There I was, cleaning up the Aurora Media Productions studio when I came across a letter that Bill Kurtis passed along to me a decade ago. It was from a listener of the Earth Matters radio vignettes and the changes they made, that caused a positive ripple effect, simply from listening to a one-minute short-form show. Next thing I know, I'm firing up the microphone and launching "Earth Matters Monday" in an attempt to interject common sense into our uncommon times.

John McEuen has been called "A Father of Americana Music."

Best known as a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, he is a key figure in the history of American folk music. Born in Oakland, California, McEuen grew up outside of Los Angeles. He began playing the banjo at age 17, after hearing live bluegrass at a club near his home.

That night changed McEuen’s life. He introduced his high school friend, comedian Steve Martin, to the banjo and both fell in love with the instrument together. John would go on to an incredible Grammy Award winning career, and shares his latest effort "The Newsman-A Man of Record" a spoken word album that is shaking up the charts. 

An unplanned, early morning jaunt to grab some donuts, and a chance encounter with a woman who just lost her dad a month ago, kick-started this Father's Day episode. Add in some of my most profound (and often difficult) memories of my dad as well as a couple of his favorite songs, and this being my 20th year without him, goes to prove as my friend Conrad Reeder says, that the grief you feel is equal to or greater than the love you have for those you have lost.

I'm just back from a trip to the UP of Michigan, and it was another perspective-changing experience. It was the end of an era for The Naked Men's Club, a sacred ritual that was given form by the loss of two young people back in 2002. As with all things, I was reminded that as the late, great Wayne Dyer said, "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." A little musical help from America's Troubadour-David Stoddard-helps to round out the reminder that it's both choice and chance that determines the path of our lives.

After some serious behind-the-scenes stuff regarding this podcast, I've decided to mush on with it for now. I couldn't miss the chance to wish my friend and legendary Chicago Cubs catcher Randy Hundley a happy 82nd birthday! I've dropped a vintage clip of Randy on The Dr. Oz Show from Oprah Radio and to top off the show, a fantastic song written and performed by Phil Lynch, celebrating the life and legacy of "The Rebel."

Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. It is a day for visiting cemeteries and memorials to mourn the military personnel who died in the line of duty. 

There's nothing happy about it.

Like many things, it's been hijacked by retailers as another way to sell mattresses, tires, and furniture, but the other side to all that stuff is the Gold Star families who will forever mourn the loss of their loved ones who died in combat. To that end, this is a composite episode of my other Memorial Day podcasts all rolled into one.

Lest we forget.

In 1993, John Berry scored his first #1 hit "Your Love Amazes Me" and at the very same time, he was battling a brain tumor. Since then, JB has gone on to become one of the most iconic voices in music, and he joins me to talk about that breakthrough hit and the songs that have kept him on the road for the past 30 years. Also, there's a great story about John's version of "O Holy Night" and even though Christmas is still 7 months away, I had to include it in this episode of the Life 2.0 Podcast.

We are smack dab in the middle of Military Appreciation Month, and it's Armed Forces Day. Taking a little bit of a different track on all this, as the further I get from my days in the United States Coast Guard, the more I appreciate all that I learned, the people I served with, and the motto of "Semper Paratus" (Always Ready.) Also, I would be remiss if I didn't include the voice of the man who has been a great friend and influence in my life, the late, great Lt. Lionel R. Munsey in this episode.

Every time I water the plants or work in the yard I think of her. Or whenever my voice goes up a few octaves if the Cubs aren't playing top-notch baseball or some injustice in the world needs to be fixed. My mom was a complicated person, and while we had our share of challenges, it wasn't until she passed away at the age of 59 that I was able to see her not as I thought she should be, but rather as who she was...my greatest teacher.

If there is one thing that grinds my gears, it is the onslaught of drug commercials on nearly every media outlet humans are connected to. There's gotta be a better way to find healing, especially when it comes to the mental health challenges we all face, as our collective PTSD runs rampant. My guest this week, Dr. Judy Tsafrir the author of Sacred Psychiatry offers up some holistic approaches to stave off the erosion of life, how to handle the inevitable wake-up calls, and stop the energy vampires from sucking the life out of you.