Amazing Americans

Reverend Kevan L. Waiters is an ordained minister, Marine veteran, and inspirational speaker whose life reflects the power of faith, perseverance, and God's redeeming grace. He shares his personal journey - including his military service, growing up with 10 siblings in segregated South Carolina, helping his brother who needed a kidney transplant, and God's miraculous faithfulness through all of li...

Born into a family fractured by mental illness, abuse, poverty, and generational trauma, Adriene Caldwell spent her childhood navigating chaos that no child should endure. Yet this is not a story about victimhood. It is a story of survival, resilience, and self-empowerment! Book: Unbroken: Life Outside the Lines

Pain, suffering, and grief are inevitable, but how to cope and improve life is only done with experiences and knowledge. Dr. Daniel Brubaker has gone through all sorts of pain, suffering, and grief. He's battled stage 4 colon cancer, spinal surgeries, glaucoma, and more, and his mission is to help others dealing with difficult situations and going through a grieving process. Book: Grief, Forgivene...

Murray Hidary is a multi-disciplinary artist and tech pioneer, mountain climber, world traveler, TEDx talker, and more. Hear and be motivated by his amazing story! Website: https://www.mindtravel.com/ Instagram @ murrayhidary Note: this episode originally aired on 3/15/25

Lorraine Balch Limero got stage 4 colon cancer and had to have two major operations. This is the story of her rollercoaster ride of ups and downs through the entire diagnosis, treatment, and post-cancer experience. She not only survived but is now thriving and sharing her story of hope with others. Book: I Won't be Wearing a Bikini, But I'm Going to Keep on Swimming: A Story of Colon Cancer Surviv...

Chuck Mata has faced life's most unimaginable challenges, from lightning strikes to jail time. Blindness, homelessness, and seemingly endless setbacks led him through a labyrinth of despair. Yet, each fall marked the beginning of a triumphant rebirth, culminating in a miraculous journey and becoming a cure for cancer after participating in an NIH clinical trial for stage 3 melanoma. Book: Beyond B...

In 1971, months out of high school, American Witney Schneidman found himself at a secondary school in Mbarara, Uganda listening on the radio as Idi Amin announced his takeover the country. He soon understood that Africa was a continent of sweeping change - colonialism was ending, independence was on the march, and liberation movements were fighting tall odds to end white rule in Southern Africa -...

Pat Dougherty made a huge investment in a clean energy company called Rhino Onward International (ROI), where he knew some friends in management positions, shortly before retiring from a 30-year career with 3M. It turns out the two founders of ROI had been running a ponzi scheme involving roughly 250 investors to the tune of close to $50M! In this cautionary tale, Pat shares how it all happened to...

"My story starts in absolute despair, but I went on to have a life many can only dream about." This is the story of Dale Jones, a determined maverick who invented his own way of juggling one-handed. From clown school to winning jobs over talented two-handed jugglers, and eventually even being hired by The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, this is an entertaining an inspirational story...

Michael Earls is a technology leader, enterprise strategist, and writer focused on the intersection of leadership, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. He explains why you should never stop learning, why speed without direction is just noise, and how to put people before position and be human again in a digital world. He also shares about his lifetime of diverse experiences, from his brot...

After thirty years of addiction, broken relationships, and self-sabotage, Benton Savage finally reached a turning point. He tells all about the habits that nearly destroyed his life as well as his journey to sobriety, personal responsibility, and a better life. Book: The Stoic Alcoholic: It’s Not Only About Counting Days

Sensitive Subject Matter Disclaimer: This episode contains descriptions of sexual abuse and mature subject matter. Listener discretion is advised. James B Bolen PhD is a retired Chicago Police Officer who first served our country in the Marines. Some of the things her learned and saw on the beat were both heartbreaking and headscratching, so his mission now is to be a catalyst for change in a brok...

Pressure has a unique ability to reveal what is truly in our hearts and to develop qualities that comfort cannot produce. Dr. Patricia Hauser has faced all sorts of pressures and difficulties in her life. She was molested when she she was young. Her house was crushed by a hurricane, forcing her family to move to the projects. Her company was slammed with a fraud case while she was taking care of h...

Ian Murray is a member of the Army National Guard who has served our country for 23 years, including deployments to Afghanistan and North Africa. In 2024, he was falsely arrested by his own employer, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, during a personal leave period. What happened turned him into an advocate for others falsely arrested and those fighting to clear their name thereafter.  Website: Ia...

At age 15, Mary Keating got into a shiny Mustang convertible driven by a boy she barely knew. She never walked again, but that didn't stop her. She adapted, she persisted, and she lived fully in a world hardly designed for her disability. Mary became a lawyer, a poet, scuba diver, world traveler, wife, and an inspiration to everyone. Website: MaryKeatingPoet.com

This is the inspirational story of Geoffrey Bott. He a former rugby player and accomplished athlete from England and subsequently a scientist, business owner, and author. He's been through over a dozen knee surgeries, a raging house fire, divorce, and more. Not only has he bounced back from all of it, he's thrived and is here to share his story about never giving up. Books: Biological Deception Up...

In March 2023, Bobby Dewbre was struck and killed by a drunk driver while crossing the highway after celebrating his 21st birthday. Ever since, his mother, Beth McBride, has been on a mission to turn heartbreak into change. She founded Montana Bar Fairies as a way to encourage responsible choices and to prevent other families from experiencing the same loss. She has also fought for stiffer penalti...

When Louie Castriota's daughter was diagnosed with special needs, he started on a 13-year journey to create Leg Up Farm, which has now transformed the lives of over 1,500 children with special needs and their families. Website: LegUpFarm.org Book: Leg Up, The Courage to Dream Note: this episode originally aired on 1/24/26

Michael Steven Purles and his wife had four children. The oldest was born with congenital heart disease and lived to be 20. The second also had congenital heart disease but was able to be rescued by medical science. His wife suffered a stroke a few years ago, and he considers it an honor to be her caregiver. This is a story of family, faith, and finding strength in all circumstances. Michael Purle...

Rudy Knapp lost a brother when he was 12 and is now dealing with his mother going through the stages of dementia. He shares what he's learned about this terrible disease, the human memory, and what's truly important in life. Now a life coach, his goal is to help others build a thriving kingdom and leave a legacy by focusing on the 5 Pillars of Life: spiritual uplift and purpose, mental health grow...

Author George Russell tells the inspiring story of how writing helped saved him after a midlife crisis led to no job, living in a car, and a raging alcoholism problem. He's 36 years sober now. Book: Chasing the Hummingbird's Universe

Mitch Mueck tells the powerful story of the tragedies and triumphs he's experienced in his lifetime. He lost 2 wives to cancer, one of them when he was only 19 years old. He also struggled with a debilitating disease but overcome a doctor’s poor prognosis. He's learned a lot of lessons along the way and enjoys sharing them with anyone he can. Website: mitchellmueck.com

Abused, forced to sell drugs, and discarded by her prostitute mother, Soul Singh had to grow up fast and without much hope. She spent time in dozens of foster homes and endured even further abuse. This is the story of how she defied the odds and the stereotypes surrounding her life circumstances to not only get a college education but to give back to children in a meaningful way. Book: Thank you f...

After surviving a car accident that left him paralyzed, David Francisco's story was one of the most viewed auditions of the 2018 American Idol season. He joins the show to share his inspirational story about overcoming the odds and adapting to a new way of life, even while continuing his career as a singer, songwriter, producer, motivational speaker, and dad. Website: DavidFranciscoMusic.com

Dr. Glen Robison shares his breathtaking account of resilience, discovery, and the pursuit of purpose. Once told he would never succeed, he courageously stepped into the unknown and rose stronger to fulfill his calling as a surgeon and humanitarian. His story proves that the answers we seek, and the life we dream of, often emerge when we embrace uncertainty with faith and determination. Book: Show...