Beyond the Draft

He knocked on heaven's door three times. Was turned away every single one. And then he came home and named his demons.

Josef Gonzalez — Scuba Joe — is a disabled Navy Seabee who survived three near-death experiences, PTSD, addiction, and the kind of inner warfare most people never speak about publicly. His framework is not about destroying your demons. It is about staying their landlord.

In this episode of Beyond the Draft, Joe shares the three near-death experiences, the Ayahuasca ceremony that changed everything, the warrior's framework built from the wreckage, and what he most wants the person in the middle of their own war to hear tonight.

🎙️ Host: Imma | 📚 Guest: Josef Gonzalez — Disabled Navy Seabee · Author · PTSD Survivor

Beyond the Draft — Where the real story begins after the writing is done. Your words have power. Your story matters. Keep writing.

What if money was never really about money?

In this episode of Beyond the Draft, Imma sits down with Amanda Cassar, financial adviser, author, speaker, philanthropist, and advocate for financial abuse awareness.

Amanda shares why true financial freedom goes beyond wealth—it’s about freedom, dignity, protection, relationships, purpose, and legacy.

She opens up about recognizing financial abuse, building a family business with her adult children, and the lessons she has learned from helping people navigate some of life’s biggest financial decisions.

A powerful conversation about using money as a tool for a meaningful life—not a source of pressure.

Connect with Amanda: https://amandacassar.com/⁠

Tanya Brody is an email marketing strategist with over 15 years of experience, who went from touring the U.S. with her Celtic band to helping businesses build loyal communities through nurture emails.

In this episode, Tanya shares the bridge between her music career and email marketing, the two biggest mistakes businesses make with their email lists, and how to finally revive an old, cold list that's been sitting untouched for years.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. From touring musician to email marketing strategist
2. The two biggest email marketing mistakes businesses make
3. Building the "know, like, and trust" factor
4. How to revive a neglected email list

CONNECT WITH TANYA BRODY:

Free subject line generator: emca.tanyabrodycopywriter.com/subject-line-generator

Hema Murty is an advanced yoga therapist, certified personal trainer, and nutrition coach who has spent over two decades helping women 40 to 60 move past pain, burnout, and gut issues without relying on quick fixes. She's the author of Professional Woman's Guide to Handling Stress.

In this episode, Hema shares the client moment that made her realize "pushing through" was part of the problem, why nervous system regulation is central to breaking the cycle of chronic pain and burnout, and how women can safely start strength training later in life without fear of injury.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. Why "pushing through" pain often makes things worse
2. The link between nervous system regulation and chronic pain
3. Training "the complete being," not just the body
4. How to safely start strength training after 50

CONNECT WITH HEMA MURTY:

Website: www.getshanti.com | www.getshanti.ca

What happens when a lifelong writer spends twenty-five years building a legal career instead, and then a global pandemic forces the choice back into his hands?

H. A. Callum is a writer, poet, and educator from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Before becoming an author, he spent over twenty-five years as a legal professional, working on some of the largest environmental, pharmaceutical, and financial cases in U.S. history. He nearly failed English in high school, yet went on to earn his MFA in Creative Writing from Drexel University and now teaches writing at Delaware Valley University. His debut novel, Whispers in the Alders, was published in 2018, with his newest young adult novel, Red, White & Buttercup, releasing in summer 2026.

In this episode, H. A. shares how a pandemic layoff, as a single parent to daughters with health needs, forced him to finally pivot to writing full-time, how his background in intellectual property law shapes his perspective on AI and creativity, and why he believes writers can grow and thrive alongside AI instead of fearing it. He also opens up about being a girl dad to five daughters, advocating for child protection laws, and why he tells his students that anyone can be a storyteller, no matter what they were told in school.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. - Nearly failing English, then earning an MFA in Creative Writing
2. - Pivoting to writing full-time after a pandemic layoff as a single parent
3. - How intellectual property law shapes his view of AI and creativity
4. - Why he believes AI can be an opportunity, not an enemy, for writers
5. - Advocating for child protection laws and food allergy awareness
6. - Redefining fatherhood as a single parent raising five daughters

CONNECT WITH H. A. CALLUM:

Website: hacallumwrites.com

Have you had your daily D.O.S.E. today, dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins? For Cathy Nesbitt, that's not a rhetorical question, it's a mission.

Cathy Nesbitt is a multi award-winning environmental innovator and the founder of Cathy's Crawly Composters, Cathy's Sprouters, and Cathy's Laughter Club. For over two decades, she's been on a mission to put worms in every living space, growing sprouts as nature's superfood, and using laughter yoga to fight what she calls a global mental health tsunami.

In this episode, Cathy explains how worm composting can help solve food security and soil health, why sprouts contain up to 100 times more digestive enzymes than raw vegetables, and how laughter yoga became a cornerstone of her own healing during a difficult season. She also shares why she believes laughter is the fastest happiness hack we have, and why we shouldn't leave it to chance.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. How worm composting supports soil health and food security
2. Why sprouts are considered nature's original fast food
3. The health benefits of laughter yoga, and how it found her
4. The science behind your daily "D.O.S.E." of feel-good chemicals
5. Bringing laughter into corporate team building
6. Her free weekly Chuckle Club

CONNECT WITH CATHY NESBITT:

Website: cathysclub.com

What does it actually feel like to look in the mirror and not recognize your own face?

Rowan Vale, writing under a pen name to protect his family's privacy, is the author of ENOUGH, a memoir about losing himself to addiction and the slow, unglamorous climb back. Seven months sober and still doing the daily work, he doesn't offer a tidy redemption arc, just the honest account of how a person actually gets lost, piece by piece, and how they find their way home.

In this episode, Rowan takes us to the moment he stopped recognizing himself in the mirror, unpacks the lie that keeps people believing they're "too far gone" to be reached, and shares the real difference between performing a life and actually living one. He also opens up about faith, fatherhood, and what it means to walk the path inward as the way home.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. The moment he didn't recognize his own face in the mirror
2. What "giving yourself away" actually looks like in a life
3. The lie that convinces people they're too far gone
4. The difference between performing a life and living one
5. How faith and fatherhood shaped his recovery
6. What he'd say to someone who feels past saving

CONNECT WITH ROWAN VALE:

Book: ENOUGH, available on Amazon and free on Kindle Unlimited

What happens when you stop trying to be "good" and start listening to what your nervous system has been trying to tell you all along?

Gazit Chaya Nkosi is an Autistic, AFAB trans/nonbinary, neurocomplex mystic and Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) provider who blends somatic parts work with nervous system regulation to help people who've tried every modality and still feel stuck in reactivity or dissociation. After decades of suicidal thinking, self-harm, and life falling apart again and again, they were eventually diagnosed with Autism, persistent post-concussive syndrome, and C-PTSD, a turning point that reshaped how they understand healing.

In this episode, Gazit Chaya shares what it means to build a life worth living after chronic trauma rather than trying to erase it, how parts work and somatic practices support neurodivergent and highly masked adults, and why boundaries, often mistaken for selfishness, can actually create deeper connection. They also open up about what being queer and gender-expansive after growing up in a rigid religious framework taught them about authenticity and inner truth.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. Building a life worth living instead of trying to erase trauma
2. How SSP and somatic parts work support neurocomplex nervous systems
3. Rethinking boundaries as a form of deeper connection, not selfishness
4. Untangling codependency and people-pleasing without losing connection
5. Spirituality as support for healing, without becoming spiritual bypassing
6. Authenticity and inner authority after growing up in a rigid religious framework

CONNECT WITH GAZIT CHAYA NKOSI:

Website: therootedcoop.com

Book: Holy Shit

What was it really like to be in a garage rock band chasing stardom in the mid-sixties, before any of it was called "classic rock"?

Manny Freiser is the author of Tracks in the Sands of Time, Volume I, a memoir about his life in rock and roll. He co-wrote garage rock classics "Let's Talk About Girls" and "Cry a Little Longer" as a member of The Grodes, a band that rocked Tucson, Arizona from 1965 to 1968, before Manny and co-lead singer Patti McCarron left for Los Angeles in search of stardom.

In this episode, Manny takes us back to the underground rock scene of the mid-sixties, how The Grodes came together and eventually broke apart, and what it was really like recording and performing during that era. He also shares stories about his relationships, his bandmates, and the adventures that inspired his memoir, with more to come in Volume II.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. How Manny got into songwriting
2. The formation and breakup of The Grodes
3. Patti McCarron joining the band
4. The recording process and rock band scene of the mid-sixties
5. Leaving Tucson for L.A. in search of stardom
6. Behind the stories in Tracks in the Sands of Time

CONNECT WITH MANNY FREISER:

Links available on his PodMatch profile

What if your next podcast episode wasn't just downloaded, but experienced live, on a stage, with a real audience cheering you on?

Jeff Revilla is the founder of Poduty Live, a podcast theater in Tarentum, PA, where creators turn their shows into live, monetizable events. With over 20 years in digital marketing and a decade in podcasting and live streaming, he's the author of The New Business Model for Podcasting, challenging the traditional "download-first" approach to the industry.

In this episode, Jeff shares the moment he decided to build a venue dedicated entirely to live podcasting, the biggest challenges he faced turning that vision into reality, and how podcasters can start thinking about monetization from day one instead of waiting for downloads to add up. He also opens up about what makes Poduty Live different from a traditional podcasting studio, and what it takes to turn listeners into active participants instead of passive consumers.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. The moment Jeff decided to build a live podcast theater
2. Rethinking podcasting's traditional "download-first" business model
3. Biggest challenges in turning Poduty Live into a reality
4. How live events can monetize a show from day one
5. Turning listeners into an engaged, participating community
6. What's next for Poduty Live

CONNECT WITH JEFF REVILLA:

Website: poduty.com