Beyond the Draft

Marita Littauer is the author of 20 books, including her bestseller Wired That Way, which has remained in continuous publication and relevant for over 20 years. The daughter of renowned speaker Florence Littauer, Marita was immersed in personality theory from the age of nine, and has spent decades helping people understand themselves and strengthen their relationships through The Personalities.

In this episode, Marita explains why understanding your personality type can transform your closest relationships, why we're so often drawn to marry someone completely opposite from us, and what makes The Personalities different from other personality frameworks out there. She also shares the story behind The Best-Life Project, her initiative helping women over 60 live their best lives.

What We Talked About:

1. Why understanding personality type improves relationships
2. Why opposites often attract in marriage
3. What sets The Personalities apart from other frameworks
4. The dream that inspired The Best-Life Project
5. Why so many women feel their life is "over" after 60

Connect with Marita Littauer:

Website: thepersonalities.com

Blog for women 60+: livingyourbestlife60plus.com

Facebook & Instagram: linked on her profile

Courtney Barriger is an award-winning artist, published author, and sustainable fashion designer exploring the intersection of fashion, psychology, mythology, and human consciousness. She's the author of ReFashion Workshop and founder of Holding Court Inc., a sustainable luxury fashion brand, and her current project, The Royal Robe, is an animated feature exploring dreams, symbolism, and the subconscious mind.

In this episode, Courtney breaks down what microplastics actually are, how they enter our homes and bodies through clothing, and why fast fashion's impact goes far beyond the environment into human psychology and identity. She also shares the practical first steps anyone can take to "detox" their wardrobe, and why she believes storytelling matters more than ever in the age of AI.

What We Talked About:

1. What microplastics are and how clothing contributes to them
2. The psychological and emotional impact of what we wear
3. Practical first steps to detox your wardrobe
4. Why she built Holding Court Inc. as a sustainable luxury brand
5. Storytelling, mythology, and consciousness in The Royal Robe
6. The role of artists in shaping the future of humanity

Connect with Courtney Barriger:

Website: holdingcourtinc.com/pages/refashion-workshop

Podcast: ReFashion Workshop

Instagram, Threads & Substack: linked on her profile

Charlie Sheppard is a professor of leadership, founder of World Bridge University, and biotech cofounder working on next-generation cancer therapies. He's the author of Get Off the Fence: You Matter More Than You Realize and the bestselling Save Your Drama for Your Mama, and he's known for creating the distinction between the reactive Drama Triangle and his Leadership Triangle framework.

In this episode, Charlie explains why climate change became the issue that challenged him more than any other, what systems thinking actually means and why it matters for understanding complex crises, and how people can move from feeling powerless to reclaiming real agency. He also shares his work co-founding a biotech company developing a molecule aimed at making cancer survivable.

What We Talked About:

1. Why climate change became his defining challenge
2. What systems thinking is and why it matters
3. Moving from Victim to Visionary in his Leadership Triangle
4. Reclaiming personal agency in the face of overwhelming issues
5. Separating climate action from political identity
6. His biotech work developing cancer-fighting therapies

Connect with Charlie Sheppard:

Website: linked on his profile

Book: a.co/d/dRalmHP

Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn: linked on his profile

Sheila Krygsheld is a Bible teacher, researcher, and author holding advanced degrees in Biblical Studies and Cultural Apologetics. She's the author of What Makes You Say That? How to Study What You Believe So You Can Share It with Others, and has taught religion at the college level while serving in worship, mentoring, and church leadership roles.

In this episode, Sheila shares why your personal story matters more than having all the answers when sharing your faith, how journaling through Scripture can help clarify beliefs you're unsure about, and what it means to develop a strong Christian worldview in today's world. She also opens up about the honor of receiving a senior coin from her students, and what teaching young people has taught her about faith and mentorship.

What We Talked About:

1. Why your personal story matters more than having all the answers
2. Journaling as a tool to clarify and solidify your beliefs
3. Developing a strong Christian worldview
4. Teaching apologetics to college students
5. Building confidence to share your faith with others

Connect with Sheila Krygsheld:

Website: linked on her profile

Book: available on Amazon

Facebook & LinkedIn: linked on her profile

Lauretta Zucchetti grew up in Italy believing submission was simply part of being a woman. By fourteen, she was surviving largely on her own. In her early twenties, she immigrated to California and, within a year, became the #3 sales representative at Xerox in the entire United States. She later built a career at Apple Computer International, traveling the world fluent in four languages, before eventually walking away from corporate success that required abandoning herself.

In this episode, Lauretta shares how early conditioning and conditional love quietly shaped her decisions long before she was aware of them, the mindset shift that took her from survival to top sales performance, and why she believes it's never too late to reinvent yourself. She also opens up about the moment telling herself the truth became non-negotiable, and how that changed everything.

What We Talked About:

1. Growing up believing submission was simply part of life
2. Surviving largely alone from age fourteen
3. Rising to a top sales career at Xerox and Apple
4. How early conditioning shapes decisions without our awareness
5. The moment self-honesty became non-negotiable
6. Why it's never too late to reinvent yourself

Connect with Lauretta Zucchetti:

Website: laurettazucchetti.com

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

Zac Baldwin has lived a life most novelists could only invent: a dancer turned choreographer, a live-action stunt performer in old-west reenactments, a street-fighting self-defense instructor, and eventually a novelist. His latest book, The Legend of Johnnie Swann, features a kickass female street fighter and honors the stories of real Vietnam veterans who asked him to fictionalize their experiences and tell them to the world.

In this episode, Zac shares how a childhood obsession with a Fred Astaire musical led him into decades of dance, stunt work, and stage writing, why he refused to change his female action lead to male despite being offered good money to do so, and how real veterans' stories became the foundation for Johnnie Swann's fighting style. He also talks about his years bouncing between odd jobs while chasing a career in Hollywood.

What We Talked About:

1. From a Fred Astaire musical at age 6 to a lifetime in the arts
2. Choreographing and performing in old-west stunt shows
3. Refusing to change his female lead character to male
4. How real Vietnam veterans' stories shaped Johnnie Swann
5. Bouncing between odd jobs while chasing Hollywood

Connect with Zac Baldwin:

Book: available on Barnes & Noble

Email: [email protected]

Silent Episode with Nancy

Ashley

Briana Bass writes romance and romantasy stories for modern Christian women, alongside gentle, spiritually grounded resources for women and teens navigating tender seasons of faith. With fifteen years of youth ministry experience and eleven years in higher education, she creates cozy, emotionally honest spaces where women feel seen, safe, and deeply understood.

In this episode, Briana shares how her own faith journey has shaped her writing, how she discerns what God is inviting her to create in each season, and what her years in youth ministry taught her that still shows up in her stories today. She also opens up about writing for women who feel caught between certainty and doubt, and what she hopes readers feel after finishing one of her books.

What We Talked About:

1. How her faith journey shapes her writing
2. Balancing imagination, theology, and emotional honesty
3. Discerning what to create in each creative season
4. Lessons from fifteen years in youth ministry
5. Writing for women who feel "in the middle" of faith

Connect with Briana Bass:

Website: authorbrianabass.com

Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram & LinkedIn: linked on her profile

Liza Jacob is a seasoned audiobook narrator with over 30 titles produced across romance, cozy mystery, fantasy, and speculative fiction, and more than 10 accents mastered. Having worked closely with producers, engineers, and authors, she brings a rare insider's view of exactly where audiobooks succeed, and where they quietly fail.

In this episode, Liza breaks down what's really happening in the first few chapters that determines whether listeners finish a book or abandon it, the performance choices most indie authors don't realize are costing them retention, and how her unique perspective as both narrator and author shapes the advice she gives.

What We Talked About:

1. Why some audiobooks get abandoned by chapter four
2. Performance choices that quietly cost authors listeners
3. Choosing between AI narration and human narration
4. What narrators wish authors understood but rarely say out loud
5. How to choose the right narrator for your book

Connect with Liza Jacob:

Website & free guide: lizajacob.com/indie-authors

TikTok: linked on her profile