Darlene Franklin Campbell is a Kentucky author, artist, and national award-winning poet whose work explores the intersection of mythology, philosophy, religion, and psychology. She's the author of The Zhandarian Chronicles, an epic fantasy series that uses an imagined world to explore deeply human questions of identity, belonging, memory, and transformation.

In this episode, Darlene shares what first drew her to exploring timeless human questions through fantasy, why her stories focus so heavily on internal struggle rather than just external conflict, and how her background as a visual artist shapes the way she builds fictional worlds. She also opens up about the power of "found family" in fiction and why readers connect with it so deeply.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. Exploring identity and belonging through fantasy
2. Why her stories prioritize internal struggle over external conflict
3. How power reshapes the people who carry it in her novels
4. Worldbuilding inspired by real history, culture, and language
5. The pull of "found family" themes in fiction
6. Whether visual art and storytelling come from the same creative place

CONNECT WITH DARLENE CAMPBELL:

Website: darlenefranklincampbell-author.com

Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn: linked on her profile

Louis Swart has spent over 35 years building, scaling, and selling companies, managing more than 450 staff along the way. He's the founder of Ironbrij, a human-AI-powered virtual assistant company helping coaches avoid burnout and build self-sustaining businesses, and a published author who was a top 50 finalist in the Next Top Speaker competition.

In this episode, Louis breaks down the biggest mistake keeping coaches stuck doing everything themselves, a strongly held belief he's completely changed his mind about, and how delegation, elevation, and acceleration can turn "I don't know what to post" into a system that actually runs itself. He also shares a decision that looked wrong to others at the time but proved right later.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. The biggest mistake keeping coaches stuck doing it all themselves
2. A belief Louis completely changed his mind about
3. Delegate, Elevate, Accelerate as a business framework
4. A decision that looked wrong but proved right
5. What people consistently misunderstand about his work

CONNECT WITH LOUIS SWART:

Website: vip.ironbrij.com.au

Speaker resources: louisswart.com/resources/

Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn: linked on his profile

Resources Mentioned:

VIP Services (1-on-1 with Louis, create 6 months of content in 1 hour): clarify.ironbrij.com.au

VA Services (hire trained Virtual Assistants): va.ironbrij.com.au/home

Casual Services (on-demand access for business tasks): implement.ironbrij.com.au

Affiliate Program (partner with Ironbrij): affiliate.ironbrij.com.au/join

Free Guide: 150 Things to Delegate: resources.ironbrij.com.au/150-things-to-delegate

Free Guide: Your Support Checklist: resources.ironbrij.com.au/your-support-checklist

Russell Anders has been telling stories since he was four years old, interrupting his mother's bedtime reading to ask "Then what happened?" After a decade spent finishing a manuscript that publishers praised but never bought, he let it go, restarted, and finally received an offer letter a year later, with a new approach: give yourself permission to suck, you can always fix it later.

In this episode, Russell shares what it was like receiving universal praise for a book no one wanted to publish, the moment he realized studying writing less and simply writing more was the missing piece, and why he believes storytellers carry real responsibility for what they put into the world. He also breaks down the evolution of cyberpunk from the 80s to today.

What We Talked About:

1. Telling stories since he was four years old
2. A decade spent on a manuscript that never sold
3. Learning to write more and study less
4. The responsibility storytellers carry
5. Being an intentional audience, not a passive one
6. Cyberpunk then versus now

Connect with Russell Anders:

Website: russellandersbooks.com

Facebook & Instagram: linked on his profile

Jason C. Johnson Sr. is an author, conference speaker, licensed and ordained minister, and creator of The 4-Step Biblical Discernment Framework. After overcoming false teaching early in his own Christian walk, he's dedicated his ministry to equipping believers with practical, Scripture-based tools for evaluating sermons, prophecies, and Christian teaching. He hosts The Miseducation of God's People podcast and Fathers That Pray, a YouTube channel supporting fathers healing from narcissistic abuse and parental alienation.

In this episode, Jason breaks down the difference between biblical discernment and simply accumulating biblical knowledge, why sincere Christians sometimes end up embracing false teaching, and how believers can guard against deception without becoming cynical. He also opens up about his work with fathers navigating custody, healing, and faith after painful family experiences.

What We Talked About:

1. The difference between discernment and biblical knowledge
2. How sincere believers end up embracing false teaching
3. The 4-Step Biblical Discernment Framework
4. Distinguishing healthy spiritual growth from deconstruction
5. Supporting fathers through healing and faith on Fathers That Pray

Connect with Jason Johnson:

Website: discerntheword.com

Free eBook: The 4-Step Biblical Discernment Framework

YouTube, Instagram & TikTok: linked on his profile

At 67 years old, Beth Brookhart published her first book, the humorous historical fiction The Four Queens of the Buttonbush Museum. Drawing on 17 years serving on her local historical museum board, Beth turned the wild, sometimes chaotic reality of volunteer leadership into a story anyone who's ever served on a committee will recognize.

In this episode, Beth shares how nearly two decades of museum board drama became the foundation for her debut novel, what it was like breaking into publishing later in life as a former agricultural journalist, and why she believes volunteerism can both wreck an organization and create something spectacular. She also opens up about her second book, a novel she calls a "Field of Dreams" for women.

What We Talked About:

1. Publishing her first book at 67
2. How 17 years on a museum board became a novel
3. Writing humor rooted in real volunteer experiences
4. Transitioning from agricultural journalism to fiction
5. Encouraging others to pursue their dreams at any age

Connect with Beth Brookhart:

Website: bethbrookhart.com

Facebook & Instagram: linked on her profile

Hidden conversation with Angela page

Mohamed Nabil is an independent philosopher and author of multiple books, including The Bachelors of Egypt and My Interview with ChatGPT. He created AIDOP, AI Debates on One's Publications, prompting AI tools to critique his own work and publishing the unedited transcripts within 24 hours, and he's codified the concept of Enlightened Populism as an alternative to blind elitism and ignorant populism.

In this episode, Mohamed explains what AIDOP actually is and why radical transparency in argumentation matters, the difference between Blind Elitism, Ignorant Populism, and Enlightened Populism, and why he believes the world should be united under a single government ruled by citizen assemblies. He also breaks down his controversial stance on wealth caps and universal basic human rights.

What We Talked About:

1. What AIDOP is and how it works
2. Blind Elitism vs. Ignorant Populism vs. Enlightened Populism
3. Why he advocates for a single global government
4. The case for direct democracy through citizen assemblies
5. Setting a global wealth cap and universal basic rights

Connect with Mohamed Nabil:

Website: mohamednabil.world

Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, Instagram & LinkedIn: linked on his profile

Ken Webb served 33 years in the U.S. Army, rising to Lieutenant Colonel with combat deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo. But his battles began long before the military, growing up in a home marked by trauma and chaos. After retiring from the Army and later from American Airlines, Ken walked away from a contractor job to finally pursue something more meaningful: writing his debut psychological thriller, Trapped in Deception.

In this episode, Ken shares how much of his novel is drawn from real life, what he learned about leadership and mental toughness from decades of military service, and how surviving a difficult childhood shaped the resilience that carried him through it all. He also opens up about why he moved to Peru and what that shift has taught him about rebuilding a life on his own terms.

What We Talked About:

1. How much of Trapped in Deception comes from real life
2. Lessons in leadership and mental toughness from military service
3. Overcoming a difficult, trauma-marked childhood
4. Starting over and moving to Peru later in life
5. Advice for veterans rebuilding after trauma or loss

Connect with Kenneth Webb:

Website: kenwebb69.com

Facebook & YouTube: linked on his profile

Catherine Crestani is the author of My Virtual Obsession, a psychological novel exploring how loneliness and modern connection are reshaping relationships. With a background in speech pathology, business, and intuitive guidance, she's spent years observing how people communicate, attach, and often override what they know to be true in order to maintain connection.

In this episode, Catherine unpacks why people become emotionally attached so quickly in the digital age, the difference between real connection and something that just feels like it, and why loneliness plays such a powerful role in the relationships we choose to stay in. She also explores whether technology is pushing us toward a world where artificial connection starts to replace real intimacy.

What We Talked About:

1. Why we attach quickly, even in shallow connections
2. Real connection versus something that just feels real
3. The role loneliness plays in relationship choices
4. Confusing emotional intensity with true intimacy
5. How technology is reshaping modern dating and connection
6. The story behind her novel, My Virtual Obsession

Connect with Catherine Crestani:

Website: willowhealing.org/my-virtual-obsession

Podcast: Willow Healing Matters

YouTube, Instagram, Threads & Substack: linked on her profile

Wes Towers didn't learn marketing in a lecture hall, he learned it building his agency, Uplift 360, from scratch over more than 20 years, helping builders and trades turn websites and SEO into steady, qualified work. He's also the host of the podcast Built. Trusted. Chosen.

In this episode, Wes explains why so many construction companies still struggle to stand out online, the most costly website mistakes business owners make and how to fix them fast, and whether SEO is still relevant now that AI is reshaping how people search. He also shares how smaller firms with limited budgets can actually beat bigger brands online.

What We Talked About:

1. Why construction companies struggle to stand out online
2. The most costly website mistakes, and quick fixes
3. Whether SEO still matters in an AI-driven world
4. How smaller firms can outcompete bigger brands online
5. Building trust and credibility so buyers choose you first

Connect with Wes Towers:

Website: uplift360.com.au

Podcast: Built. Trusted. Chosen.

Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn & TikTok: linked on his profile