Life 2.0

Jen Weigel

Instead of bloviating, speculating, and ruminating as a solo act, I've secured the wit and wisdom of my gal-pal and best-selling author, Emmy Award-winning journalist, and media maven- Jen Weigel on this episode. It's a no-holds-barred, unplugged, raw, and real conversation about everything from overcoming adversity to getting your sh*t in one sock and why I think Batman is the best super hero-ever. Hold on to your lugnuts with this one, cause it's time for a serious spiritual overhaul. 

Immersion Therapy

It looks like any typical plot of ground next to the expressway in Chicago, but I see a portal into the past when that little triangle became a football stadium when I was a boy. I had an extra hour on my hands last week, so I made the "Immersion Therapy" circuit as I drenched myself in little bits of yesterday, to make today seem more bearable. Part of that route had me in front of my grandma's house, then in front of our home not far from there and the aforementioned "Triangle Stadium" as well as reliving the simple joys of ice skating when it was sold cold your nostrils would freeze shut! What a great thing! 

Looking For Space

Every time I am introduced to an audience (as I was last Monday for the MIC (Media in the Caribbean workshop) my bio mentions the thousands of hours of radio/podcasting that I have hosted and/or produced in the past 30 years. They also mentioned the long list of guests of name and note that I've had conversations with.

 

Its an impressive list of humans. But there is one person I never really thought I would have on the guest list-my daughter Amanda Lee. 

 

We've had a lifetime of father/daughter conversations. Some very difficult, others hilarious and so when she asked about being a guest and "spending a little time in dads world..."

 

Smart, talented, driven, and creative. She's overcome some serious health challenges and wears her heart on her sleeve and the world is a far better place because she showed up.

 

 

Be Like Jimmy.

This past Wednesday, I attended two funerals for a man named Jimmy.

One was planned, and the other was not, and while the two men being remembered were vastly different, both lived their “dash” to the fullest. Both were Navy men, later wearing different uniforms, one in the White House and the other on the streets of Chicago. It took a few hours for me to see their similarities, and while it's sad they are both gone, we should be celebrating the time they were here.

A few years ago Nike came out with the "Be Like Mike" slogan in reference to Michael Jordan.

I think it's time to "Be Like Jimmy"...that would be Carter and Maurer.

 

 

Earth Matters Monday

Earth Matters Monday will air on the first Monday of every month of 2025. Kicking off with a look at the very lifeblood of the planet-water- with a little help from Bill Kurtis and Jean-Michel Cousteau. The action step is to make 2025 a plastic-free zone whenever and wherever possible, especially when it comes to one of the greatest PR moves ever-bottled water- to create a ripple effect of sustainability.

"DON'T QUIT!"

Here we are in 2025, and the gym is crowded more than at any other time of the year, filled with hopefuls looking to tone, tighten, and firm. January 10th is known as "Quitter's Day" when all those well-intentioned New Year's resolutions go by the wayside. So, if you want to make this year different, remember the small things eventually add up to big things. Toss in a few words from Churchill (the poster boy for not being a quitter) and a little musical help from John Berry, you're setting yourself up for success in mind, body and spirit.

Remembering John

Singer/songwriter/humanitarian/environmentalist John Denver would have turned 81 today. He was the guy who kick-started my entire career back in 1994, and as I always do on New Year's Eve, I remember the man and his music, with the help of a few of John's family and friends. 

"Though the singer is silent, there still is the truth of the songs..."

 

Keep Showing Up

After just over a week of enduring some fairly serious audio issues (no mic, no sound, no fun) my IT guy installed some new drivers, and voila' good to go. Not being able to get behind the mic and deliver the mail as it were, felt like I missed my train to Podcastville USA. The quiet zone reminded me that while I cannot control (as much as I'd like to) things that happen to me, I can sure adjust and have total control of how I respond-or not-to the events in my life, including how many days on average I have left to answer the call. 

Merry Christmas!

For the past three days, microphone issues have had me tied up a bit, and while the sound is not to my past professional standards, I decided a little backup from some of my favorite Christmas voices over the years, takes the edge off the tech stuff. 

Thanks to Percy, Dean, Seymour, JB, and JD for their backup.

Wishing you all the joy of the season and more.

The Business of Humanity

It's the one thing I look forward to the most during the holiday season. No, not a nice bottle of bourbon, new socks, or even a subscription to Scary Monsters Magazine (which is pretty cool) but rather the 1951 version of "A Christmas Carol" starring the late, great Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge.  It's a guttural and uplifting take on the Charles Dickens classic, written 180 years ago, and makes the case that back in 1843 ignorance and want were just as prevalent then as they are today. So, for all our technological advances, the concept that humanity is our main business often gets pushed to the back of the line, when it should be front and center.