Beyond the Draft

What do you do when a cancer diagnosis, a failing relationship, and a decade of feeling like you're heading in the wrong direction all collide at once? For Janet Roberts, it became the beginning of not one, but two, complete career reinventions.

Janet Roberts is a former global leader in cybersecurity education and an award-winning novelist. At 39, facing a cancer diagnosis with even odds of survival, she wrote down her dream of publishing a novel and pinned it to her fridge. Years later, she built a pioneering career in cybersecurity education from scratch, becoming one of the first five people in the world doing that work with a communications background. After 16 years, she retired to finally write full-time, publishing four novels and a memoir, including the award-winning What Lies We Keep and her latest release, Wired For Magic.

In this episode, Janet shares how a cancer diagnosis in her late thirties reshaped her sense of what was possible, what it took to build an entirely new career in cybersecurity with no prior experience, and why she believes reinvention doesn't stop after 50, or even 64. She also opens up about what she wishes she'd known earlier, and how grief and loss became catalysts for redirecting her life.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. Writing her dream of publishing a novel on a piece of paper before chemo
2. Building a career in cybersecurity education from zero experience
3. Reinventing her life again in retirement to write full-time
4. What grief and near-fatal illness taught her about redirecting a life
5. Advice for pursuing a career you're not "100% qualified" for
6. Independently publishing fiction through her own imprint, Porch Swing Publishing

CONNECT WITH JANET ROBERTS:

Website: booksbyjanetroberts.com

Substack: "Let's start with coffee..."

What if seeing the world had nothing to do with how much money you had, and everything to do with how smart you were with what you had?

Linda King is the founder of The Smart Travelista, an author, travel writer, and travel coach with a background in travel agency work and banking. Her mission is simple: travel the world for less. Her latest book, Antics from Abroad: Hot Mess, brings her entertaining travel stories to the page.

In this episode, Linda shares some of her uncommon, surprisingly simple tricks for saving money before and during travel, how to build airline points and miles to fly for free, and how she blends her banking background with her love of travel to help others stretch every dollar further. She also opens up about traveling solo, sustainably, and mindfully, and how AI is starting to change the way people plan trips.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. Simple, uncommon tricks for saving money on travel
2. Building airline points and miles to fly for free
3. Using AI for smarter travel planning
4. Traveling solo, safely and confidently
5. Traveling more mindfully and sustainably
6. Stories behind her book, Antics from Abroad: Hot Mess

CONNECT WITH LINDA KING:

Website: (linked on her profile)

Book: Antics from Abroad: Hot Mess, available on Amazon

What does professional wrestling have to do with writing a novel? More than you'd think.

Chad Martin has lived more than one story worth telling, as an author, podcast host, certified personal trainer, internet radio station owner, and professional wrestler known as Big Daddy Storm. It took him fourteen years of writing, rewriting, and refusing to quit before he finally published his first novel, Hale County, in 2025. Today, he writes across genres from horror to fantasy to personal development, and hosts the FAFO Podcast, where he believes the best conversations happen without a script.

In this episode, Chad shares what professional wrestling taught him about commanding an audience and thinking on his feet, what kept him going through fourteen years of rejection before publishing his first novel, and why he believes consistency matters more than inspiration when it comes to creative work. He also opens up about the biggest misconception people have about being an author, and why so many people carry a book inside them they never write.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. - What professional wrestling taught him about storytelling and audience connection
2. - Fourteen years of writing and rejection before publishing Hale County
3. - Why consistency beats waiting for inspiration
4. - The biggest misconception people have about being an author
5. - Writing across multiple genres, from horror to personal development
6. - Why so many people never finish the book they're carrying inside them

CONNECT WITH CHAD MARTIN:

Website: chadrmartin.author-pages.com

Podcast: The FAFO Podcast

What does producing history with the Beatles have in common with writing a novel about Sasquatch? For Maxim Langstaff, it's the same instinct: chasing a great story wherever it leads.

Maxim Langstaff is a Grammy- and Emmy-nominated writer and producer whose work has reached millions worldwide, from producing The Making of Sgt. Pepper with Sir George Martin, to creating John Denver's acclaimed Wildlife Concert, to helping lead a $100 million fundraising effort for the Wildlife Conservation Society. SASQ'ET, his first novel, brings that same blend of serious research and cinematic storytelling to one of the world's most enduring mysteries.

In this episode, Maxim shares what led him from working alongside music legends to writing his debut novel, the real historical evidence behind the Sasquatch mystery that inspired SASQ'ET, and what years in major media production taught him about turning research into a story readers can't put down. He also opens up about why humans are drawn to mystery and the unknown, and where he personally lands on whether Bigfoot is real.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. - The path from producing the Beatles and John Denver to writing his first novel
2. - The real historical evidence behind the Sasquatch mystery
3. - Turning years of research into a page-turning adventure novel
4. - Lessons from working with music legends that shaped his storytelling
5. - Why humans need mystery, myth, and the unknown
6. - Does Maxim believe Bigfoot is real?

CONNECT WITH MAXIM LANGSTAFF:

Website: maximlangstaff.com

Book: sasqetthebook.com

Nataliya Falevich immigrated to the United States from Russia at 22 and spent the next two decades building what most people would call a successful life, three master's degrees, a thriving business in New York City, and three children. By every external measure, she'd achieved everything she was supposed to want. But beneath it lived a deeper question: what happens when the life you've built no longer reflects who you're becoming? That question became the foundation of her novel, Velvet Blade, and her Substack publication, Vulnerable Chaos.

In this episode, Nataliya opens up about the moment she realized a successful life and an authentic one aren't always the same thing, what immigrating at 22 taught her about reinvention and resilience, and why she believes the body often knows the truth long before the mind catches up. She also shares what inspired Velvet Blade, and why so many women feel unseen even when they're desired.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. - The question that changed everything: what happens when your life no longer fits who you're becoming
2. - What immigrating to the U.S. at 22 taught her about resilience
3. - The difference between being wanted and being truly seen
4. - What inspired her novel, Velvet Blade
5. - Listening to the wisdom of the body over the expectations of the mind
6. - Reconnecting with creativity after years of focusing on achievement

CONNECT WITH NATALIYA FALEVICH:

Website: nataliyafalevich.com

Substack: Vulnerable Chaos

What if finding your voice could become a lifelong adventure?

In this episode of Beyond the Draft, Imma sits down with narrator, actor, voice actor, writer, and storyteller Kris Keppeler.

Kris discovered her singing voice in junior high choir—and never stopped exploring what her voice could do.

From musical theatre and acting to film, voice acting, podcasting, writing, and narrating more than 50 audiobooks, her creative journey is a story of persistence and reinvention.

She was once told she would never learn to sing.

She kept singing anyway.

And that determination eventually led to a career filled with characters, stories, voices, and adventures.

TOGETHER, IMMA AND KRIS EXPLORE:

• Finding and developing your creative voice

• Moving from theatre into voice acting

• The art of audiobook narration

• Bringing written characters to life

• What authors should know about audiobooks

• Creativity, humor, and reinvention

• Why persistence can matter more than natural talent

Whether you're an author, actor, narrator, podcaster, or simply someone still searching for your voice, Kris's story offers an important reminder:

The voice you have today may only be the beginning.

She spent her career as an ICU nurse standing beside strangers in their final moments. And then the person in that bed was her mother.

Theresa Evans is the author of Choosing to Die — a deeply compassionate memoir about supporting her mother through medical assistance in dying. For three months she tended her mother's garden while navigating anticipatory grief, and that garden became the most powerful metaphor for everything they were all living through.

In this episode of Beyond the Draft, Theresa shares what anticipatory grief actually feels like, what a good death looks like, and what she most wants every caregiver and family walking this road right now to hear.

🎙️ Host: Imma | 📚 Guest: Theresa Evans — ICU Nurse · Author · Yoga Teacher · Somatic Educator | 🌐 theresaeevans.com

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

Jocelynn Flowers is the founder and CEO of J. Flowers Marketing, helping entrepreneurs scale without sacrificing connection or the heart behind their brand.

In this episode, Jocelynn shares the unexpected marketing lesson she learned outside of marketing itself, what human-first marketing looks like in a world of AI and automation, and a sign that someone might be optimizing for the wrong kind of success.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. Marketing lessons learned from early, unrelated jobs
2. What human-first marketing actually looks like
3. Where AI should and shouldn't be involved in a brand's voice
4. Signs you're chasing the wrong kind of growth

CONNECT WITH JOCELYNN FLOWERS:

Website: jflowersdigital.com

Free resource: jflowersdigital.com/30-day-social-media-prompts-299556

Sometimes the most beautiful words are born in the hardest seasons.

In this episode of Beyond the Draft, Imma welcomes poet and author Autumn Williams, whose bestselling, Kirkus-praised collection Clouds on the Ground and chapbook WAVES transform deeply personal experiences into powerful reflections on resilience, hope, motherhood, creativity, and life with chronic illness.

Autumn opens up about how chronic illness dramatically changed her life and how poetry became more than a creative outlet—it became a way to process loss, preserve hope, and find meaning in moments of stillness.

Together, they explore what happens when life doesn't follow the plan, how deeply personal stories can become universal, and why seasons that feel unproductive may still be nurturing something meaningful beneath the surface.

This is a conversation about finding beauty where you least expect it—and discovering that sometimes, hope arrives one page, one line, and one breath at a time.

Because difficult seasons don't always erase beauty. Sometimes, they reveal it.

What happens when a corporate marketing strategist and a children’s storyteller live in the same person?

In this episode of Beyond the Draft, Imma sits down with Annie Wyatt, an author, illustrator, marketing executive, and storyteller whose world beautifully blends data, AI, business, creativity, and imagination.

Annie shares how her work helping global technology companies build smarter marketing strategies connects surprisingly well with her passion for creating magical stories for children. She reflects on how her son helped her rediscover the power of seeing the world through curious eyes—and why adults should never stop exercising their imagination.

The conversation also explores AI and creativity, the importance of keeping the human touch in an increasingly digital world, and how to pursue creative passions even when life feels too busy.

From boardroom strategies to bedtime stories, Annie reminds us that logic and creativity don't have to compete—they can make each other better.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL DISCOVER:

1. Why great marketing is ultimately about storytelling
2. What children can teach adults about imagination
3. Where AI should—and shouldn't—replace human creativity
4. How to pursue your creative dreams alongside a demanding career
5. Why it's never too late to create something meaningful

🎧 Listen, share, and subscribe to Beyond the Draft for more conversations that uncover the stories, experiences, and lessons behind remarkable people.