At the Podium with Patrick Huey

Send us Fan Mail Nine years after getting sober, McCord Henry is discovering that recovery doesn’t end with sobriety. When McCord first joined me on At the Podium , he spoke about his nearly life-ending addiction to alcohol, the moment that finally forced him to stop drinking, and a philosophy he called “ Living Recovered.” In this return conversation, that philosophy has evolved. For McCord recov...

Send us Fan Mail A cancer diagnosis can alter our sense of time—how much of it we have, how we spend it, and what suddenly feels worthy of it. Dr. Sarah Friend, medical oncologist, cancer coach, and founder of My Friend MD , joins me to explore the fear and uncertainty of cancer, the hope found in treatment and unexpected outcomes, and the clarity that can emerge when life no longer feels guarante...

Send us Fan Mail What do we do with memory when it is no longer behind us, but standing in front of us? How does what we remember shape the present, inform the future, and color—sometimes even haunt—the past? Author Nora Zelevansky returns to At the Podium to talk about memory, nostalgia, first love, friendship, and the complicated selves we carry across time. Her newest novel, Backslide , written...

Send us Fan Mail Content Note: This conversation includes discussion of childhood abuse and its lasting effects. At seven years old, Mark Godoy Jr. was abused by an older cousin. What happened to him would reverberate across the decades that followed—through anger, isolation, difficulty trusting others, fractured relationships, and questions about vulnerability and what it meant to be a man. For y...

Send us Fan Mail When Mike Elliott’s marriage ended, he found himself collapsed on his kitchen floor, shaking and crying out, “I don’t want to die.” In that moment, the successful adult man disappeared—and Mike recognized something much older underneath: the infant who had once been separated from his biological mother and was terrified of being abandoned again. That realization began a much deepe...

Send us Fan Mail What does it mean to belong in higher education—and who gets the message that college is a place for them? Dr. Rosslyn Knight has spent more than 25 years in education, including leading developmental education initiatives across the Maricopa County Community College District. Her work has centered on student success, educational access, and what happens when institutions either r...

Send us Fan Mail What does it really take to master an instrument? For Juilliard-trained double bassist Taylor Abbitt, now a member of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in Sweden, the answer has very little to do with the instrument itself. What struck me most about Taylor wasn't simply his extraordinary talent—it was his quiet humility. Beneath his reserved demeanor is a young artist thought...

Send us Fan Mail What does it cost to live truthfully? Jonathan L. Allen has spent his life asking that question. Raised in the church and ordained as a minister at a young age, he eventually faced a decision that would reshape his faith, his relationships, and the future he thought he was meant to live. Choosing authenticity came with real consequences—but it also opened the door to a life rooted...

Send us Fan Mail When Connor Schoen co-founded Breaktime at just 19 years old, he set out to change the lives of young adults experiencing homelessness. Years later, after leading one of Boston's most influential nonprofits, receiving national recognition, and navigating the pressures of leadership, he found himself confronting a different question: Who am I becoming? In this episode of At th...

Send us Fan Mail When Christian Menefee was elected to represent Texas's 18th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, he quickly discovered that public office is about far more than politics. It is about carrying the hopes, struggles, and stories of the community that shaped you. In this episode of At the Podium , Congressman Menefee reflects on growing up in Houston, the...

Send us Fan Mail Season 4 of At the Podium begins with one of the people who has shaped my life more than almost anyone else. Before she became a bestselling novelist, award-winning screenwriter, and one of America's most important literary voices, Attica Locke was simply my friend. For more than forty years, we've watched one another grow, leave home, return home, and become the people...

Send us Fan Mail McCord Henry spent years building a successful career while privately fighting  battles that threatened to take everything from him. Raised in a conservative Christian household in North Carolina, McCord grew up surrounded by faith, family, and expectations. But beneath the surface, he was wrestling with questions of identity, belonging, and self-worth. As he entered adulthood, al...

Send us Fan Mail For many families around the world, conversations around mental health happen quietly — or not at all.  In this At the Podium episode, Broadway composer Zak Sandler reflects on growing up unaware that a bipolar condition ran through his family, and how shame and silence can sometimes delay understanding, healing, and acceptance.  This conversation is not simply the discussion arou...

Send us Fan Mail Former NFL fullback Chris Hetherington spent 11 years playing professional football, but this conversation is ultimately about much more than sports. In this episode of At the Podium, Chris reflects on discipline, masculinity, fatherhood, identity, and the difficult transition that comes after elite performance. From the physical toll of football and the realities of concussion cu...

Send us Fan Mail What if the life many men are chasing—success, intimacy, freedom—actually sits on the other side of healing?  In this episode of At the Podium , Patrick Huey sits down with Zarak Fatah , a transformational coach and former serial entrepreneur, for a candid conversation about masculinity, trauma, faith, and the work of healing.  Zarak reflects on growing up as the son of Pakistani...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when travel becomes more than destinations on a map, and instead becomes a reflection of our shared humanity? In this episode of At the Podium, Patrick Huey sits down with Cole Sjoholm to explore solo travel, self-discovery, and what it means to find belonging in a deeply interconnected world. After more than twenty years in banking and finance, Cole made an extraordi...

Send us Fan Mail In this landmark 100th episode of At the Podium , Patrick Huey sits down with Tembi Locke , New York Times bestselling author, actor, and producer, for a deeply personal conversation about love, loss, legacy, and what it takes to begin again. Following the success of her acclaimed memoir and Netflix series From Scratch , Tembi returns with her new memoir Someday, Now —an intimate,...

Send us Fan Mail Michael Q. Pugliese is the third-generation CEO of Circadia , a global skincare company built on science, education, and integrity. But before he is a leader, a formulator, or an educator, Michael is the father of two daughters—and much of the work he does today is shaped by the question of what he is building not just for an industry, but for them. In this conversation, Michael r...

Send us Fan Mail Actor, director, writer, and producer Tijuana Ricks joins At the Podium for a deeply reflective conversation about origin, representation, and what it means to take up space in a life that truly belongs to you. Known for her work across more than 100 episodes of television—including the Marvel Netflix universe ( Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist ), multiple seasons of Billions ,...

Send us Fan Mail In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, NFL tackle Calvin Anderson reflects on the year his life completely fell apart — and the unexpected forces that ultimately saved him. After returning from a trip to Nigeria, Calvin contracted a life-threatening case of malaria, followed by a rare heart contusion that pulled him off the field and into a season of fear, uncertainty...

Send us Fan Mail Justin Wren is a big man —and not just in physical stature. When you meet him in person, he takes up space. With his professional athlete’s frame and long blond hair, you can’t miss him. He has presence. In his book Fight for the Forgotten , Justin writes unflinchingly about the intense bullying that shaped his childhood—a pain that sparked the fire that carried him into the world...

Send us Fan Mail Willie Mae Sharpe is a woman who has lived a big life — a life that has taken her to some of the most prestigious stages within the gospel and Christian broadcast worlds. Her improbable journey began in the shotgun house of her grandmother, the woman she was named after. There, as a young girl, Willie Mae learned the quiet power of service — watching her grandmother offer food and...

Send us Fan Mail Eric Litman — the founder of Aescape — has the mind of an explorer. In the world of spa and wellness, he and his team are charting new territories, challenging long-held beliefs about what a massage looks like, feels like, and how it’s delivered. With Aescape’s robotic massage solution, Eric is pursuing something truly extraordinary: the authentic human experience of care, connect...

Send us Fan Mail Derrick Young Jr. is a modern-day wellness warrior, advocate and pioneer committed to living a life of unrestrained excellence and impact. He emodies the principles of courage, citizenship and action that Theodore Roosevelt speaks about in his "Man in the Arena" statement. As the Founder and Executive Director of Leadership Brainery , Derrick and his team are creating pa...

Send us Fan Mail We break things. That is what we as humans do. We have an almost innate compulsion to systematically destroy what is around us, usually in the name of greed, access, revenge. Even in the “greatest story ever told,” there is Judas. Who for 30 pieces of silver betrayed a friend with a kiss, ended a ministry, and yet was the match that lit the flame for one of the greatest spiritual,...