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

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.