W.W.A.A. Podcast with Kristy Mickelsen

On this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast, The host Kristy Mickelsen has a discussion with special guest Veterans advocate Tony DeMaio about the very real subject of 22 Veterans a day losing their life to suicide. As the founder of Helping Heroes USA, Tony DeMaio’s daily mission is to battle the devastating reality that 22 American veterans die by suicide each day. Tony has spent years building prog...

In this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast, host Kristy Mickelsen is joined by guest co-hosts Maria Humphreys, a fellow podcaster, and Julie Marie, a social media personality and author. Together, they dive into an honest and uplifting conversation about the pressures society places on appearance—particularly for women. Kristy, Maria, and Julie share personal stories and experiences of how people hav...

On this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast, hosts Kristy Mickelsen and Billy Dees welcome a truly remarkable guest, Mrs. Bea Franklin. Bea has a unique connection to the iconic automotive chain Pep Boys, is the wife of World War II photographer Corporal Jerry Franklin, and is an active world traveler. Recently celebrating her 101st birthday, she’s also a three-time cancer survivor with an inspiring s...

Rose Horowitz is a Pulitzer-nominated journalist and the founder of #WomenToFollow, a global social media movement created to amplify women's voices. Within its first two weeks, the hashtag trend garnered over 12 million views. Rose has hosted 34 episodes of her livestream show under the #WomenToFollow banner, generating more than 450,000 social media impressions. In addition to her media work, Ro...

In this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast, host Kristy Mickelsen sits down with social media personality and author Julie Marie for a powerful and heartfelt conversation. Together, they dive straight into sensitive topics including bipolar depression and mania, PTSD, veteran suicide, and suicidal thoughts. With honesty and empathy, Kristy and Julie explore these difficult subjects, sharing personal...

🎙️ On this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast , host Kristy Mickelsen and co-host Billy Dees welcome special guest Bruce Sudano — award-winning musician, songwriter, and creative force behind hits for legends like Dolly Parton, Michael Jackson, Reba McEntire , and his late wife, the iconic Donna Summer . Bruce shares the story of his deep-rooted passion for music, his early days with the R&B trio...

In this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast, host Kristy Mickelsen sits down with special guest Nino Dipietro, a Health and Wellness Coach with an inspiring story of transformation. Nino opens up about his journey from struggling with weight and personal challenges to reclaiming his health and self-esteem through the power of positivity and lifestyle changes. Today, Nino shares the same strategies tha...

In this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast, host Kristy Mickelsen welcomes returning guest and autism advocate Chris Weakly. A veteran of the show, Chris joins Kristy annually to share updates on his journey as someone diagnosed with autism later in life and how his experiences have shaped his advocacy work. Together, Kristy and Chris explore a range of topics, including what autism is, Chris’s persp...

In this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast , host Kristy Mickelsen is joined by guests Mike Caldwell and Maria Humphreys for an honest and engaging conversation about a universally relevant topic: relationships . Kristy, Mike—a professional wrestling promoter—and Maria—a podcaster, meditation teacher, and social media personality—dive into timeless questions such as: What do men and women really want...

In this episode of the W.WA.A. Podcast, hosts Kristy Mickelsen and Billy Dees sit down with special guest John DeNicola—music composer, lyricist, and producer. A native of Amityville, New York, and a longtime resident of Greenwich Village, DeNicola began his musical career as a bass player with the band Flight, which recorded for Motown in 1980 and was later sampled by Erykah Badu on her hit song...

In this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast the host Kristy Mickelsen talks with her special Guest Author and Self Help Advocate Daniel Lockwood.  Daniel, a Recovering Alcoholic talks to us about his book Insight Out a concise, easy-to-understand introduction to personal transformation, designed for anyone who wants to change but doesn’t know where or how to start. Based on and illustrated by the auth...

This episode contains content that may be triggering to some audiences. In this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast, the host Kristy Mickelsen Talks with her special guest author, Norma Davis.  Norma Davis is a U.S. Army veteran and very proud of it. Norma was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1963 to Denise B. Swilley and Fred Davis Jr. When Norma's father died in 1968 Norma's mother took on the bigge...

In this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast the host Kristy Mickelsen talks with her special guest Author, Advocate and Breast Cancer Survivor, Katie Rader. Kristy and Katie discuss what prompted her to go to the doctor, and what her emotional process of receiving a cancer diagnosis was and how Katie chose to deal with the news. This episode also takes us through a detailed account of Katies cancer jo...

In this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast the host Kristy Mickelsen talks with her special guest Author Robert O’ Conner. Robert and Kristy discuss many topics including about how he had gone through a time of depression and had been down on his luck in life so he began to write journals about his situation. Through his journals he found a way to deal with his struggles and found writing to be somew...

In this episode of The W.W.A.A. Podcast the hosts Kristy Mickelsen & Billy Dees talk with their Special Guest Music Composer and Lyricist Stacy Widelitz who co wrote The song She’s Like The Wind.  Kristy, Stacy, and Billy have a wonderful discussion about how Stacy got to be friends with Patrick Swayze and helped write the famous song that was Featured in "Dirty Dancing." Stacy as a wonderful...

In this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast the host Kristy Mickelsen is joined by two special guests today BCW Pro Wrestling promoter Mike Caldwell & Pro Wrestler Axl Savage. The three have a wonderful discussion and answer some fan questions about some of the basics about Pro Wrestling on the independent circuit.  Some of the subjects they talk about are how independent circuits differ from W.W....

In this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast the host Kristy Mickelsen talks with her special guest Author and Multiple Sclerosis patient and advocate Marco Gamboa. Kristy and Marco have a wonderful conversation about what is multiple sclerosis, and what some of the symptoms are as well as how long and frustrating it can be to get a diagnosis. Marco and Kristy also talk about how autoimmune disease has...

In this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast, the host Kristy Mickelsen talks with her special guest spiritual leader Kalain Hilderbrand. Kristy and Kalain touch on a variety of topics such as childhood sexual abuse and how it usually occurs by a trusted family member, foster care and how during her time in foster care she encountered even more abuse. Then as an adult Kalain was in a relationship with...

In this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast the host Kristy Mickelsen talks with her special guest Author Craig Higgins. Craig, an author who grew up in New Orleans but now resides in Las Vegas walks us through his journey of growing up in a catholic school and soaking up the atmosphere of New Orleans to how he began to write books. During this conversation Craig and Kristy talk about Craigs writing p...

In this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast the host Kristy Mickelsen talks with her guest Author Jeff Giles, an experienced culture writer and editor who's been featured in a long list of publications including Paste Magazine, the Village Voice, American Songwriter, Ultimate Classic Rock, and Rotten Tomatoes, Jeff Giles makes his debut as a novelist with Langley Powell and the Society for the Defense...

On This Episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast the hosts Kristy Mickelsen and Billy Dees talk with their Special Guest New York Musical Star Lavinia Draper from award winning musical Doing time with Lavinia.   In this light hearted episode Kristy asks Lavinia how she got her start in show business and what her most memorable moments have been on her way to the top. Watching and Listening to Lavinia as sh...

This episode may contain sensitive and triggering subjects. In this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast the Host Kristy Mickelsen welcomes her returning guest Best Selling Author Timothy Gager.  Tim shares with us details about his two new works one which has just been released titled Almost Bluing for X-tra whiteness a book of poems.  During Kristy and Tims discussion they touch on a wide range of to...

On this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcasts the Hosts Kristy Mickelsen and Billy Dees are joined by their special guests Jill and Patti Rothberg from the music Duo The Ruminators.    Jill and Patti discuss how they became a music duo, how they formed a love for music, what their struggles and successes have been, and what their current projects are. During this fun conversation Kristy, Billy and the...

In this episode of the W.W.A.A. Podcast, the host Kristy Mickelsen welcomes her returning guest Author Lory Jones to discuss Lory's newly released book  It Happened One Morning. During their Discussion Lory tells Kristy about what inspired her to write this unique fictional romantic comedy book about a relationship coach who was considered to be number one at his job and he even had a on air radio...

Lynn Portas is a critically acclaimed composer, pianist, vocalist, and musical director. A native New Yorker, she has performed and recorded extensively, with her theatre works featured in productions for decades.   Frequently performing as a singer and keyboardist in the New York tristate area, Lynn’s early credits as a musical director include the Off-Broadway hit Tony and Tina’s Wedding , as we...