Uncorking a Story

About Jim Young: Jim is on a personal mission to help men defeat burnout. He does this through his coaching business where he is known as The Centered Coach, and is also doing it through his new book entitled Expansive Intimacy: How Tough Guys Defeat Burnout.

In this episode, Mike and Jim discuss: 

• Staking a claim to who you are. 
• The multiple paths we take in life. 
• Taking a risk to open yourself to vulnerability. 
• Embracing the youness. 

Key Takeaways: 

• You don’t have to know what you want to do at 18. That’s crazy! You will find yourself as you live your life and learn who you are. 
• Burnout can feel different to everyone. Listen to your body and your mental health and be willing to take the actions needed to help yourself, even if it is terrifying. 
• You cannot connect with everybody. Be honest, be authentic, and be yourself and you will connect with those who you are meant to be around. 
• You have something nobody else has and that is all that you need. 

"If there's a secret weapon, it's dealing with the really uncomfortable feelings of shame." – Jim Young

Buy Expansive Intimacy: How Tough Guys Defeat Burnout

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3BtcSI2

Connect with Jim Young: 

Website: https://www.thecenteredcoach.com/ 

Connect with Mike Carlon:

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/

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

About Carrington Smith: Carrington Smith is a single mom, attorney, business owner, and executive search professional. Despite being born with a silver spoon in her mouth, life gave her a hard kick in the tail. She has survived sexual assault, two divorces, piles of debt, abuse, religious mind games, the death of loved ones, and the loss of close friends.

In her debut memoir, Blooming: Finding Gifts in the Shit of Life, Carrington combines wit and wisdom to share her journey through the shit, with a positive attitude and a shift of mindset, into a life bursting with joy, opportunity, and purpose. A graduate of UT Austin and Tulane Law School, Carrington resides in Austin, Texas, with her two teenage boys.

In this episode, Mike and Carrington discuss: 

• How changing your mindset can change your life
• Why it's better to stand out than to fit in
• How sometimes we don’t really discover who we are until later in life
• Why being given everything isn’t necessarily a blessing

“I like to say that we spend most of our life trying to fit in, and what God really intended us to do was to stand out. And so it's really our differences that we need to celebrate, not our similarities.” — Carrington Smith

Buy Blooming: Finding Gifts in the Shit of Life

Amazon:https://amzn.to/3CQ0T8v

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781544523781

Connect with Carrington Smith

Website: https://www.carrington-smith.com/

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarringtonATX

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carriesmithtrabue/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5HWX6jTM_F-nZAaShyx8SQ

Connect with Mike Carlon:

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/

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

About David Bell: David is the USA Today-bestselling author of twelve novels from Berkley/Penguin, including THE FINALISTS, KILL ALL YOUR DARLINGS, THE REQUEST, and LAYOVER. His work has been translated into numerous foreign languages, included on several bestseller lists, nominated for the Pushcart Prize five times, and, recently his thirteenth novel, KILL ALL YOUR DARLINGS, was nominated for a 2022 Edgar Award. 

In this episode, Mike and David discuss: 

• Why David blames his parents for becoming a bestselling author. 
• Reading as the best teacher of the craft of writing. 
• How David’s career influenced his latest book, The Finalists. 
• The impact of childhood stories on other stories in our lives. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Not all authors are dead! Many are attempting to make a living doing it now, and you can too. 
• Succeeding young in writing is rare. Many publish their first books, and become accomplished writers, in their 30s or 40s or even later. 
• While writing itself is a solitary process, the book and the publishing of that book is a team effort to get that book out in the world. 
• It is going to take time - you don’t play an instrument perfectly when you first pick it up, and you also won’t write the perfect novel the first time you pick up a pen. 

"Enjoy the day-to-day process of writing the book. Enjoy the day-to-day process of a book coming out. Yes, you're responsible for a lot of what happens and you can't just abdicate responsibility to publishing for promoting the book, but try to enjoy the ride." – David Bell

Buy The Finalists

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3yQWA9r

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9780593198698

Connect with David Bell:

Website: https://davidbellnovels.com/

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidBellNovels

Connect with Mike Carlon:

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/

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

About KJ Dell'Antonia: KJ is the author of The Chicken Sisters, a New York Times bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon book club pick, and a timely, humorous exploration of the same themes she has long focused on in her journalism: the importance of finding joy in our families, the challenge of figuring out what makes us happy and the need to value the people in front of us more than the ones in our phones and laptops, every single time.

Her latest novel, In Her Boots, is about the gap between the adult we think we have become, the child our mother will always see, and our horrible fear that our mother is right. 

In this episode, Mike and KJ discuss: 

KJ’s journey to publishing from fanfiction to nonfiction journalism to published fiction with a Reese Witherspoon book club pick. 

The challenges of finding out what makes us happy and then voicing it. 

Enjoying life now, not waiting for the nebulous future. 

Creating and inhabiting new worlds. 

Key Takeaways: 

Just because something is hard does not mean that it needs to be terrible too. 

We are conditioned to want stuff, but what we are really looking for in life is connection. 

We are all wearing masks in different aspects of our lives. The key is understanding who we are inside and recognizing that we are good as we are. 

If you’re not going to sell yourself and your works, who is going to?

"We're all taught not to toot our own horns. But, hopefully, you think the thing that you're putting out in the world is the best thing you can and people want to share that and be part of it." – KJ Dell'Antonia

Buy In Her Boots

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3O4ldF5

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9780593542460

Connect with KJ Dell'Antonia: 

Website: https://kjdellantonia.com/ 

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KJDellAntonia

Podcast: https://amwriting.substack.com/

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

Connect with Mike Carlon:

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/

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

About Sophie Irwin: Sophie has spent years immersed in the study of historical fiction, from a dissertation on why Georgette Heyer helped win World War Two, to time spent in dusty stacks and old tomes doing detailed period research when writing this book. 

Her love and passion for historical fiction bring a breath of fresh air and a contemporary energy to the genre. Her debut novel is A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting and joining me today to talk about that, and so much more, is author Sophie Irwin. 

In this episode, Mike and Sophie discuss: 

• Why her writing starts with consuming stories across multiple genres and media platforms. 
• The draw of historical fiction (and how it is similar to fantasy). 
• Building an immersive world without overwhelming your readers. 
• Embracing and feeding your inner selves - past, present, and future. 
• Finding a community within the solitary process of writing. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Historical fiction has a texture that is rich and gorgeous in a way that is different from modern reality. 
• Turn the trope on its head and consider giving your protagonist a reason that isn’t altruistic and is honest about their drive. 
• For your character to break the rules, you have to establish what they are. In historical fiction, there’s different rules depending on the time and location of your setting.
• Tell the story you want to tell and the rest will work itself out. 
• Your first draft is going to be bad and you’re going to hate it (and maybe hate yourself). Push through that. The second draft is for making the writing better. 

"You have to try and retain some of that childlike ability to try and fail and carry on anyway." – Sophie Irwin

Buy A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3AI8aWW

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9780593491348

Connect with Sophie Irwin: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophie.irwin/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SophieHIrwin 

Connect with Mike Carlon:

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/

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

About Annabel Monaghan: Annabel is the author of two Young Adult novels: A Girl Named Digit, optioned by the Disney Channel, and the sequel, Double Digit. She is also the author of Does This Volvo Make My Butt Look Big?, a selection of laugh-out-loud columns that appeared in the Huffington Post, The Week, and The Rye Record. She joins me today to talk about Nora Goes Off Script, which is her adult debut novel.   

In this episode, Mike and Annabel discuss: 

• Annabel’s path to publishing
• What she learned during the writing process
• How Annabel crafted Nora's character and why she chose to make Nora a mother
• How writing is therapy for Annabel

Key Takeaways: 

• Learn how to embrace and create opportunities for success yourself.
• Be vulnerable. By having the courage to be vulnerable in your writing, you enhance your characters and give them a sense of life, which could help you connect with your readers.
• It's not an easy job being a mom–raising a child while accomplishing other responsibilities every single day. 
• Taking the time to write down what is going through your mind is an effective way of expressing yourself, as well as processing your life.

"You're going to be okay, just keep going. It’s not going to work out right away, but it's going to be okay." – Annabel Monaghan 

Buy Nora Goes Off Script:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3w4elBi

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9780593420034

Connect with Annabel Monaghan: 

Website: http://annabelmonaghan.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnabelMonaghan

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/annabel-monaghan/79/b1a/2a7

Instagram: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/annabel-monaghan/79/b1a/2a7

Email: [email protected]

Connect with Mike Carlon:

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/

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

About Ashleigh Renard: As a figure skating coach and choreographer, Ashleigh Renard spent two decades building trust and fostering teamwork, growing her synchronized skating organization to one of the biggest in the world. Now she offers support and encouragement to millions of couples every week through her lifestyle blog and coaching practice. She also co-hosts a podcast for content creators looking to grow their platform. She's here with us today to discuss her newest book, Keeping it Hot: The Workbook.

In this episode, Mike and Ashleigh discuss: 

• The motivation behind writing Keeping it Hot, the Workbook
• The role uncovering your own needs plays in building intimacy
• How intimacy outside the bedroom can lead to intimacy inside the bedroom
• How to speak openly and honestly about your needs

Key Takeaways: 

• Bringing the spark back to the relationship should be fun, not a fight.
• Self-awareness, or knowing what you want from yourself and a partner, is crucial in every relationship. The first step to finding out what you want is to allow yourself to listen to your inner voice and then practice self-care.
• There's nothing wrong with discussing your sexual desires with your partner. You can’t expect them to know what you want unless you tell them. Sharing your true feelings gives them permission to do the same.
• Being a parent doesn't mean you can't have intimate time with your partner or yourself. Planning is everything—take the time to continually invest in your relationship and your kids will grow up with a better understanding of romantic love. 

"Both people in the partnership need time to themselves. They need time to be in their body, they need time to laugh with friends, they need time to really do the things that they love. They need some time for that or else they're not going to have any empathy for the other person who also needs something." – Ashleigh Renard 

Buy Keeping it Hot: The Workbook

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3zZmY2B

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781736596807

Connect with Ashleigh 

Website: https://ashleighrenard.com/

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

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashleighrenard

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashleigh.renard/

Email: [email protected]

Connect with Mike Carlon:

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/

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You’re the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

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

Every now and then I uncork a story that simply inspires the hell out of me—and this is one of those stories.

As Founder and CEO of Encourage LLC, Johnny Sirpilla specializes in leadership development. Every year he addresses organizations with his message of the importance of managing and reframing thoughts, modeling healthy thinking, and searching for positive meaning. Developing meaningful professional and personal relationships that genuinely reflect the personal brand of the individual and organization create synergies that drive growth for all stakeholders.

I didn’t know it going into my interview with Johnny, but he and I have a lot in common. We are both Italian (well, I’m only half, but that’s the half I identify with), we both have written books, and we both have fathered triplets. He and his wife, however, lost Nicholas, Mary, and Peter not long after they were born. More tragedies would follow Johnny and his wife as they attempted to start their family and you might assume that so much loss would lead to a dark place and maybe even the dissolution of their marriage, but the opposite was true.

Yes, Johnny and his wife grieved hard together, but they were also able to reframe their experiences into something positive. The loss of their babies led to a ripple effect of positivity in the lives they have touched. Johnny decided to document his experiences and beliefs in a memoir entitled, Life is Hard but I'll Be OK: The Power of Hope Emerging through Pain and Learning to Live with Gratitude and joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about it. During our conversation we touch on:

• How he and his wife dealt with so much loss and the importance of grieving together.
• How he was able to hang onto his faith and not hate God in the face of so much tragedy.
• How he and his family celebrate and honor Nicholas, Mary, and Peter every year.
• How an empty nest can lead to a rediscovery of one’s relationship with their partner.

Quote from Johnny:

A young man asked me, what do you wish you knew when you were sitting in our seats that would prepare you for the life you're going to live? The answer came to me quickly. I said, I wish I knew that life will be hard, but I'll be okay. And that's where the title of my book came from. As a young guy I think you set goals, you reach them, you set the next goal, and life just keeps going in that great trajectory. And you almost don't prepare yourself for those unexplained situations that happen. A child passing, an illness, adoption nightmares. So you know, I wish I knew that life will be hard, but I'll be okay.

Buy Life is Hard but I’ll Be Ok.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PPT5qX

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781956642872

Connect with Johnny

Website: https://www.encourage33.com/

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.sirpilla

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnnySirpilla

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.

About Sandra Butler: Sandra is the author of several books, each designed to identify something unspoken and move those issues into the public conversation. Over the past three decades, Sandra has written dozens of articles, reviews, and essays that have appeared in a range of periodicals and anthologies. She has facilitated workshops for community activist social workers and psychologists on violence against women and has lectured on women's issues nationally and internationally. She joins us today to talk about her latest book, The Kitchen Is Closed: And Other Benefits of Being Old. 

In this episode, Mike and Sandra discuss: 

• The motivation behind Sandra’s latest book
• Why it is important to listen to your inner voices
• Defining love in its truest sense
• The truth about keeping secrets

Key Takeaways: 

• Your story may have the potential to spark conversations about important issues, so go ahead and let the world hear your story. Be the change you want to see in the world.
• Listen to the voices in your head, but remember to silence the negative ones. Listening to and trusting your inner voice can help you make wise decisions and make significant changes in your life.
• Love should satisfy both parties' needs and desires. If a relationship no longer fulfills you, it may be time to move on.
• Setting boundaries is fine, but keeping secrets may hurt you in the long run. 

"Your job is to leave the world better than you found it." – Sandra Butler

Buy The Kitchen Is Closed: And Other Benefits of Being Old

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3c5QAla

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9798985756005

Connect with Sandra

Website: https://sandrabutler.net/

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

Connect with Mike Carlon:

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/

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You’re the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

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

About

Anastasia Zadeik is an author, editor, and narrative nonfiction storyteller. When she’s not reading or writing, you’ll find her practicing yoga, hiking, biking, swimming, or hanging out with her husband and her empty-nest rescue dog, Charlie. She’s here today to talk about Blurred Fates, her first novel. 

Connect with Anastasia

Amazon: https://amzn.to/39SQkpb

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781647423797

Website :https://anastasiazadeik.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anastasiazadeik/?utm_medium=copy_link

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

Twitter :https://twitter.com/anastasiazadeik

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/

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