The Great Unfamous

We’ve talked to a number of storytellers on this podcast, but none like Eustace Heston Francis. Heston is a man who lights up any room he enters with his music, his paintings, his writing, or just his smile. He’s landed songs on Billboard’s R&B charts, he’s performed at the Apollo, he’s shared the stage with Kanye West, he’s played in front of tens of thousands. But Heston Francis didn’t start...

In this episode, we sit down with legendary storyteller Neal Foard — a man who spent decades shaping the voice of brands like Budweiser, Toyota, and Sony, before stepping out from behind the curtain to tell stories that actually matter: the stories of us. Neal has become famous for something rare — reminding people that the world is still full of decency if you’re willing to look for it. With his...

Some people follow the path they planned. Others take the one they were meant for. Mike Lebsock was supposed to be a doctor. Instead, he became something rarer: a teacher who changes not just what you know, but how you see the world. By tapping into his own story—and the stories buried in America’s past—he’s turned classrooms into conversations and students into thinkers. And along the way, he’s h...

He’s not a politician. Not an influencer. Not a name you’ll see trending. But Matt Elliott has been quietly changing the world for 20 years. In this episode, we meet the man who lit the spark behind civic leader Sarah Teti (Ep. 30), and never stopped building bridges. Raised in the small town of Newport in upstate New York and shaped by the wild beauty of the Adirondacks, Matt saw early on how env...

The 10 Lies We Carry: Brian F. Martin on Breaking the Silence Around Childhood Domestic Violence What if 1 in 8 people are carrying invisible scars from something they don’t even know they experienced? This week on The Great Unfamous , I sit down with Brian F. Martin , someone who’s not only survived an invisible epidemic, but is devoted to helping others name it, understand it, and rise above it....

In this episode of The Great Unfamous , host Jim Thompson sits down with Sarah Teti — a singer, songwriter, civic leader, and newly named Citizen of the Year — to explore how small acts, offered with heart, can grow into something extraordinary. Sarah shares the surprising story behind her rise from quiet community volunteer to the driving force behind a food pantry that now serves thousands. Alon...

It’s not easy to catch lightning in a bottle, but Dr. Bill Monroe did it and spent the rest of his career trying to repeat it in numerous forms. Before leading one of the most respected honors colleges in the country at the University of Houston , Dr. Monroe did something even rarer—he created intellectual electricity at McMurry College .  Over lunch, tennis courts and pickup basketball games, he...

In this episode we meet, Khoa Le , an artist, entrepreneur, and filmmaker whose true medium is possibility . From directing films to launching companies, winning awards, and redefining how independent creators get promoted and paid, Khoa’s journey is one of relentless innovation. Khoa overcame early hardships to attend Juilliard and Rutgers , building multiple seven-figure businesses , including K...

This episode we meet the legendary Brimstone -- a serial entertainment entrepreneur -- who’s made a global name for himself as a professional wrestler, radio host, podcaster, actor, author, musician, philanthropist, food critic, comic book and video game creator ... sheesh! He’s widely known as host of the award-winning, and highly rated Grindhouse Radio podcast that reaches -- not a typo -- 3.5 t...

Welcome back to The Great Unfamous -- we’ve been on hiatus for the last year, but we’re back in 2025, and we fire it back up with a guest I’ve tried to land for almost three years. Mark Williams taught me lessons about the breathtaking beauty of Durango, Colorado, how to fly fish and how you take on David-and-Goliath battles and win. Mark's a world-renowned fly fishing expert, author of more than...

If you like underdogs and cheesecake -- you’re in for a treat. Greg Franklin's story is a cross between "Rudy" and Will Smith’s "The Pursuit of Happyness". Featured in the book “Don’t Keep Your Day Job” by Cathy Heller, Greg described an annoying voice in his head that just wouldn’t go away. It pestered, persisted, and repeated the same thing over and over: “You’re gonna ma...

For the record, when it comes to spirits and the paranormal, I wouldn’t call myself a believer or non-believer, but ever since a strange encounter in The Gettysburg Hotel in 1999, I’d call myself curious … Enough that my wife and I now take ghosts tours in most of the cities we visit -- which is how I met Brian Bloxsom. Brian was by far the best. His captivating tour was a window into the history,...

We talk a lot about givers on this podcast. Nancy Vinsel typifies the classic giver with a mother mentality -- sacrifice, grit and positivity. She's overcome cancer twice, run a marathon, and earned a law degree at the age of 50. Listen and learn what it takes to evolve from a mother at 20 to an attorney at 50 and why age, motherhood and cancer could not stop her once she discovered her true s...

In this mini-episode, we go off the leash a bit. That's because the guest is not a person, but a book. We unpack James Clear’s "Atomic Habits" in great detail via my attempt to build just one habit over 66 days. We dive into the real stories about ...   What I learned? What went wrong? What surprised me? What was harder than expected? What was easier? Why it made me more grateful. An...

You probably don’t know many lawyers like Ashley Herd. She’s funnier than most. She’s bold and kind. She proves that empathy in the workplace matters via the inside joke. As a lawyer, Ashley is widely regarded as an expert in employment law and human resources having led legal teams and HR departments for notable organizations like McKinsey, KFC, Cumulus Media and Modern Luxury. But how she shares...

Fred Garry has a lot to share because he’s an explorer. He’s traveled the world and lived in central Africa; he’s a voracious reader with a love for banned books, he’s a writer who’s authored a dozen titles, he’s an aspiring chef, a trail guide, an audiophile, a pop-culture fan.  But most of all, Fred is a seeker. I think of Fred Garry as a kung fu master -- you know, the Bruce Lee “Enter the Drag...

In this episode, we meet George Leith, a man who took the non-traditional path long before it was in vogue to do so.  He was largely responsible for acquiring more than 30,000 customers worldwide as the Chief Customer Officer at Vendasta and today is the managing partner at Harvard Media in Saskatchewan. But George is more than a high-octane sales executive … he’s a teacher whose true super power...

In this episode, we meet Tania Yuki, a woman who reinvented social measurement back in the day with her company Shareablee in 2013 and now again as the CMO of comScore.  But she's no garden variety take-no-prisoner founder or C-suite executive.  If you dig deeply you'll learn she’s best known as a storyteller, a mentor and a role model who takes a stake in the success of others. She lift...

This year-end episode is a highlight reel of the wit and wisdom uncovered in 2022 via interviews with The Great Unfamous. It’s a rapid-fire recap of the different ways you can start walking a better path in 2023. We uncovered lessons, stories, ideas and even a few tearful revelations that showed how everyday wisdom is right under our noses, everyday.  We met a wiseman from Bangladesh, a Chile...

In this episode we'll meet a man who I became aware via his wife's LinkedIn post that hit a nerve. It prompted more than 400 comments because it told the story of an entrepreneur who built a window washing business by putting himself out there. But it also spoke to how hurtful people can be with thoughtless comments.  Now I’d never met Tommy Hunter, but after that post, I wanted to learn more...

Welcome back to the Part 2 interview with Selwyn Seyfu Hinds -- a master creator who developed everything from magazines, to books, to comics, to TV series. If you haven't listened to Part I, do that first otherwise you’ll miss amazing stories like his near-death escape from The Starlite ballroom. Selwyn's credits are too long to list, but one of his greatest accomplishments was guiding a young, n...

Selwyn Seyfu Hinds describes himself as a storyteller who believes success is a group effort. So when Datwon Thomas recalled his most influential mentor, it was Hinds who came to mind because he took an interest in the aspiring journalist when he needed it most. He was a force Datwon admired for creating magazines, books, comics, scripts that moved people. He was a big brother who shared the life...

I’ve known Jason Hoffman for more than 7 years and in that time I’ve learned more from him than any other person in my life. His daily 5-minute chats have unlocked things I never thought I could do. More importantly, he’s done this for thousands of people who needed a little help to believe in the potential within themselves. He’s relentless in his positivity, authentic, honest, and backs his word...

This episode is the a-side of a conversation with Datwon Thomas, a man who who has more friends than anyone you’ve ever met. It’s not because he’s a legend is music circles, which he is -- Editor in Chief of Vibe magazine, VP of Cultural Media for all Penske brands, which includes Rolling Stone, Variety, Billboard and 30 others. He was the EIC of hip-hop’s authority DoubleXL, King magazine, Rides...

In the previous episode, 6a, we talked to Cory Gearrin a former major league pitcher who made a career out of beating the odds. In that chat, he credits one person with being at the right place, at the right time, with the right words that changed his life ... and that’s his Cape Cod League manager Mike Roberts. So in this episode, we talk with Coach Roberts, the first person that taught Cory how...