Beyond the Draft

What happens when someone who wasn't raised around horses decides their dream job is becoming a horse veterinarian?

Matt Evans is a horse veterinarian, stand-up comedian, and author of Chomping at the Bit: How I Became a Horse Vet (Against All Common Sense), a comedic memoir publishing through Simon & Schuster's Permuted Press. Inspired by reading too much James Herriot as a child, Matt chased a dream he was, by his own admission, wildly unqualified for, and found no shortage of laughs along the way.

In this episode, Matt shares when he first realized real veterinary life looked nothing like the books that inspired him, how not growing up around horses shaped his imposter syndrome as a young vet, and how stand-up comedy and painting sustain him in ways veterinary medicine can't. He also opens up about the emotional toll of equine medicine and what helped him stay certain this was still his dream job.

What We Talked About:

- How James Herriot's books sparked a wildly unlikely dream

- Overcoming imposter syndrome without a horse background

- The real emotional toll of equine veterinary medicine

- Balancing stand-up comedy, painting, and veterinary work

- What he hopes readers outside vet medicine take from his story

Connect with Matt Evans:

Website: mattevanscomic.com

Instagram & TikTok: linked on his profile

Fiction Born from a Search for a Birth Mother

What happens when a search for your birth mother turns into a historical novel spanning generations?

Mark Jamilkowski is a historical fiction author, co-founder of a healthcare start-up, and the author of The Road to Moresco, inspired by his personal search for his birth mother, and Mask of Romulus, exploring the relationship between ancient Rome and India. Critics have praised his deep research and immersive storytelling, drawing comparisons to The Remains of the Day and the works of Conn Iggulden and Mary Beard.

In this episode, Mark shares how researching the real women behind The Road to Moresco became one of the most emotional and vulnerable projects of his life, how he balances historical accuracy with narrative imagination, and what drew him to explore ancient Rome's connection with India in his second novel. He also opens up about how his passions for music, photography, and cooking shape his literary voice.

What We Talked About:

1. Discovering his birth mother's story through research
2. Turning real historical events into emotional fiction
3. Balancing historical accuracy with imaginative storytelling
4. Exploring Rome and India's relationship in Mask of Romulus
5. How music, photography, and cooking shape his writing

Connect with Mark Jamilkowski:

Website: mark-jamilkowski-author.com

Twitter/X, Pinterest & LinkedIn: linked on his profile

What happens when you return to teach at your own high school nearly thirty years later, and it's been transformed from nearly all-white to one of the most diverse schools in Virginia?

Lee Knapp is an award-winning history educator and author of the memoir I'm History...but do I repeat myself?, which weaves her own fraught Southern history into America's complicated story of race, religion, and reinvention. The book moves through her spiritual journey out of a controlling evangelical church, the collapse of a 32-year marriage followed by an unexpected late-life romance, and the reckoning of confronting her beloved grandmother's participation in a 1921 lynching viewing.

In this episode, Lee shares what it was like teaching students like Abdul, Kosal, and Farid, whose immigrant stories reshaped how she saw the Richmond she grew up in, how she came to terms with her grandmother's history of white supremacy, and why she believes loving your family or your country requires honestly confronting what they've done. She also opens up about her exit from a controlling charismatic church and the late-life romance that began by skipping a pep rally.

What We Talked About:

1. Returning to teach at her newly diverse alma mater
2. Students whose immigrant stories reshaped her worldview
3. Confronting her grandmother's history of racism
4. Leaving a controlling evangelical church behind
5. An unexpected late-life romance after divorce
6. Why history repeats, and how individuals can break the pattern

Connect with Lee Knapp:

Website: linked on her profile

Book: available on Amazon

Facebook, LinkedIn & Substack: linked on her profile

What does it take to keep multiple creative projects alive while working retail and caring for a grandmother full-time?

Michael Stangeland is the author of the science fiction novel Junkworld: The Ballad of Leroy Brown and the children's fairy tale The Taming of the Moon Dragon, both published through hybrid publishing services. Beyond his published work, he has a growing folder of unpublished books, scripts, and potential projects always in some stage of development, all while balancing a day job in retail and serving as an in-home caretaker for his grandmother.

In this episode, Michael shares where his inspiration for Junkworld actually came from, how he decided to become a writer in the first place, and what it's like juggling creative ambition with the real, unglamorous demands of everyday life. He also opens up about the biggest challenges he faces when writing, and offers advice for other writers trying to create amid life's competing responsibilities.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. The inspiration behind Junkworld: The Ballad of Leroy Brown
2. Writing a children's fairy tale alongside science fiction
3. Balancing creative work with retail and caretaking responsibilities
4. The biggest challenges he faces as a writer
5. Advice for other writers juggling life and creative ambition
6. What's next in his growing folder of unfinished projects

CONNECT WITH MICHAEL STANGELAND:

Substack: mkstangelandjr.substack.com

Co-author Section

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