People Of Distinction

The world changed when the pandemic hit, and Dr. Rose Bruce didn't just survive it she documented it daily through the lens of a radical choice: love. In this powerful conversation, the veteran social scientist and author of Pandemic. A Call to Love , unpacks the spiritual diary she kept during eight of the most turbulent weeks in modern history. Revealing how data, prayer, and conscious choice be...

What if the most profound life advice didn't come from a therapist's office, but from a colony of penguins in Antarctica? Clinical psychologist Dr. Muriel McClellan traded her couch for a camera, traveled to the frozen edge of the world, and came back with Advice from the Penguins , a breathtaking photo book that delivers real psychological wisdom through some of nature's most unlikely gurus. In t...

What if everything falling apart around you isn't the end — it's actually a sign that something new is being born? Author and biblical researcher Everett Triplett joins us to unpack his book You Can Survive World War III, drawing on decades of scripture study, a near-death accident, and a jaw-dropping encounter with a Navy veteran who witnessed nuclear testing firsthand. From Ezekiel's ancient war...

What if the real secret to healing isn't found in therapy or self-help shelves — but in a single act of reaching out? Author Dalia Vernikovsky joins People of Distinction to share her extraordinary journey from a freezing car in New Jersey to the pages of Reflections III: The Magic Beyond the Pain — a poetry collection that turns personal darkness into a roadmap for others. She unpacks the power o...

What happens when your entire life changes in a split second — and no one around you truly understands what you're going through? Kaitlyn Daly survived a devastating multi-car collision caused by teenagers fleeing police, endured seven surgeries, and had to relearn how to walk and talk — then wrote the book she desperately needed but couldn't find. In the Blink of an Eye is part memoir, part lifel...

Before the internet. Before CCTV. A bomb nearly decapitated the British government — and that was just the beginning. Author Stephen James joins us to unpack High Vis Murder , a historically grounded thriller rooted in the IRA, the miners' strike of 1984, and a personal vendetta that spirals into something far darker — and uncomfortably familiar. If you think the battle between the public and the...

What if your mother made you feel like you'd never measure up — and then forced you to become Empress? Mark Gaebler joins us to break down Chronicles of the Yankee Trader: Empress Rising , a sweeping sci-fi saga over a decade in the making — co-authored with his son — that blends empire-building, genetic warfare, reluctant royalty, and first contact with humanity in ways you won't see coming. Five...

What started as a grandmother searching for bedtime books worth reading became a five-part series that turns the boldest stories in the Bible into sacred, peaceful moments your child will never forget. Dr. Gloria Akinniyi — educator, scholar, grandmother of 11 — joins us to discuss Young Hearts: Kingdom Builders , the stunning final volume in her children's series that brings the radical faith of...

She served her country for 20 years — and the system she swore to protect told her no one would ever take her word over an officer's. Captain Dawn Ottman joins People of Distinction to share the raw, unflinching story behind her memoir Unwelcome , a precedent-setting account of sexual harassment, assault, and institutional silence inside the Canadian Forces. Her case became the first in Canadian h...

What if your rejection letter wasn't a dead end — but a divine commission? In this episode of People of Distinction, author Morgan Smith breaks down his debut novel Auroran Templar Omega Night, a faith-rooted fantasy epic where a high school senior is called to don armor forged from the power of God and battle evil on an alien world. Morgan shares the inspiration behind the book, its spiritual fou...

What do you do when God keeps telling you wait — and your whole life feels stuck on pause? In this powerful episode of People of Distinction, author Lea Giesbrecht opens up about immigration battles, cross-cultural tensions, and the quiet, stubborn faith that kept her from throwing in the towel — all detailed in her raw and riveting memoir, The Courage to Wait: A Memoir of God's Goodness and Faith...

Before cell phones, before selfies, and long before everyone had a camera in their pocket — one man quietly photographed history. In this episode, Peggy O'Donnell joins us to tell the extraordinary story behind her late husband Patrick's memoir, What Do 11 US Presidents, the Dalai Lama, and Whoopi Have in Common? — a once-in-a-lifetime account of six decades spent capturing world leaders, celebrit...

What if a 9-year-old boy had a direct line to heaven — and everyone around him knew it? In One of the King's Men, author Estelle Everingham shares the extraordinary true story of her son Cameron, a prophetic, joy-filled child who walked between the physical and spiritual worlds with effortless ease — until the day he finally went home for good. This is not a story about grief; it's a story about e...

What do you do when history refuses to stop happening? Roberta Roy, speech-language pathologist turned novelist, sat down with us to talk about The Morning After the Morning After — a gripping, historically accurate novel that weaves January 6th, COVID, Hurricane Ida, and global displacement into one family's fight to hold it all together. This isn't just a book about survival; it's a mirror held...

What does a teenager in 1968 have to teach us about the choices we're facing right now? In this episode, we sit down with author Paul James Hatke to unpack his debut novel Moving the Tassels — a gripping story set against Vietnam, political unrest, and the weight of decisions that can't be undone. This isn't just historical fiction; it's a mirror held up to the moment we're living in. Grab your co...

What if a prophecy said you would destroy everything you loved — would you believe it? Gordon Lazarus joins us to talk about Chasing Fate: A Snow Dragon's Odyssey, an epic fantasy built not on magic and elves, but on character, consequence, and sheer human will. From classically trained musician to debut novelist in his fifties, Gordon proves it's never too late to build an entire world from scrat...

He left Fiji with a dream, crossed the world with a dime in his pocket, and still found a way to fly. Mahendra Jagir joins the People of Distinction podcast to share the extraordinary true story behind his memoir My Dream, My Destiny — from farming roots in Fiji to earning his pilot's license against every odd imaginable. This conversation is raw, inspiring, and a masterclass in what it looks like...

Most of us spend our lives chasing what's ahead — Kim Francisco spent decades looking down, tracing Alaska's rivers from a small plane to protect one of the world's last great salmon runs. In Flying Fisheries, this former Alaskan fisheries biologist takes you 800 feet above some of the most remote wilderness on earth, where the stakes were life, death, and the future of a fishery. Equal parts adve...

What if the greatest school in Black American history was hidden on purpose? Archie Morris III pulls back the curtain on Dunbar High School — a segregated public school in Washington D.C. that sent 80% of its Black graduates to college at a time when most of America said it was impossible — and asks why this blueprint for excellence has been buried for decades. In his groundbreaking book Up from S...

What happens when a former middle school teacher turns 20 years in the classroom into a survival guide that hits different — no matter your age or gender? Lisa Catherine Patino joins People of Distinction to talk about her book Finding Your Voice: A Teen Girl's Survival Guide, and why building real confidence, setting boundaries without guilt, and knowing you are enough aren't just teenage struggl...

A sweater made from scraps, sold to save a family, and miraculously returned to the girl who loved it — Bob Schuck joins us to share the story behind The Miracle of the Ugly Little Sweater: A Tale of Redemption, a children's book that's really about sacrifice, faith, and the second chances we all quietly hope for. From a dream during COVID to classrooms across America, this attorney-turned-author...

What happens when a people labeled as "savages" discover they were always a people of promise? In this powerful conversation, author Jocelyn D. Whitehead returns to People of Distinction to break down her groundbreaking book Savages, Apes, or People of Promise: A Biblical Study of Black Ancestry — dismantling centuries of lies about identity, spirituality, and heritage through a bold biblical lens...

A retired lawyer who didn't speak English until 25 just wrote one of the most gripping literary thrillers you haven't heard of yet. Jean Lagacé joins us to unpack The Manuscript — a story of witchcraft, a stolen novel, and a dead doctor whose words outlive him in the most dangerous way possible. From the courtroom to the publishing house, this conversation digs into creative ownership, the audacit...

What happens when the lights go out — and they never come back on? In this episode of People of Distinction, author Nikki Broadwell pulls back the curtain on The Last Keeper of the Light, a gripping dystopian novel where survival strips humanity bare and love becomes the only compass left. From channeled characters to a haunting Hopi prophecy, Nikki reveals the eerie, almost prophetic origins of a...

At 75, during a global pandemic, Paula Bailey sat down to write her very first book — and the result is nothing short of magical. Peaches in the 19 Cobras reimagines COVID-19 through the eyes of two dogs who believe 19 cobras are terrorizing the neighborhood, turning one of history's darkest chapters into a laugh-out-loud, heartwarming story for the whole family. In this episode, Paula shares how...