Uncorking a Story

Uncorking a Story

By Michael CarlonComedySociety & CultureArtsBooks
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Uncorking a Story episodes

  • Challenging Conventions, with Jessica Weaver

    I love a good story about people who break conventions and today’s guest on Uncorking a Story, Jessica Weaver, does just that. Shortly after getting started in the financial planning business, Jessica felt a calling to focus her efforts on women, and wow has that paid off! Along the way she has written three books (with another in the works), built a profitable business, and has changed the financial lives of her clients by taking a holistic approach to planning. Her energy and passion are infectious and it was a real pleasure having her on the show.

    Meet Jessica Weaver

    Jessica Weaver, CFP, CDFA, CFS is a wealth advisor, best-selling author, and founder of the Women's Wealth Boutique, the fastest growing woman-owned financial firm in the US. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about her career path, writing, and how she has challenged the conventions of the financial planning industry.


    Key Topics:


    1. Why she decided to focus her business on women. 
    2. The importance of being vulnerable when meeting with clients.
    3. Challenging conventions by getting groups of people together and talking about money. 
    4. Why Jessica started writing books.
    5. How Jessica wrote a book in a week.
    6. The spiritual side of money (yes, there is one!).
    7. How to stop self sabotaging your own wealth.


      8. Buy Jessica’s Books:

      Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vOGj3x


      Connect with Jessica Weaver

      Website: https://jessicaweaver.com/

      LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-weaver-cfp%C2%AE-cdfa%C2%AE-cfs%C2%AE-76538733/

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

      Twitter: https://twitter.com/JessicaCWeaver

      YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmvauHYM2uKeOywG7RvKi5Q



      Connect with Mike

      Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

      Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

      Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

      TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory

      Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

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

      LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/


      If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.


      Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

      43 min
    8. Declassified, with Sewall Menzel, Ph.D.

      Today, we have a real treat for fans of US History. Today’s guest, Sewall Menzel, Ph.D., drops a bombshell about how President Roosevelt, playing the role of the Fox, provoked the Japanese to attack the United States at Pearl Harbor. More importantly, he also explains why. 


      Meet Sewall Menzel, Ph.D.

      Dr. Menzel is a career Army officer and university professor whose latest book, The Pearl Harbor Secret: Why Roosevelt Undermined the U.S. Navy, relies on recently declassified documents to reshape our thinking as to what Pearl Harbor really was all about. His findings challenge the history books and is the only comprehensive book on the Pearl Harbor attack that digs into declassified documents, as well as the diaries and notes of key players, that answers the question, “Why did Pearl Harbor happen?”


      Key Topics:


      1. Why the only son of two Chicago based artists decided to attend college at The Citadel in 1964.
      2. Dr. Menzel’s extensive military career including his time as an Army Ranger in Vietnam and the time he spent in Latin America.
      3. How Dr. Menzel observed that much of the early history of certain wars is inaccurate, and how that fueled his desire to uncover the truth about Pearl Harbor.
      4. How an encounter at the Roosevelt Archives gave Dr. Menzel the insight into how and why Pearl Harbor really happened.
      5. How the US was able to track the Imperial Japanese Navy on their way to Pearl Harbor and why Admiral Kimmel was setup to be the fall guy.



        6. Buy the Pearl Harbor Secret:

        Amazon: https://amzn.to/4012Gk1

        Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781440875854


        Connect with Mike

        Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

        Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

        Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

        TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory

        Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

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

        LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/


        If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.




        Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

        1 hr 14 min
      6. Now Blooming, with Trish Michael

        We are often told to always look on the bright side of life—at least those of us who grew up watching Monty Python movies were told that. But how can we look on the bright side when the world around us appears to be so incredibly dark? Throughout her life, my guest today has faced constant adversity; a single mom at 18, abusive marriage for 20 years, cancer twice, but through it all, Trish Michael has worked not only to see the bright side but to be the bright side when it couldn’t be seen.  

        Meet Trish Michael:

        Trish is an author, artist, photographer and two time cancer survivor living in Maui, Hawaii and working to make the world a better place with all that she does. Her books, which have all been written for her own children at difficult stages in their lives, are her way of reminding them (and the world) that anything is possible. Steeped in hard won wisdom and written to empower, her books use fun rhymes and comforting cadence to make hard to swallow truths easy to digest. 

        Key Topics:

        1. How, after living with so many struggles and challenges, Trish found her happy.
        2. The motivation behind her books.
        3. How Trish channels heartache and struggle into beauty.
        4. The meaning behind the phrase ‘No mud, no lotus.”
        5. The importance of connecting with your inner child.


          6. Support Trish’s Kickstarter Campaign:

          https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/findyourhappybook/light-a-guide-to-making-good-decisions-even-when-its-hard


          Buy Trish’s Books

          Find Your Happy:: https://amzn.to/3X4mSA2

          Light: https://amzn.to/3EeLptT


          Connect with Trish:

          Website: https://www.trishmichael.com/

          Email: mailto:[email protected]

          Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamtrishmichael/

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

          YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwnA9pOiqFlyEk9LfHJvPcA


          Connect with Mike:

          Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

          Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

          Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

          Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

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

          LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/


          If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.


          Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

          38 min
        6. 99 Rejections, with Melissa Payne

          Melissa Payne is the bestselling, award-winning author of The Secrets of Lost Stones, Memories in the Drift and The Night of Many Endings. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss her career and latest book, A Light in the Forest. Set in the hills of southeastern Ohio, it is a story about resilience and courage in the face of generational trauma. It's also  about finding hope, even in the darkest of times.


          Key Topics:


          1. Why Melissa loved writing in blue books while in college.
          2. Why writing a book was always a dream, but initially something she initially dismissed.
          3. How meeting another parent at her child’s school who had an agent and a manuscript out for submission impacted her decision to write a novel.
          4. The surprising role of rejections on the path to publishing.
          5. How confidence comes with age and experience.


            6. Buy A Light in the Forrest

            Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PrGPNQ

            Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781957568287


            Connect with Melissa:

            Website: https://www.melissapayneauthor.com

            Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissapayne_writes/

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


            Connect with Mike

            Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

            Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

            Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

            Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

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

            LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/


            If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.



            Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

            36 min
          6. Believing in Magic, with M.J. Rose

            New York Times, USAToday, and Wall St. Journal bestseller, M.J. Rose grew up in New York City mostly in the labyrinthine galleries of the Metropolitan Museum, the dark tunnels and lush gardens of Central Park, and reading her mother's favorite books before she was allowed. She believes mystery and magic are all around us but we are too often too busy to notice. Rose's work has appeared in many magazines including Oprah Magazine and The Adventurine and she has been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, WSJ, Time, USA Today and on the Today Show, and NPR radio. She joined me on uncorking a story to talk about her career and latest book, The Jeweler of Stolen Dreams.

            Key Topics:


            1. Why she decided to become an artist when everyone in her family felt she should become a writer.
            2. Why she feels a strong connection to Magic 
            3. How a premonition her grandmother had saved her life.
            4. Who Suzanne Belperon was and why M.J. felt compelled to write about her.
            5. The challenges of writing historical fiction, including the pressure to get the facts right when there is little source material to go on.


              6. Buy The Jeweler of Stolen Dreams

              Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PrGPNQ

              Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781957568287


              Connect with M.J. Rose:

              EMail: mailto:[email protected]

              Website: https://www.mjrose.com/content/

              Facebook: https://www.mjrose.com/content/

              Twitter: https://twitter.com/MJRose

              Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjroseauthor/

              Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/69003.M_J_Rose


              Connect with Mike

              Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

              Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

              Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

              TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory

              Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

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

              LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/


              If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.


              Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

              33 min
            6. The Power Trio, with S.E. Boyd

              S. E. Boyd is the creation of veteran journalists Kevin Alexander and Joe Keohane, and editor Alessandra Lusardi. All lightly damaged Catholics prone to extensive over-analysis, Alexander, Keohane, and Lusardi have, between them, authored four books, edited dozens more, and written for Esquire, The Atlantic, and The New Yorker, among others. Alexander also won a James Beard Award for food writing, a fact Keohane and Lusardi are both tired of hearing about. They joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about their first novel, The Lemon.


              Key Topics:


              1. How our celebrity-obsessed culture influenced the book’s premise, and their particular fascination with what they call “the Celebrity-Death-Industrial Complex.”
              2. Their unique writing process, and why it has more in common with a TV writers’ room than typical novel-writing.
              3. Why the character at the center of the book is called John Doe: “In dying famous, he became the property of others; he is a cipher for whatever you want him to mean to you.”
              4. Their backgrounds in the food industry, print and digital media, and publishing, and how that insider knowledge informs THE LEMON
              5. Why they were drawn to writing about the food world – and why food celebrities are “often the most entertaining.”
              6. Their research for the book, and how various plot threads – about music, Belfast and Northern Ireland, upscale design firms, and more – came to be.


                7. Buy The Lemon

                Amazon: https://amzn.to/3UZB4s2

                Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9780593490440


                Connect with S.E. Boyd

                Allesandra Lusardi: https://www.instagram.com/alelusardi/

                Kevin Alexander: https://www.instagram.com/kevinalexanderwrites/

                Joe Koehane: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-keohane-7969769/


                Connect with Mike

                Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

                Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

                Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

                TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory

                Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

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

                LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/



                Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

                45 min
              7. Start Asking Who, with Matt McWilliams

                When I was a kid, I had dreams of joining the PGA tour; the only problem was, I really didn’t show a tremendous aptitude for the game of golf, which is kind of a precursor for playing professionally. In this way, I couldn’t be any more different than today’s guest, Matt McWilliams, who played the game collegiately and even made solid money in his early twenties as a teaching professional. He decided, though, that his true passions lay elsewhere and walked away from a lucrative career to teach others how to make a killing through digital marketing—and hasn’t looked back since.

                Meet Matt McWilliams:

                Matt is living proof that one can pursue one’s passion in life, and do so while making a profit. He started his first online business in 2001 at the age of 22 and today is one of the leading online business teachers. He’s worked with more than 300,000 online business owners while running affiliate programs, product launches, and book launches for entrepreneurs such as Shark Tank’s Kevin Harrington, Michael Hyatt, Brian Tracy, and Lewis Howes. Today, he coaches other small business owners, solopreneurs, and wantrepreneurs on how to start the right online business, scale it, and eventually go full-time with it. He joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss his career and new book, Turn Your Passions into Profits: The Proven Path for Building a Rewarding Online Business.


                Key Topics:


                1. Why Matt walked away from what might consider a dream job to pursue a different passion.
                2. Why Matt decided to share his knowledge in the form of a book.
                3. How Matt wrote this book by writing just twenty minutes per day.
                4. Common misconceptions that prospective authors should know about writing a book.
                5. The surprising challenges Matt faced during the editing and publication process.


                  6. Click here to buy Matt’s Book Turn Your Passions into Profits: The Proven Path for Building a Rewarding Online Business


                  Connect with Matt McWilliams

                  Website: https://www.mattmcwilliams.com/

                  Podcast: https://www.mattmcwilliams.com/affiliate-guy-daily-podcast/

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

                  Twitter: https://twitter.com/MattMcWilliams2

                  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/matthewrmcwilliams


                  Connect with Mike

                  Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

                  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

                  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

                  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory

                  Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

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

                  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/


                  If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.


                  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

                  56 min
                6. Do More, Better with Susan Combs

                  Susan Combs is President of Combs & Company, a full-service insurance brokerage firm based in New York City. She started the company at twenty-six years old with a drive to “Do more, better.” This internal mantra has resulted in numerous successes and firsts, like being named the youngest National President in the over eighty-five-year history of Women in Insurance & Financial Services (WIFS) and the first female Broker of the Year winner for BenefitsPro. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about her book, Pancakes for Roger: A mentorship guide for slaying dragons, which includes the lessons she learned during her midwestern upbringing and 2 plus decades in New York City.


                  Key Topics:

                  1. Susan’s belief that nobody gets anywhere alone.
                  2. The role her father played in her life.
                  3. Why Susan likens her business self to a dragon slayer.
                  4. The impact grief can have on your life, and how to overcome it.
                  5. The importance of mentorship.


                    6. Buy Pancakes for Roger

                    Amazon: https://amzn.to/3AiWbhe

                    Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781544528397


                    Connect with Susan:

                    Website: https://www.pancakesforroger.com/

                    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/combsandcompany/

                    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063797403039

                    Twitter: https://twitter.com/InsuranceVixen

                    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-l-combs/

                    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCei3_AQqJGaIsAlwlsSmYTw


                    Connect with Mike

                    Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

                    Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

                    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

                    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory

                    Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

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

                    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/


                    If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.




                    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

                    36 min
                  6. Taking Stock, with Nick Jonsson

                    Nick Jonsson is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of one of Asia’s premiere networking organizations. He built a caring community that provides hundreds of executives a safe haven to share their challenges, and receive support and learn from each other. He joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about his personal story and book entitled Executive Loneliness: The 5 Pathways to Overcoming Isolation, Stress, Anxiety & Depression in the Modern Business World. 


                    Key Topics:

                    1. How Nick bottomed out and climbed his way back.
                    2. Why he felt lucky for having a drinking problem.
                    3. What the five pathways to overcoming isolation, stress, anxiety, and depression are.
                    4. The importance of paying it forward to your recovery.
                    5. The importance of finding purpose and what Nick believes his purpose is.


                      6. Buy Executive Loneliness: The 5 Pathways to Overcoming Isolation, Stress, Anxiety & Depression in the Modern Business World

                      Amazon: https://amzn.to/3hlY8DB

                      Nick’s Website: https://nickjonsson.com/my-book/


                      Connect with Nick

                      Website: http://www.nickjonsson.com

                      Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-jonsson

                      Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickJonsson

                      Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonssonnick

                      Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonsson.nick


                      Connect with Mike

                      Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

                      Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

                      Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

                      TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory

                      Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

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

                      LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/


                      If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.



                      Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

                      35 min
                    6. 7 Beliefs, with Mike Carlon

                      Today, we are doing something a little different on Uncorking a Story. It’s a new year and, for our first episode, there is no guest. I’m using this first episode to thank all of the wonderful publicists I’ve worked with and authors I’ve interviewed over the course of 2022, which was the best year ever for Uncorking a Story. In addition, I also share an open letter to my children, inspired by our annual watching of The Polar Express, which includes 7 pieces of wisdom that I want them to know.

                      Of course, the show would mean nothing without our loyal listeners so, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for tuning in each week to hear me uncork some stories. All the best to you and yours in the new year.


                      Connect with Mike

                      Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

                      Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

                      Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

                      TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory

                      Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

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

                      LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/




                      Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

                      17 min

                    About Uncorking a Story

                    From the publisher's feed

                    Listen in to Uncorking a Story, where we pop the cork on hidden narratives and delve deep into the brilliant minds of your favorite authors. Get ready to unlock the magic behind your favorite books,…