She packed a single suitcase at 17, boarded a plane to the Netherlands alone, and came back a completely different person Now, 50 years later, Margot Stornelli has turned that journey into a memoir the whole world needs to read. In this episode of People of Distinction, Margot unpacks the real story behind The Big Red Suitcase — from changing host families mid-year as a teenager 5,000 miles from home, to building lifelong friendships across three countries, to the powerful truth that home isn't a dot on the map. If you've ever felt the pull of something bigger, this conversation will light a fire under you.

The Big Red Suitcase — Available now on Amazon & Barnes & Noble.

What if a single pair of hands could save lives, coach champions, heal souls, and warn a generation about the collapse of civilization? Vietnam veteran, rehabilitation director, soccer coach, and climate researcher Robert J. Ackerman returns to People of Distinction to unpack his profound new book I Heal You With My Hands — a decades-long reckoning with a divine message he received in 1969 that he's only now fully understood. From the soccer field to the sixth great extinction event, Robert's story will challenge the way you see God, humanity, and the fragile world we share. 

Get your copy now at ihealyouwithmyhands.com or on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

What happens when a diagnosis lands you in a world you never asked to enter and no one around you knows what to say? Tricia Ann Roloff, author of Navigating Through a Strange Land, joins People of Distinction to share how a pituitary tumor diagnosis led her to create a one-of-a-kind resource that weaves together dozens of real patient stories into a lifeline for brain tumor patients and their families. From navigating hospitals and neuropsychologists to what family members should actually say (hint: stop with the platitudes), this conversation is raw, practical, and deeply human.

Pick up the 4th edition of Navigating Through a Strange Land on Amazon, and if someone in your life needs this, get them a copy too.

He flew combat missions over Vietnam, got spit on when he came home, and didn't speak about it for decades—until God gave him a reason to. Colonel David O. Sheiding returns to People of Distinction to share Wings of Faith, a raw and riveting memoir that takes you from the cockpit of a warplane to the quiet courage it takes to survive what war does to a man's soul. This isn't just a soldier's story—it's a love story, a faith story, and a masterclass in resilience that will meet you exactly where you are. 

Grab your copy on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or at davidosheidingauthor.com.

A Holocaust survivor's son who escaped communist Hungary, swam across a river to freedom, and became a decorated physician — now he's writing murder mysteries. Dr. Andrew I. Schafer joins us to discuss The Panacea Doctor: The Mysterious Disappearance of a Beloved Physician, a gripping historical fiction thriller rooted in a real unidentified body that washed ashore in Florida decades ago. From the halls of Harvard and Penn Medicine to the small-town panhandle of Florida, this story has twists you won't see coming. 

Grab your copy now on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

What if 40 years of hard-won career wisdom could be absorbed in the time it takes to drink your morning coffee? Author and systems engineer Michael Alan Bell joins us to break down his book 40/40: 40 Years of Career and Life Advice in 40 Minutes — a razor-sharp guide built for busy professionals who are done wasting time on fluff. From leading without brute force to creating "islands of tranquility" in a demanding career, this conversation is packed with no-nonsense advice that hits no matter where you are in your journey. 

Grab your copy at beta4helps.com or on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

He carried the weight of Vietnam for over 50 years and then he wrote it all down. In this episode of People of Distinction, Vietnam Marine veteran, Robert Janicki, opens up about his 13 months on the front lines with the 3rd Marines, surviving the Tet Offensive, and the survivor's guilt that never left him. Looking Back isn't just a war memoir — it's a raw, unfiltered account of what it costs to answer your country's call, and what it takes to live with that answer for the rest of your life. 

Grab your copy at robertjanickilookingback.com or on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

He never lost a battle, was mourned by 10,000 people including a sitting U.S. president and today, almost no one knows his name. In this episode, author David Stinebeck joins us to unpack the deliberately buried story of Civil War General George Henry Thomas, a Virginian who chose the Union over his own family, and whose extraordinary leadership was systematically erased by the very men who feared his legacy. This isn't just a history lesson, it's a mirror held up to the fractured moment we're living in right now, and a powerful reminder that the people brave enough to stand in the middle are often the first ones forgotten. 

Grab your copy of A Civil General on Amazon or Barnes & Noble and discover the leader America needs to remember.

What happens when a dream becomes a message the world desperately needs to hear? Vietnam veteran and postal worker Keith Scott joins People of Distinction to share the story behind his novel A Time and Place for Healing — a beautifully simple tale about an unlikely connection that quietly challenges everything we think we know about community, division, and the quiet power of showing up for someone else.

She was six years old, hiding under a table in fear and decades later, she would hold the very woman who caused that fear as she took her final breath. Leah Beth's memoir How God Breathed Life Into Me is a raw, unflinching account of growing up in an Amish Mennonite home marked by rejection, rage, and silence and the long, unlikely road to genuine forgiveness. This conversation will challenge you to examine the walls you've built, the grudges you've nursed, and whether you're ready to let God into the parts of your heart you swore you'd never open.

Available now on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.