Frank Joseph is the award-winning author of the Chicago Trilogy, three novels, To Love Mercy, To Walk Humbly, and To Do Justice, that tell the story of a city torn apart by racial turmoil at mid century. As a white boy growing up on Chicago's South Side, Frank lived through the disruption of a racially changing neighborhood and the "white flight" that followed. Later, as an Associated Press journalist, he covered the '60s riots firsthand.

In this episode, Frank shares what it was like growing up as race became an inescapable presence in his childhood, what it felt like to cover an inner-city riot as a young journalist, and why he chose fiction over memoir to tell this story. He also opens up about the Jewish and Christian threads running through his trilogy, and why he left Chicago in 1969 vowing never to return.

What We Talked About:

1. Growing up on Chicago's South Side during racial upheaval
2. Covering the '60s riots as an AP journalist
3. Why he chose fiction over memoir to tell this story
4. The Christian and Jewish threads throughout the trilogy
5. Why he left Chicago in 1969 and vowed never to return

Connect with Frank Joseph:

Website: frankjoseph.com

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

After 46 years working inside large corporations and governments, Kevin Coleman realized that all of that work was silently slipping away, and that at the end of his life, there would be little to show he'd been there. So he wrote a book. Then another. He's now the owner and publisher at Northern Forest Publishing, an independent hybrid publisher specializing in professional business books, and he's working on his sixth book of his own.

In this episode, Kevin shares the realization that pushed him to start writing after decades in the corporate world, how that first book led him into building a full publishing company, and what he tells someone who knows their topic but isn't sure they have enough ideas for an entire book. He also breaks down the different ways a business book can actually be used once it's published.

What We Talked About:

1. The realization after 46 years that pushed him to start writing
2. Turning self-publishing knowledge into a publishing business
3. What to do if you have a topic but aren't sure you have "enough" for a book
4. Four effective ways to actually use your business book
5. Choosing the right publisher in a noisy marketplace

Connect with Kevin Coleman:

Website: northernforestpublishing.com

Facebook & LinkedIn: linked on his profile

Robert J. Wolf, MD, is a neuroradiologist and the award-winning author of Not a Real Enemy: The True Story of a Hungarian Jewish Man's Fight for Freedom, a biography about his father, a four-time escape artist who survived both Nazi and Communist Hungary. Ervin Wolf escaped the Nazis twice, only to later risk everything again to flee communism in the dead of a winter night.

In this episode, Robert shares why he felt compelled to tell his father's story now, what it was like uncovering a chapter of the Holocaust so few people know about, and why he's donating 10% of his book proceeds to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. He also talks about his mission to bring this history into classrooms to help address rising antisemitism.

What We Talked About:

1. His father's four escapes from Nazi and Communist Hungary
2. Uncovering a little-known chapter of Holocaust history
3. Why he wrote the book now, given today's rising antisemitism
4. Donating proceeds to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
5. His mission to bring this story into classrooms

Connect with Robert Wolf:

Website: robertjwolfmd.com

Book: mybook.to/I3hEA5

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

Nancy K. Napier spent over 35 years as a Distinguished Professor at Boise State University, studying organizational creativity and leading executive programs in Vietnam, before becoming a mystery novelist. Her debut, A Case of Too Many Deaths, follows a rookie lawyer racing to save an aunt on death row, while her second novel, The Art of Lies, set in Hanoi's art world, explores a museum curator uncovering forgeries tied to her own family.

In this episode, Nancy shares what it was like becoming a beginner again after decades as the expert in the room, how her academic research into creativity shaped, or complicated, her own creative process, and what she calls "formalized curiosity," poking and prying with purpose in service of a story. She also opens up about researching genetics, courtrooms, and art forgery for her two very different novels.

What We Talked About:

1. Becoming a beginner again after 35+ years as an academic expert
2. How studying creativity shaped her own creative process
3. Researching genetics and courtrooms for her debut novel
4. Uncovering how art forgery works for The Art of Lies
5. Finding ideas from Vietnam to Botswana to her own backyard

Connect with Nancy Napier:

Website: nancyknapier.com

Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn: linked on her profile

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]