Dion Dimucci has been a Rock 'N' Roll pioneer since the late 1950's with his iconic band Dion and the Belmonts. They scored hit after hit including The Wanderer, Runaround Sue, A Teenager in Love and Abraham, Martin and John making them Rock 'N' Roll royalty. Dion co-wrote a stunningly gorgeous coffee table sized book with his pal Adam Jablin called Dion The Rock 'N' Roll Philosopher: Conversations on Life, Recovery, Faith and Music. There are one-of-a-kind photos in the book with music legends Pail Simon, Eric Clapton, Tony Bennett, Bruce Springsteen, Clive Davis, Lou Reed and more.

We discuss:

1. How did you come up with the name Dion and the Belmonts?

2. How was it like growing up in Da Bronx being part of the gang the Fordham baldies?

Thanks to you guys I have this beautiful coffee table sized book beautifying…my coffee table. Adam 3. How did Dion and Adam get hooked up with each other & what inspired the co-creation of this book?

4. What Dion feels are the reasons for his early success.

5. What gave him the self-confidence that he was a great singer & the ability to sing to millions of people?

6. As with many Rock Legends, Dion seemingly had it all from an outsider’s perspective. The hit songs, the fame, the adulation, screaming girls, the power & money…did he feel he had it all and why does he think he turned to a debilitating addiction and what helped him to overcome it?

7. Paul Simon in the books Forward said they don’t see each other often but their phone conversations can go on for an hour & usually drift into the spiritual. What does he mean by that?

8. Was there an Aha moment where all of a sudden he found God? How did his spirituality emerge and sustain over all these years?

9. Eric Clapton in the book’s prologue says Dion has an essential ingredient: SOUL…buckets of it. How did this soul start & evolve?

10. In 2020 hindsight, what would Dion change if he had to do it all over again?

10. When did Dion first start wearing the berets he is iconically known for and why do you like that signature look?

11.On Feb. 2, 1959 at the Winter Dance Party, there were 4 groups on the bill. Buddy Holly & The Crickets, Big Bopper, Richie Valens & Dion & The Belmonts. The plane didn’t make it home and some like Don Maclean called it "The Day the Music Died." What did those guys mean to Dion and why wasn't he on that fatal plane?

Dr. Robin Hills is a highly esteemed business psychologist and the director of Ei4Change - awarded "International Impact Company of the Year," by Dotcom Magazine in 2024. He is the author of The Authority Guide to Emotional Resilience in Business.

Robin has taught and empowered more than 500,000 individuals across 195+ countries, with the most comprehensive and detailed courses around the topic of emotional intelligence.

He was awarded “Best Transformative Emotional Intelligence Coach” - of the Year 2024, by The CIO Times, and “Men Leaders to Look Up To” by Passion Vista magazine. Early 2024, Robin was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Advanced Studies in Psychology in recognition of his contribution to emotional intelligence training.

He also has over 200,000+ avid followers who are always hungry for quality content!

Some of the topics Robin covers include:

Emmy Award winning comedy writers and performers Carol Leifer (writer for Saturday Night Live, Hacks, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Modern Family, The Larry Sanders Show, Seinfeld, and...10 Academy Awards shows!) and Rick Mitchell (writer and producer for Ellen Degeneres and TMZ) are the co-authors of How to Write a Funny Speech...for a Bar Mitzvah, Graduation & Every Other Event You Didn't Want to Go to in the First Place.

The foreword is written by Carol Burnett...so just imagine how funny this book is.

They teach you how to write and give a flawlessly funny speech for any occasion so you can look awesome, make some people laugh, and get it over with. They have the best tips and tricks up their sleeves like advice for making tasteful jokes that charm your audience and flatter the socks off your honoree.

We discuss:

-How did the two of them get to know each other and collaborate

-How hard is it to break in as a comedy writer?

-How did the idea for this book originate and how

did they arrive at the long and unique book title?   

-How many iterations of a comedy sketch do you typically

go through before they feel they have reached the holy grail for that skit.

-Carols favorite comedy skits she is most proud of?

-Do they have any stage fright or jitters and how

do they handle it and advise the rest of to?

-Did they ever struggle in the business?

-How long should a speech be and what are some of the signs that someone’s special occasion speech is just too darn long?

-What you should never do in your special occasion speech

-The #1 mistake people make right out of the gate at a special event speech and

how should a great speech start

-A writing trick you can do when you first start writing a speech but

are not really in a gung ho mood to write

-What should the meat of the speech consist of? (stories)

-What are some of the reasons you should feel good after the speech?

I believe this is the most important podcast episode ever done in history! Big words for sure...now let me back them up

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn is a world renowned cardiologist who was a surgeon at the famed Cleveland Clinic, the top Heart Hospital in the world.  He is the author of the best selling book Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease and was also prominently featured in the groundbreaking documentary Forks Over Knives.  His pioneering work with Coronary Artery Disease has saved countless lives.

We explore:

John Schneider's extensive acting career includes the iconic roles of "Bo Duke" on The Dukes of Hazzard, “Jonathan Kent” on Smallville and "Jim Cryer" on Tyler Perry's The

Haves and the Have Nots, along with recurring appearances on Dr. Quinn, Medicine

Woman, Nip/Tuck, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Dancing with the

Stars, and most recently, The Masked Singer. As an independent filmmaker, John

continues to write, direct and star in his own movies, including Christmas Cars

(2019), Stand On It (2020), Poker Run (2021) and To Die For (2022). He also

co-starred with Reba McEntire in Lifetime’s 2021 holiday hit, Christmas In

Tune, which follows several cross-generational smashes, from Smokey and the

Bandit (Burt Reynolds) to Felicity: An American Girl Adventure (Shailene

Woodley) and Sydney White (Amanda Bynes).

John is now appearing til February 4, 2025 in the longest run off-Broadway show of all-time Perfect Crime. Get tickets here: www.perfect-crime.com.

Over the span of four years, one afternoon at a time, professional biographer Rhonda Lauritzen sat across from Heidi Posnien, now an 88-year-old woman who spent her childhood in the heart of Berlin, just a stone’s throw from Hitler’s seat of power. Posnien shared strikingly clear memories of the fear and uncertainty that permeated Nazi-infested Berlin during World War II as well as memories of her mother, Käthe, a rising star in Germany’s opera scene. But perhaps the most remarkable part of Posnien’s story is her survival in a bombed-out apartment during the final weeks of the war when she was just 9 years old. 

A Child in Berlin is the remarkable true story of Heidi Posnien, her mother and their courage in the face of Nazi terror as told to Lauritzen. Käthe is a mother who must choose between her conscience and her dreams of becoming an opera star. She discovers the truth about what is happening to her Jewish friends around the time she attends a dinner party presided by Adolf Hitler himself. She realizes she cannot remain among Nazi society and makes the gut-wrenching choice to leave the opera. To support herself and young Heidi, she joins Berlin’s black-market network and ends up dealing in more than just food. As others evacuate the capital, Käthe harbors a secret that anchors them in the epicenter of danger.

While Käthe becomes ever more preoccupied with survival, Heidi and a roving pack of friends make mischief in Berlin’s rubble. The war devolves, and she braves hunger, cold and feelings of abandonment as she shuttles between Berlin and the Polish countryside. Heidi’s ultimate test comes when she must survive alone in a bombed-out apartment during the final weeks of World War II. Her moxie shows how children are capable of far more than adults realize.

Heidi Posnien married an American soldier after the war. She now lives in Huntsville, Utah. Her story serves as a reminder of the resilience and strength of the human spirit, even in the darkest of times. Her firsthand account of life in Nazi-occupied Berlin offers a unique perspective on a pivotal moment in world history. As she nears her 90th birthday, Posnien continues to share her story in the hopes of educating future generations about the horrors of war and the importance of standing up against tyranny.

“I’ve been down in the deepest sorrows, but I’ve also been on the best of highs too,” Posnien said. “I’ve eaten this big, beautiful life; I never let it eat me.”

Austin C. Wright is the son of the late Jordan M. Wright & serves as Chairman of the Museum of Democracy. In this capacity, he has been able to share his father's ginormous collection with the world through the Museum & its national exhibitions. As Wright continues to grow his father’s collection, his emphasis is on ensuring it remains accessible to all, particularly the younger generations, to educate them about freedom & democracy & inspire them to engage in the political process.

The book he co-wrote with his father, CAMPAIGNING FOR PRESIDENT is a comprehensive look at 'campaign paraphernalia" through the ages. Nixon; Reagan; Obama; Biden; Trump; RFK JR. & Harris. It is NOT political. Austin's father started the process and after he passed, he continued.

In this fascinating interview we discuss:

*What motivated your father to begin collecting?

*When was the museum founded, and where were its objects displayed?

*What was it like growing up surrounded by all the memorabilia?

*Describe some of the most unique items in the collection.

*How were most items obtained?

*How did the situation with the LIU (Long Island University) collection display come about?

*Why do you believe this museum is of importance to the American public?

*What are the plans for the collection in 2024 and 2025

Sue Cameron has known, interviewed and befriended a plethora of Hollywood and Music A Listers.   In fact they are so famous, they would belong in an A+ list category if there was one. She has been a daily columnist & TV editor for The Hollywood Reporter, Hamptons & a Cosmo

contributor.   She is an original founder of Women in Film, an organization of 25,000 members.  Sue has written a riveting, just can’t put it down book called “Hollywood Secrets and Scandals: the truth behind stars closed doors.” 

Sue has been a consultant for various entertainment people like Teri Hatcher, Joely Fisher, Suzanne Somers, Valerie Harper, Carole King, Kim Novak, Debbie Reynolds and many others who don’t want their names revealed.  In her book’s

dedication, she mentions Kim Novak, Debbie Reynolds and Joan Rivers as MY

SUPREMES.   No other reporter has ever had her of access to celebrities. 

We discuss:

-Why so many of these A Listers allowed her so closely into their lives

-What was her motivation for writing such an intriguing, juicy book of 361 pages

-Do famous people regret being famous or do they mostly enjoy & embrace it? 

-Any that didn’t enjoy or couldn’t handle their fame? 

-She has written over 2,5000 columns & interviews reporting on Hollywood celebrities & social and political events.  Which interviews & stories stand out the

most?

-Jimi Hendrix.   The Mama Cass Ham Sandwich story.   Richard Simmons.    OJ Simpson.  

Sonny & Cher.   Wonder Woman Lynda Carter.  

Her blog, www.cameroncolumn.blogspot.com is widely read and generates attention

everywhere

Eddie Wilson is a businessman who is known as the “King of Exits.” He has owned over 125 companies and exited over 120 of them successfully. His current private equity firm Collective Influence has significant holdings as well. Of those holdings, the Private Equity firm owns – Think Realty, American Association of Private Lenders, Apticode, FitCon, Tax Free Crypto, Because Coffee, The Power Room, Money Is…and about 10 other companies.

 He is also known for creating an operating system that manages the growth of his companies systematically allowing him the greatest odds for success. His operating system is known as the Empire Operating System. With all of his success in his 40s he has turned his efforts to humanitarian non-profit activities with his foundation Impact Others. 

In this episode, you will learn:

-Exactly what an Exit Strategy means and why you absolutely have to have one when you start a business

 -How Eddie become so proficient in exit strategies to earn him the title of the King of Exits 

-How to grow and scale your business without working 7 days

 -Advice for new entrepreneurs. What are the musts they should do and what are the common pitfalls they should look to avoid?

 -How do you find the best employees and what traits do you look for when hiring?

-The Aspire Tour – How these new tours are taking the country by storm. Inspire your growth Financially, Professionally, Personally.  May 17 in Miami from 7 til 7pm.  Mr. Wonderful Kevin O’Leary, Marcus Lemonis from The Profit TV Show, Alex Rodriguez, Gary V and others. July 20 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Bob Burg has been successfully showing entrepreneurs, leaders, & sales pros for over 30 yrs, how to build relationships, communicate their value, & accelerate their business growth as one of the top Sales and Entrepreneur trainers in the world.  Though for years he was best known for his sales classic, Endless Referrals, it’s his business parable he co-authored, The Go-Giver, that has created a worldwide movement.  While part of a four-book series, The Go-Giver itself has sold well over a million copies & been translated into 30 languages. It was rated #10 on Inc. Magazine’s list of The Most Motivational Books Ever Written, & was on HubSpot’s 20 Most Highly Rated Sales Books of All Time. 

An advocate, supporter, & defender of the Free Enterprise system, Bob believes that the amount of money one makes is directly proportional to how many people they serve.

In this interview, hear about:

-Most people just laugh when they hear that the secret to success is giving…Then again, most people are nowhere near as successful as they wish they were.” 

-Examples of what a salesperson or entrepreneur can give a prospective client

-Change focus from getting to giving...putting others interests first & adding value to their lives ultimately leads to unexpected returns. Give & You Shall Receive.” 

-“Don’t give as a quid pro quo, not as a strategy to get ahead, but because it is, in & of itself, a satisfying & fulfilling way to be.”

-Five Laws of Stratospheric Success.

-How do you turn a Cold Call into a Warm Call?

-How can you have business organically flow to you instead of always trying to push, persuade, cajole, hype or any other artificial way of making a sale?

-How do you deal with the prospect you know is your perfect client, but just won’t give you the time of day.  They don’t return your email, phone calls or texts.

-One golden nugget of advice from a “drive-by mentor” totally shifted Bob’s perspective and played a big role in his success.

-One thing to absolutely AVOID doing when seeking out a mentor. 

-What’s the best way to find a mentor?

-Why being a “Go-Giver” is absolutely congruent with — and even honors — human nature.