Lament of Hope

Agata Grzybowska is a documentary and war photographer who captures hardships people face around the world. She was recently highlighted for her work shooting stills of Chloé Zhao's Oscar nominated film, "Hamnet." Agata and I sat down to talk about her life as a photographer and the impact of human suffering upon her own soul.

Timber Cleghorn was the last contestant of "Alone," Season 11, to tap out resulting in a winner. Timber took a break from his job cutting timber to talk about his passion for humanitarian aid, parenting children through the unknown, and what he does with fear.

Rana Hassan Faqih is a dispatcher for the Palestine Red Crescent Society . She was the main dispatcher who interacted for several hours with five-year-old girl, Hind Rajab, who was desperately calling for aid from a car in Gaza under fire as she was surrounded by the bodies of her loved ones.

Dub Paetz was one of three last contestants on Season 11 of "Alone." Dub sat down with me to talk about what changed in his mindset toward people due to the show, surviving in high school, and doing life with his girlfriend, Jolie.

Bernd Ogrodnik is the artistic director of the "Worlds of Puppets" production company based in Reykjavik, Iceland. He is world-renowned for not only his puppet designs, but his puppet performances. Bernd sat down with me to talk about the world of puppetry and his desire to express meaningful themes through his storytelling.

Frederick Atkinson and I sat down to talk about all things literature, whether that be his journey to content creation, the perspective to be gained in reading challenging subject matters, the Brontë novels, or the beauty of Old English.

Sophie Stone Cook graced my childhood screen as "Susan Pevensie" in the BBC "The Chronicles of Narnia" television series. Sophie sat down with me decades later to talk about the power she found through playing "Susan," her journey with neurodivergence, and personal spirituality.

Taya and Colton Kyle , the widow and son of the deceased American sniper, Chris Kyle , sat down with me to talk about what patriotism looks like, the division in America today, and the importance of hope.

Cameron M. Fathauer suffered a traumatic brain injury over a decade ago and lost a third of his skull. Today, he is a successful attorney with a unique perspective to offer on the subject of artificial intelligence.

Markus Zusak is the acclaimed writer of "The Book Thief." He sat down with me to talk about his writing process, quiet but powerful details in "The Book Thief," and the beauty of storytelling.

Brother Arnold sat down with me to discuss the Shaker faith, how he came to embrace the Shaker worldview, and his life in the last active Shaker community in New Gloucester, Maine.

Archie Yates will forever be fixed in my mind as an actor who gave me one of my most beloved characters in film: Yorki in "JoJo Rabbit." Archie sat down with me to talk about his passion for storytelling, moving into the filmmaking world, and his thoughts on compelling moral dilemmas in film.

Well friends, I interrupt your regular scheduled programming to bring you a short, personal story. Still processing it but thought it might be worth sharing with you.

Elahe Hessamfar came on the podcast to share the moving testimony of her daughter's life plagued by mental madness.

Part 2 of my interview with sculptor and art educator, Jason Arkles!

Jason Arkles is an American sculptor and art educator who is based in Florence, Italy. Talking with him felt like stepping into the past and getting a taste of the art world of old. He sat down with me twice to talk about his fascinating journey to becoming a sculptor, techniques used in sculpting, one of his favorite commissions, and his thoughts on the sacred.

Joy Villa is a singer, songwriter, actress, and author who appeared at the 2026 Grammys in a bold, handmade outfit with the slogans "Scientology Kills" and "Jesus Heals" displayed on the front and back. Joy sat down with me a few days before the Grammys to talk about the division created by political identity, the darkness of scientology and why she chose to leave it.

2026 is the 25th anniversary year of the first film in Peter Jackson's adaption of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. I decided why not celebrate with Tolkien remembrances sprinkled throughout the year. First, John Noble, who played Denethor in the trilogy, made an appearance. Today, I have Stephen Hunter who played the dwarf, Bombur, in "The Hobbit" film trilogy. Stephen sti...

Veera Kaijanen is a tightwire performer who also hula hoops. Veera has performed in venues across Europe showcasing her ability to tell stories to audiences small and large. Veera and I sat down to talk about her journey to the tightwire, performing in circus acts, and some life lessons gained from the tightrope.

John Noble is famously known for his role as Denethor in the iconic film trilogy, "Lord of the Rings." I sat down with him earlier this week to talk about the film, acting, and life's shadows and suns.

Actress, Samantha Mathis, sat down with me to talk about her recent projects, her acting philosophy, life's hardships (both personal and external), the emotion of anger, and the gift of a furry friend's presence. Note to listeners: Some expletives contained.

Wesley Eure , known for his acting in the late 70's children's series, "Land of the Lost," and the soap opera, "Days of Our Lives," sat down with me to tell me so many fun animal stories and share his appreciation of classic animation.

I came across Anna-Maria Hefele's YouTube channel upon seeing a sample video of her explaining the technicality of overtone singing. I was fascinated by her ability to sing two notes at the same time, so I reached out to have a conversation. Anna-Maria shared with me how her journey with overtone singing began, the technicality of this vocal art, and we even dived into some philosophical musin...

Callum Blue's character of Andrew Jacoby in "The Princess Diaries 2" ended up being the wrong partner for Princess Mia but somehow as a viewer, at least for me, there was a pang of sadness for the nice, honest, and just no drama Duke of Kenilworth. I sat down with him over twenty years since the sequel's release to talk about a personal quest of self-discovery involving trauma an...

I ended the 2025 podcast lineup with Angela Cartwright, Brigitta Von Trapp in "The Sound of Music." I begin the 2026 year with Karen Dotrice, Jane Banks in the classic Disney musical "Mary Poppins." Karen is now 70 yet still cherishes her time on set many years ago. We talked about fond moments talking with Mr. Disney, how important experiencing childhood is, and some of the ha...