S.T.R.O.L.L.

For today's S.T.R.O.L.L., I get the privilege of speaking to Austin, Texas based food photographer Mica McCook.

She's a creative entrepreneur that overcame adversity early on in her life and changed the trajectory of her life by discovering the marriage between her passion for food and her love of photography.

Mica is the host of The Savory Shot podcast, which doesn't just explore the subject of photography but gives insight from creatives all over with tips and anecdotes about entrepreneurship, business and life. Listen to this episode and find out the ins and outs of the life of a creative in the world of business, as well as why Mica choose Ravenclaw.

To find out more about Mica, go to https://micamccook.com

We're taking our latest S.T.R.O.L.L. with Laurie Singer.

She is a licensed marriage and family therapist based in California. Laurie shares her story and her expertise when it comes to anxiety and ADHD and how her background as a remarkable endurance athlete has helped shape her journey throughout the years, which included her own personal tragedy back in 1987.

Laurie is the author of the book "You're Not Crazy: Living with Anxiety, Obsessions and Fetishes". Laurie, who was inducted into the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame back in 2017, also tells us about the new book she is working on. This is an inspiring conversation and an informative one as well.

If you want to find out more about Laurie, you can go to https://lauriesingerbehavioral.com

Every so often, I will be doing a special episode of S.T.R.O.L.L. which will be known as a "Home Session". This is a musical episode. For this first Home Session, I am featuring my own songs for you to listen to. I have a lot of originals, but for the purposes of this, I handpicked seven of my songs to play for you. Just me and my guitar. I hope you enjoy this brand new type of episode. God willing, in the future, I will feature other musicians for these Home Sessions. In the meantime, the seven songs you will hear today are as follows:

1. You Saved The Worst for First

2. Aren't We All Under The Weather?

3. Where The Money Went

4. Desperation

5. Easy Money #3

6. Trouble With The Law

7. Rows of Stones

All songs written by yours truly, Kevin Thomas. If you want to see more episodes like this or you like this podcast overall, be sure to like, subscribe, follow and leave a comment.

God bless.

Every so often, I will be doing a special episode of S.T.R.O.L.L. which will be known as a Road Trip. I will give you positive and uplifting stories from around the country and the world as an antidote to the negative droll that you get from the news on a daily basis. It's a space where you can hear about good people from all over who are doing great things for their community.

In this episode, you'll hear what a barber shop owner is doing to give back to his local veterans, a Scottish couple's enduring love despite not speaking the same language when they first met, a hero bus driver who was in the right place at the right time, a Michigan cafe owner who stepped up to help a homeless Army veteran, a Colorado woman who played a big part in saving the life of a man that she went with to her high school prom, a Pennsylvania hiker who helped a local family reunite with their missing dog, a Kentucky police officer serving his community by aiding a disabled woman, a Mississippi town that came together to help out a cherished member of their community, an English shopkeeper who won a national lottery and decided to give back to her community, the relaunching of an important organization in hurricane ravaged New Orleans, an English boy whose class project grew into something truly special for his local community, a Kentucky bus driver who came to rescue for a child who didn't want to miss out on the fun at school, a Michigan special education teacher who thought of others affected after surviving a double lung transplant, and a Hollywood star who found a way to reward LA-area high school students after the destructive wildfires in California earlier this year.

According to a 2023 Gallup poll, around 44 percent of American workers experience workplace burnout. A 2023 Deloitte study states around 77 percent of U.S. workers reported experiencing burnout at their current job at least once.

Today, I speak with a renowned figure in mental health innovation, Michelle E. Dickinson. She is a keynote speaker, TED speaker, Workplace Resilience Visionary, Burnout Interventionist and bestselling author of the book "Breaking Into My Life". In this episode, you'll hear the personal struggles that led to a change in trajectory for Michelle and resulted in "Resilience As A Lifestyle". Find out what Michelle means by "Personal Agency" and why a shift in how we think of stress can lead to life changing results - and not just in the workplace.

For more information on Michelle E. Dickinson, go to her websites:

http://resilienceasalifestyle.com

and

https://breakingintomylife.com

In this episode, I speak with online wellness coach and solopreneur Megan Gaul. She started out in teaching and education, but after losing 100 pounds a few years ago and maintaining a healthy weight since then, she has changed course and become a wellness coach. The proud Staten Islander is also proud to be a nerd, especially when it comes to her data-analysis skills - which has helped her not only maintaining success in her own health journey, but it also aided Megan in helping others break free from negative cycles. Megan and I have a fun conversation about her journey, including how the once reluctant cook is now inspiring others to make solid choices in the kitchen.

To find out more about Megan Gaul, go to her website: http://partakemealplanning.com

I'm honored to have the first guest of S.T.R.O.L.L. be the Arizona-based singer/songwriter, filmmaker and podcaster Adam Blaylock. He is the director and star of the YouTube-based documentary "Back to the 'Burgh", as well as "EveningTheScore: Unplugged at Pub Rock Live!". He has hosted and produced over 150 episodes of his previous podcast "A Guy, A Car, And A Podcast". He now hosts "Heart Songs: The Podcast", which explores the impact and influence of music on the lives of its guests - fellow singer/songwriters. Join me for an in-depth conversation with the lead singer and principal songwriter of the band EveningTheScore as we talk about faith, music and the unexpected journeys in life.

To find out more about Adam, go to his website: http://www.blayrock.com

My name is Kevin Thomas and I'm hosting a new podcast here called S.T.R.O.L.L. - Solving The Rebus of Living Life. Listen in to hear what this concept is all about! Coming soon!