Uncorking a Story

Last week I reconnected with an old college friend, Kevin Savage, who recently wrote a post on his blog that got me to thinking about the things that are really important in life. It also reminded me of some conversations I had with three strangers who reminded me how important it is to see the silver linings in any challenging situation. Hitting curveballs was something I wasn’t very good at and...

When I was a kid, sometimes TV shows would have the very special episode, which would deal with a difficult or controversial subject. Do you remember these? Topics dealt with things such as AIDS, teen pregnancy, or drug use. Memorable ones include The Bicycle Man on Different Strokes (The Maytag man was a naughty boy) and A, My Name is Alex, on Family Ties when Alex has to confront his emotions af...

Nick Braccia is a Cannes Lions- and Clio-winning writer, director, and producer. In 2018, he co-created and co-executive produced the horror podcast Video Palace for AMC Network's streaming service Shudder. While working at the marketing agency Campfire, he helped to develop immersive, narrative experiences for TV shows like Outcast, Sense8, Watchmen, The Man in the High Castle, Westworld, and The...

Otto Penzler is regarded as the world's foremost authority on crime, mystery and suspense fiction. He founded The Mysterious Press in 1975, which he later sold to Warner Books (1989). He reacquired the imprint in 2010 and it now publishes original books as an imprint at Grove/Atlantic, and both original works and classic crime fiction through MysteriousPress.com (www.mysteriouspress.com), in partn...

There is no doubt that the combination of Covid and what is going on in cities throughout the country has created more than the usual amount of stress in most of us.  Add to that politics – not matter what side of the aisle you are on – and you have a recipe for overwhelming stress. With us today to discuss invisible disabilities – and a way to help you and yours deal with stress – is the Executiv...

It’s not every day that I get to talk to someone as interesting and, dare I say, enlightened as author Dustin Lawson. I’m excited to announce that today was one of those days! Throughout high school and college, Dustin worked as a lion and tiger trainer at a big cat reservation in Ohio and dreamt of becoming the next Jungle Jack Hannah. Fun fact, one of the animals he cared for wound up at Carole...

Matt Haig is a British author for children and adults. His memoir Reasons to Stay Alive was a number one bestseller, staying in the British top ten for 46 weeks. His children's book, A Boy Called Christmas, was a runaway hit in his own country and has been translated in over 25 languages. His latest novel, The Midnight Library, will be released in the United States on September 29, 2020. I recentl...

Dan Hill is the author of eight books including Famous Faces Decoded: A Guidebook for Reading Others; Two Cheers for Democracy: How Emotions Drive Leadership Style; and First Blush: People's Intuitive Reactions to Famous Art.  His specialty is analyzing the power of emotions to shape outcomes and personalities. Dan pioneered the use of facial coding in business and has done research for over 50% o...

Pat Oates is a comedian, author, podcaster and comedy advice writer. He has been performing stand-up comedy for over 12 years and has appeared on TLC's Extreme Cheapskates, E's Talk Soup, and The Anthony Cumia Show with Dave Landau. In this interview, Pat discusses how he got into comedy, why he turned an advice column into a book for other comics to learn from, and his other passion—professional...

All I had to do was love them. That observation pretty much sums up Diane O’Connell’s perspective on how she was able to bond with so many kids who passed through the halls of Stamford/Trinity Catholic High School. In this interview you will hear about how walking into the main office as a parent, wearing nothing but a bathing suit and cover up (and apparently some pearls), led to Diane landing he...

Over the past few years, I’ve used the Uncorking a Story platform to highlight the work of authors, comedians, and entrepreneurs. I’ve become increasingly interested in uncorking the stories of people who are doing inspiring work in their local communities and that brings me to this current episode featuring Dawn Carpenter of The We Project, a non-profit organization that helps feed, clothe, and m...

Look up the definition of Renaissance man in the dictionary and I’m pretty sure you will find a picture of Aug Stone. He’s a singer/songwriter, author, and comic whose alter ego Young Southpaw has been described as a character who traffics in short, memorized bursts of pun-filled, pop-cultural streams of consciousness. I recently sat down with Aug to discuss his careers as a musician, author, and...

Sit tight and strap in because this inaugural episode of the Open Mike Podcast starts in Brooklyn, takes a trip to Paris Island, and involves hookers, practical jokes on a national scale, and an angry Russian woman who apparently doesn’t like horse racing in the Poconos. That’s because it features an in-depth conversation with comedian Frank Murgalo. Before being a comic, Frank was a Marine, a cop...

Nick Breen is a Connecticut Based comic who, on the surface, appears to be a passenger on the crazy train, but once you get to know him you realize he’s in complete control of the ride. He’s one of the most ambitious comics on the Connecticut circuit and perhaps one of the most insightful people I’ve ever met. Listen up as we talk about what drives him comedically and join us on a wild ride beginn...

David Bell is the USA Today-bestselling author of eight novels from Berkley/Penguin, including Layover, which will be released on July 2nd 2019. His work has been translated into numerous foreign languages, and in 2013, he won the prestigious Prix Polar International de Cognac for best crime novel by an international author.   Listen in as we discuss how David went from working gigs in restaurants...

From as far back as she can remember, Colleen Georges, Ph. D.  felt a calling to help others. It led her to pursue a doctorate in counseling psychology and serve as a Therapeutic Assistant for teens in foster care experiencing emotional/behavioral issues.  Currently, she helps her clients achieve greater happiness in their personal and professional lives. She also runs optimism wellness groups, an...

Early in her career, Karen Mangia followed a very conventional formula for success—say yes to everything, deliver with excellence, and never let them see you sweat. It worked wonderfully for a while, until it didn’t. At the age of 33, Karen faced an undiagnosed illness—she didn't know what to call it, and neither did a team of five doctors. This forced Karen to reimagine what success means, and at...

Laura Vanderkam helps people spend more time on what matters, and less on what doesn’t. She is the bestselling author of What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast and Off The Clock, among others. Her 2016 TED talk, "How to Gain Control of Your Free Time," has been viewed more than 5 million times. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fortune, and other pu...

Look up the term Renaissance man in the dictionary, and I’m sure you will see a picture of Kevin A Knight. He started his own company and serves as an independent marketing research consultant to many leading global corporations. He’s also an avid runner and said goodbye to his running shoes as a way to reduce pain in his hip and back. Not only did the pain go away, but he gained wonderful insight...

Zaida Alfaro is the youngest of six children and was born into art. Her mother is a painter, composer, and musician who taught Zaida how to play the piano at the age of twelve.  She became a professional musician at eighteen and, having been burned by a bad recording contract, is now an independent recording artist and performer. As a lover of cozy mysteries, Zaida decided to take her musical expe...

Tony Pavia is a retired American history teacher and the former principal of Stamford High School, Trinity Catholic High School, and New Canaan High School. Matt Pavia, his son, teaches English and American studies at Darien High School in Connecticut. Together, they collaborated on a book telling the stories of Vietnam Veterans who were from the town of Stamford, Connecticut. After thousands of h...

Jane Green is the author of nineteen novels, including seventeen New York Times Bestsellers, one cookbook, and various short stories. She is published in over 25 languages and has over ten million books in print worldwide. Even though all of this is true, she still took an hour out of her day to speak with me! Her latest book, The Sunshine Sisters, was released this past May and is, as People Maga...

Bill McGarvey is the author of The Freshman Survival Guide, a resource for incoming college freshmen to help them navigate their first year away from home. He also has a regular column in America Magazine. Bill is also an accomplished musician, having written his first song when just eight years old. He’s currently releasing short films to accompany the tracks on his album Beautiful Mess. The film...

George is a career naval aviator whose thirty years of active duty service included four command tours and five years as a carrier strike group chief of staff. He began his writing career in 1978 with an article in the U.S. Navy’s professional magazine, U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings. In addition to his Rick Holden thrillers published by Braveship Books, he has written thirteen other books distr...

Andrew Peterson was born and raised in San Diego, California and graduated with a degree in architecture from the University of Oklahoma. After mentioning to his wife that he was disappointed in much of what he was reading, Andrew accepted her challenge to write something better and started down the roller coaster ride of becoming a published author. Andrew followed First to Kill, his debut thrill...