The 10 Lies We Carry: Brian F. Martin on Breaking the Silence Around Childhood Domestic Violence

What if 1 in 8 people are carrying invisible scars from something they don’t even know they experienced?

This week on The Great Unfamous, I sit down with Brian F. Martin, someone who’s not only survived an invisible epidemic, but is devoted to helping others name it, understand it, and rise above it.

It’s called Childhood Domestic Violence (CDV).
1 in 8 people are affected. Most have no idea.

Brian's book, Invincible, names the 10 lies CDV teaches us:
That we’re not good enough.
That we’re to blame.
That we’ll always be broken.
That love, confidence, and calm are for someone else.

But here’s the good news: those lies aren’t permanent. They’re not true.
They’re just stories — stories that can be rewritten.

In this conversation, Brian and I unpack what it means to reclaim your narrative, how a 30-second self-screening tool could be the spark of a turning point, and why shining a light on the hard stuff is the beginning of healing.

For you. For someone you love.
For the part of you that knows there’s more.

It’s about awareness.

And action.

Listen in. It matters.

More on CDV

# Visit the CDV.org website

# Take the free 30-second CDV screening

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In this episode of The Great Unfamous, host Jim Thompson sits down with Sarah Teti — a singer, songwriter, civic leader, and newly named Citizen of the Year — to explore how small acts, offered with heart, can grow into something extraordinary.

Sarah shares the surprising story behind her rise from quiet community volunteer to the driving force behind a food pantry that now serves thousands. Along the way, she reflects on how music, empathy, and a fierce sense of dignity for others have helped her build not just programs — but community, hope, and change.

From her earliest songs to her mission work in Malawi, Sarah’s story is a reminder that real purpose doesn’t arrive all at once — it’s discovered, one choice, one act, one song at a time.

If you've ever wondered whether small actions can truly make a difference, this conversation might help.

More on Sarah Teti’s Music:

Youtube.com/@Sarahtetimusic

Upcoming Gigs

Instagram.com/sarahtetimusic/

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It’s not easy to catch lightning in a bottle, but Dr. Bill Monroe did it and spent the rest of his career trying to repeat it in numerous forms.

Before leading one of the most respected honors colleges in the country at the University of Houston, Dr. Monroe did something even rarer—he created intellectual electricity at McMurry College. 

Over lunch, tennis courts and pickup basketball games, he helped build a space where young minds spoke boldly, thought deeply, and disagreed with respect. It wasn’t a syllabus—it was a spark.

That spark lit the fire in countless students, including silver-tongued storyteller Mark Williams, who we met in Episode 26. In this episode, we find out from Dr. Monroe what it takes to assemble a group of people who push, listen, take down and lift up their colleagues, plus the Great Unfamous figures who shaped him. 

It’s a conversation about legacy without trophies, just changed lives -- lots of tactical guidance here.

Contact Dr. Bill Monroe @

[email protected]

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In this episode we meet, Khoa Le, an artist, entrepreneur, and filmmaker whose true medium is possibility. From directing films to launching companies, winning awards, and redefining how independent creators get promoted and paid, Khoa’s journey is one of relentless innovation.

Khoa overcame early hardships to attend Juilliard and Rutgers, building multiple seven-figure businesses, including Kvibe Studios, Live Picture Studios, and Sutudu Media—a platform reimagining opportunities for independent artists. His filmmaking credits include biopics on Walt Disney, Jeff Bezos, Jose Feliciano, and his latest feature film, “Christmas Cowboy,” debuted on Amazon Prime last November.

But beyond his impressive résumé, Khoa is a mentor, leader, and advocate for creators everywhere. His mission? To inspire others to make their own dreams come true.

Join us as we dive into Khoa’s journey, the lessons he’s learned, and the people who helped shape his path.

More on Khoa Le:

The Khoa Le Show on  YouTube: 

KhoaLefilms.com

Instagram: @khoalefilms

Facebook: facebook.com/kvibe

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This episode we meet the legendary Brimstone -- a serial entertainment entrepreneur -- who’s made a global name for himself as a professional wrestler, radio host, podcaster, actor, author, musician, philanthropist, food critic, comic book and video game creator ... sheesh!

He’s widely known as host of the award-winning, and highly rated Grindhouse Radio podcast that reaches -- not a typo -- 3.5 to 4 million people per week. He’s launched his own gourmet sauces, seasonings, jerky, cologne, vinyl toys, coffee, candy, mustard and more. And he’s been the face or voice of national brands like Kikkoman, 7 Eleven, Wendy’s and Red Roof Inn.

But what a lot of people don’t know about Brimstone is his soft spot for the underdog -- his community service includes helping entrepreneurs as a SCORE business mentor, supporting the Stan Lee Foundation, Rockers, Actors and Athletes against Driving Drunk and the Sweetbriar Nature Center on Long Island.

So meet the intimidating man with the heart of gold -- and find out how he built this personal media brand -- what he’s learned from it -- and who impacted him along the way.

More on Brimstone:

The Grindhouse Radio Podcast

Website: therealbrimstone.com

Instagram: @therealbrimstone

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Brimstone/

X: https://x.com/entrancetohell

Snail mail: Brimstone, P.O. 803, Levittown, New York 11756

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Welcome back to The Great Unfamous -- we’ve been on hiatus for the last year, but we’re back in 2025, and we fire it back up with a guest I’ve tried to land for almost three years.

Mark Williams taught me lessons about the breathtaking beauty of Durango, Colorado, how to fly fish and how you take on David-and-Goliath battles and win.

Mark's a world-renowned fly fishing expert, author of more than 20 books, a sports writer, an award-winning alternative school teacher, a cancer survivor, a public speaker, an entrepreneur and more. 

But his best skill is his ability to storytell -- with a razor sharp wit and silver-tongue Texas drawl, he gets away with a lot because he's a cross between Odysseus and The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Meet the man with a knack for tricking people into believing in themselves and learn how he acquired this talent on this episode of The Great Unfamous.

MARK WILLIAMS BIO

Mark D. Williams is an educator, consultant, speaker and author. Williams has fished all over the world and is the author of the popular fishing/travel book, So Many Fish, So

Little Time: 1001 of the World’s Greatest Backcountry Honeyholes, Trout Rivers, Blue Ribbon Waters, Bass Lakes, and Saltwater Hot Spots from Harper Collins. Williams has written 22 books and most recently, co-wrote two books with wife Amy Becker Williams:

Weather Disasters (Skyhorse Pub.) and 50 Top Things to Do in the Enchanted Circle Northern New Mexico (West Winds Press.) Williams writes about travel, sports, outdoors, backpacking, camping, weather, gig businesses and more.

Williams recently completed his first crime-mystery novel, The Hollow Men, first of the Guy Harwin series (Longmire meets True Detective/Seven.) He is currently finishing the second novel in the series, Purgatory. He has two other novels ready for review: The Bedside Diaries, and The Bomba Shack. He has two western novels in a series but only discovered this past year that nobody is buying westerns anymore.

Williams has written hundreds of articles for numerous national magazines and newspapers including Dallas Morning News, SPORT Magazine, ESPN, ESPNoutdoors.com, Texas Sporting Journal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Baseball Digest, Texas Rangers' Program, Beckett, Cowboys and Indians, Southwest Fly Fishing, Texas Sportsman, Texas Outdoors, Texas Fish and Game, Backpacker, Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Flyfishing and Flytying Journal, Bass Pro Shop, Orvis News, Rocky Mountain Game and Fish and more. He is the author of two apps: Freshwater Flyfishing Tips from the Pros, and Sports Most Memorable Sound Bites (both Sutro Media.)

Williams has written: Freshwater Flyfishing Tips from the Pros, Fireside / Simon & Schuster; Trout Fishing Sourcebook, Menasha Ridge Press; The Backpacking Angler, Menasha Ridge Press; Flyfishing Southwestern Colorado, Wayfinder Press; Knots for Flyfishers, Menasha Ridge Press, Colorado Fly Fishing: Where to Eat, Sleep and Fish (Johnson Books) and The Bedside Diaries (Kindle) and with Stonefly Press, Learning to Fly Fish for Trout, and 49 Trout Streams Southern Colorado, University of New Mexico Press, to name a few. Owns several businesses including antiques, and online bookstores.

Williams was an award-winning teacher at North Heights Alternative School in Amarillo, Texas. Williams taught Social Studies and Multimedia, grades 9-12. Williams began teaching at age 40 after a career as a sportswriter and business owner. In 2013, Williams was runner-up finalist for the Brock International Prize in Education. His students produced award-winning documentaries, PSAs, books, articles, magazines, songs and albums, commercials, student-run bookstores, coffee-shops, other businesses and more. In 2013, he successfully guided the 1st high school in America to create a professional app for iTunes and Android.

Amazon book and bio page:

LinkedIn

Represented by David H Smith, Inkwell Mgt, NYC

MDW Amazon Page

If you like underdogs and cheesecake -- you’re in for a treat. Greg Franklin's story is a cross between "Rudy" and Will Smith’s "The Pursuit of Happyness".

Featured in the book “Don’t Keep Your Day Job” by Cathy Heller, Greg described an annoying voice in his head that just wouldn’t go away. It pestered, persisted, and repeated the same thing over and over: “You’re gonna make cheesecakes?”

So Greg Franklin did just that …

These Are Greg's Lessons:

4:07 -- Overcoming No

5:38 -- The Voice He Couldn't Ignore

18:17 -- 3 Years to Perfect the Recipe

21:51 -- Fired on National Cheesecake Day

25:31 -- Life of the Cheesecake Ninja

27:30 -- Myth of "I'm not good at"

30:28 -- 5 Things I Learned

31:00 -- Cathy Heller's book, podcast

36:56 -- The Amazing Saul Blinkoff

37:42 -- My Wife's Patience

39:14 -- Finding Positivity

40:30 -- How, When To Take The Risk

42:30 -- Finding The Cheesecake Ninja

How to Find Greg Franklin:

TheCheesecakeNinja.com ⁠⁠⁠

@thecheesecakeninja

facebook.com/thecheesecakeninja

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For the record, when it comes to spirits and the paranormal, I wouldn’t call myself a believer or non-believer, but ever since a strange encounter in The Gettysburg Hotel in 1999, I’d call myself curious … Enough that my wife and I now take ghosts tours in most of the cities we visit -- which is how I met Brian Bloxsom. Brian was by far the best. His captivating tour was a window into the history, haunts and people of Asheville, North Carolina. And when I learned about his career as a 6th grade teacher and football coach at Rugby Middle School, plus his recovery from a motorcycle accident that required 17 surgeries -- I knew this was a person with lessons to share.

These Are Brian's Lessons:

5:44 -- 5 Lost Hours

11:23" -- What the hell is he doing in my house?"

16:19 -- Seeking acknowledgement

22:00 -- Opening Doors, Knocking Pipes, Cigar Smoke

27:06 -- A Gettysburg Ghost Story

33:18 -- Non-normal passions

38:03 -- Lessons in regret

42:52 -- Greatest influence

49:08 -- Don't leave it untried

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We talk a lot about givers on this podcast. Nancy Vinsel typifies the classic giver with a mother mentality -- sacrifice, grit and positivity. She's overcome cancer twice, run a marathon, and earned a law degree at the age of 50. Listen and learn what it takes to evolve from a mother at 20 to an attorney at 50 and why age, motherhood and cancer could not stop her once she discovered her true strength.

These Are Nancy's Lessons:

3:45 -- Motherhood at 20

9:52 -- Benefits of nerd humor

11:29 -- 5 Things I Learned

12:30 -- "I'm not a great runner but I don't give up."

25:16 -- Protect your positivity

27:25 -- A moonlight message

29:49 -- Second cancer: "I am one fortunate woman"

34:01 -- "You've got to deal with it, you can't just put on a happy face."

33:54 -- "I've always thought of myself as a cork caught in waterfalls."

36:10 -- What does it mean to be a strong person?

39:45 -- Advice for those who think it's too late.

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In this mini-episode, we go off the leash a bit. That's because the guest is not a person, but a book. We unpack James Clear’s "Atomic Habits" in great detail via my attempt to build just one habit over 66 days. We dive into the real stories about ...  

I hope you enjoy it.

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