Uncorking a Story

About Colleen: A native of New England, Colleen Hubbard now lives in the U.K. with her family. She wrote her debut novel, Housebreaking, while on maternity leave from her job with the NHS. She graduated from the University of East Anglia’s MA program in creative writing, where she earned the Head of School Prize with a distinction.   In this episode, Mike and Colleen discuss: 

• Taking small steps
• Complicated family relationships
• The role of mentorship

Key Takeaways: 

• Make a one-page outline for the book you're working on. It doesn't matter if you can just write a few words per day; as long as you're taking little steps toward your goal, you'll stay on track and avoid becoming lost in the story.
• There are some complicated and complex family relationships worth investigating and repairing. Both sides would benefit from forgiveness, but do not force it on anyone. Boundaries can be beneficial at times.
• Mentorship may help you form a relationship that leads to increased self-confidence and career advancement, but your chances of success as a writer are still dependent on the authenticity of the story you're writing, which can only come through vulnerability and life experiences.

"In order to feel like your story to tell is interesting or important, I don't think that we should have to be linked to success in order to be successful ourselves because I think it pushes people who already might see themselves as outsiders further outside the realm of power and possibility and success." —  Colleen Hubbard

Connect with Colleen Hubbard:

Website: http://colleenhubbard.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/theformermrsstanleyzbornak?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Get a copy of her book “Housebreaking” at:

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9780593337028

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

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/housebreaking-colleen-hubbard/1139874634?ean=9780593337028

Connect with Mike Carlon:

Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

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

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

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

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

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

Show notes by Podcastologist: Angelica Rayco.

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

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I seriously thought I was the only person on the planet who remembered the show Small Wonder, but today’s guest proved me wrong! As part of getting to the story behind the story, I ask my guests a series of questions about what they were into as kids. One of my go-to questions is, “What were some of your favorite TV shows when you were younger?” James Crews surprised the hell out of me when he mentioned Small Wonder, and a friendship was born.

MEET JAMES CREWS

James Crews is the editor of the best-selling anthology, How to Love the World, which has been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, as well as in The Boston Globe, and The Washington Post. He is the author of four prize-winning collections of poetry: The Book of What Stays, Telling My Father, Bluebird, and Every Waking Moment, and his poems have been published in the New York Times, Ploughshares, The New Republic, and The Sun Magazine.

His new collection, THE PATH TO KINDNESS, offers more than 100 poems of connection and joy from a diverse range of voices.

How can poetry be a way of connecting with others and spreading kindness? What’s the importance and influence of poetry? What are reflective pauses and how can they help readers get more out of poems? Listen in to hear the answers to these questions and enjoy a poem read by James!

GET IN TOUCH WITH JAMES

• Learn more about James at his website

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 and follow us on Instagram @uncorkingastory.

Visit us at https://uncorkingastory.com

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When I worked at the consumer products giant Unilever, I got an insider’s view into how products go from the idea stage all the way to being available for sale on the store shelf. It’s a long and comprehensive process characterized by different stages and gates a team has to pass through to keep the project (and idea) alive. While not on the same scale, authors have to follow a similar process to bring a book to market. In many ways, authors and product managers have a lot in common. My guest today knows something about that.

MEET MOSHE MIKANOVSKY

Moshe MIKANOVSKY is a Software Engineer and Product Management Leader who turns his creativity towards building software products, hosting a podcast, creating visual art, and writing. He participates in the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and, in 2013, began writing his first novel The Resurrector, which can be purchased wherever books are sold online. In addition to his love for the written word, Moshe loves mentoring and coaching product managers and startup founders, helping them to realize their entrepreneurial dreams. 

How did he come up with the idea for the Resurrector? How did his nine year old daughter influence him to start writing the story? What is the inspiration behind the symbolism on the cover? Listen in to hear the answers to these questions and learn how Moshe’s professors and publisher helped turn his dream into a reality.

GET IN TOUCH WITH MOSHE

• Learn more about Moshe at his website

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 and follow us on Instagram @uncorkingastory.

Visit us at https://uncorkingastory.com

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I have another confession to make, I hated reading newspapers when I was younger. They were always in black and white and just seemed so boring. Then I discovered the USA Today. It had pictures in color, and was much easier to read than other newspapers. And don’t get me started on the purple section! I loved the purple section—it was always the first one I’d read!

Why am I sharing this? Well, today’s guest Laura Trujillo just happens to be the managing editor of the purple section for the USA Today. That’s right, the managing editor for Life and Entertainment at USA Today joined me to talk about her memoir: Stepping Back from the Ledge: A Daughter’s Search for Truth and Renewal.

MEET LAURA TRUJILLO

Laura Tujillo is the managing editor for Life and Entertainment at USA Today and a former reporter and editor for The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Arizona Republic, and The Oregonian. In addition, she does advocacy work on behalf of suicide awareness.

How did her mother’s suicide impact her life? How Laura get back into writing after a long time away? How did she transform a column on her mother’s death into a memoir? Tune in to hear the answer to these questions as well as uncover the special story behind a picture of Laura’s grandmother and some of her friends.

GET IN TOUCH WITH LAURA

• Learn more about Laura on her website

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 and follow us on Instagram @uncorkingastory.

Visit us at https://uncorkingastory.com

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When I was early in my career, I had this recurring anxiety dream where all my teeth would fall out, one at a time. Later in my life, that dream morphed into being thrust back into high school unprepared for a test while naked (Freud would have a field day with me). These days, anxiety dreams take the form of doing down in a plane crash. Why am I sharing all of this? Today’s guest, Steve Fretzin, knows what it’s like to go down in a plane and survive—and that event changed the course of his life forever.

MEET STEVE FRETZIN

Steve Fretzin is the host of the Be That Lawyer podcast. After surviving a near death experience in a small plane crash in 1996, Steve vowed to turn each day into an extraordinary experience. Today, he is one of the most respected business leaders and advisers on sales effectiveness. Steve has transformed thousands of sales professionals, entrepreneurs and professional service practitioners into business development stars through his proprietary system of Sales-Free Selling. He joined me to talk about his life, career, and latest book Legal Business Development Isn’t Rocket Science.

How did he characterize his life before the plane crash? How did such a life changing event impact the trajectory of his career? What drew him to sales and to later become a successful sales trainer? Listen in to find the answer to these questions as well as enjoy a bit of nostalgia as Steve talks about his first sales job ever at Kinney Shoes.

GET IN TOUCH

• Get in touch with Steve at his website

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 and follow us on Instagram @uncorkingastory.

Visit us at https://uncorkingastory.com

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When I was a kid, I used to dread gym class. My Physical Education teacher was fond of picking two captains for opposing teams, typically the most athletic kids in the grade, and then they’d hand select their team members. I was typically picked at the bottom of the list because I just wasn’t that good at sports. It was embarrassing to always be picked last, or close to last, and it really impacted my desire to go to school. Kids can be mean, plain and simple.

My guest today, Rob Volpe, knows exactly what I mean. Our interview started off by him telling me about a painful experience he had in grammar school but, as I came to learn, everything happens for a reason and Rob learned a very valuable lesson that day, even if he didn’t realize it until decades later.

MEET ROB VOLPE

Rob Volpe is an astute observer of life and a master storyteller who brings empathy and compassion to the human experience. As CEO of Ignite 360, he leads a team of insights, strategy, and creative professionals helping the world’s leading brands across a range of industries release untapped potential.

As a thought leader in the role of empathy in marketing and the workplace, Rob frequently speaks on the topic at conferences, corporations, and college classes, and he has been quoted in Advertising Week, Mashable, Huffington Post, TheStreet.com, Gourmet Retailer, and the Chicago Tribune, among others.

In his new book, Tell Me More About That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time, Rob draws on his years conducting thousands of in-home interviews with everyday people to illustrate the 5 Steps to Empathy―the actions you can take to build a strong and reflexive empathy muscle.

Where did his interest in empathy come from? What’s the impact of empathy being in short supply these days? How can we build empathy within ourselves and others? Listen in for the answer to these questions and learn how you can be a part of solving the empathy crisis.

Tell Me More About That can be purchased at Amazon, Bookshop.org or ask for it wherever books are sold. Learn more about Rob at his website and follow him on Instagram @RMVOLPE.

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 and follow us on Instagram @uncorkingastory.

Visit us at https://uncorkingastory.com

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I remember being in business school and learning about successful founders who left college to start their businesses without a degree—people like Bill Gates, Michael Dell, and Steve Jobs. There’s another name to add to the list—Chandler Bolt, and I had the pleasure of interviewing him about his latest book Published: The Proven Path From Blank Page to 10,000 Copies Sold. MEET CHANDLER BOLT

As a seven-time bestselling author and CEO of Self-Publishing School and selfpublishing.com, Chandler Bolt knows exactly how instrumental writing books can be in sharing your message and even growing and scaling your business. His message is that you can’t wait for the “perfect time” in life to get writing, the perfect time to get writing is now.

He's an investor, the CEO of Self-Publishing School & SelfPublishing.com, made it on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and the host of the 7 Figure Principles Podcast and the Self Publishing School Podcast. Through his books, podcasts, YouTube channels, and Self-Publishing School, he’s helped thousands of people write a book that grows their income, impact, and business.

Why did he drop out of college? How did he publish his first book? What is the secret to becoming a best-selling author? Listen in as Chandler discusses this and shares the backstory behind the Self Publishing School.

Purchcase Chandler’s latest book at Amazon and You learn more about Chandler at his website. Follow him on Instagram @self_publishing_school.

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 and follow us on Instagram @uncorkingastory.

Visit us at https://uncorkingastory.com

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All families have secrets. The big one in my family, at least for me anyway, was the fact that my older brother Greg was adopted.

When I was in high school, I was sitting in room with extended family and my auntie Joan, who really wasn’t my aunt but rather a very close friend of my mother, said to me, “You know, you are very special Michael because you are the first-born son of the family.” This was an odd comment as I knew that A. Auntie Joan was aware of my brother Gregory who is 9 years my senior and B. that she wasn’t off her rocker. When I asked, “What about Greg?” I saw her face go pale and she pretended to have forgotten about him.

Later that night, on the way to dinner, my mother and father told me that Greg was adopted as a way of explaining Auntie Joan’s comment. I turned to my twin brother Jimmy (I was older by a minute, therefore technically was the first-born son) and he said, “Mia told me years ago.” Apparently, I was the only one who didn’t know.

This walk down memory lane is relevant to today’s guest, author Laura Engel, who joined me to talk about her book You’ll Forget This Ever Happened: Secrets, Shame, and Adoption in the 1960s.

MEET LAURA ENGEL

Laura L. Engel likes to say she is late to the game as a budding new author. Originally from Biloxi, Mississippi, Laura has lived in Southern California for over 50 years. She and her husband, Gene are the proud parents of six grown children along with their significant others. They are delighted to be Grammy and PaPa to ten grandchildren.

What was it like giving up a child for adoption when she was just a teenager? How did her birth son track her down? What emotions did she experience when setting her eyes on him for the first time? Find out the answers to these questions and the heartbreaking lie she was told which inspired the title of her book.

Laura’s emotional memoir can be purchased at Amazon, Bookshop.org, or ask for it wherever you buy books. You can learn more about Laura by visiting her website or by following her on Instagram @StorytellerLaura.

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 and follow us on Instagram @uncorkingastory.

Visit us at https://uncorkingastory.com

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I was able to spend some time with my parents earlier this week. A last-minute business trip brought me down to Florida and, instead of staying near my clients in Miami, I decided to take advantage of the very reasonable rates at my parent’s condo on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale. Dad even through in a free rental car and dinner at my favorite spot—Gianni’s in Pompano.

As I’m writing this, Mother’s Day is just about a week away and I was happy I could spend two short days with my mom because we won’t be able to see her on Mother’s Day. She really does mean the world to me and, at 88, she’s still a very happy person, even if her memory isn’t what it used to be (an understatement). When I left, she had it in her head that it was Thanksgiving and that she had to make a Turkey which would have been interesting given their oven doesn’t work, but I digress.

On today’s episode, I talk about mothers with Kim Dower, who joined me to talk about her poetry collection, “I Wore This Dress Today for You, Mom.”

MEET KIM DOWER

Kim has published four collections of poetry and has been Nominated for five Pushcart Prizes. Kim’s work has been featured in numerous literary journals including Plume, Plough shares, Rattle, The James Dickey Review, Garrison Keillor's "The Writer's Almanac," and Ted Kooser’s “American Life in Poetry.” Kim is also known as Kim from LA, a literary publicist, many of whose clients have appeared on Uncorking a Story.

Her latest collection of poems has been called a rich, complex, heartbreaking, and funny anthology of poems on motherhood—being one and having one

How did Kim’s love of poetry as a child impact her life? What inspired her to put this collection together? How did she get started as a publicist? Listen in to find the answers to these questions as well as her advice on finding your voice as a poet.

I Wore This Dress Today for You, Mom can be purchased at Amazon, Bookshop.org, and wherever books are sold.  

Follow Kim on Instagram and learn more about her on her website.

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 and follow us on Instagram @uncorkingastory.

Visit us at https://uncorkingastory.com

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When I was in college, I studied psychology because I was fascinated by the mind-body connection. I wanted to understand what made people tick and why they do what they do. My guest today had a similar curiosity into the human condition, although went about indulging it differently—by studying anthropology.

Juliette Blackwell is the New York Times bestselling author of Off the Wild Coast of Brittany and The Vineyards of Champagne. In addition to writing the beloved Witchcraft Mystery series and the Haunted Home Renovation series, she also coauthored the Agatha Award–nominated Art Lover’s Mystery series with her sister.

She joined me to talk about her latest book, The Paris Showroom, which takes place during World War II. What’s the true story that sparked the idea for this book? What role does observation play in Juliet’s writing process? What is her fascination with haunted houses? Listen in to today’s episode for the answers to these questions plus learn my link to WWII era France. As a teaser, it has something to do with Anthony Fauci!

The Pairs showroom can be purchased at Amazon.com, at Bookshop.org, or wherever you buy books. Learn more about Juliet Blackwell at https://julietblackwell.net/

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 wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on Instagram @uncorkingastory.

Visit us at https://uncorkingastory.com

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