From My Mama's Kitchen® Talk Radio

Ticket to Hollywood, the second book from "The Asphalt Warrior" series by the late Gary Reilly, is a finalist for the 2013 Colorado Book Awards in the genre fiction category. The book, is the second of 11 comic novels based on cab driver Brendan Murphy, a.k.a "Murph.” Debuted in December 2012, it rose to No. 2 on The Denver Post best-seller list. The first book, in the series, The Asphalt Warrior, released in June 2012 climbed to No. 3 on the same list.  However, Gary passed away from cancer in 2011, without realizing the great storyteller he was, as he never cared much about getting his books published. His friends, Mike Keefe, a retired political cartoonist and Pulitzer Prize winner, and Mark Stevens, a former journalist and acclaimed author in Colorado, justly honored their talented comrade by bringing Reilly’s books to publication.   Join Mike Keefe, Mark Stevens and me on Tuesday, August 20, 10-11 A.M. US to learn about their talented friend Gary Reilly and the meaning of true friendship. 

Paul Wedding is a best-selling author, a nationally recognized speaker and a personal development counselor. However, his life wasn’t always like this.     Paul was, in his own words, “a con man, thief, cheat, and a liar.” He called a dumpster in Westminster, California home. He lived in garages and was addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex, and gambling.    On April 19, 2003 at 12:37 pm, his life changed. While standing in the kitchen of his mother’s home, he felt a presence overcome him. This presence had no voice, nor was it a religious conversation taking place. It was God.   Join Paul Wedding and me on Tuesday, August 13, 10-11 A.M. US to learn how his personal encounter with God transformed his life forever. 

A middle-aged father finds himself compelled to get behind the wheel and set out on a 5,000-mile cross-country road trip, the trip he never had the guts to take as a young man. Needing to rekindle inspiration in his life, award-winning author, David W. Berner re-reads the book he cherished as a teenager, the iconic American road trip story: Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. He hopes to use Kerouac's journey as a road map to personal renewal.   The trip turns into an unexpected examination of his role as a father.  Every man eventually compares his life with the fathers that came before him, a reality David must confront if he's to find contentment and clarity in his most important life role, fatherhood.   Join David Berner and me on Tuesday, August 6, 10-11 A.M. US as he shares his heartwarming journey to find one's self from his latest book, Any Road Will Take You There: A Journey of Fathers and Sons. 

For 30 years, award-winning author and educator, Joan Steinau Lester, Ed.D. has been at the forefront of defining and redefining what it means to be diverse.  As a member of a biracial family, Joan's lifelong passion has been writing about "race," exploring how the concept ever came to exist, until it's so prevalent it now feels normal.   MAMA’S CHILD follows twenty-three years in the life of Lizzie O’Leary, an idealistic, young white woman who travels to the American South as a civil rights worker. She meets, falls in love with and marries Solomon Jordan, a musician and fellow activist, who is black.   Join Joan and me on Tuesday, July 30 , 10-11 A.M. US as she shares her passion in writing about issues in the intricacies of family, friends and work dynamics among people of different "races."  

Marie Pasinski, MD is a Harvard Medical School neurologist. A renowned brain expert, Dr. Pasinski is dedicated to increasing public awareness concerning the importance of adopting a brain healthy lifestyle. Our brain is the true source of our vitality and happiness.     According to Dr. Pasinski, we can redesign and energize our brain at any age. In collaboration with Chicken Soup for the Soul, her book, Boost Your Brain Power, reveals personal stories, clear medical advice and tips on how to improve your memory, reduce risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and stay sharp in your senior years.   Join Dr. Pasinski and me Tuesday, July 23, 10-11 A.M. US to learn how you can boost your brain power, improve your memory and cognitive function.

Have you ever wondered how your children’s ideas could change the world? That thought might have crossed Mrs. Einstein’s mind when her young son, Albert, accepted the Noble Prize for his theory on special relativity. Einstein’s breakthrough in physics came when he re-visited one of his favorite boyhood daydream. He wondered what it would be like to ride a light beam.   That power of imagination comes alive in Riding on a Beam of Light, a story that turns light into a time of fascination, imagination and empowerment by author, Ramsey Dean.  Inspired by his autistic son, Ramsey’s book helps us grasp the power of our childhood imagination and understand how our children’s ideas have meaning, value and could one day change the world.   Join Ramsey Dean and me on Tuesday, July 16, 10-11 A.M. US as we explore the power of imagination, the importance of your kids' ideas, an early introduction to science, history and theoretical physics.  

Today’s generation of aspiring young entrepreneurs is often looked down upon. It almost as if they won’t be able to meet and surpass their predecessors. To bring the world to a new stage of enlightenment like previous generations, they need something new. That's precisely what nineteen-year-old student, R.J. Tolson, proved.   R.J. is the CEO of RJTIO and divisions RJTINC, Forever Trust Charity and RL Infinity International, President of Sages of Essence and Living Writers, and the author of the Chaos Chronicles series. As a recently debuted author, his new novel, Zephyr the West-Wind (final edition) while he is currently working on the sequel, Hugh the Southern Flame & Blood Red Love.    R.J. is a lyricist, composer and musician. He composes mainly classical jazz (smooth) and Hip/Hop, and writes lyrics for all genres. Join R.J. Tolson and me on Tuesday, July 9, 10-11 A.M. US., to learn more about his passion and his vision.

The Miss America Organization is one of the nation's leading achievement and the largest provider of scholarships for women in the world. Each year, the organization makes available more than $45 million in scholarship assistance to young women all across the country.      Founded in 1936, the Miss Texas organization is recognized as one of the best managed and well-organized of all state pageants. The Miss Texas competition provides personal and professional opportunities for young Texas women, promoting their voice in culture, politics and community.    DaNae Couch won the title of Miss Texas on July 7, 2012. Her platform was “Hope for Family Recovery: Life Beyond Addiction.” Join DaNae Couch and me on Tuesday, July 2, 10-11 A.M. US., to learn more about the Miss America Pageantry and DaNae Couch's year as Miss Texas.

  June 28th marks the twentieth anniversary of Chicken Soup for the Soul. To commemorate this auspicious achievement, Chicken Soup is releasing two special anniversary editions. First, the original book continues to open the heart and rekindle the spirit. The twentieth special anniversary collection includes inspirational and personal stories of how Chicken Soup for the Soul changed lives, paired with the life-changing story itself. Second, this special twentieth anniversary collection celebrates the power of storytelling. Readers share their inspirational and personal stories about how a Chicken Soup for the Soul story made a difference in their lives, paired with the life-changing story itself. It’s a double dose of inspiration.     Join Amy Newmark, Chicken Soup’s publisher and editor-in-chief, and me on Tuesday, June 25, 10-11 A.M. US., as we stroll down memory lane to discuss Chicken Soup for the Soul yesteryear and the company’s future.

  Are setting boundaries difficult for you? Are your children crossing the line and dismissing you? Do your relationships suffer from defined boundaries? Are you looking for a fresh perspective in expressing yourself? Celebrity Therapist, Melody J. Anderson, provides compassion, expertise and humor to help you create healthier boundaries in your life.     Join Melody and me on Tuesday, June 18, 10-11 A.M. US., to learn new ways to cope with the second half of 2013 with clarity and optimism.  

  Ever wondered what your children’s dreams really means? Current scientific research shows that children's brains are hard-wired to generate intensely creative dreams. Dr. Kelly Bulkeley’s latest book, Children’s Dreams, shows parents, teachers, and therapists how to analyze and interpret these kinds of dreams in a way that reveals their deep roots in the spiritual wisdom of a child's developing imagination.   Join Dr. Bulkeley and me on Tuesday, June 11, 10-11 A.M. US., to learn the simple and easily applied method of analyzing your children’s dreams.  

If you are  like me, always wondering if there is life after death, then tune in to Dr. Annie Kagan. In her latest book, The Afterlife of Billy Fingers, she shares a personal story about how her brother, Billy, who proved to her what we have always been fascinated with.    In one of the longest and most detailed after death communications ever recorded, Billy takes his sister on an unprecedented journey through the mysteries of death. His ongoing account of his celestial adventures in the afterlife is vividly told in Dr. Kagan’s book.   Join Dr. Kagan and me on Tuesday, May 28, 10-11 A.M. US., to learn more about the mysteries of life after death. 

The very existence of Chicken Soup for the Soul is inspiration for writers, as Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen endured years of rejection before publishing the first volume in the series, which became a #1 New York Times bestseller and a worldwide favorite.    Now, just one month before the 20th anniversary of the original Chicken Soup for the Soul, the series has released a new anthology, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Writers that contains 101 stories from people who have successfully chased their dream of writing, documenting their setbacks and successes, and sharing their tips for finding inspiration, overcoming writer’s block, finding time to write and discovering ways to get published.   Regardless of whether you're published, just getting started or thinking about writing, join Susan Heim and me on Tuesday, May 28, 10-11 A.M. US. Susan will be sharing stories from the book to help inspire you.

Women For One is a community of women encouraging authenticity and inspiration around the world. The organization empower’s women of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds to exchange authentic dialogue through telling their stories, sharing life lessons and supporting others on their growth journey.   According to Kelly McNelis Senegor, founder of Women For One, authenticity, transparency, expansion, respect, feminine principle, efficiency and clarity, serve as the guiding principles for her organization.    Join Kelly and me on Tuesday, May 21, 10-11 A.M. US to learn how you can get involved in this community, be inspired and have an opportunity to express yourself to help others. 

How are we to really know God? If there are so many different faces of God reflected in the various names of God, who is the real God? The vengeful God, the judging God, the merciful God? Each of the traditional names, including the Hebrew YHWH... seemingly present only one aspect.   Acclaimed bestselling author, Rabbi Wayne Dosick, Ph.D., has applied his years of biblical scholarship to unearth The Real Name of God, resulting in a book that answers the question "Who is God?" This postulates a vastly different and more expansive understanding of God so that we can join with the divine in transcending our modern, divisive world.   Join Rabbi Dosick and me on Tuesday, May 14, 10-11 A.M. US to learn the Real Name of God that is shared by all three biblically-sourced religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, affirming our oneness, one God, one world, one people.  

A Mother’s Day Special broadcast. Parenting Without Borders: Surprising Lessons Parents Around the World Can Teach Us.  It's a narrative and research-backed exploration of the myriad ways parents raise their children around the world.    Christine Gross-Loh, Ph.D., draws on academic studies, conversations with dozens of parents, experts and teachers as well as personal experiences as a parent abroad, to reveal the surprising, often hidden ways in which culture shapes how we raise our children.    Join Christine and me on Tuesday, May 7, 10-11 A.M. US, to realize how becoming aware of the cultural norms that influence our parenting will broaden our perspective in surprising ways, benefiting us and our children. 

If you are seeking to expand your knowledge on natural health and mind/body medicine,  in an easy to understand and informative way, then this show is for you. Dr. Kathy Gruver, author of the award-winning book, The Alternative Medicine Cabinet, will share insights on a wide range of topics.   You will learn how to use massage therapy, homeopathic remedies and Bach Flower Essences. She will also be providing some natural solutions for common ailments such as stress, back pain, sleep issues, depression and cancer. Her book is also a resource for mind/body medicine, nutrition, and women's health issues.    Join Dr Kathy Gruver, and me on Tuesday, April 30, 10-11 A.M. US, to satisfy your curiosity about natural health. 

Novelist, J.E. Fishman, is a well-versed, traveled man, having experienced both sides of fame and fortune. Now he brings his life's journeys into perspective in his writing in a profound way giving life to his mystery and thriller novels; The Dark Pool, Primacy, and Cadaver Blues.   Join J.E. Fishman, and me on Tuesday, April 23, 10-11 A.M. US. Learn how his life’s experiences contributed to writings and how he became a storyteller through his various novels. 

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Marcela Mariz is an actress, writer, lawyer and a monthly columnist for The Orange County Register in southern California. She also works for a multinational aerospace company.    The story line of her debut Sci-fi novel, The Chosen of Gaia, mirrors Marcela’s life, which started as a dream when she was a teenager and has remained with her through 10 living arrangements and even multiple countries.    Join Marcela and I on Tuesday April 16th from 10-11 A.M. US to learn how The Chosen of Gaia and Mariz’s personal story deeply resonate in finding inspiration and empowerment through the home establishing deep family bonds no matter where one’s house may be.

Out & Equal Workplace Advocates is the world’s largest nonprofit organization specifically dedicated to creating safe and equitable workplaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.   In her new book, Out & Equal at Work, founder and executive director, Selisse Berry,  provides concrete examples of how workplaces around the world can value, affirm and protect the environments of diverse employees. Openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender executives and leaders tell their personal coming out stories and share firsthand accounts of how they work to bring lasting change to workplaces.   Join Selisse and I on Tuesday April 9th from 10-11 A.M. CT to learn how people should be judged by the work they do, rather than by their sexual orientation or gender identity, so they can support themselves, their families, and contribute to achieving a world free of discrimination for everyone.