Episodes

What makes a crime story stay with you long after you've turned the final page? Is it the mystery? The characters? Or is it the emotional truth hiding underneath the story? In this replay of one of Michael's favorite conversations, Michael sits down with writer, entrepreneur, and academic researcher Rhonda Parker Taylor to explore the powerful intersection of storytelling, emotional intelligence, and crime fiction. Rhonda's debut novel, Crossroads, is a suspenseful crime thriller—but beneath ...

What if the most important recipe you ever learned had nothing to do with food? For Chef Don Bowie, it started in his grandmother’s kitchen—and became a lifelong journey through food, culture, entrepreneurship, and community. In this conversation, Michael sits down with celebrity chef and entrepreneur Don Bowie, founder of Taste Kitchen + Bar in Houston, to explore how one early influence can shape an entire life. With more than two decades in the culinary world, Don has built a career around a...

Some stories don’t just belong to a family. They belong to all of us. What would you do to survive if everything you knew had been taken from you? Martin Bodek's grandfather survived four armies, two world wars, starvation, poison, and a 1,600-mile journey home during World War II. He survived what should have been impossible—and then faced the harder question: How do you build a life after surviving history? In this deeply moving conversation, Michael sits down with author Martin Bodek to unco...

What if giving up alcohol didn't mean giving up adventure? Travel is supposed to expand our world. But what happens when the very places we travel to seem to revolve around drinking? A hotel minibar. An airport bar. A champagne toast. A business conference where networking happens over cocktails. A cruise where drinks seem to follow you everywhere. For travel writer Teresa Bergen, traveling alcohol-free isn't about living a smaller life. It's about finally being free to experience a bigger one...

What if a story buried in your family for more than a century suddenly asked you to tell it? Brigid Kennedy’s story begins with a real Irish treasure hunter, her great-grandfather Robert Patrick Kennedy, who crossed the Atlantic, married Eudocia Rodrigues in Arequipa, Peru, in 1910—and then disappeared into the Amazon. The story survived in fragments until one night, when Brigid’s grandmother appeared to her in a dream and asked her to write the family story. Brigid had never written a novel. ...

What if the places that carry humanity's deepest wounds also have the power to heal something within us? In this episode of One More Thing Before You Go, Michael welcomes poet, author, photographer, and adventurer Briana Gervat for a deeply reflective conversation about history, solitude, resilience, and the unexpected ways travel transforms us. In 2022, Briana set out alone on an extraordinary pilgrimage along the Western Front, walking hundreds of miles from the border of Switzerland and Fran...

What happens when a life lived inside Hollywood’s biggest franchises collides with the quiet, inner world of flow states? In this episode, Michael sits down with Steven Puri, a former EVP at DreamWorks and VP at 20th Century Fox whose career shaped films like Transformers, Star Trek, Die Hard, and Independence Day. But this isn’t a conversation about Hollywood credits — it’s about the human story behind them. Steven shares the unexpected journey from news anchor to software engineer, from Oscar...

What if the greatest challenges of your life were preparing you for your greatest purpose?Resilience isn’t something we’re born with—it is built through adversity, difficult choices, and the moments that quietly redefine who we become. In this cinematic conversation, Michael sits down with Jim Paulk to explore how life’s unexpected setbacks can become the foundation for purpose, personal growth, and lasting strength. Jim shares the defining moments that tested his character, the lessons he lear...

What happens when a man chooses to honor his late mother and grandmother by opening a restaurant run entirely by grandmothers? That question sparked one of our most beloved conversations — and inspired Nonna’s, the heartwarming new film starring Vince Vaughn, Susan Sarandon, Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, and Brenda Vaccaro. In this special Over the Teacup Sunday replay, Michael and Diane — joined by guest co‑host Nicole — revisit the extraordinary true story of Joe Scaravella, founder of State...

What if the future isn't something we're trying to predict... but something we're trying to understand about ourselves? The stories we tell about tomorrow often reveal more about today than we realize. In this thoughtful conversation, Michael sits down with author and cultural thinker Amy Bernstein to explore why speculative fiction has become one of the most powerful ways to make sense of an uncertain world. Together, they examine how imagination helps us process fear, hope, identity, and the ...

In this episode, Diane and Michael take a deep dive into Elle, the new prequel series that reimagines Elle Woods’ early life. With their personal connection to Karen McCullah Lutz, the screenwriter behind the original Legally Blonde, they bring a fresh, intimate perspective to the conversation. They discuss: • The show’s premise • Cast, producers & creative team • The 1990s Seattle setting • Themes of identity, belonging & early empowerment • Mixed reviews & audience reactions • Why this ...

In this powerful, unhurried conversation, Michael sits down with Hakeem Bourne McFarlane, the creator of the Choose Yourself movement — a man whose life has been shaped by instability, loss, addiction, discipline, and the courage to rebuild from the inside out. Hakeem grew up mixed‑race inside addiction and silence, always adapting, always earning belonging instead of feeling it. Sports became identity. Performance became validation. And then everything collapsed — five knee surgeries, chronic ...

Welcome to Part Two of our special two‑part conversation with Leah Renee — the only ex‑Mormon housewife turned stand‑up comedian she’s ever met. In Part One, we explored the life she lived before everything changed: her Mormon upbringing, the early cracks in her identity, the pressure of motherhood, and the moment she realized the life she was living wasn’t truly hers. Now, in Part Two, we step directly into the transformation itself — the unraveling, the rebuilding, and the wild, hilarious, d...

What happens when the identity you were handed… no longer fits the person you’re becoming? In Part One of this special two‑part cinematic conversation, Michael sits down with Leah Renee — the only ex‑Mormon housewife turned stand‑up comedian she’s ever met. Before the comedy stages, before the sold‑out shows, before the reinvention… there was a life built inside a belief system she once thought she’d never leave. In this first half of her story, Leah opens up about: • Growing up devout Mormon...

Art is more than color on canvas — it’s memory, identity, and the way a culture says, “We were here.” In this powerful conversation, Michael sits down with Dr. Archana Srivastava, TEDx speaker, PhD historian, award‑winning artist, and founder of ArtSage and Les Trésors Art Gallery. Her mission is urgent: to save India’s vanishing folk and tribal art forms, some preserved by only a few families left. Together, they explore how art becomes activism, why creativity is the most underrated leadershi...

What happens when a lifelong storyteller refuses to stay in one lane? In this episode, Michael sits down with Richard Sparks — acclaimed British comedy writer, opera collaborator, and fantasy novelist — to explore a career defined by reinvention, imagination, and the courage to follow creativity wherever it leads. Richard has written for some of the most iconic comedy voices in the UK, crafted librettos for opera, and now builds entire worlds through fantasy fiction. His journey is a maste...

What happens when a Special Forces operator, professional fighter, and lifelong warrior finally meets the one opponent he can’t out‑run: his own nervous system? In this powerful and deeply human conversation, Michael sits down with Tim Thomas, founder of Breathwork in Bed, former Australian Special Forces operator, PTSD survivor, and a man who rebuilt his life one breath at a time. Tim shares how trauma rewired his body, how sleep became impossible, and how breathwork became the doorway back t...

With Father's Day just around the corner, we're reaching back into our library to bring you one of the most moving conversations we've had at this table — and one that has stayed with us long after the microphones turned off. At 72 years old, Marine combat veteran Rand R. Timmerman did something most people half his age will never attempt. He hiked the entire 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail. But this wasn't just an adventure — it was a mission of love. Rand's brother Ron, a 71-year-old Army veter...

What does it mean to keep your voice — your real, human voice — in a world where AI can mimic almost anything? This week, narrator, actor, voice artist, and writer Kris Keppeler joins Michael for a warm, honest, and deeply human conversation about creativity, identity, and staying connected to the people you create for. Kris has narrated more than 50 audiobooks, performed everything from cats to presidents, and built a storytelling career around curiosity, humor, and the power of voice. Toget...

Some conversations stay with you long after the microphones turn off — and this is one of them. This Producer’s Favorite encore episode brings back a powerful, deeply reflective dialogue with Daniel Anderson, a Holistic Success & Legacy Coach whose work helps people break free from burnout, inherited patterns, and the quiet disconnection that keeps them from living out their purpose. Daniel’s journey — from feeling voiceless in a large family to becoming a guide for others seeking clarity, heal...

In this cinematic conversation, Michael sits down with Richard McWhorter, a Beverly Hills–based Private Wealth Advisor with more than 32 years of guiding high‑net‑worth and ultra‑high‑net‑worth individuals — including athletes, entertainers, and multigenerational families — through the most pivotal moments of their lives. Richard’s work goes far beyond financial planning. He is the person people call when life gets complicated. Takeaways: Money is not merely a numerical value; it serve...

A profound exploration of metaphysical awakening unfolds in this producer‑favorite replay from September 2025, as Michael sits down with Sara Byers — a respected business leader whose life was transformed by an unexpected spiritual opening. After the passing of her stepfather in 2020, Sara began receiving more than 3,000 pieces of poetry, often in the quiet hours of the night. These writings became a channel for deep truths about grief, identity, intuition, and the unseen forces that shape our ...

Director Ricardo de Montreuil joins Michael for a cinematic conversation about Mistura, the Peruvian film that blends food, memory, identity, and virtual production to bring 1960s Lima back to life. Together, they explore the emotional and cultural heartbeat of the story — from Afro‑Peruvian heritage to the flavors that shape who we are, individually and collectively. As Ricardo reflects on the personal journey of resurrecting a city that once flourished, the conversation opens into something...

In this Over the Teacup Sunday episode, Michael & Diane sit down to explore Rooster, the new HBO series starring Steve Carell and created by Bill Lawrence & Matt Tarses (Ted Lasso, Shrinking, Scrubs). They dive into the show’s warm, character‑driven storytelling, the small‑town secrets at its center, and the grounded emotional depth Carell brings to the role. With a standout ensemble cast — Danielle Deadwyler, Phil Dunster, Charly Clive, Lauren Tsai, Annie Mumolo, Madison Hu, Rory Scovel, and J...