Kentucky Romance Author Podcast

"Parents, never give up. Doctors do the best they can, but they don't know everything. And do not underestimate God." -Eileen Hornback

"Stay the course and fight, fight, fight. Don't give up." -Zack Hornback

On this week's show is Eileen Hornback, the author of the International Best-Seller, Breathe and her son, Zack, Eileen's inspiration behind the book. Fun fact! Eileen is also de de's best friend while Eileen's daughter, Logan starred as the female cover model for Two Degrees One Heart.

Today, you will get to know more about Eileen and Zack, and why de de loves them so much. Eileen is a woman of faith and resilience. In 2005, Eileen experienced a parent's worst nightmare when Zack got into a terrible car accident. Diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, his doctors said that Zack has little to no chance of survival. Follow their story as Eileen relates how she kept her faith through every second of their darkest moments, which is also the theme of her book. Learn real life lessons about being invested in God's plan, not discounting a person's faith in the healing process, being advocates for your children's recovery, and guiding them to make good decisions. Most of the time, we are amazed by what a little prayer can do. Tune in and witness a living miracle with this mother and son duo!

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Highlights:

03:59 A Mother's Worst Nightmare

08:47 Breathe

13:28 The Power of Prayer

18:30 An Unexpected Gift

22:38 The Role Faith Plays

25:47 Never Give Up!

27:28 Stay the Course

"It's okay to be different. It's okay to be unique. Stand apart from the crowd, you don't want to always fit in. If you have a disability, turn it into an ability. Use that to empower other people." -Bria Byrd

Bria Byrd was born with visual impairment called Amblyopia. Amblyopia or lazy eye, is a condition where an abnormal development of the nerves between the brain and the retina causes vision problems in one eye. It usually begins in childhood and if left untreated, symptoms may worsen and lead to permanent vision loss. In this episode, Bria shares how it's like to live with this disability as a teen with big dreams. As a Sophomore, pageant contestant, author, and volunteer for many organizations, Bria sure has a lot going on in her life. As exciting as it sounds, Bria also needs to overcome the challenges that come with them. Bria's story proves that neither age nor disability can stop you from pursuing your dreams. Tune in as she shares tips on how to manage your disabilities, balance time, and reach your goals. Anyone can advocate and inspire others. Like Nike's famous slogan says, "Just do it!" and you'll find that it was not as scary or complicated as you thought it would be.

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Highlights:

01:54 You Are Unique

04:10 A Disability That Affects Children

10:03 Facts and Misconceptions About Pageantry

15:02 How to Balance Time

19:12 Be Like Nike

"It might seem difficult but you need to keep your head up because there's the end goal for you. Know what that goal is and keep pushing for it every single day no matter the setbacks." -Savannah Dean Reeves

Success starts with dreams. So now that you have set your heart on something, you're off with a good start! You just need a little inspiration and courage to keep going. This week's conversation will give you that boost you need! Savannah Dean Reeves loves music more than anything else. You may already be familiar with her as the pretty face from the cover of Stolen Roses. But did you know? Savannah also wrote the theme song for the book and even starred as Evergreen for the book's music video. In this episode, Savannah shares her music journey and how she works to make her dreams come true. In addition to her music, Savannah is also busy preparing for college, volunteering, and doing charity work. Find out how she does them all despite her young age, and what parents can learn about supporting their children along the journey.

Fear of failure and rejection have hindered many from realizing their dreams. But as Savannah says, you will get there if you "keep trying everyday." Tune in and find out how you can get your music out on records and music platforms as Savannah shares helpful resources and tips!

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Highlights:

02:05 Living with a "CSI" Mom

05:12 Stolen Roses Behind the Scenes

11:48 On The Voice InstaBlinds

15:21 Close Your Eyes

18:55 Songs and Teddy Bears

22:02 Keep Pushing Forward

24:21 Be a Mom-nager

26:34 Get Your Music Out!

"Save one life, save one career, save one family." -Claudette Patton

According to a survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the legal field belongs to the top 25 most stressful jobs. Mountains of paperwork, billing pressures, overtimes, deadlines, client demands, and not to mention, court battles- even the toughest lawyer will at some point succumb to burn out. This week, we will look deeper into the lawyer's mind with Claudette Patton. With 30 years of experience, Claudette became an expert in the vast arena of the legal industry including mediation, litigation, and education. Claudette talks about the factors contributing to mental health issues among lawyers and simple ways you can do to care for your mental well-being. Stress, substance abuse, and depression do not discriminate between professions. Whatever field you're in, you will need assistance when pressures and adversities try to break you. Tune in and discover resources that can provide the help you need, at the same time maintaining confidentiality.

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Highlights:

03:17 Stress and Suicide Among Lawyers

07:00 Lawyer Assistance Program

10:35 What Makes Lawyers Susceptible to Mental Issues

14:01 Save One

19:55 Simple Ways to Take Care of Your Mental Health

25:31 The Congressional Awards

"Being able to talk to somebody and spread the word not only about yourself, is not going to help just you. It's going to help everybody else that is in need of your words and what you've been through." -Heaven Redmon

Well, you've met the male model of de de's books from episode 3- no other than her only son, Bo Cox. Today, you will also get to know more about one of the female models and also de de's friend, Heaven Redmon. Heaven was Bo's partner in Furternity Leave. Growing up, Heaven always had the heart to serve others. And this dream came true when she founded Heaven's Angel Food, a charity dedicated to helping starving children across Kentucky (which is also the theme of de de's upcoming book). As a youth with so many accomplishments and big dreams, Heaven shares how you too can create big changes from small acts of kindness. If your goal is to impact the world, Heaven shares one thing that will help you do just that. Tune in!

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Highlights:

01:35 Pageantry vs Book Cover Modeling

05:49 Challenges in Portraying a Character

06:48 Heaven's Angel Food

08:38 How You Can Support Heaven's Angel Food

10:44 Little Pieces of Heaven

14:22 Spread the Word

"We hype ourselves up on fear so much that we don't even try… Forget your haters, forget everybody around you. Talk yourself out of it. Once you start not being afraid to fail, you start going forward." -Andre Wilson

"Follow your dreams" is probably one of the boldest advice. For one, because only a few will actually do it and second, a small number of those "few" will have the guts to follow through until they succeed. Today, de de interviews Style Icon and Fashionista extraordinaire, Andre Wilson. Andre wears many hats but he always makes sure these works are congruent to the path he chose. But to follow their dreams, de de and Andre have to have more than passion and knowledge- they needed skills and wisdom to overcome the storms along the way. Join in as they share their secret to handling pressure, overcoming fear and failure, learning and relearning, and being imbalanced-ly balanced. Life is a "beautiful chaos" and it is definitely worth dreaming for. Like a lovely painting, yours too can be a breath-taking work of art if you continue working on it. Forget the fear and self-doubt. Instead, remember why you started dreaming in the first place. So, keep pushing forward, because when regrets take the place of our dreams, it is a lifetime wasted.

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Highlights:

02:16 Inside the Fashion World

07:43 Why Details Matter

09:45 Handling Pressure

13:55 Be a Student

16:39 Fail Fast, Fail Often

19:39 How to Balance Time- Or NOT!

21:31 Life is a Beautiful Chaos

I don't have a lot of money because I am young, but I do have a lot of time. And that's all it takes … to change someone's life." -Brooklyn Roller

All she wanted for Christmas was a puppy- and in 2012, Brooklyn's wish finally came true when Buddy, an adorable little Yorkie, became part of her family. Sadly, on April 8, 2018, they lost Buddy due to an illness. Brooklyn was able to turn this heartbreak into a ray of hope for many children, hence, the birth of her book, Adventures of Buddy Luv. Brooklyn is truly an inspiration for young people as she spends her time and strength helping others. In this episode, Brooklyn talks about her work at the Dream Factory and gives advice about conquering fear and being a young children's author. Like Brooklyn, you too can create an impact because the truth is, you are never too young! Your ability to help is greater than your limitations. Tune in and spread the love. As Brooklyn says, "everybody needs some Buddy to Luv".

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Highlights:

01:38 What is Involved in Philanthropy

05:25 The Dream Factory

08:33 What's Next for Brooklyn?

12:02 You're Never Too Young!

15:08 Build a Bed

17:24 Overcome the Fear

"Put yourself out there and don't be afraid to work for free!" -Austin Ozier

Photography and videography are more than capturing a scene portrayed in a script. It involves a creative mind and a heart that understands how to captivate an audience. A person who has these qualities is definitely a gem when you are doing a photo shoot or filming a music video or teaser. Today, you will have a glimpse of this exciting job as De De sits with her videographer, Austin Ozier. Austin shares tips on how to create a professional-looking video, gain more views, create a comfortable working environment, spark connections, and help the models or actors relax so they can work at their best for the shoot. If you are leaning towards this field, this episode is for you!

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Highlights:

01:00 Meet Austin!

03:06 The Demographic on Social Media

07:48 Photography/Videography Tips

12:43 Filming Challenges

15:10 Step Up!

"Doing a photoshoot with one of your friends is not as plain chemistry, it's plain as friendship." -Bo Cox

If you ever wondered about the handsome face on every cover of de de's books, well, you're in for a treat today! In this episode, de de introduces him to the world- no other than her one and only son, Isaiah Bo Cox. Bo talks about the typical life of a male model. He shares the joys and blessings of this job and the most challenging part, which most of us can definitely relate to. Aside from modeling, Bo also devotes a huge chunk of his time to study (Bo is currently a nursing student). Like most Millenials, Bo is also into gaming. Tune in for relatable stories with online classes, and if you are interested in gaming, find out how you can connect with Bo. Bo also introduces his fellow models- their cute, adorable fur babies. That being said, check out the first of de de's new series about animal rescue: Furternity Leave.

Bo is also nominated as Heart of Hollywood Male Cover Model 2021. If you want to show your love and support for him, you can cast your vote here.

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Highlights:

02:02 Models' Chemistry

05:06 Meet the Furbabies!

06:15 Online School Challenges

08:34 The Long Hair's Charm

"[Animals] need the love. And you don't understand what kind of love they can give you." -Pat Gary

Furry… Feathery… Scaly…

They come in different sizes, coats, colors, and even personalities! Today, we will talk about one of your favorite topics- your animal babies. We are blessed to have such loyal, loving buddies. We can say, these babies are the embodiment of joy, warmth, and sweetness. For thousands of years, humans learned to domesticate animals, and many people took it to a whole new level by rescuing them. Sadly, a great number of our animal friends fell victim to cruelty, neglect, and abandonment. So one of the best gifts we can give them is a new home and a loving family. Join de de and Pat Gary as they talk about all things animal rescue, judging others, and books! If you're wondering where de de got the title for her book, Stolen Roses- it was Pat's idea. Tune in and hear the story behind this title and more funny anecdotes from today's episode!

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Highlights:

01:32 Title Ideas Turn Into Good Books

06:48 Why Judging is Never A Good Idea

09:34 Rescuing Furry Babies

14:29 Loving Animals

16:07 Don't Judge Others