Uncorking A Story

For anyone out there who feels crippling stage fright before having to perform in front of an audience, this episode is for you! Today’s guest, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and author Elma Linz Kanefield, not only opens up about her own history with stage fright but tells us what we can do about it! She recently joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss her life and latest book, Hamlet's Mirror: Reaching Your Performance Potential Onstage and Off.  Meet Elma Linz Kanefield Elma succumbed to debilitating stage fright as a young performer which left her voice… silent. However, rather than remain devastated and at the effect of her fear, she transformed her fright into her life’s calling and became a specialist in the psychology of the performing artist. She joins me today to talk about her life and new book  Welcome to Uncorking a Story Elma. Key Topics: How experiencing crippling stage fright at the age of 19 put her life on a path that she never anticipated. Her decision to help other performers with

What if it was easy to stop living for money? To have the health, wealth, and life you dream of? And the solution had nothing to do with politics or outside forces? Well, these are some of the questions today’s guest on Uncorking a Story,, Kristen Ragusin, poses in her new book, The End of Scarcity: The Dawn of the New Abundant World. Here today to talk about that book is author Kristen Ragusin.  Meet Kristen Ragusin Kristen is a professional wealth management consultant with thirty years of experience. Investing over $150 million, she helps clients navigate markets and achieve financial goals. She is a certified digital currency professional and earned her Masters Degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Kristen holds certificates in FinTech from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and in Money and Society from the University of Cumbria, London. She loves the adventure of Life and everything it brings from the many kinds of people to the wonders of Nature. She has trav

Have you ever experienced a little voice inside your head trying to tell you something? Did you ever wonder where that voice was coming from? Have you ever listened to it? Well, today’s guest on Uncorking a Story, Suzanne Roske, ignored that voice for a long time until it shouted at her. When she finally did listen, her world changed radically for the better. Meet Suzanne Roske Suzanne Roske is a leadership coach, taco and mezcal enthusiast, public speaker, and now an author. For 25 years, she was the picture of objective success, a partner at a global management consulting firm guiding Fortune 500 companies through business and team transformations. And then she embarked on her biggest transformation yet—her own. Roske stepped away from her corporate life and into an adult gap year in Mexico which she chronicled in her memoir, I'm Supposed to Be Doing This: An Adult Gap Year.  Key Topics: Key insight into her life from her grandfather at the tender age of eight. What she learned by working in her family’s

I share a few things in common with today’s esteemed guest on Uncorking a Story. Glenn Kaplan and I both worked at Foote, Cone, and Belding and we both live in Connecticut, but only one of us has made the New York Times Bestseller List (hint, it’s not me). He recently joined me to discuss his latest book Angel of Ambition. Meet Glenn Kaplan Glenn is the NY Times bestselling author of Evil Inc. and Poison Pill. He’s worked in the international art world and as creative director in global advertising agencies and a Fortune 500 company.  Key Topics: How a lunch at a prestigious club in the early 1980s led to a deal for his first book, The Big Time: How Success Really Works in 14 Top Business Careers. Glenn’s experience being orphaned at a large publishing house. Why his ability to write believable female characters is a key ingredient to the recipe of his success. The story behind Angel of Ambition, Glenn’s most recent release. Why he’d tell his younger self to not strive for perfection during the writing

I love stories that involve cemeteries and libraries and today’s guest on Uncorking a Story has a one that involves both. Meet Ed Di Gangi Ed was adopted at birth in New York City. An only child, he made no effort to explore his heredity until, at age 69, a visit to a cemetery where members of his adoptive mother's family were buried stirred his interest. Over the past three years, through extensive archival research and DNA testing, Ed has peeled back the layers of his once unknown family. Ed joined me on Uncorking a Story today to talk about his book,The Gift Best Given, which recounts the search for his family and tells the story of a young woman's courage as she overcame obstacles to achieve her dreams.  Key Topics: How paying respects at his adoptive parent’s gravesite led to a desire to learn more about his birth mother. Ed’s motivation behind writing such a personal story. How Ed was wrong about why his mother gave him up for adoption. The touching story behind the title of his book. Ed’s advice

I love a good story about people who break conventions and today’s guest on Uncorking a Story, Jessica Weaver, does just that. Shortly after getting started in the financial planning business, Jessica felt a calling to focus her efforts on women, and wow has that paid off! Along the way she has written three books (with another in the works), built a profitable business, and has changed the financial lives of her clients by taking a holistic approach to planning. Her energy and passion are infectious and it was a real pleasure having her on the show. Meet Jessica Weaver Jessica Weaver, CFP, CDFA, CFS is a wealth advisor, best-selling author, and founder of the Women's Wealth Boutique, the fastest growing woman-owned financial firm in the US. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about her career path, writing, and how she has challenged the conventions of the financial planning industry. Key Topics: Why she decided to focus her business on women.  The importance of being vulnerable when meeting with

Today, we have a real treat for fans of US History. Today’s guest, Sewall Menzel, Ph.D., drops a bombshell about how President Roosevelt, playing the role of the Fox, provoked the Japanese to attack the United States at Pearl Harbor. More importantly, he also explains why.  Meet Sewall Menzel, Ph.D. Dr. Menzel is a career Army officer and university professor whose latest book, The Pearl Harbor Secret: Why Roosevelt Undermined the U.S. Navy, relies on recently declassified documents to reshape our thinking as to what Pearl Harbor really was all about. His findings challenge the history books and is the only comprehensive book on the Pearl Harbor attack that digs into declassified documents, as well as the diaries and notes of key players, that answers the question, “Why did Pearl Harbor happen?” Key Topics: Why the only son of two Chicago based artists decided to attend college at The Citadel in 1964. Dr. Menzel’s extensive military career including his time as an Army Ranger in Vietnam and the time he s

We are often told to always look on the bright side of life—at least those of us who grew up watching Monty Python movies were told that. But how can we look on the bright side when the world around us appears to be so incredibly dark? Throughout her life, my guest today has faced constant adversity; a single mom at 18, abusive marriage for 20 years, cancer twice, but through it all, Trish Michael has worked not only to see the bright side but to be the bright side when it couldn’t be seen.   Meet Trish Michael: Trish is an author, artist, photographer and two time cancer survivor living in Maui, Hawaii and working to make the world a better place with all that she does. Her books, which have all been written for her own children at difficult stages in their lives, are her way of reminding them (and the world) that anything is possible. Steeped in hard won wisdom and written to empower, her books use fun rhymes and comforting cadence to make hard to swallow truths easy to digest.  Key Topics: How, after livi

Melissa Payne is the bestselling, award-winning author of The Secrets of Lost Stones, Memories in the Drift and The Night of Many Endings. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss her career and latest book, A Light in the Forest. Set in the hills of southeastern Ohio, it is a story about resilience and courage in the face of generational trauma. It's also  about finding hope, even in the darkest of times. Key Topics: Why Melissa loved writing in blue books while in college. Why writing a book was always a dream, but initially something she initially dismissed. How meeting another parent at her child’s school who had an agent and a manuscript out for submission impacted her decision to write a novel. The surprising role of rejections on the path to publishing. How confidence comes with age and experience. Buy A Light in the Forrest Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PrGPNQ Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781957568287 Connect with Melissa: Website: https://www.melissapayneauthor.com Instagram:

New York Times, USAToday, and Wall St. Journal bestseller, M.J. Rose grew up in New York City mostly in the labyrinthine galleries of the Metropolitan Museum, the dark tunnels and lush gardens of Central Park, and reading her mother's favorite books before she was allowed. She believes mystery and magic are all around us but we are too often too busy to notice. Rose's work has appeared in many magazines including Oprah Magazine and The Adventurine and she has been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, WSJ, Time, USA Today and on the Today Show, and NPR radio. She joined me on uncorking a story to talk about her career and latest book, The Jeweler of Stolen Dreams. Key Topics: Why she decided to become an artist when everyone in her family felt she should become a writer. Why she feels a strong connection to Magic  How a premonition her grandmother had saved her life. Who Suzanne Belperon was and why M.J. felt compelled to write about her. The challenges of writing historical fiction, including the p

S. E. Boyd is the creation of veteran journalists Kevin Alexander and Joe Keohane, and editor Alessandra Lusardi. All lightly damaged Catholics prone to extensive over-analysis, Alexander, Keohane, and Lusardi have, between them, authored four books, edited dozens more, and written for Esquire, The Atlantic, and The New Yorker, among others. Alexander also won a James Beard Award for food writing, a fact Keohane and Lusardi are both tired of hearing about. They joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about their first novel, The Lemon. Key Topics: How our celebrity-obsessed culture influenced the book’s premise, and their particular fascination with what they call “the Celebrity-Death-Industrial Complex.” Their unique writing process, and why it has more in common with a TV writers’ room than typical novel-writing. Why the character at the center of the book is called John Doe: “In dying famous, he became the property of others; he is a cipher for whatever you want him to mean to you.” Their backgrounds

When I was a kid, I had dreams of joining the PGA tour; the only problem was, I really didn’t show a tremendous aptitude for the game of golf, which is kind of a precursor for playing professionally. In this way, I couldn’t be any more different than today’s guest, Matt McWilliams, who played the game collegiately and even made solid money in his early twenties as a teaching professional. He decided, though, that his true passions lay elsewhere and walked away from a lucrative career to teach others how to make a killing through digital marketing—and hasn’t looked back since. Meet Matt McWilliams: Matt is living proof that one can pursue one’s passion in life, and do so while making a profit. He started his first online business in 2001 at the age of 22 and today is one of the leading online business teachers. He’s worked with more than 300,000 online business owners while running affiliate programs, product launches, and book launches for entrepreneurs such as Shark Tank’s Kevin Harrington, Michael Hyatt, Br

Susan Combs is President of Combs & Company, a full-service insurance brokerage firm based in New York City. She started the company at twenty-six years old with a drive to “Do more, better.” This internal mantra has resulted in numerous successes and firsts, like being named the youngest National President in the over eighty-five-year history of Women in Insurance & Financial Services (WIFS) and the first female Broker of the Year winner for BenefitsPro. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about her book, Pancakes for Roger: A mentorship guide for slaying dragons, which includes the lessons she learned during her midwestern upbringing and 2 plus decades in New York City. Key Topics: Susan’s belief that nobody gets anywhere alone. The role her father played in her life. Why Susan likens her business self to a dragon slayer. The impact grief can have on your life, and how to overcome it. The importance of mentorship. Buy Pancakes for Roger Amazon: https://amzn.to/3AiWbhe Bookshop.org: https://bo

Nick Jonsson is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of one of Asia’s premiere networking organizations. He built a caring community that provides hundreds of executives a safe haven to share their challenges, and receive support and learn from each other. He joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about his personal story and book entitled Executive Loneliness: The 5 Pathways to Overcoming Isolation, Stress, Anxiety & Depression in the Modern Business World.  Key Topics: How Nick bottomed out and climbed his way back. Why he felt lucky for having a drinking problem. What the five pathways to overcoming isolation, stress, anxiety, and depression are. The importance of paying it forward to your recovery. The importance of finding purpose and what Nick believes his purpose is. Buy Executive Loneliness: The 5 Pathways to Overcoming Isolation, Stress, Anxiety & Depression in the Modern Business World Amazon: https://amzn.to/3hlY8DB Nick’s Website: https://nickjonsson.com/my-book/ Connect with Nick Website

Today, we are doing something a little different on Uncorking a Story. It’s a new year and, for our first episode, there is no guest. I’m using this first episode to thank all of the wonderful publicists I’ve worked with and authors I’ve interviewed over the course of 2022, which was the best year ever for Uncorking a Story. In addition, I also share an open letter to my children, inspired by our annual watching of The Polar Express, which includes 7 pieces of wisdom that I want them to know. Of course, the show would mean nothing without our loyal listeners so, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for tuning in each week to hear me uncork some stories. All the best to you and yours in the new year. Connect with Mike Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory Facebook: https://www.facebook.com

K.K.  Weakley was born and reared in Wexford Ireland. She has written 11 books and plays for stage. K.K. loves to read historical fiction and a good love story kind of book and writes tales of castles, warriors, hell demons, witches and whatever else comes to her mind. Her latest series is Sekhet Saga which includes three books and one on the way.  Key Topics: How K.K.’s fascination with Irish Folklore influenced her fantasy and horror writing Her fascination with the 17th century Finding an agent and getting a book deal The importance of working collaboratively with your agent, editor, and publisher The importance for writers to have a strong support system Buy the Sekhet Saga: Amazon: https://amzn.to/3FRosgO Connect with K.K. Weakley Website: http://www.kweakley.com Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/3PLpXlg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kkweakley/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkkweakley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorKKWeakley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/k-k-weakle

Tori Whitaker is a bestselling author who also belongs to the Bourbon Women Association and the Historical Novel Society. Her work has appeared in the Historical Novels Review and Bookmarks magazine. She graduated from Indiana University, is an alum of the Yale Writers' Workshop, and is recently retired from a national law firm where she served as chief marketing officer. She joins me today on Uncorking a Story to talk about her career and latest book, A Matter of Happiness. Key Topics: Finding her voice as an author later in life Achieving success with her third manuscript Finding an agent and getting published The inspiration behind A Matter of Happiness How writing and publishing has stoked Tori’s confidence  You can do more than you think is possible Buy A Matter of Happiness Amazon: https://amzn.to/3hn98At Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781542038072 Connect with Tori: Website: https://toriwhitaker.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tori.whitaker.37/ Facebook: https://www.fa

What’s wrong with being a little weird? I am fortunate in my career to meet new people every week through the work that I do and let me tell you, I definitely get a chance to see a good cross-section of humanity. Who do I remember the most? The ones who are, shall I say, a little off kilter. Who experience the world just a little bit (and sometimes a lot) differently than those in the center of the normal curve of distribution. To answer my own question, there’s nothing wrong with being a little weird; in fact, we should celebrate weirdness. I know that my guest today, Eric G. Wilson agrees with me. After all, he wrote a book on how to be weird! Meet Eric Wilson Eric is the Thomas H. Pritchard Professor of English at Wake Forest University, where he teaches creative writing and British Romantic poetry. He is author of Against Happiness, Everyone Loves a Good Train Wreck, and Dream-Child: A life of Charles Lamb. He recently joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about his career and latest book, How to Be Weir

I like to tell people that I started Uncorking a Story as a way to give authors a platform for promoting their books, but the reality is that I had an ulterior motive behind starting the show—I wanted the opportunity to pick the brains of successful authors so that I could learn from them. As an author myself, what better way to learn from masters of the craft than having the chance to chat with them for an hour or so? Well, my worlds collided recently when I had the opportunity to interview Mark Thompson about his radio career and memoir, Don’t Bump the Record Kid: My adventures with Mark and Brian. I mean, what better way to become a better podcaster than by having the chance to interview an inductee of the radio hall of fame? Meet Mark Thompson: Mark is world-renowned radio host and one half of the infamous Mark and Brian, which was heard every morning for twenty-five years on the nationally syndicated Mark and Brian Show originating from KLOS Radio in LA. Mark joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss his

Over the course of my career I can point to three people who were excellent mentors for me—people who really helped shape who I am not only as a qualitative researcher, but as a person. They are Susanne Heincke, Liz Moore, and Paul Jacobson. Each helped to inspire me and prepare me for one of the most non-traditional careers in marketing and I am grateful for all the time they spent teaching, advising and even consoling me over the years. I bring this up because today’s guest on Uncorking a Story, Michelle Renaldo Ferguson, knows a thing or two about mentoring and that’s quite the understatement since she wrote a book on it and joined me to talk about it. Meet Michelle Renaldo Ferguson: Michelle Renaldo Ferguson is a global transformational executive,  self-proclaimed serial mentor and strategic advisor.  She spent most of her career at S&P Global/McGraw where she co-founded a global mentoring program which ignited her passion for mentoring.  She was acknowledged as an advocate for women and is a proud foundi