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Singer-Songwriter James Talley: Making it in Country Music
James Talley is an Oklahoma born folk-country-blues singer/songwriter, whose career now spans over forty years. His name has been mentioned alongside Woody Guthrie, Merle Haggard and Bob Dylan, and praised for the quality of his songwriting and his wise, expressive voice. Noted author and music critic, Peter Guralnick has said of James’ work, “There are few singer-songwriters who could produce a collection of such magnitude coupled at the same time with such lightness, beauty, and all-out social conscience. Woody Guthrie never wrote a more direct or affecting song than “Richland, Washington”; Bruce Springsteen never wrote a more powerful one than “Tryin’ Like the Devil.”
Upon moving to Nashville, James discovered that the commercial music business was not attuned to the kind of honesty he wrote about in his songs, so he went to New York to meet the late John Hammond, who became his first mentor. Hammond championed the unique vision in his writing in the early 1970s as he had the careers of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Bruce Springsteen.
Hammond, however, could not convince Columbia in New York to sign James’ more country-flavored sound, so he sent him to his friend Jerry Wexler, whose Atlantic Records was starting a new Country division in Nashville at the time. Wexler signed James to his first recording contract at Atlantic Records in 1972 along with Doug Sahm and Willie Nelson. Atlantic’s Nashville operation, however, did not do well at the time and Atlantic closed its Nashville office. James then moved to Capitol Records where he released four now legendary albums during the mid-1970s: Got No Bread, No Milk, No Money, But We Sure Got a Lot of Love (1975); Tryin’ Like The Devil (1976); Blackjack Choir (1977) and Ain’t It Somthin’ (1977). ROLLING STONE, and other music publications, have declared these albums American classics.
James performed twice at The White House for President Jimmy Carter, and at the Smithsonian Institution, and in other concert venues around the United States and in Europe. B.B. King played guitar on James third album, Blackjack Choir, in 1976, marking the first time the legendary bluesman had ever recorded in Nashville. Johnny Cash, Johnny Paycheck, Alan Jackson, Hazel Dickens, the late Gene Clark, and most recently Moby, among others, have recorded his songs.
Music author David McGee has called James Talley’s work startlingly original. Legendary music producer, Jerry Wexler, who remained friends with James until his death, said, “You remain for me one of America’s greatest songwriters.” CMT columnist, Chet Flippo, called him “one of the best singer-songwriters to ever come out of Nashville.”
James is a life member of Nashville Local 257, American Federation of Musicians, and is a board member of the Nashville American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. He and Janice spend their time now between their home near Santa Fe, NM and Nashville.
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133. Pastor Kimberly Jones, known as Real Talk Kim: How to Change Your Life
33:48Pastor Kimberly Jones, known as Real Talk Kim, travels the world fulfilling her passion and purpose of loving people back to life. She is a mother, pastor, entrepreneur, mentor, motivational speaker, entertainer, and best-selling author.She is using her influence to mentor people all over the world through her mentorship program, RTK Inner Circle. Real Talk Kim is an advocate for GIVE Culture Foundation for Impact, a nonprofit organization that teaches mindfulness and generosity to the next generation of leaders.Real Talk Kim has a successful weekly syndicated podcast and has appeared on Preachers of Atlanta, Dr. Oz, Chatter Talk Show, BET, Nightline News and numerous podcasts, webinars, and radio programs.Real Talk Kim is a true worshiper after God’s own heart, a testament of God’s redemption plan in action. She is the Senior Pastor at Limitless Church with campuses in Fayetteville, GA and Atlanta, GA. She is the proud mother of two sons, Morgan and Lyncoln.132. University of Cambridge Professor Giles Yeo MBE: How the Calorie System is Wrong
32:08Giles Yeo MBE is a British-American biologist. He is the professor of molecular neuroendocrinology at the Medical Research Council Metabolic Diseases Unit and scientific director of the Genomics/Transcriptomics Core at the University of Cambridge. "Why Calories Don't Count" The calorie information is ubiquitous. On packaged food, restaurant menus, and online recipes, we see authoritative numbers that tell us the calorie count of what we're about to consume. And we treat these numbers as gospel—counting, cutting, intermittently consuming, and, if you believe some 'experts' out there, magically making them disappear. We all know, and governments advise, that losing weight is just a matter of burning more calories than we consume. But it's all wrong.In Why Calories Don't Count, Dr. Giles Yeo, an obesity researcher at Cambridge University, challenges the conventional model and demonstrates that all calories are not created equal. He addresses why popular diets succeed, at least in the short term, and why they ultimately fail, and what your environment has to do with your body weight.131. America Ninja Warrior Daniel Gil: How to Win a TV Show Competition
35:50Daniel was born and raised in Houston, Tx. The second oldest of five kids who were all homeschooled, Daniel was always a fun-loving adventurer. Growing up, he spent a lot of time outdoors, climbing trees and playing sports. Fun fact: he wasn’t very good at any of the sports he played as a kid. He just loved being active and was competitive enough to not quit when things got tough. During his high school years his focus turned to new passions such as singing, dancing, acting and the performing arts. He also became more involved in his home church through music ministry.After graduating high school, he attended a two-year ministry school and received an associates degree and simultaneously began coaching & training at Iron Sports Ninja Gym. In 2015 he began his rookie year competing on season 8 of American Ninja Warrior and thus his journey to becoming one of the top athletes on the show. That season launched him into his athletic career with accomplishments like 8 x National Finalist and title of 2020 Champion of American Ninja Warrior. He was also selected to compete on multiple All-Stars episodes as well as multiple USA VS. The World competitions. He was a team captain of seasons 1-3 of Ninja vs. Ninja and even had the opportunity to travel abroad to compete internationally in Ninja Warrior Indonesia representing team USA.This recognition and success gave Daniel opportunities to begin traveling and become a motivational speaker. His goal is to use his platform to help inspire people to get back up when they inevitably fall or fail, overcome the obstacles they will face in life and never stop pursuing their God-given dreams.130. The Dubai Housewife Linda Andrade: How to Hustle in Dubai
22:19Dubai-based socialite and entrepreneur Linda Andrade recently took to TikTok to reveal the downsides of living a life of wealth, as the wife of millionaire Ricky Andrade, a renowned Forex and Crypto trader.The 23-year-old Jordanian-born influencer, also known as the 'Original Dubai Housewife,' has accumulated over 529,000 followers, who tune in to learn about her glamorous life. Linda, who married Ricky at the tender age of 19, has been living a life of opulence, a stark contrast to her earlier life in the US, where she grew up in a one-bedroom apartment with her family. In a video that garnered over 11 million views, Linda listed the 'worst things about being with a millionaire,' expressing concerns over 'always having to look 10/10', 'being bought too much stuff', and the fear of getting robbed due to her expansive collection of designer bags and luxury jewelry.Despite living a life that many fantasize about, Linda shared that 'the novelty of riches can soon wear off.' The couple's constant traveling is another cause of discontent for her, along with the fact that 'women want my man' and the struggle to drive herself anywhere. Linda's complaints, however, were met with little sympathy from social media users, with many offering to trade lives with her or questioning if she was being ungrateful.Even so, the stunning spa owner and beauty influencer continues to use her growing social media platforms to offer an insider's view of the wealthy lifestyle and promote her husband's business ventures. From the Maldives to Hawaii and Miami, Linda's Instagram showcases her travels, life of luxury, and her entrepreneurial journey as the owner of a fat-freezing spa.Despite the pushback from some viewers on TikTok, others used humor to respond to Linda's video or expressed admiration for her lifestyle, proving once more that the opulent lives of the wealthy will always be a source of fascination and controversy.129. Chef & Author Keith Corbin: How to Make California Soul Food
31:10Chef Keith Corbin is the two-time James Beard Award nominated executive chef and co-owner of Alta Adams, The Los Angeles Times bestselling author of “California Soul”, and a sought-after public speaker. During his youth growing up in the Jordan Downs housing projects in Watts, Corbin was involved with gangs and drug dealing, which eventually lead to his incarceration. It was in prison when he first started cooking and working in kitchens, which eventually led to a job with the LocoL restaurant group run by celebrity chefs Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson. From there, Corbin partnered with Patterson on Alta Adams, a "California Soul" food restaurant utilizing local produce and healthier ingredients to put Corbin's own spin on the food he grew up cooking and eating with his grandmother. Alta was named one of the best restaurants in the country by Esquire, Thrillist, and the Los Angeles Times, and called "Black Hollywood's top restaurant" by The Hollywood Reporter. Corbin's bestselling memoir, “California Soul: An American Epic of Cooking and Survival" was published in 2022 by Random House, named the LA Times Book Club pick of the month for August, and quickly optioned by a major studio to be made into a television series. Since the book’s release, Corbin has appeared on Dr. Phil, The CBS Morning Show, and many other national programs to share more about his incredible story and inspire others. His words have been featured across multiple media outlets including KCRW, The Grio, ABC7, Salon, Shondaland and Thrillist. In 2023, the book was nominated for a James Beard Media Award in the Literary Writing category.Consistently giving back, Corbin regularly mentors youth from underserved communities and speaks at colleges and educational programs across the nation. Corbin has been invited to share his story from coast to coast with readers and food-fanatics alike on book tours, festivals and other inspirational events including the 2023 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Philly Chef’s Conference, Tucson Book Festival, San Diego Writer’s Festival and The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival.128. Fighter Pilot Hasard Lee: How to Think Clearly
30:31HASARD LEE is a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot who began his career flying the F-16, where he was selected as the 'Top Instructor Pilot of the Year' for the Air Force's largest F-16 Combat Wing. As a flight commander, he led his pilots into combat during one of the most intense periods during the War in Afghanistan. There he flew over eighty combat missions and became the only fighter pilot to ever fly two different types of jets into combat on the same day while supporting troops under fire.Hasard was then hand-picked to fly the F-35―the most advanced and expensive weapons system in history―which was still in development at the time. During his last role on active duty, Hasard became the Chief of Training Systems for the largest training base in the world, leading the development of new technology and teaching methods to train future fighter pilots. Hasard's first book, "The Art of Clear Thinking," was a #2 Wall Street Journal Bestseller. In the book, he distills what he’s learned during his career flying some of the Air Force’s most advanced aircraft. With gripping firsthand accounts from his time as a fighter pilot and fascinating turning points throughout history, Hasard reveals powerful decision-making principles that can be used in business and in life. Hasard is also a content-creator with one of the most viewed military aviation channels on YouTube. Since the start of 2021 he has over 100 million views on YouTube and has reached over 290 million people across social media.Hasard regularly speaks to organizations and businesses on how to improve their decision-making, how to increase innovation, and how to cultivate mental toughness.127. Former Death Investigator Barbara Butcher: How to Approach a Autopsy
29:35Barbara Butcher was early in her recovery from alcoholism when she found an unexpected lifeline: a job at the Medical Examiner’s Office in New York City. The second woman ever hired for the role of Death Investigator in Manhattan, she was the first to last more than three months. The work was gritty, demanding, morbid, and sometimes dangerous—and she loved it. WHAT THE DEAD KNOW: Learning About Life as a New York City Death Investigator is the page-turning memoir of Barbara Butcher’s more than twenty-year career. Butcher (yes, that is her real name, and she has heard all the jokes) spent day in and day out investigating double homicides, gruesome suicides, and most heartbreaking of all, underage rape victims who had also been murdered. In WHAT THE DEAD KNOW, she writes with the kind of New York attitude and bravado you might expect from decades in the field, investigating more than 5,500 death scenes, 680 of which were homicides. In the opening chapter, she describes how just from sheer luck of having her arm in cast, she avoided a boobytrapped suicide. Later in her career, she describes working the nation’s largest mass murder, the attack on 9/11, where she and her colleagues initially relied on family members’ descriptions to help distinguish among the 21,900 body parts of the victims. This is the fascinating and stunning real-life story of a woman who, in dealing with death every day, learned surprising lessons about life—and how some of those lessons saved her from becoming a statistic herself. Fans of Kathy Reichs, Patricia Cornwell, and true crime won’t be able to put this one down.126. Extraterrestrial Radio Show Host George Noory: How to Search For The Truth
27:59George Noory, host of the nationally syndicated program, Coast to Coast AM, says if he weren’t a national radio talk show host he’d be in politics. Heard by millions of listeners, Coast To Coast AM airs on nearly 620 stations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Guam.While hosting The Nighthawk, a wildly successful, late-night program on KTRS in St. Louis, Noory was recruited by Premiere Radio Networks to guest host on Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell. He became the permanent host of the phenomenally successful over-night program on January 1, 2003, following Bell’s retirement. Since then, Noory’s audience has continued to grow.Noory captivates program listeners with his discussions of paranormal phenomena, time travel, alien abductions, conspiracies and all things curious and unexplained. He is driven, he has said, by the desire to solve the great mysteries of our time. From his first days as a radio broadcaster he says, “I’ve wanted to cover stories that the mainstream media never touch—the unusual, the paranormal and things like that. I learned that broadcast was the best business for exploring these issues, and I’ve been doing it for 33 years.”He dates his interest in these matters to a book by Walter Sullivan, We Are Not Alone, that his mother gave him when he was 13. He was hooked.Noory released his first book in 2006. "Worker In The Light: Unlock Your Five Senses And Liberate Your Limitless Potential," co-written by best-selling author William J. Birnes, is Noory’s revolutionary guide to spiritual enlightenment, human empowerment, ultimate productivity and absolute happiness. Noory and Birnes co-authored a follow up in 2009 entitled Journey to the Light, in which they present amazing first-hand accounts of how ordinary people changed their own lives, transcended their doubts and fears, and unlocked the secrets to their spiritual growth. In October 2011, Noory released his third book, Talking To The Dead. Co-written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley, a leading expert on the paranormal and supernatural, the book explores the colorful history and personalities behind spirit communications, weaving together spirituality, metaphysics, science and technology. Noory, along with Richard Belzer and David Wayne, released "Someone is Hiding Something: What Happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370?" in February 2015. Scrutinizing the theories the media and politicians claim are the "most likely" reasons the plane crashed, they argue that if a year after a huge Boeing 777 has gone missing, and there’s still no sign of it whatsoever, it’s time to think outside the box.In December 2012, GAIAM TV launched "Beyond Belief with George Noory," a new TV show exploring the unknown and mysteries of the universe. The one-hour, weekly series features Noory’s informative, investigative and dynamic conversations, as well as some of his favorite guests from the radio program. Taped at GAIAM studios in Boulder, Colo., Beyond Belief with George Noory is available exclusively at beyondbelief.com. Noory has also appeared on the History Channel's Ancient Aliens, SYFY, The Larry King Show and numerous others.He was born, raised and educated in Detroit. He has three children and six grandchildren. He served nine years in the U.S. Naval Reserve.125. Author & Writer Kristina Mand-Lakhiani: How to Achieve Self Love
34:43As an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, philanthropist, and mother – I’ve been engaging in the personal transformation industry for over 19 years, collaborating and playing with leading thinkers and teachers in consciousness, relationships, human performance, and life optimization.I started my career working for the government of Estonia, where I was born and raised, before I joined the non-profit sector and worked for organizations such as the United Nations, Oxfam, and AIESEC. In 2003, I co-founded Mindvalley – a global school that delivers transformational education for all ages.In 2009, I launched Mindvalley Russian, taking Mindvalley’s best authors and teachings to the Russian-speaking market. I’m also the author of Live By Your Own Rules, a 30-day optimal learning quest designed for transformation to help you identify, understand, and accept all the dimensions of your authentic self so that you can live an extraordinary life and make happiness a regular practice.Throughout my journey, I’ve been fortunate to acquire the tools and systems to help me make authenticity the heart of my life.Whether it’s starting my own businesses, being active in causes I’m passionate about, going to the places I love, embracing the virtuous and the “wicked” of my femininity, singing my two children to sleep, playing the harp or immersing myself in classical literature – I’m set on taking in and relishing every moment as it comes.And I invite you to do the same, in your own way.