Uncorking a Story

I remember being in business school and learning about successful founders who left college to start their businesses without a degree—people like Bill Gates, Michael Dell, and Steve Jobs. There’s another name to add to the list—Chandler Bolt, and I had the pleasure of interviewing him about his latest book Published: The Proven Path From Blank Page to 10,000 Copies Sold. MEET CHANDLER BOLT As a s...

All families have secrets. The big one in my family, at least for me anyway, was the fact that my older brother Greg was adopted. When I was in high school, I was sitting in room with extended family and my auntie Joan, who really wasn’t my aunt but rather a very close friend of my mother, said to me, “You know, you are very special Michael because you are the first-born son of the family.” This w...

I was able to spend some time with my parents earlier this week. A last-minute business trip brought me down to Florida and, instead of staying near my clients in Miami, I decided to take advantage of the very reasonable rates at my parent’s condo on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale. Dad even through in a free rental car and dinner at my favorite spot—Gianni’s in Pompano. As I’m writing this, Mother’s...

When I was in college, I studied psychology because I was fascinated by the mind-body connection. I wanted to understand what made people tick and why they do what they do. My guest today had a similar curiosity into the human condition, although went about indulging it differently—by studying anthropology. Juliette Blackwell is the New York Times bestselling author of Off the Wild Coast of Britta...

Matthew Fray is a relationship coach and writer who leans on the lessons of his failed marriage and divorce to help others avoid making the same mistakes he did. His writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Sunday Times, The Huffington Post, Babble, and many more. His blog, Must Be This Tall To Ride, has a dedicated following and has reached millions of readers. Filtered through the le...

Imagine that one simple, humbling question could change the trajectory of your career forever. By simply asking his clients, “What would you do if you were me?” today’s guest, John Saunders, uncorked the guidance he needed to excel in his role as a Wall Street SVP and sales team leader. He joined me to talk about parlaying his wisdom into a book and his career as a coach. MEET JOHN SAUNDERS John S...

One of the biggest challenges for a new author is to find their voice while writing something that will make a difference in the world. That's why Linda Griffin decided to become a book coach and help new authors find their path through the publishing process. Linda shares her story of how she became a book coach and why she’s motivated to help new authors tell their story. She explains the import...

Every now and then I get a reminder that I’m only human, and that reminder came in the introduction to this episode where I mispronounce the title of my guest’s book. Thankfully, Beth Anstandig had a sense of humor about it, and we had a good laugh. It is someone apropos, as laughing is a part of the human experience and that was a big topic of conversation today! MEET BETH ANSTANDIG As a self-des...

Over the years on Uncorking a Story, I’ve interviewed many lawyers who have tapped into their creative side and written a debut novel and I can now add Matthew Necci’s name to that list. Who is the inspiration behind the story? What motivates him to write? How important was his wife’s support in moving him from aspiring to published author? Listen in to hear the answers to these questions and hear...

The stories my father has told me about his childhood are ones that have stayed with me. There are stories about the ice cream shop he worked in, the pranks he played on his bus driver, and the trouble he used to get into with his partner-in-crime Bobby MacGyver, but the one that always stuck with me was one he’d tell about his mother. My grandfather was a police officer in New Rochelle and my dad...

Imagine walking into a newspaper editor’s office, interviewing for a job as a sportswriter having never written a sports related article before, getting the gig and totally rocking it. That’s just what Carol Finizza did and I’m very excited to share her story with you today. MEET CAROL FINIZZA Carol has had a passion for storytelling since crafting articles for her college newspaper. She was a for...

I have a confession to make–I always wanted to be a gameshow host; unfortunately, I have a face for radio. That said, a guy can dream and I always saw myself hosting Jeopardy and if there was a clue about today’s guest it would be, A Pulitzer Prize winning author who does not identify as a writer. The answer, of course, would be ‘Who is Debby Applegate?’ MEET DEBBY APPLEGATE Debby Applegate is an...

I’ve been following Cindy Gallop for some time on LinkedIn—she’s one of those LinkedIn influencers who certainly takes the boring out of the platform. If there is one word that I would use to describe her, it’s provocative, and I know that I’m not alone in feeling that way—she caught the attention of my moderator friend and colleague Laura Nozicka too. So, when Cindy said yes to an interview reque...

I’ve always been fascinated by tales of demonic possession. I fully realize that is an odd thing to admit, but it’s true. I’ve seen The Exorcist more times than I can count and include similar movies such as The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Rite, and anything from the Conjuring series as classics. Maybe it’s my Catholic upbringing, but if we believe that goodness exists and came to Earth in the for...

Have you ever had a chance encounter with someone who changed your life forever? Nita Prose did and wrote a bestseller about it. Allowing herself to follow her curiosity was key and it paid off—The Maid is a #1 New York Times Bestseller and is deserving of every accolade it has received. MEET NITA PROSE Nita Prose is a longtime editor, serving many bestselling authors and their books. What drew he...

Imagine having a tool at your disposal that could help spark innovation and that this magical tool didn’t require capital investment. Now imagine that we are all capable of possessing this tool, if only we were able to open ourselves up to the vulnerability that makes it possible. What am I talking about? I’m glad you asked. I’m talking about empathy. Empathy is defined as the ability to understan...

Welcome to the first ever best of episode of Uncorking a Story. Today, we revisit our first ever episode with Fr. Dave Dwyer, who talks about how he pivoted from working in comedy to becoming a Catholic priest after hearing a calling at a World Youth Day. I hope you find this story as inspiring as I did. Check out Fr. Dave on Instagram @fatherdavedwyer and at BustedHalo.com.   Learn more about you...

William Sullivan, known as Sully to his friends, is a former Division 1 basketball coach who discovered a love of Shakespeare later in life. He penned his first novel back in 2001 and kept his fans waiting for two decades before publishing his second—Tilting with Lips, a comedic mystery to setting four friends on an adventure to uncover who William Shakespeare really was. How did he become a D1 ba...

Growing up without a father figure can be difficult for someone who has no other male role models in their lives. Author Kendall Smith, son of a single mother, joins me to share the wisdom he has gathered from his own experience as a father, from observing other dads, and from interviewing various generations of men.  How did being raised by a single mother lead to his desire to write this book? W...

An editor should be an author’s best friend, but oftentimes authors view editors as taskmasters. Editor and author coach Claudia Volkman wants to smash this notion! Editors not only help correct errors in grammar and spelling but can also provide valuable insights to make a story stronger and polished to perfection Claudia joins me today and we explore how she helps authors journey through the wri...

There is a rise in anxiety and depression among teens resulting from several factors including increased pressures on kids to succeed, unrealistic expectations set through social media, and, of course, social restrictions due to the pandemic. In this episode, Jay Reid joins me to uncork an intense story about teenage suicides with a personal story about losing his son to suicide. What are the fact...

One of the biggest misnomers in publishing is that there are overnight successes. Being a writer requires hard work, creativity, and persistence. All authors, including new and experienced, will face setbacks and many challenges. Rea Frey was a former boxer who became an Author, and she joined me recently to share the story about how she became a successful author. How did she go from flop to a mu...

Is it possible to experience healing after having a traumatic childhood characterized by neglect, sexual assault, and crime? The answer is yes, but it takes a brave soul to stare down the trauma of their past only to come out the other side stronger and able to love oneself. Join me and Lauren Dollie Duke as we uncork the story about how writing, therapy, and yoga helped her empowered her to heal...

As the daughter of a college professor, Kaira Rouda moved around a lot as a kid. Being constantly thrust into new environments helped her develop the resilience that she’s carried with her throughout her life; which is a good thing because it's a big requirement for becoming an author! Kaira is a USA TODAY, Amazon charts, and international bestselling, multiple award-winning author of contemporary...

What happens when you skip doing your chemistry homework so that you can read historical romance novels? You might not learn about the substances of which matter is composed, but if you are Jill Shalvis it just might set you up to become a bestselling romance novelist. What proof do I have (and man, I wish proofs were used in Chemistry and not just geometry so I could keep this comparison going)?...