a way to escape the things he didn't know how to face. What began as social drinking slowly evolved into addiction, leading him down a path marked by isolation, shame, and self-destruction.

In this deeply personal conversation, McCord shares the story of the moment everything changed.

With remarkable honesty, he reflects on his struggle with alcoholism, the challenges of coming out as a gay man in a religious family, and the long journey toward accepting himself fully. He speaks candidly about the role shame played in both his addiction and his identity, and how surrendering the life he thought he needed ultimately opened the door to the life he was meant to live.

Throughout the conversation, McCord offers a powerful perspective on recovery, personal growth, and the courage required to confront difficult truths. 

Today, McCord is a hospitality executive who has worked with some of the industry's most respected brands. He is also the founder of ScriptedWit, a company dedicated to helping people create meaningful connection through the simple act of putting pen to paper.

This episode is a single man's jourmey through shame and surrender to  freedom—and a reminder that sometimes the most important turning point in our lives begins with a single decision.

Listen. Reflect. Become.

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For many families around the world, conversations around mental health happen quietly — or not at all. 

In this At the Podium episode, Broadway composer Zak Sandler reflects on growing up unaware that a bipolar condition ran through his family, and how shame and silence can sometimes delay understanding, healing, and acceptance. 

This conversation is not simply the discussion around mental health, but the reminder that many of us carry things we were never taught how to talk about openly. And when finally have those tough conversations, healing and reconciliation can happen. 

Listen. Reflect. Become.

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Former NFL fullback Chris Hetherington spent 11 years playing professional football, but this conversation is ultimately about much more than sports.

In this episode of At the Podium, Chris reflects on discipline, masculinity, fatherhood, identity, and the difficult transition that comes after elite performance. From the physical toll of football and the realities of concussion culture to meditation, stoicism, and rebuilding life beyond the game, Chris shares what he learned about becoming a professional—not only as an athlete, but as a man.

Patrick and Chris discuss:
• The changing culture of football and the long-term realities of CTE
• NIL deals, money, and the pressures facing young athletes
• Why discipline matters more than motivation
• Meditation, yoga, and learning stillness after a life built on collision
• Fatherhood, accountability, and modeling healthy masculinity
• The challenge of building an identity beyond performance

Chris Hetherington is a Yale graduate, former NFL fullback, entrepreneur, investor, and father whose life today is centered around discipline, service, personal growth, and intentional living.

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What if the life many men are chasing—success, intimacy, freedom—actually sits on the other side of healing?

 In this episode of At the Podium, Patrick Huey sits down with Zarak Fatah, a transformational coach and former serial entrepreneur, for a candid conversation about masculinity, trauma, faith, and the work of healing. 

Zarak reflects on growing up as the son of Pakistani immigrants in Canada, the impact of bullying and shame on his identity, and how those early wounds fueled both ambition and avoidance—ultimately leading him to open one of Toronto’s most iconic restaurants, Blowfish. 

Together, Patrick and Zarak explore why so many men and boys are struggling today with who they are in the world, the role of fatherhood and male role models, the cost of numbing behaviors (alcohol, drugs, pornography), and what real manhood looks like beyond performance and achievement. This is a conversation about responsibility, integrity, and choosing healing over avoidance.

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What happens when travel becomes more than destinations on a map, and instead becomes a reflection of our shared humanity?

In this episode of At the Podium, Patrick Huey sits down with Cole Sjoholm to explore solo travel, self-discovery, and what it means to find belonging in a deeply interconnected world.

After more than twenty years in banking and finance, Cole made an extraordinary decision in 2023, to travel solo to all seven continents in a single calendar year. What followed was not a bucket-list journey, but a deeper exploration of identity, perspective, and shared humanity. Learning along his journey that the most meaningful travel experiences are not about destinations, but about who we become along the way. A journey that he detailed in his book, Filling My Bucket - A Year of Solo Travel Across Seven Continents.

Throughout the conversation, Cole reflects on moments of growth, the unseen support of those cheering him on, and how choosing grace and perspective in unfamiliar situations reshaped how he views success and fulfillment. He speaks candidly about learning that he was enough, about expanding what he once thought was possible, and about recognizing that life’s defining moments are not endings, but beginnings.

This episode of At the Podium is a reflection on solo travel, courage, gratitude, and the quiet work of becoming yourself in a world far larger, and more connected, than we often realize.

*The beautiful photography featured in this episode was shot by Cole.

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In this landmark 100th episode of At the Podium, Patrick Huey sits down with Tembi Locke , New York Times bestselling author, actor, and producer, for a deeply personal conversation about love, loss, legacy, and what it takes to begin again.

Following the success of her acclaimed memoir and Netflix series From Scratch, Tembi returns with her new memoir Someday, Now—an intimate, audio-first work that explores midlife, remarriage, motherhood, and the quiet ache of letting a child step into her own future. Returning once more to Sicily, this time with her new husband and her daughter, Tembi reflects on grief that has changed shape, the courage required to integrate past and present, and the possibility of renewal after profound loss.

Together, Patrick and Tembi discuss the nature of time, the emotional terrain of the empty nest, blended family dynamics, and what it means to live fully inside change. It’s a conversation about presence over prediction, and about the legacies we build not only through what we leave behind, but through what we carry forward.

This episode is a reflection on becoming—and a reminder that sometimes the bravest thing we can do is stay with the questions.

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Michael Q. Pugliese is the third-generation CEO of Circadia, a global skincare company built on science, education, and integrity. But before he is a leader, a formulator, or an educator, Michael is the father of two daughters—and much of the work he does today is shaped by the question of what he is building not just for an industry, but for them.

In this conversation, Michael reflects on what it means to carry an esteemed family legacy while still having to earn your place inside it. He speaks candidly about learning the business from the ground up, taking risks without guarantees, and making sacrifices that don’t always come with recognition—time away from family, the pressure of growth, and the emotional discipline required to lead responsibly.

We explore how fatherhood has sharpened his sense of stewardship, how mentorship and education became central to Circadia’s mission, and why legacy is less about what you pass down than the values you model along the way. For Michael, building something enduring means creating a company his children can be proud of—one rooted in integrity, care for people, and long-term thinking.

This episode is a reflection on leadership, responsibility, and the quiet choices that shape both a business and a life.

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Actor, director, writer, and producer Tijuana Ricks joins At the Podium for a deeply reflective conversation about origin, representation, and what it means to take up space in a life that truly belongs to you.

Known for her work across more than 100 episodes of television—including the Marvel Netflix universe (Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist), multiple seasons of Billions, and Tiny Beautiful Things—Tijuana reflects on how being raised in a big, loud, Black, Creole matriarchy in Gramercy, Louisiana shaped her voice, presence, and sense of agency.

In this episode, Tijuana poses one of the most honest questions anyone navigating high-pressure careers, elite training programs, or long-held dreams can ask:

Are you actually happy?

She challenges the idea that persistence alone is virtuous, and speaks candidly about what happens when we continue doing what we think we should be doing simply because we’ve invested so much time and identity into it—even when it no longer feeds us. This conversation explores how representation matters not only on screen, but behind the camera, and how claiming authorship over your life can change the way you move through the world.

This is not a conversation about quitting.
It’s about listening.
About joy, sustainability, and self-authorship.

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In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, NFL tackle Calvin Anderson reflects on the year his life completely fell apart — and the unexpected forces that ultimately saved him.

After returning from a trip to Nigeria, Calvin contracted a life-threatening case of malaria, followed by a rare heart contusion that pulled him off the field and into a season of fear, uncertainty, and emotional unraveling. It was supposed to be the year he stepped into his prime. Instead, it became the year everything broke.

In this episode of At the Podium, Calvin opens up about:
• Surviving malaria and the terrifying moments that nearly cost him his life
• The heart injury that forced him to stop, sit still, and finally address his mental health
• How leaning into faith and embracing vulnerability became lifelines
• The profound love he shares with his wife, Sheree—and the role she played in saving his life
• Why breaking down became the beginning of rebuilding
• What resilience looks like when no one is watching
• The legacy he hopes to leave far beyond football

This is not just a story about the NFL.
It is a story about being human, about surrender, about love, about belief —
and about finding the courage to keep going when everything inside you is telling you to quit.

If you’ve ever lived through a year that broke you, this episode may be the conversation you didn’t know you needed.

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