This is My Silver Lining

Ian Holder is the Senior Vice President of Creative at Sony Music Publishing, the world’s number one music publishing company, reporting directly to the CEO.  Over the course of his career, he has signed and/or worked with artists including Post Malone, Frank Ocean, Moneybagg Yo, Lil Tjay, and Jack Harlow.  Getting here wasn’t easy or obvious for Ian, but from the time he decided in his early 20s that he was going to turn his love for music into a career, he was dogged in his determination to make it.  There was no blueprint for what he wanted to do, he didn’t have connections, exposure, or experience.  He made his own way, guided by his curiosity and embracing risk.  He made some bad choices, but rather than allowing his failures to douse his passion, he decided to turn every mistake and setback into a brick in the foundation of his ultimate success.

Ian is more attuned than most to how our personal and professional lives influence one another.  He talks to us about the importance of his family in supporting him no matter what and how his parents influenced his determination and understanding of commitment to individuals and the task at hand.  He tells us how fatherhood has not only taught him about balance, patience, and humility but has made him a more effective communicator and stronger leader.   

Ian gives us a peek behind the curtain on how the music industry works.  He tells us that having the opportunity to work with creatives who channel their powers of self-reflection, empathy for others, and connection to the world around them into the art form of music inspires him every time he opens his eyes.

Ian leans into life with gratitude and generosity for others, knowing that there were many people along the way who did the same for him.

Episode Links and Resources:
Ian Holder Bio
Sony Music Publishing Promotes Ian Holder to Senior Vice President, Creative

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Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.
Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2022 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Two words describe our guest today:  Uncommonly Driven.  How else would you describe someone who gets up before the sun rises each day to run 8-10 miles, then works from 5:30 AM until lunchtime, takes a short break, works out again, and then gets back to work until evening.  Our guest, Chuck Roche, is the owner of Uncommonly Driven Fitness, a USMC veteran, fitness guru, and ultrarunner.  

Chuck speaks with us today about his experience in the Marine Corps, his struggles with PTSD and alcoholism, and his thoughts about how we can do a better job supporting Veterans.  10 years sober and the owner of a thriving personal training business, Chuck talks about his path, about the importance of fitness in his own life, and how pain can be a motivator if we are willing to let ourselves get comfortable with being uncomfortable.   

We are so grateful to share this conversation today, as we honor all who serve and have served in commemoration of Veteran’s Day.  

Episode Links and Resources:
Chuck Roche on Instagram: @uncommonlydriven
Mission 22
U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot Drill Sergeant School 

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing!
Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.
Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.
© 2022 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

After suffering multiple miscarriages, and delivering two healthy baby boys, Nicole and her husband knew that their family was not yet complete.  When they decided to open their hearts and their home to the possibility of adopting a third child, they did not realize that deciding to adopt was only the beginning of the journey. 

Nicole, Joe, and their two young children waited with excited anticipation for that phone call notifying them that a baby was available for adoption.  That call finally came 15 months later, when they were told that a baby with Down’s Syndrome was available for adoption.  

Nicole and her husband searched their souls and knew that this was the baby they had been waiting for.  Listen to Nicole’s journey of learning and loving and the challenges and rewards of raising their beautiful daughter, Mary Rose.  

Episode Links:
Check out Nicole’s Blog:  http://www.nicolejenniferjohnson.com/

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing!
Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.
Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.
© 2022 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

After the tragic loss of her mother in a fire set by an arsonist in 1986 at the Dupont Plaza Hotel in Puerto Rico, Susan McPherson committed herself to applying the lessons she learned from her parents about the importance of meaningfully connecting with others by offering to help.  In this episode, we speak with Susan about overcoming our fears of networking through the “Gather, Ask, Do” method, which she describes in her book, The Lost Art of Connecting, and which was named a Best Business Book of 2021 by Soundview Magazine.  

Susan begins from the premise that we are always learning and that meaningfully connecting with others is far more rewarding if we start by asking, “how can I help?” rather than “what can you do for me?”  From Susan’s perspective, a simple change in mindset can move us out of the “what’s in it for me?” type of transactional networking, to one of meaningful engagement.  Not only does this develop deeper relationships, but it drives business results, breeds innovation and creativity, and most importantly, serves as an engine for greater happiness and longevity.  

Episode Links and Resources:
The Lost Art of Connecting
Susan McPherson
McPherson Strategies
Dupont Hotel Fire - Article

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing!

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.
Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2022 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Jessica Baldizon understands the superpower of speaking more than one language.  She teaches English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) at Cesar Batalla Elementary School in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the second-largest preK thru 8 school in Connecticut.  Her students include many immigrants and refugees from around the world.

Like many of her students' parents, Jessica’s mother, father, and her maternal grandparents came to the U.S. as refugees; her family fled the war in Nicaragua in 1984.  Jessica has first-hand experience as a cultural and language broker in her own family.  Her background and experiences growing up have allowed Jessica to help her students hone this amazing asset as they help their family navigate new spaces.

Many of Jessica’s students come into school with worries and stresses that have to be addressed before teaching and learning can happen.  Before all else, she focuses on helping her students feel a sense of security and belonging.

Jessica challenges the resource constraints of the status quo by leveraging technology and calling on community to ensure that her students have plenty of books to share with one another, uniform shirts that fit, and the pencils, pens and paint sets they need to create with and learn.  Check out her Donors Choose page HERE (and link below) to see some of her current and past requests.

As we discuss, she is rarely idle - in addition to her daily teaching, Jessica leads both an active after-school program called HOPE club, as well as a summer writing camp, called Ubuntu Academy, through the Connecticut Writing Project with her fiancé, also a teacher in the Bridgeport school system.

It was no surprise to us to learn that Jessica received the 2022 Bridgeport Public Education Fund Inspiration Award for Outstanding Teaching earlier this year.  Every day she is a difference-maker, preparing her students to create the world they want to live in.

Episode Links and Resources:
Jessica’s DonorsChoose Page
Connecticut Writer’s Program- Ubuntu Academy
“Where Language is No Barrier,” Sacred Heart University Magazine Feature About Jessica Baldizon
2022 Inspiration Award for Outstanding Teaching

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing!

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.
Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2022 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

As a seasoned TV and film producer, Jamie Zelermyer knows a good story when she hears one.  She loves to delight the senses of viewers through sight and sound.  In 2019, however, she began working on a podcast with her mom, Karen, weaving together the pieces of a cultural movement of the 1970s, with a true crime missing person’s case, and a deeply personal narrative of her own upbringing in West Virginia.  

The podcast, I Was Never There, tells the story of Marsha Mudd Ferber’s disappearance. Jamie shares her thoughts about having this time with her mom and how it afforded each of them the opportunity to reflect on some complicated moments from Jamie’s childhood.  

Jamie was determined to shine an authentic light on the Back to the Land movement of the 1970s that defined her earliest childhood memories.  This period was about a lot more than long-haired, bell-bottom wearing hippies.  Jamie tells us that the mother-daughter podcasting duo have been surprised at how much their dynamics and the natural tension between them has resonated with listeners. 

Episode Links and Resources:
Jamie Zelermyer
I Was Never There Podcast
New York Women In Film and Television
Twitter:  @jamiezelermyer
Instagram:  @jamiehayaz

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing!
Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.
Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2022 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Meghan Skelton has always approached her work as a Therapist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker from a place of deep empathy.  She has never felt more connected to her clients’ needs as she has in the last two years.  

Meghan speaks openly about the long and challenging road to her son’s autism diagnosis, the grief she and her husband experienced, and how they work day-to-day to meet his needs. Rather than focus on his deficits, she celebrates his empathetic heart, compassion and emotional intelligence.  

As a therapist, Meghan has dedicated herself to actively participating in solving the mental health crisis in America. She and her partners at Linq Therapy take a holistic approach to treating the mental health care needs of their adolescent patients and families.  They recently launched LinqPerformance, which provides a toolkit and training program to destigmatize and demystify mental health, working directly with schools, students, coaches, and athletes.  

We discuss social media, the pandemic, gun violence and other chronic stress triggers that affect adolescent mental health along with the everyday tools they can use to be more present in order to manage anxiety and depression.   

Episode Links and Resources: 
Linq Therapy
Linq Performance Mental Health Awareness Training
WHO - World Mental Health Day Official Site
Autism Speaks

• Meghan Skelton says:  “If you or someone you know is showing signs of having a mental health condition, or struggling with a situational struggle please reach out for help. Psychology Today is a great resource to find certified therapists in your area to start working health. Mental health is equally important to our physical health. Let's reduce stigma and start seeking support. You do not have to be in a dire situation to seek therapy.”  Link to Psychology Today
• Contact Linq Performance for Mental Health Awareness Training at www.linqperformance.com for the following services and more:  
  • For adolescents, coaches, parents and club sports that are interested in virtual Mental Health Awareness and Peak Performance Modules that address warning signs, how and when to ask for help, proactive coping skills and mental health toolkit tor greater athletic performance.  
  • For School Districts that are interested in virtual trainings for students, teachers, administrators and parents on Mental Health Awareness - how to recognize when to ask for help (for self and others), where to go for help, in addition to proactive coping skills and toolkit for everyone to build healthy mindset and coping strategies.  
  • For Corporate Mental Health Awareness Trainings to include warning signs in employees, how to work with employees with conditions, structuring of policies to support proactive support.  

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing!
Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.
Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.
© 2022 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Liz Brown knows a thing or two about transitions, the ones you plan for and the ones imposed upon you by circumstances.  Having experienced serious loss, she understands the power of reflection and creating a life worth living.  If you don’t like where your life is heading, it’s time to start planning.  Liz believes it’s never too late to make changes.  Do you want to be in the same place, doing the same thing or do you want to be somewhere else? Only you can really know and while we can’t predict the future, one thing is for sure:  in 10 years (with any luck), we will all be 10 years older.  Figure out what you enjoy being good at and plan your journey from there.  

Sharing your experiences openly and honestly can transform another person’s life.  Liz has benefitted from the wisdom of others and is generous in sharing her own.  We talk with Liz about the courage it takes to leave a career that is all-consuming, financially rewarding and has taken years of training to realize.  We talk about how our work often defines how we identify ourselves and how others see us.  Embracing the opportunity to define a new career identity can feel risky, but the rewards of joy and career fulfillment are well worth the journey.  

Episode Links and Resources: 
Liz Brown
How to Leave the Law, Liz Brown and Amy Impellizzeri
Life After Law, Liz Brown
Liz Brown speaks about Career Choices at Bentley Convocation 2015

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing!
Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.
Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.
© 2022 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Matthew Del Negro believes that we learn more about ourselves in our losses than in our victories.  He is a hugely successful actor– with major roles on the Sopranos, West Wing, Scandal, and currently starring on Showtime's City on a Hill with Kevin Bacon and Aldis Hodge.  Despite his long list of impressive acting credits, Matt has discovered more about his true self by overcoming the “10,000 No’s” that he has been dealt throughout his career.  

While some actors might prefer to keep up the facade of a perfect life and career, Matt chose to get real by starting his podcast, 10,000 No’s. He interviews his guests –many of whom are also successful actors, including Lorraine Bracco and Kevin Bacon– about their own experiences with rejection and the fear of not being able to find the next great role.  Matt recognized that sharing these experiences and wisdom would help other young actors, and he quickly realized that the idea of turning a No into a Yes could be helpful to anyone–  not just actors.   

Matt talks about the importance of being bold enough to take a risk and believe you will succeed.  And we talk about not caring what other people think of us when we decide to enter the arena.  

Episode Links and Resources: 
10,000 Nos Podcast, Book and Insider’s Community
Order 10,000 NOs: How to Overcome Rejection on the Way to Your YES
Matthew Del Negro IMDb Bio
Showtime’s City on a Hill
Full Text of “Citizenship in a Republic” (a/k/a “Man in the Arena”)  Speech by Theodore Roosevelt
Matthew Del Negro Instagram

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing!
Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.
Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.
© 2022 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

There is a certain magic involved in bringing to life a new character on one of the most iconic children’s television shows.  Sesame Street puppeteer, Carmen Osbahr, joins us this week as we talk about how she found her dream career as a puppeteer, and her role in creating–and performing–the lovable Rosita.  

Carmen knows what it’s like to be the new kid on the block and how this can be even harder and scarier when everyone around you is speaking a different language.  In her late teens, she discovered puppeteering through a Workshop facilitated by Sesame Street.  She was hooked and couldn’t imagine doing anything else for the rest of her life.  

Carmen takes us behind the scenes and below the frame to help us understand the physical and emotional aspects of how the puppets on Sesame Street actually come to life.  She also shares her gratitude for an unexpected dream come true:  working with families through Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind the television show.  

Episode Links and Resources:
Sesame Street:  https://www.sesamestreet.org/
Plaza Sesamo:  https://plazasesamo.com/?code=US
Sesame Workshop:  https://www.sesameworkshop.org/
Street Gang:  How We Got to Sesame Street, https://www.hbo.com/movies/street-gang-how-we-got-to-sesame-street

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing!
Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.
Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.
© 2022 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.