Beyond the Draft

What happens when a trained mental health therapist realizes the real problem isn't just how people think, it's how they search? Melanie Gorman is the founder and Chief Strategist of Crownsville Media, a marketing and website development agency helping service-based businesses build visibility, earn trust, and generate qualified leads. Before founding her agency, she spent 8 years managing digital...

What do you do when a drunk driver takes away the voice you built an entire career on, and ten years later, you find a way to use it again? Laura Van Wormer is a longtime novelist whose 1988 debut, Riverside Drive, was a bestseller, followed by 13 more novels with major publishing houses. In 2015, a head-on collision left her with a crushed collarbone, 16 broken ribs, and what she calls her "venti...

What if the biggest threat to your best employees isn't the workload, it's the leader standing in front of them? Bryan Hughes originally set out to become a music teacher before switching into professional sales and eventually spending 30 years leading high-performing teams, including P&L accountability for $750M and more than 4,000 employees. His doctoral dissertation focused on helping organizat...

What if ancient history was actually a lot more accepting, and a lot more gay, than the history books ever let on? Neil Laird is a multiple Emmy-nominated director and executive producer who's spent nearly three decades making historical documentaries for Discovery, BBC, PBS, History Channel, and National Geographic, filming in over 70 countries. After years of uncovering what TV and textbooks got...

What stories get lost when history is only told by the winners, or by those who left before the hardest parts happened? Tudor Alexander is a Romanian-born novelist and author of seven published novels, four in the U.S., focused on immigrants and the experience of leaving home for a new language and culture. His recent novels, The Last Patient and In Darkness and Light, explore life in pre- and pos...

What does it take to hold onto faith after burying your own child, and then losing your spouse not long after? Dr. Raj Javalgi is an author, educator, and business consultant who spent over 30 years in higher education, serving as Dean and Associate Dean at business schools including Cleveland State University and Walsh University. But behind the academic achievements lies a story of profound loss...

What happens when conventional medicine can't fix your nine-month-old's repeated ear infections, but a single natural remedy does? Abby Beale is a certified classical homeopath who's spent over two decades studying and practicing homeopathy since 2003. A former speed reading and learning expert, she brought her love of deep study into homeopathy after her own child's health crisis convinced her th...

What changes when a person spends 50 years living an ordinary American life, and then, almost by accident, starts meditating? Dean Graves is a meditation teacher, mental health counselor, and spiritual guide with over 25 years of experience helping people move toward greater self-awareness and healing. Around his 50th year, he began meditating and gleaned insights he now believes have been given t...

What if the way to fix a country's biggest problems isn't through louder arguments, but through the same diagnostic thinking an engineer uses on a malfunctioning system? Henryk A. Kowalczyk was born in Poland and lived under socialism before immigrating to the United States in 1985. In 1981, Polish censors blocked the printing of his book questioning the system he lived under. Decades later, he's...

What happens when the person who once struggled to feel heard becomes the person creating spaces for others to speak? In this episode of Beyond the Draft, Imma sits down with Noah May—journalist, storyteller, and host of three podcasts—to explore his journey from battling depression, anxiety, and feelings of isolation to finding his voice through journalism, podcasting, and honest conversations. N...

What do you do when you've done everything right, and it still doesn't feel like success? Chad Betz is the author of An Authentic Success: You Aren't Too Old and It's Not Too Late!, and a financial services professional with over 30 years of experience in leadership, turnaround management, and executive coaching. His own mid-career crisis, sitting alone in a parking garage asking why years of hard...

What happens when you've checked every external box of success, but your essence keeps quietly dimming anyway? Baiba Wisse is the host of the Live In Technicolor podcast and creator of The Era of You™ method, mentoring women to activate their purpose and create their highest timeline. After 15 years in corporate, feeling drained, anxious, and stuck despite years of mindset and self-help work, she...

What happens when you lose your sight in the middle of your career, and still find a way to help others see their own purpose more clearly? Sara Freeman Smith is an inspirational speaker, author, and disability advocate who became blind during her mid-career. She's the author of Turning Stones into Gems: Finding Direction in Your Life & Career, now in its third edition, drawing on faith, personal...

What does it feel like to realize you've finally become the thing you always wanted to be, decades into your career? Alan Katz has written for movies and television, including HBO's iconic Tales From The Crypt. Entertainment Weekly named the first season of his show, The How NOT To Make A Movie Podcast, the Best Film Podcast of 2022, a moment that made him realize he'd finally become a podcaster,...

What does it take to relearn how to walk, think, and talk, and then find your way back to yourself through writing? Jennifer White is a retired RN and brain tumor surgery survivor. After waking up from a coma in January 2024, she had to relearn some of life's most basic skills. As part of her recovery, she began writing, which slowly helped memories return and gave her a new sense of purpose. She...

What's really stopping most people from finally writing the book they've been carrying around for years? Jennifer Bright has worked in publishing for more than three decades, informing and inspiring writers on her YouTube channel, The Traveling Publisher. Her publishing company, Bright Communications, publishes more than 40 books a year, spanning fiction, nonfiction, children's, and adult titles....

Why do two people with the exact same injury, receiving the exact same treatment, end up with completely different outcomes? Dr. Ya-Ling Liou is an evidence-based chiropractic physician, pain coping expert, and founder of Stop Everyday Pain®. With more than 30 years of clinical experience, she's the author of The Everyday Pain Guide book series, creator of the Pain Personality™ framework, and host...

What if the men who seem the most "fine" are actually the ones quietly avoiding the life they're capable of building? Alexander Osterman is a licensed psychotherapist, private practice owner, and author of Quit Evading: A Therapist's Field Manual for Men in Drift. After surviving cancer and rebuilding his own life from personal collapse through sobriety, discipline, and fatherhood, he now helps me...

What can a five-year-old's letter to the tooth fairy teach us about trust, forgiveness, and connection? Jennifer Ballow is a social worker and children's book author in Austin, Texas. Her picture book, Under My Pillow, follows five-year-old Sam as she investigates who really took her tooth, and learns to forgive along the way. The book was inspired by the real letters Jennifer's twin daughters onc...

What if everything you've been told about stretching for pain relief is actually making things worse? Butch Phelps is a functional massage therapist, award-winning author, and creator of the Stretch n' Release Technique. After surviving a head-on car accident at 18 that left him in a wheelchair, losing 135 pounds in his 30s, and overcoming debilitating back pain at 40, he spent more than two decad...

He spent twenty-five years following the money. And discovered that the most important truths in life are rarely found in a financial statement. Albert Butler is a Forbes 2026 Best-In-State CPA, a father of four, and the author of LIFE: Truth, Love, Loss, Success and Failure. His conviction is simple and profound — build a life you can exit with peace, not regret. In this episode of Beyond the Dra...

He knocked on heaven's door three times. Was turned away every single one. And then he came home and named his demons. Josef Gonzalez — Scuba Joe — is a disabled Navy Seabee who survived three near-death experiences, PTSD, addiction, and the kind of inner warfare most people never speak about publicly. His framework is not about destroying your demons. It is about staying their landlord. In this e...

What if money was never really about money? In this episode of Beyond the Draft, Imma sits down with Amanda Cassar, financial adviser, author, speaker, philanthropist, and advocate for financial abuse awareness. Amanda shares why true financial freedom goes beyond wealth—it’s about freedom, dignity, protection, relationships, purpose, and legacy. She opens up about recognizing financial abuse, bui...

Tanya Brody is an email marketing strategist with over 15 years of experience, who went from touring the U.S. with her Celtic band to helping businesses build loyal communities through nurture emails. In this episode, Tanya shares the bridge between her music career and email marketing, the two biggest mistakes businesses make with their email lists, and how to finally revive an old, cold list tha...

Hema Murty is an advanced yoga therapist, certified personal trainer, and nutrition coach who has spent over two decades helping women 40 to 60 move past pain, burnout, and gut issues without relying on quick fixes. She's the author of Professional Woman's Guide to Handling Stress. In this episode, Hema shares the client moment that made her realize "pushing through" was part of the problem, why n...