Living The Next Chapter: Candid Conversations with Authors and Writers for Readers Searching for a New Read

EPISODE 733 - Joel Steele - Life Switch - How to Experience the Power of Living ON by Discovering Your Potential, Passion, and Purpose

Joel Steele joins the conversation to explore the journey behind his book Life Switch—a project rooted in the idea that anyone can learn to “flip the switch” from living an ordinary life to an extraordinary one. Speaking from his home in southern New Jersey, Joel blends real-life stories, raw honesty, and practical lessons that challenge listeners to rethink how they approach success, failure, and personal growth.

Joel’s message begins with a simple but crucial insight for aspiring authors: a great book alone isn’t enough. Without an audience or a network, even a life-changing message risks being unheard. He reflects on his own experience of releasing a well-received book without first building a following, encouraging new writers to spend just as much time creating relationships as they do crafting their manuscripts.

From there, Joel dives deep into the personal transformation that birthed Life Switch. Once describing himself as “average to below average in everything,” he shares the moment he decided to redefine his limitations. Asking the question “Why can’t I?” became the catalyst for achieving one goal after another. He calls this awakening the moment he turned his life switch “on.” By visualizing his goals, writing them down, and pursuing them with commitment, he proved that seeing is believing—and believing is achieving.

At the heart of his philosophy are the “Three P’s”: Potential, Passion, and Purpose. Potential reminds us that our capability is limitless, expanding each time we push past old boundaries. Passion fuels that drive, offering the excitement and energy that makes hard work feel meaningful. And Purpose serves as our personal GPS—without it, Joel says, we’re simply driving in circles. Together, these principles form the backbone of the Life Switch mindset.

Joel shares compelling personal stories, including the cautionary lessons from a risky real estate partnership that turned into a test of responsibility and resilience. He reflects on how taking ownership—rather than placing blame—was the difference between financial ruin and recovery. These lessons reinforce his core belief that setbacks are not dead ends but raw material for future success.

Throughout the discussion, Joel speaks directly to anyone at a crossroads: graduates, career changers, or those rebuilding after loss. He invites listeners to visualize their lives like a puzzle—every piece is already within reach; it just needs to be arranged with clarity and persistence. And he reminds us that fulfillment doesn’t come from perfection but from progress and self-honesty.

Joel’s Life Switch mission extends beyond personal empowerment. With a pledge to donate one million dollars to charity when the book reaches one million sales, he demonstrates his belief that success means more when it serves others. Each purchase, he notes, becomes part of that larger purpose.

Key Takeaway: Life doesn’t change by accident—it changes when you decide to live “on.” By embracing your potential, fueling it with passion, defining your purpose, and acting with accountability, you can turn every struggle into a stepping stone toward the extraordinary life you were meant to live.

https://bookjoelsteele.com/

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BONUS - Share Your Story, Poem and Writings Here on Living The Next Chapter

Thanks for supporting this podcast!  I am putting in place a new way to support authors, writers and poets in their writing journey!

I want to feature your writings here on Living The Next Chapter.  Share your poem, a portion of your chapter, something that you are working on - and do so right here on the podcast.  The opportunity to share your work in progress with the world! 

Go to my website, click on the "Speak Pipe" link right there on the website and record up to 5 minutes of audio (use it multiple times if need be) and read us your poem, snipit or portion of your work in progress for listeners of this show to hear.

If you want to avoid recording audio, then siimply email me what you want to have read and shared on a podcast episode featuring your work and don't forget to include how a fellow listener can connect with you - social media link, website, email - you never know who might hear your work in progress, your poem etc.

I will make an episode just about you, sharing your writings right here!

Looking forward to putting the spotlight on you!

https://poets.org/anthology/poems-your-poetry-project-public-domain

Original Date: Tuesday, December 10, 2024

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EPISODE 732 - Rich Lyons - Life Is Sales, sales mastery includes self awareness and embracing the unknown

In this episode, Dave welcomes Rich Lyons, author of Life of Sales, entrepreneur, and former CEO of Lyons Consulting Group. From escaping the Chicago winter for the warmth of Zihuatanejo to reflecting on a career rich with lessons in integrity, leadership, and purpose, Rich shares an intimate look at his personal and professional evolution.

Now an author, speaker, and mentor, Rich discusses the twenty-year journey behind his book Life of Sales—a title that grew from a simple domain name idea into a full reflection on human connection, business growth, and the belief that everyone, in some way, is selling. Whether it’s convincing a client, inspiring a colleague, or encouraging a child, Lyons sees “sales” not as persuasion but as service. He emphasizes patience, persistence, and the willingness to ask good questions and truly listen.

Drawing on his background as an engineer turned entrepreneur, Rich recounts how he built a leading e-commerce consulting firm from the ground up. His leadership philosophy centered on culture—creating an environment where both employees and clients thrived. He tells a striking story about offering an unconditional money-back guarantee early in his company’s history, a bold decision that nearly cost him financially but ultimately defined the company’s reputation for trust and integrity.

Throughout the conversation, Rich touches on the changing world of sales in an AI-driven era, highlighting that while tools evolve, the fundamentals remain: authentic relationships, attentive communication, and ethical decision-making. He explores emotional intelligence in business, reminding listeners that awareness of fear, trust, and empathy transforms not only how we serve customers but how teams connect with one another.

Lyons also offers insight into leadership development and his focus on helping entrepreneurs grow as transformational leaders. His upcoming book, Business Is Culture, will expand on building purposeful organizations from the inside out—starting with personal awareness and alignment between values and actions.

Listeners will find wisdom in Rich’s calm, clear perspective on leadership, growth, and conscious success, as well as his ability to redefine what “sales” truly means in work and in life.

Key takeaway: True sales is service. When you lead with awareness, empathy, and integrity, you don’t just sell—you build trust, culture, and connection that endure.

https://www.lifeissales.com/

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EPISODE 731 - Lance Hillsinger - Child Welfare Social Worker to Author - Navigating Legal Documents to Authorship

In this thoughtful episode, author and retired social worker Lance Hilzinger joins us from San Luis Obispo, California, to reflect on a lifetime of service in the child welfare system and his journey into writing. With three decades of experience advocating for children and families in Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo Counties, Lance offers a candid look behind the courtroom doors of juvenile and foster care cases. He shares how both frustration and hope became the foundation for his writing, leading to several books that examine social policy, history, and faith.

Lance began his career with a master’s degree in psychology from Vanderbilt University before realizing that academia wasn’t his calling. A twist of fate led him to a social work position where he found his true purpose—helping families heal, understanding parents struggling with addiction, and advocating for vulnerable children. Over the years, he witnessed the evolution of the foster care system, including new programs supporting youth up to age twenty‑one, and the ongoing challenges of poverty, substance abuse, and a shortage of foster homes.

Discussing his writing, Lance explains how technical report writing in court shaped his clear, factual, and concise storytelling style. His first book captured the evolution—both progress and pitfalls—of child welfare practices, inspiring readers to consider becoming foster parents or court advocates. Later works broadened his focus: “Build a Better Bridge: Social Policy for the Twenty‑First Century” revisits America’s War on Poverty, calling for smarter, long‑lasting solutions to chronic social issues, while “Beyond Amelia: Lesser Known Women of Yesteryear” celebrates unsung female pioneers in science, leadership, and exploration. His newest book, “Matthew, Mark, Luke and John: A Court Investigator Examines the Gospels,” blends logical analysis and faith, exploring timeless biblical truths through a modern lens.

Lance also shares his experiences with publishing—its rewards, challenges, and lessons learned about contracts, editing, and choosing the right partner. Throughout the conversation, he returns to one unshakable theme: the importance of compassion, honesty, and consistency, whether in social work, writing, or personal faith. He reminds listeners that real change happens slowly but meaningfully, through persistence and integrity.

Key Takeaway:
Lance Hilzinger’s story is a testament to serving others with empathy and endurance. Whether guiding a family through hardship or crafting a book that bridges understanding, his work invites us to believe that steady, thoughtful effort can make systems—and lives—better.

https://www.lancehillsinger.net/

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EPISODE 730 - Dale L. Sproule - Gods of the New Wilderness Series that blends philosophy, AI, and myth

Author and long-time speculative fiction writer Dale L Sproule joins Dave to explore how the writing and publishing landscape has transformed over the past several decades and what that means for today’s authors. Speaking from Toronto, after years on Canada’s west coast, Dale reflects on how the shift from traditional print to online and self-publishing has forced writers to take ownership of every stage of the process. Writing, he says, is the fun part; what comes after is learning to assess if a manuscript is truly ready and finding the right people to help you make it better.

Dale shares practical, experience-based insights on the value of writers groups, both in person and online. He talks about how hearing your work read aloud exposes awkward phrasing, weak passages and moments that do not ring true, and how feedback must always be weighed against your own vision rather than automatically accepted. In his view, developing as a writer means learning to distinguish between advice that improves your story and suggestions that simply change it.

The conversation moves into Dale’s varied creative background as a painter, publisher and editor, and how those skills now allow him to manage cover art and book design himself. From there he tackles the tensions around AI in the arts, acknowledging the genuine anxiety in the creative community, especially among visual artists, while also recognizing that some AI-assisted work is producing astonishing, genuinely new forms of expression. 

Dale’s science fiction series, Gods of the New Wilderness, which imagines a world devastated by an immense solar event that wipes out electronic technology. In its aftermath, a biological computer grown in the root network of a forest evolves into a society of sentient trees that rebuild their world using the remnants of human knowledge, mimicking human culture, philosophy and even individual historical figures inside a vast virtual space.

At the heart of his story is a deeply human, allegorical conflict: a girl overwhelmed by the flood of information from this forest intelligence learns to communicate through reworked lyrics of long-lost songs, while her powerful, psychopathic sister exploits that knowledge, torturing both sibling and forest to rebuild technology and consolidate control. Dale describes how the AI-like forest becomes the moral center of the tale, gradually developing empathy and emotional awareness, while some of the humans lose theirs, flipping the usual “AI as villain” trope on its head.

Dale closes by sharing where listeners can find his work, including his Gods of the New Wilderness series and earlier horror collections, and by reflecting on the urgency he feels, in his seventies, to get long-gestating projects onto the page. 

Key takeaway: Writing today asks you to be both artist and architect of your own career. Community, careful feedback and ethical clarity around new tools like AI can help you protect your voice, tell more original stories and build worlds that still feel deeply, recognizably human.

https://godsofthenewwilderness.com/

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Episode 360 - Bob Young - True Golf - the story of Moe Norman and a new song with Bob's brother Neil Young

Our Guest - Bob Young was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1942. He was a member of the Canadian Professional Golfers’ Association for nearly three decades and first met Moe Norman in the early 1960s.

Like Norman, Young has always been intrigued by metaphysics and has had access to the leading trance mediums.

Young’s brother is Neil Young, the internationally recognized singer-songwriter.
Book: Mind Golf: The Troubled Genius of Moe Norman - At one of a series of clinics that former USPGA teacher of the year Craig Shankland staged, he asked Moe Norman in front of about 300 people, “What’s it like to hit perfect shots, Moe?” Moe paused and looked at the audience. Then, in jest, said, “You will never know.”

Mind Golf assembles and ignites the mental energy of the image of the shot-to-be. Moe “Pipeline Moe” Norman was a Canadian professional golfer and the best ball-striker the world has ever known. Author Bob Young met the eccentric golfer and traveled between Canada and Florida from the early 1960s to 2004, where he was able to observe Pipeline Moe for decades.

At the heart of the episode is Bob’s long relationship with legendary Canadian golfer Moe Norman. Drawing from decades spent practicing and playing alongside him, Bob offers rare insight into Moe’s extraordinary ability as a ball striker and his unique mental approach to the game. Moe’s concept of a “quiet mind” becomes a central theme, not as a mystical idea, but as a disciplined way of filtering out distractions and staying fully aligned with intention.

Bob explains how this mindset translates into a practical method for improving performance. By visualizing the full flight of the ball, from launch to apex to landing, and “feeling” the shot before executing it, golfers can create consistency and precision. He connects this process to a broader idea of energy, suggesting that the same creative force behind music, visualization, and peak performance is accessible when focus and awareness align.

The conversation also touches on Bob’s book, his experiences within golf culture, and the evolving ways he is sharing this knowledge through audio, video, and upcoming projects. Along the way, he reflects on Moe Norman’s life, his challenges, and the recognition he eventually received, painting a portrait of a misunderstood genius who stayed true to his path.

This episode ultimately explores the intersection of discipline, creativity, and awareness, showing how mastery in any field often comes from learning how to see clearly, think simply, and trust what you feel.

Key takeaway: Peak performance comes from aligning a clear mental image with a quiet, focused mind, allowing your body to execute naturally without interference.

https://bobyounggolf.com/

Published:

May. 01, 2024

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EPISODE 729 - Melania Murphy - Bound by Love, Not Tradition - Empowering Women Through Married Name Choices

In this episode, Melania Murphy joins the show to explore how married name choices can be a powerful act of identity, equality, and intention in modern relationships. Based in Bradenton, Florida, Melania shares how her own family background—growing up in a household with multiple last names—helped spark her curiosity about why women so often drop their names when they marry. With a background in journalism and applied behavioral science, she digs into the history and social forces behind the tradition of women taking their husband’s surname, tracing it back to coverture laws in England and the way those norms spread through British colonies into the United States.

Melania explains how many people still default to the man’s name long after the legal restrictions that once enforced it have been dismantled, and she contrasts this with practices in other countries such as Canada, France, Greece, and Japan, where laws or cultural shifts either limit or reshape married‑name choices. She emphasizes that in the U.S., couples actually have far more options than tradition suggests, including keeping both names, hyphenating, creating a new family name, or even having the husband take the wife’s name. Using a framework she calls “SELF”—Significance, Empowerment, Legacy, and Freedom—she invites women to reflect on what their name means to them, how it connects to their ancestry, and how they want to model choice and equality for the next generation.

A key takeaway for listeners is that changing or keeping a name should not be an automatic gesture, but an intentional conversation between partners. Melania encourages couples to look beneath surface‑level expectations, examine why a particular name feels important, and consider how their choice will shape their children’s sense of identity. She also highlights that names are not permanent markers and that many people, including women after divorce, choose entirely new names to reflect who they have become. By normalizing a wider range of married‑name choices and inviting men to read her work as well, Melania hopes to move cultures toward a future where name decisions are grounded in equality, not inherited power structures.

The conversation around identity, marriage, and women’s autonomy is growing — and I’m honored to be part of it.

Through articles, podcast interviews, and media features, I’ve had the opportunity to share insights from Bound by Love, Not Tradition and discuss the deeper cultural and personal implications of married name choices.

What should you do with your last name at marriage? If you're unsure, you're not alone. In fact, 80% of American women still take their husband's name—even though the law no longer requires it.

Whether you're a first- or second-time bride, a relative of a bride, or simply curious, this book gives you a fresh, empowering take on a decision that's both deeply personal and culturally complex.

Author Melania Joy Murphy blends history, personal stories, and expert insight to help you explore all your options—keeping your name, changing it, hyphenating, blending, or asking him to take yours.

Through her SELF framework—Significance, Empowerment, Legacy, and Freedom—you’ll learn how to navigate your decision with confidence and compassion by exploring questions like:

What is the significance of your name in your life and personal story?
Do you feel empowered to put yourself first and ask for what you want?
What legacy do you wish to create with your name?
Can you enjoy the freedom to choose what feels right for you?
This isn't just about paperwork. It's about identity, relationships, and claiming the space you deserve in your marriage and in society. No shame. No judgment. Just support for choosing what’s right for you.

https://www.melaniajoy.com/

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EPISODE 728 - Fran Hawthorne - Journalist and Author of the new novel Her Daughter

Author and journalist Fran Hawthorne joins the show to discuss her latest novel Her Daughter and the deeply personal and complex themes that run through her work. From snowy New York days to memories of her formative years in California, Fran brings warmth, humor, and candor to a conversation that spans decades of storytelling, from her childhood writing ambitions to her award‑nominated fiction today.

Fran shares how Her Daughter—a novel ten years in the making—grew from a spark into a nuanced exploration of parental alienation, a subtle yet devastating form of psychological manipulation within families. She describes how seemingly ordinary conversations can erode trust and self‑belief, showing how emotional control can exist without overt conflict. Her goal, she says, is not only to build empathy and awareness but to speak directly to readers living through similar experiences: “It’s not your fault. You’re not alone.”

Drawing from her background as a journalist, Fran also reflects on her career writing nonfiction about ethics, consumer activism, and the pharmaceutical industry. Her investigative rigor and commitment to getting the details right—right down to smelling the ferns for a forest scene—infuse her fiction with journalistic authenticity and emotional truth. She recounts flying across California for on‑site research, missing flights, and risking cliffside roads, all in pursuit of realism on the page.

Throughout the episode, Fran talks about the importance of editing ruthlessly, learning from critique, and being open to rewriting even the most beloved parts of a manuscript. She offers wisdom for writers about flexibility, persistence, and the courage to keep creating through rejection. As she puts it, she’s been writing since she was four—and never stopped believing that stories matter.

The discussion closes with a glimpse of her next project, a novel centered on sisters and the complicated bonds that shape a lifetime. Like all her work, it continues her fascination with family, ethics, and emotional truth set against vividly researched American backdrops.

Key takeaway:
Great writing demands both vulnerability and discipline. Fran Hawthorne reminds us that stories born of truth and persistence can open hearts, strengthen empathy, and help readers—and writers—see themselves more clearly.

https://www.hawthornewriter.com/

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Episode 352 - Tammy J Cohen - Text Messages to My Sons - How to Connect Deeply with Your Kids in a Digital World

In this episode, Dave sits down with author Tammy J Cohen to explore a deeply relevant question in modern parenting: how do we truly connect with our kids in a world dominated by devices?

Tammy shares the unexpected origin of her book Text Messages to My Sons: Connecting Deeply in a World of Devices. What began as a simple desire to reach her three sons evolved into a powerful daily practice of intentional communication. Living in Manhattan and observing how deeply people are absorbed in their phones, she realized that traditional forms of connection were no longer effective. Instead of resisting technology, she chose to meet her children where they already were by sending meaningful, consistent text messages.

The conversation reveals how this small shift created a profound impact. Tammy’s messages moved away from reminders and discipline and toward encouragement, love, and shared wisdom. Without expecting responses, she focused on expressing what mattered most, reinforcing her sons’ worth, resilience, and value. Over time, this consistency helped reduce tension, strengthen their relationship, and create a lasting emotional connection.

Tammy also emphasizes the importance of accountability as a parent. By acknowledging her own struggles, past reactions, and personal growth, she allowed her children to see her as human. This honesty deepened trust and opened the door for more authentic connection. Her approach models a key shift in modern fatherhood and parenting as a whole: moving from authority alone to vulnerability, presence, and emotional awareness.

The episode also highlights how these messages extend beyond the immediate moment. Tammy reflects on the lasting legacy of words, suggesting that long after we are gone, it is these expressions of love and encouragement that remain. Her sons’ decision to write the foreword of her book speaks to the real impact of her efforts.

For parents listening, Tammy offers a simple but powerful invitation. Start where you are. Keep it natural. Be consistent. Whether it takes ten minutes or less, the act of showing up daily with intention can reshape your relationship over time. The goal is not perfection, but connection.

This conversation ultimately reframes what it means to be a good parent today. It is not about control or constant correction, but about creating a steady, meaningful presence in your child’s life, even through something as simple as a text message.

Key Takeaway:
Consistent, intentional communication rooted in love and honesty can transform your relationship with your children, proving that even small daily actions can leave a lasting emotional legacy.

@textmessagestomysons

FB text messages to my sons

The Book: Text Messages To My Sons - At the start of 2020, I began to immerse myself in a learning journey incorporating good health, spiritual and emotional intelligence, and personal growth. I needed to share this with my three sons, who are everything to me.

https://tammyjcohen.com/

Published: Apr. 12, 2024

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EPISODE 727 - Rita Lussier - And Now, Back to Me - When You Dread The Truth of The Empty Nest

An award-winning journalist and writer whose column “For the Moment” was a popular feature of The Providence Journal for a dozen years. Her writing has also been featured on National Public Radio, in The Boston Globe, The New York Daily News, and many more. Rita enjoys coaching writers, conducting workshops and has worked as a publicist and editor. She has taught at both the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College. She lives with her husband in Jamestown, Rhode Island where she enjoys running, walking and time with family and friends.

And Now, Back to Me — a new book by Rita Lussier

Someday, it will come. We know this. But there’s life to be lived. Play dates and finger paints. Soccer games and bloody knees. First driver’s license and first love. And then, just like that, there it is. The day our last child leaves home and we’re left staring into an abyss like nothing in our experience. For so many of us, it’s a time in our lives shaken by dread, fear, sadness and the question we thought we’d never have to confront. What now? But the news from the empty nest is far from all bad as we discover in Rita Lussier’s memoir, And Now, Back to Me. Her story, as told over 40 chapters, takes us on an emotional roller coaster that is, at once, gut-wrenching and playful, at times seemingly disoriented but ultimately brimming with optimism.

https://www.ritalussier.com/

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