Author & Audience Podcast

Former Air Force Thunderbird pilot Michelle "MACE" Curran joins the podcast for an in-depth conversation about her three-year journey to publish The Flipside with a major publisher. Michelle shares her path from small-town Wisconsin to the cockpit of an F-16, the rock-bottom moment in Japan that transformed her, and why she walked away from military retirement to become an author and speaker. This...

Published: January 13, 2026 Episode Summary Tom gets brutally honest about his evolving relationship with AI as a writer. What started as genuine terror about AI "attacking" traditional writing has transformed into a completely different understanding: AI hasn't made writing easier—it's made it harder. But in the best possible way. This episode tackles the biggest question facing writers right now...

Published: January 6, 2026 Episode Summary Tom explores a massive cultural shift happening right now: the Analog Revolution. As AI-generated content floods every platform and digital fatigue reaches breaking points, consumers—especially Gen Z—are turning back to physical books, vinyl records, handwritten notes, and tangible experiences. This isn't nostalgia. It's a business opportunity hiding in p...

Published: December 30, 2025 Episode Summary Tom closes out 2025 and looks ahead to 2026 with a strategic analysis of what's shifting for writers building audiences and platforms. If you felt like the old playbook stopped working in 2025—you weren't imagining it. The game changed. This episode breaks down exactly what's coming and how to position yourself for success in the year ahead. 2025: The Y...

Published: December 16, 2025 Episode Summary Tom addresses one of the most common fears holding back aspiring writers: the belief that it's too late to make a career change into writing. Drawing from his own life of constant pivots and reinvention, he makes a powerful case for why age, experience, and maturity aren't limitations—they're your secret weapons in a world drowning in shallow, AI-genera...

Published: December 9, 2025 Episode Summary Tom tackles one of the biggest psychological barriers that stops more people from writing than even a blank page: the hesitation to call themselves writers. Drawing on research from James Clear, Carol Dweck, and Steven Pressfield, he explains why claiming the identity of "writer" immediately—not after some arbitrary milestone—is the key to actually becom...

Published: December 2, 2025 Guest: Daniel Tester, Author of Hitting the GAS: Finding Success in Leadership, Life, and Balance Grab Daniel’s book here: Hitting the G.A.S.: Finding Success in Leadership Life and Balance Episode Summary: Tom's first podcast interview features retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Daniel Tester, who wrote his debut leadership book during sleepless nights at 3 AM wit...

Episode Summary Tom pulls back the curtain on his journey from software engineer and company founder to six-figure LinkedIn ghostwriter in just 10 months. This episode is packed with practical advice for writers considering ghostwriting as a business, covering everything from finding clients to pricing services. Get full access to Author & Audience at authorandaudience.substack.com/subscribe

Published: November 18, 2025 Episode #003 Summary Tom gets real about the challenges of maintaining creative consistency and shares why most people quit right when things start getting difficult. This episode focuses on the transformational power of starting small and building sustainable habits—not through motivation, but through deliberate, manageable daily practices. Key Topics Covered The Real...

Episode 2: The Power of Analog Writing for Creative Thinkers Published: November 11, 2025 Episode Summary In this episode, Tom explores the surprising benefits of returning to analog practices in our digital-dominated world. He shares his personal experiments with handwriting, physical books, and printed newsletters—and why this shift has transformed his creative process over the past few months....

Our FIRST episode. Just getting started. New episodes every Tuesday @ 9am ET. Get full access to Author & Audience at authorandaudience.substack.com/subscribe