Legends - Extraordinary Lives

On the eve of the 97th Oscars, our network honors Oscar winner George Chakiris as Truly Significant in a reprisal of one of our very first podcasts from the nascient days of broadcasting. George Chakiris is truly significant as an Oscar winner for several reasons that go beyond simply receiving the award. His win reflects a combination of artistic achievement, cultural impact, and film history. 1....

TrulySignificant.com presents GO TEXAN podcast featuring Neal Newsom, pioneer in Texas grape growing and winemaking.  Neal's family had grown cotton around Lubbock for over a century, but concerns about water shortages and a desire to diversify led him to explore new crops- ultimately choosing wine grapes.  Neal planted three acres of Cabernet Sauvingnon on very challenging land. The first commerc...

LIVE from the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association Convention, our GO TEXAN podcast team interviews the illuminaries of the $24 billion wine industry in our Lone Star state.  Paul Bonarrigo is the 7th Paul in the lineage of Messina Hof winery leader with his wife Karen, current president of the industry association (TWGGA-Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association).  They took over leadership of...

TrulySignificant.com presents Tairan Zhang from Walmart Connect. Inside Walmart are leaders like Tairan who remind us that the real magic happens when systems serve people, not the other way around.  Tairan works with the world's largest retailer in their rapidly growing retail media arm- a place where technology, data and human behavior intersect in real time. His work helps brands speak more mea...

Mike Berenstain is the son of Stan and Jan Berenstain. Mike now oversees the Berenstain Bears enchanting bears writing and designing all books.   The Berenstains are now featured in the book Truly Significant. Visit www.trulysignificant.com to hear their complete story.  Mike Berenstain holds significant cultural and literary importance, particularly within the realm of children's literature. His...

TrulySignificant.com honors the one and only Tom Osborne.  Osborne is a noted author, former U.S. Congressman and NCAA Football Coach of the 1990’s. He shares his about core values on building the best version of men from his famed University of Nebraska program. Tom Osborne is a highly significant figure in American sports, education, and leadership, especially noted for his roles as a legendary...

Pico Iyer is our travel hero. His many books have taught us that real travel puts away our biases and gives us the deepest understanding of culture. He has awakened us with clear eyes to travel as a pilgrimage with a soulful intention. In our post human pace, he shuns speeds for quietness and fills our inner bank with sanity and reason.  Read Pico's complete story in Truly Significant. Visit www.t...

TrulySignificant.com presents Kate O’Neill, renowned Tech Humanist, author of What Matters Next? and honored as Thinkers50. Kate spent her career exploring how technology can serve humanity—not the other way around. From pioneering the first intranet for Toshiba America to becoming Netflix’s first Content Manager, Kate has seen firsthand how emerging technologies can either empower people or overw...

TrulySignificant.com presents author and mentor Amos Balongo.   Here are the big takeaways from this inspirational leader: Influence is gained with people five levels. Every person who leads others has to start at the bottom level with another person and work his or her way up to higher levels one at a time. Don’t leave your footprints in the sand where they will wash way; let intentional living s...

TrulySignificant.com presents Matt Ross debuting his raw, honest book- Grow or Fold-Transform Yourself in Midlife and Beyond. His wisdom is only earned by living it.  We think Grow or Fold represents Matt moving from success to significance.  Hear the inside story on his son, his recall on 9-11, in this deeply personal book. Grow or Fold is a blueprint for you, your friends and for your proteges. ...

A Tribute to Pope Francis.  He was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the son of a railway worker in Buenos Aires. A boy who once swept floors and manned the register at a bar with his brother. By all accounts, an ordinary lad from a country stitched together by tango, politics, and prayer. But destiny, you see... destiny doesn’t always wear robes when it knocks. He was a chemical technician. A literatur...

In early 2025, we received word that Coach Bill McCartney had passed away. We knew Bill and his son, Tom, that coached at Fairview High School in Boulder, Colorado where our daughters attended. He was a wonderful dad, grandfather, friend and a man of football. The fiery head coach of the University of Colorado, he built a program that went from underdog to top dog, achieving college football's ult...

Three lives of Significance. Each uniquely different. All on the same path beyond success.  Three individuals from different eras and with vastly different means shared a common vision—to ignite the power of words, the beauty of stories, and the timelessness of books for the benefit of humankind. Their names: Andrew Carnegie, Dolly Parton, and Jeff Bezos. It began with Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish...

Over ONE million Former Students of Texas A&M University love and honor General Earl Rudder.  Today, we pay homage to an American hero and THE leader who changed the landscape of Aggieland forever.  Earl Rudder, the quiet Texan with the steely gaze, was born to a world of flat plains and boundless skies in Eden, Texas. His story, though, reaches far beyond that humble beginning. It was the 6th...

Dr. Jane Goodall is emblematic of the Power of Significance.  In a quiet English town called Bournemouth, a young girl named Jane found her passion for animals both in books and in the backyard. At the age of five when visiting family friends. Jane Goodall hid in a hen house to learn about chickens and how they laid their eggs. Fast forward to 1960. A determined Jane arrived at the Gombe in wester...

He was just a boy from Greenville, Mississippi. A shy dreamer, with his head in the clouds and his hands often full of felt and string. Young Jim Henson didn’t want to be famous. He wasn’t chasing the limelight or the applause. No, Jim wanted to make people smile—genuinely, innocently, and wholeheartedly. His journey began not in the grand halls of Hollywood but on a small local TV show. A green s...

Today is Ronald Wilson Reagan's birthday and we are celebrating his life of significance with author Robert Charles, the masterful storyteller of Cherish America-Stories of Courage, Character and Kindness.  Enjoy the "Reagan Riffing" on the principles that guided President Reagan through The Cold War, on his communication skills, the words that inspired us, and on how he cherished our country with...

Stand with us today to honor a man who helped shape the soundtrack of our lives, though you may not have known his name. His name was Mark James, and his gift was the ability to pen the kind of lyrics that reached into the soul and stayed "Always on Our Minds."Born in Houston, Texas, Mark James grew up surrounded by the heartbeat of America’s music—country, blues, and rock 'n' roll. Mark wasn’t ju...

Enjoy legendary Ralph Carmichael . Honoring Ralph in one of his final interviews, he was a highly influential music composer, arranger, and conductor, particularly known for his contributions to Christian music. His significance lies in several key areas: Pioneering Christian Music : Carmichael helped shape the modern Christian music genre, blending traditional hymns with contemporary and popular...

Imagine what it’s like to make hundreds of key decisions on “live” network television with millions watching. That’s what a sports television producer does behind-the-scenes each time they sit in “the big chair” in charge of the show. It’s a responsibility that requires good instincts, judgment and passion. Not everyone can handle the pressure or responsibility, but Robert Steinfeld has done that...

Legends are shaped by hard knocks, family experiences, and often miltary service. The story of Bob Parsons is nothing short of extraordinary.  Hear what motivated Bob Parsons to start GoDaddy.  Listen to his experiences in Vietnam and each event moved his life.  Understand how self started businesses and a whole lot of hard work can still happen.  Learn how his leadership helped galvanize a cultur...

Hall of Fame songwriter Kent Blazy debuts his newest album My Life So Far. Enjoy listening to this song by song analysis with a particular nod to tunes like Can't Sleep With You, Feeling Alive Again, The Devil's Music and For a Minute There.  Blazy was raised in Lexington, Kentucky. At an early age, he played rhythm guitar and sang in various local bands. He became musically inspired when he heard...

Ray Herndon is the legendary vocalist and guitarist for the award winning group McBride and the Ride. As a part of the 90's group, McBride and the Ride shot to the top of the charts with hits such as Love on the Loose, Heart on the Run, Sacred Ground and Going Out of My Mind. His life is defined by a very diversed approach to the music industry.  Ray has worked with Lyle Lovett from the start. He...

Dr. Bernie Mullin is a groundbreaking sport and entertainment industry executive who has turned around franchises, set all time revenue and attendance records, and generated $1.5 billion in revenues for brands from the NFL to the U.S. Open Tennis with agency Aspire Marketing Group.  Bernie has definitely moved from Success to Significance with involvement in the United Way, YMCA, Make a Wish Found...

Terry McBride is the incredibly talented singer and songwriter of McBride & The Ride. Now celebrating their 35th anniversary, they are debuting their newest EP Amarillo Sky. McBride & The Ride shot to the top of the charts with hits such as Love on the Loose, Heart on the Run, Sacred Ground and Going Out of My Mind.  Hear about Terry's early beginnings in Taylor, Texas and years with his b...