The James Protin Podcast

Stephanie Samolovitch walked into Chicco Baccello and immediately stole our hearts. If you don’t know our guest for Episode #33 of the podcast and her mission…you must watch this show.  Stephanie is the Founder and Executive Director of Young Adult Survivors United, the health and wellness community for young adult cancer survivors, aged 18-39 when diagnosed.  YASU’s comprehensive model provides e...

Our guest for Episode #32 of the podcast is Phil Bourque “The Old 29er”. Phil was a member of the Penguins teams which won the Stanley Cup in the 1990–91 and 1991–92 seasons. Bourque currently works as the color commentator alongside Mike Lange for Penguins radio broadcasts.  His professional career started with disappointment when he wasn’t selected in the NHL Entry Draft; instead, he was signed...

Inspired by those who use music as a language to uplift, our guest for Episode #31, Jessica Lee sings messages of faith, hope and love and often reflects on this quote of Mother Teresa: "I am a tiny pencil in the hand of a writing God, sending a love letter to the world."   Jessica is an American Jazz & Blues singer with a unique voice influenced by Jazz, Blues, Rhythm & Blues an...

We’ve reached a milestone on the podcast, today is Episode #30. Once again, we’re at Chicco Baccello in Canonsburg. We have a great show today…a serious show regarding what I think is the most devastating epidemic in this country, addiction.  Our guests are Melissa Migliaro, Rachel Shuster and Meghan Scichilone.  Melissa brings over 14 years of a diverse background that has prepared her to serve a...

The heart and soul of this podcast is personal transformation. Our guests share stories from their personal journeys that are compelling, inspirational, and at times improbable. Our guest for Episode #29 is Alia Wiant.   Alia’s story is all of those. She is your typical middle aged woman, happily married to the love of her life and raising her four children. Most people know Alia as a kind and gen...

September will be the busiest month for the podcast since we started. We have 8 shows scheduled to record over the next few weeks. Our guest for Episode #28 is George Stark. George is the Director of External Affairs for Coterra Energy, Inc.  In this role, George directs external and internal outreach including government affairs, advertising, media relations, corporate social responsibility, and...

Our guest for Episode #27 of the podcast is Cori Wamsley, CEO of Aurora Corialis Publishing, works with business owners who have a transformational story to share. She helps them quickly and easily write and publish a book for their brand that helps them create a legacy and be seen as an expert while building a relationship with the reader.  Cori has 18 years’ experience as a professional writer a...

Our guest for Episode #26 of the podcast is legendary Pittsburgh guy Allen “The Talking Machine” Levine. Al spent over 30 years at the Pittsburgh Press (Post Gazette) newspaper and has been a serial entrepreneur his entire life.  He is the founder, producer, and host of Pittsburgh Sportsline on Bethel Park Public Access TV. Allen now has over 700 shows published on YouTube. Al is a people person a...

This week on the podcast Nick and I are back in the Mon Valley with my friend Steve Toprani joining us at His Place Coffee, Community and More. And great to have Jack back in the co-host chair. Always A great conversation when I get together with either one of these guys…but the three of us together was epic.  Steve is General Counsel and Director of Risk Management for WG Tomko, Inc. and has had...

For Episode #24 of the podcast we welcome Eric McKenna to the show. Eric’s story is full of twists and turns. His life has been a life based on self-reliance, yet full of good fortune and good people. And a life always centered around music. There have been several defining moments on Eric’s journey; the death of his only sibling, Brian McKenna, in June of 1996 due to a drug overdose, resulted in...

Really Big Faces was much more than an exhibition of art. It was a celebration of the diverse stories that make up our amazing city. With this exhibit, artist Tom Mosser celebrates of 83 Pittsburghers and one golden retriever. He celebrates all of us. Tom creates amazing art using his signature “Flow”, “Funnel Flow” and “Loop” techniques to create the Really Big Faces.  Tom was inspired by the sca...

Our guest for today’s show, Ep. 22, is my dear friend, Carole DeAngelo. Carole is the Advertising Director for the Observer-Reporter, Herald Standard, The Almanac, the Greene County Messenger and Reimagine Main Street digital agency Prior to being promoted to Advertising Director, she was the Event Manager for the Observer Publishing Company and their team created numerous regional events, such as...

Episode #21 of the Podcast is one I’ve been looking forward to. This week’s show, we dive into vital the role of our community health systems. Joining us are Brook Ward, and Sara Schumacher of the Washington Health System.  The Washington Health System is a fully integrated health system with nearly 3,000 highly trained medical professionals, WHS provides health care services at more than 40 off-s...

With more than half a million Americans homeless on a given night, Episode #20 is Part 2 of our show  on Human Trafficking, and the Homeless Epidemic in America.  There are many reasons people find themselves living on the street, one is mental illness…it’s estimated that one quarter of all homeless people were suffering from a serious mental disorder.  Drug and alcohol use is also often a factor:...

If you’re paying attention…really paying attention, people will cross your path that will change the way you look at life. In this weeks episode of the podcast…Episode #19…we crossed paths with several of those people. Human trafficking is among the fastest-growing criminal enterprises in the world. It's estimated that human trafficking is a $150 billion industry with more than 40 million vic...

We met some amazing new friends at the Energy Innovation Center in Pittsburgh…AND we were blessed to spend time with a few "Really Big Faces" in the Covestro Brightspace Room at the EIC. We shared great conversations and heard inspirational stories with Tom Mosser, an internationally recognized Pittsburgh artist and the creative force behind the one-of-a-kind “Really Big Faces” and RBF’s...

Our guest this week for Episode #17 of the Podcast is Rachel Dayoub.  Rachel is the Founder and CEO of Whispering Force, a self defense class for all women and children over the age of eight. The WF Team believes that learning the right techniques and education will help protect you and your loved ones in a dangerous situation. Rachel is mom to two active youngsters…and in her spare time she is al...

We have been blessed on the podcast to have the most amazing guests. This week show was no exception. We were joined by consultant, speaker and author, Denise Ann Galloni.  Denise has come a long way since being named “The Quietest Girl” in her senior class. She has delivered over 500 presentations and keynotes to countless professionals who want to be better communicators and better leader.  She...

Brigadier General (BGen) Dave Papak, US Marine Corps, (RETIRED), is a native of Monongahela, Pa. and a 1971 graduate of Mon Valley Catholic HS. He was commissioned in the US Marine Corps following graduation from the US Naval Academy in 1976. He also earned a Master’s of Science degree from the University of Southern California in 1986.  BGen. Papak was designated a Naval Aviator and a CH 53 helic...

Joining us today on the show from Chicco Bachello in Canonsburg, PA, are some of my colleagues from the Water Group at GPI, Diane Altland, Joel Lofstrom, Ashley Reed, and Tyler Watts.  GPI is a progressive firm that prides itself on diversity and inclusion. Our team represents that diversity. We come from all walks of life, and we’ve all had to overcome some kind of adversity to be here. At GPI, w...

Gene Barr is the President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, the state’s largest broad-based business advocacy association. He oversees all operations of the PA Chamber and its for-profit subsidiary, PA Chamber Insurance. Barr joined the PA Chamber in February 2003. He served for more than eight years as Vice President of Government and Public Affairs before being elect...

Our discussion centered around addiction and the difficult road to recovery. The opioid crisis is a national epidemic, and it has reached crisis levels here in southwestern PA.  With Club Serenity and the SPHS Centers of Excellence, Kellie and Joey and the amazing team at SPHS are making a difference in our communities.  Joey is honest…and at times raw in sharing details of his journey. This is ou...

Our guest for Episode #11 is Mandi Pryor. Mandi is the Executive Director of the Southwest Communities Chamber of Commerce and host of the TV show Spotlight on Pittsburgh.  Mandi is also the owner of MP Marketing and PR, a boutique firm specializing in event planning, marketing and social media management.  We talked about everything from local television, marketing, and chambers of commerce, to g...

Our guests for Episode #10 of the podcast are Rachael Rennebeck and John Chamberlin, the co-hosts of the Ya Jagoff Podcast…the #1 podcast in Pittsburgh. Rachael and John are also the owners of Ya Jagoff Media. The YJ team provides strategic and reliable marketing initiatives and content to increase brand awareness for businesses and events.  Rachael, John and the YJ team of content creators are ex...

Leonard Hammonds II is a United States Marine Corps veteran and Founder of Hammonds Initiative. He is the current District Office Director for the 19th Legislative District of Western Pennsylvania and a Campaign Specialist for BMe Community.     Hammonds has earned various awards and proclamations for his work. He has received proclamations from Former State Representatives Ed Gainey and Jake Whea...