With Gratitude, Matt

Blake Haxton is a world-class athlete and winner of the silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics Games in the sprint canoe. He graduated from Ohio State University with a finance degree in 2013 and a law degree in 2016 and now works for Diamond Hill Capital Management as a Research Analyst. Impressive achievements but even more impressive that this all occurred after contracting necrotizing fasc...

Dr. Joseph Maroon’s is a world-renowned neurosurgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. His biography and lists of achievement are truly remarkable as a neurosurgeon, scientist, Ironman athlete, consultant, author, and advocate on healthy living and nutrition. Yet despite all this amazing accomplishments, Dr. Maroon has often felt he was an underdog battling his smaller height and wei...

Neal Tew is a proud father of four kids living in Cincinnati, Ohio. Over the years, his brilliance and talent has helped him create many new ventures in his life including his own financial planning firm, a new boutique marketing firm called Brandstrength, a ground breaking youth squash association, and he is now the author of a new book titled, The Gospel Life: Three Years in a Monastery. On this...

In 2011, the lives of Pete, Linda, Abbey and Will Smith were forever changed when on their way to Colorado in their rental RV their were struck by a truck driver who had fallen asleep. Several family members sustained injuries that they would be able to recover from but it was Will who suffered a brain injury and was left paralyzed. The recovery has been a challenge for all of them, but has been f...

Jessica Hanna has a faith that is truly inspiring. It’s this faith that has guided her and given her the strength to overcome many hurdles including a breast cancer diagnosis in 2020 right after learning she was pregnant with her 4th child. While she sought out and has been working with dedicated and talented physicians, it was her decision to truly be an advocate for her own health, which include...

At the age of 9, John O’Leary was in his garage playing with matches and gasoline and accidentally created a massive explosion that burned 100% of his body. His injuries were so severe that doctors only gave him a 1% chance to live. He battled through many surgeries and years of physical therapy and did indeed survive. In 2006, his story was detailed in his parent’s book, “ Overwhelming Odds ,” wh...

Monica is the mother of 2 girls, a loving wife to her husband Lance of 7 years, an accomplished photographer, and just an amazing, strong women. Those traits were always there, many passed on by her father, Dr. Bob Cleary, a guest on WGM. Dr Cleary shared his COVID19 recovery story in episode 20. Prior to her relationship with husband Lance, Monica found herself in an abusive relationship that was...

Listening to this young women talk about her challenges and hurdles, it is hard to believe she is just a senior in college. Life lessons and maturity have arrived for Danielle at an early age.  She is an inspiration in how she handled and overcame the bullying she experienced in high school as well as the 2 knee injuries she fought through that kept her off the basketball court. With her faith lea...

Todd Durkin’s energy is contagious and you will feel his presence and fire come through the airwaves in this interview. When his dream for a professional football career was cut short because of a back injury, it was his ability to motivate, educate and train others that led him to become an internationally known strength, speed and conditioning coach, personal trainer, body worker, motivational s...

Natalie Hoerner felt that there had to be a better way. She was giving so much to others but just wasn’t feeling fulfilled. Then she started journaling about her days and opening her eyes to all the things she was thankful for and noticed a change. The change was dramatic enough that she began sharing her story and the journals with others. A new path was created and Natalie became certified and l...

Failing Forward is a podcast started by native Cincinnatian, Sarah Brown, that focuses on stories of people who have overcome failure and have found life lessons as a result of the experience. Her guests have inspired many people with their stories and it has been a great landing spot for Sarah and her career. She is an amazing guide but what really drives her is the connection in the experience o...

Professional speaker, researcher, and author Andy Core has figured out the key to changing lives and that is to start by changing your day. Andy sees people getting too focused on the end result of a goal and getting stuck versus just focusing on executing in the moment and then creating a path. He has spent twenty years studying human behavior and peak performers and now coaches individuals and o...

Love one another, be the best you can be, and lean on one another when times get tough are 3 things Coach Steve Specht reminds his players to focus on before every game. Teaching these life lessons through football is one of the reasons Coach Specht has had so much success coaching football since 2003 for St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. He cares deeply about his players, their well bei...

In early March 2020, Dr. Cleary, a board-certified general, colon and rectal surgeon in Ann Arbor Michigan, had just received a warning from a colleague in Seattle about the rampant COVID-19 cases. He and his team quickly put a plan together to manage their cancer patients and cancel elective surgeries. But within days, Dr. Cleary had come down with COVID-19 that began to infect his lungs and land...

Deb and Terry Norton are the loving parents of 3 children whose lives changed when their son, Chris, suffered a debilitating spinal cord injury while playing football for Luther College his freshman year. Paralyzed from the neck down, he was given just a three percent chance of any kind of recovery. Not one to back down from a challenge, Chris chose to fight and slowly regained feeling in his limb...

It’s easy to feel invincible especially in the early years of our lives and especially when you are healthy, strong and thriving. But cancer and so many other diseases are unpredictable on when and who they pick. March is Kidney Cancer Awareness Month, bringing attention to the 68,000 new kidney cancer cases and 14,000 deaths that will hit in the United States alone this year, making it the 6th mo...

March is Kidney Cancer Awareness Month, spotlighting a disease which is among the 10 most common cancers for men and women in the United States. Dr. Bradley McGregor, one of the doctors on the forefront of finding ways to fight and manage kidney cancer, sees March as a great opportunity to bring more attention to the research needed to find more effective treatment options. Dr. McGregor is a Medic...

Author and professional speaker, Andy Hill, grew up in Westwood CA and his basketball talents got the attention of the great UCLA coach John Wooden. He was recruited and was part of three National Championship teams from 1970-72. Perhaps a starter on many college teams, Andy rode the bench at UCLA and this coaching decision left a mark. Andy graduated and found success elsewhere as President of CB...

Professional speaker and author Woody Sherwood took his experiences from over 20 years as a NCAA D1 Coach and has created corporate, school/parent and individual programs to develop stronger leadership skills and better work cultures for people to thrive. Listen in as Woody shares many stories from his extensive background of working through challenges with athletes and students and the universal...

For Coleman Ruiz, taking advantage of opportunities and walking through open doors seems second nature to him. But the doors have opened because Coleman prepared himself for the path he chose, created the openings, and committed himself to do what he needed to succeed. Coleman’s military path began in the Naval Academy which led to 13 years of service as a U.S. Navy SEAL where he participated in h...

Success can come in many different shapes and forms. For Victor Prince, early success landed him in various high-level leadership roles at major corporations and in the federal government. But faced with personal challenges and a call to find the next phase of his life, Victor set out to walk the Camino Way, an ambitious month long journey across Spain. It is here that Victor began to realize his...

Born in Nigeria, Fr. Peter Bassey never planned on ending up in Buffalo, but he listened and followed his calling and well, learned how to handle the cold. He was ordained in 2018 amongst many challenges in the Catholic Church. Fr. Bassey focuses on serving Jesus first and doing all the work of the Church in the spirit of love. He is a great example of the good work many young Catholic priests are...

Rashmi Airan grew up making good choices, excelling in school, and eventually becoming a successful attorney and investment banker. However, through a combination of factors driven by her desire to succeed, some blind spots were created while working with a new real estate client engaging in questionable practices. Her dealings led to her spending 6 months in prison for bank fraud. The experience...

It has likely either happened to you or someone you know, the dark, heavy thoughts show up or just feelings of being hurt that cloud the mind and eat away at you. It could result in moodiness or a loss of meaning and purpose or it might be diagnosed as anxiety. Mental health struggles are common and we all need to be aware of how to best manage the challenge. Our guest Mike Dayem says, “it is not...

Too often we all focus on our perceived faults and get caught thinking we are not good enough – as a parent, as an employee, or as a friend.  Author, blogger and speaker Laura Smith reminds us that none of this is true because we were created in the likeness of God and that every stitch of us was created for a purpose. As she advises her kids before a sporting event, know that no matter what happe...