American Achievers

Banker and civic leader Jamil Dada talks about his privileged childhood in Pakistan, why he defied his parents to pursue a new life in the United States, the defining life lesson he took from his grandfather, and what he has learned from battling stage four cancer.  

Tinesha Ross talks about the trauma that devastated her childhood, the power of one thoughtless sentence, and the lessons she learned while battling against the odds to make her dream come true, becoming a rocket scientist for United Launch Alliance.

Alana Shepherd talks about the catastrophic accident that paralyzed her son and how this personal tragedy became the catalyst to the defining cause of her life, the Shepherd Center, which has treated more than 40,000 people who have sustained spinal cord injuries and acquired brain injuries since 1975.

Retired General Steve Ritchie talks about struggling to hang on during his first year at the Air Force Academy, the deal he made with a superior officer to reach flight school, mastering the F-104 Starfighter and the F-4 Phantom, and his fateful decision to volunteer for a second tour in Vietnam, becoming the only Air Force pilot ace of the war.

Caricature artist Robert Risko talks about the pivotal day he met Andy Warhol, how LSD altered his perspective, the origins of his widely celebrated retro airbrush style, and how he has endeavored to turn icons into real people in the pages of magazines including VANITY FAIR and THE NEW YORKER.

Part 2 of 2: David Hartman talks about why he reinvented himself in middle age by becoming the first host of ABC's upstart program GOOD MORNING AMERICA, the philosophy he employed while interviewing presidents, kings, and movie stars, and the most gut-wrenching experience of his broadcasting career.  

Part 1 of 2: David Hartman talks about the importance of curiosity and experimentation, losing his dream of becoming an Air Force pilot, achieving success as an actor on Broadway and in television shows including NBC's LUCAS TANNER, and the edgy documentary project that began pushing his life in a very different direction.

Tai Babilonia talks about the moment of youthful inspiration that launched her figure-skating career, the day she met long-time partner Randy Gardner, how it felt to be in the zone, the burdens of teenage fame, and the injury at the 1980 Winter Olympics that broke her heart.

Technology entrepreneur Rodney Williams talks about failing the first grade, the aspirational outlook that shaped his development, the business lessons he learned around his mother's beauty shop, and why he decided to walk away from a big job at Procter & Gamble to co-found the pioneering ultrasonic connectivity company LISNR.

Neil Leifer talks about growing up poor on New York's Lower East Side, the deli delivery job that allowed him to buy his first camera, landing his first SPORTS ILLUSTRATED cover as a teenager, why his legendary picture of the triumphant Muhammad Ali still resonates, and the drive that propelled him to become one of the greatest sports photographers of all time.     

One-time flight attendant Sister Schubert talks about the church food fair that changed her life, the risks she took to follow her dream, the promise she made to God, and the lessons she learned in creating an iconic frozen foods brand.

In an interview taped before his recent battle with cancer and a throat condition that has sidelined him for the rest of the 2022 season, ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale talks about the childhood trauma that profoundly affected his self-image, the obsession with winning that colored his meteoric rise as a coach, and the humbling failure that opened the door to his future.

Stage actress Stacia Fernandez talks about the moment of rejection that became the catalyst to her career on Broadway and with big national tours, the rush she gets when she steps into the spotlight, how it feels to inhabit a character, and the challenges of aging in public.

Jan Scruggs talks about the day he thought he was going to die in a Vietnamese jungle, struggling with the war's lingering effects, a memorable night at the movies, and the battle he led against powerful and entrenched forces to create the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Former SMU and Houston Oilers receiver Jerry LeVias talks about the struggle of becoming the first scholarship African-American football player in the old Southwest Conference, the advice Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave him, the enduring influence of his parents, and the triumphant moment that still haunts him.

Cake artist Bonne Bedingfield, a 2021 competitor on Food Network's HALLOWEEN WARS, talks about accidentally discovering her passion, the delicate process of creating a work of art that tastes as good as it looks, the importance of staying on the right path, and the motivating power of fear.

Astronaut Jim Lovell, one of the first three humans to orbit the moon, talks about his difficult childhood,  failing his first NASA physical, and what he learned from the aborted Apollo 13 mission, which became an object lesson in overcoming adversity, turning him into an American folk hero immortalized by Tom Hanks.