Beyond the Mic with Sean Dillon

Sean Dillon | Beyond the Mic
  • 4.8 (25)
  • Arts
  • Updated Weekly

I believe every person has value. Behind every headline, hustle, hard-earned moment, and family tales there’s a story worth sharing. That’s why I built Beyond the Mic. I talk with artists, athletes, authors, icons and people you need to know. I don’t do puff pieces. I ask questions that get to the real stuff: the doubts, wins, detours, and moments that shaped them. The stories that you normally don't get to hear. Some stories make you laugh. Some hit you in the gut. All of them remind you: people matter, you matter. I’m not here to be famous. I’m here helping others be heard. I want curiosity to run free, connect communities, and make something that sticks with you long after the mic is off. Because in a world full of noise, real stories still cut through. Remarkable stories from people you know—and people you should. That's my mission. Let's go #BeyondTheMic. New Episodes Weekly! A Dog Drool Holdings production — dogdroolholdings.com This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

  1. Jul 31

    The Fender Strat, the Northern Pike, and the Foreword Scott Spiezio Still Can't Finish

    "Find your identity in something that lasts." Welcome Scott Spiezio:We're joined on the Starline by a two time World Series champion who spent his road trips teaching himself guitar in hotel rooms. His memoir “The Hardest Comeback” is out now. We welcome Scott Spiezio. Scott, Let’s go Beyond the Mic. You tell your story from a stage any chance you get. For free, to whoever shows up. What's in the book that most people don't get? Your dad wrote the foreword. He had to sit down and write the opening to a book about the worst years of your life. Years he lived through on the other side of a phone that stopped ringing. How many times did it take for you to read it all the way through? The Rockin' 8:“The Hardest Comeback” is the book, and Scott Spiezio joins us for the Rockin’ 8, 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. There is no Pressure. You just have 10 words 1. Do you still have the first guitar you ever got? And what was it? 2. Your band was called Sandfrog. First record, Face Down, produced by Morgan Rose out of Sevendust. How does a switch-hitting utility infielder end up in a studio with Sevendust's drummer? 3. Who's the most unlikely person you've ever shared a stage with? 4. You were born six days before your dad played his last professional game. Has he ever told you what that week was like for him? 5. Nettle Creek. What's the biggest thing anybody in your family has pulled out of it? 6. You pack and mailed the autographed books yourself, out of the Morris post office. Do the people at that counter know you by name now? 7. A nine year old walks into your place for a baseball lesson in Morris for the first time. What's the first thing you fix? 8. When was the last time you used your Lifetime Pass for a game? One Big Question:You wrote that "with virtually no anonymity, I refused to open up and be vulnerable. I learned a little, but my mindset wasn't right." How did the first hug from your dad feel after you got sober? The Wrap:He shared a stage with Eddie Money and Dave Mustaine, watched a Northern Pike get caught out of Nettle Creek and wants you to read his book “The Hardest Comeback”. Scott Spiezio, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. And that my friends is a Beyond the Mic Short Cut. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

    The Fender Strat, the Northern Pike, and the Foreword Scott Spiezio Still Can't Finish

  2. Jul 29

    Ryan Weiss host of "Waking Up with Ryan"

    "I want my daughter to have that kind of compassion when someone's being mean or rude." Welcome Ryan Weiss:We're joined on the Starline by a father, partner, teacher, podcaster and former Broadway star. His latest project is a daily podcast, “Waking Up with Ryan”. We welcome Ryan Weiss. Ryan, let's go Beyond the Mic. You've said, "It was never about becoming someone new. It was about letting go of who I thought I was." That's a pretty different pitch than most of the wellness world makes right now. Why'd this show need to exist at ten minutes a day, instead of one more long conversation? So, what’s happiness to you now? Sophia Bush, Gerard Butler, LeAnn Rimes are lined up for the long-form side of this. What do you actually want to find out from them, that a magazine profile will never get to? Who is your dream guest that you haven’t booked yet? The Rockin' 8:“Waking Up with Ryan” is the show and Ryan Weiss joins us for the Rockin’ 8, 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. There is no Pressure. 1. What kind of chickens did you have? 2. When was the last baseball game you attended, and who's your baseball idol? 3. First tattoo was of what, and when did you get it? 4. Favorite yoga pose, and least favorite? 5. Wicked is eight shows a week, no days off for months. What's the one thing about performer stamina that still shows up in how you coach people now? 6. Growing up with two triplet siblings in the clergy, what's one thing about faith or ritual you picked up from them without ever meaning to? 7. You say the same prayer each day, Ryan. When was the first day you said it? 8. One experience you have had in your life that you want your daughter Deia to have too? Sneaking in a Couple More:You've said your deepest healing didn't come from trying to fix yourself, it came once you surrounded yourself with teachers and a community who actually understood your trauma. Who was in that room? What did they understand that you couldn't give yourself yet? Who do you want to heal with “Waking Up with Ryan”? One Big Question:“Waking Up with Ryan” is the show and Ryan Weiss joins us for One Big Question… If self-acceptance is the whole message, what's the part of yourself you're still working on accepting? The Wrap:Siblings became clergy, he became a Broadway dancer, now he's doing the family's actual work without a pulpit and had heritage chickens. He wants you to hear “Waking up with Ryan”. Ryan Weiss, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. And that my friends is a Beyond the Mic Short Cut. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

    Ryan Weiss host of "Waking Up with Ryan"

  3. Jul 28

    Who's That Girl: Thea Glassman on the Real Story Behind New Girl

    "I will be so happy to rewatch, watch this every day to talk to every single director, every single writer, every single cast member." Welcome Thea Glassman:We’re joined on the Starline by an entertainment journalist and author who traced classic TV culture in “Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson's Creek”. Now, she's turning her lens to Loft 4D with her new book, “Who's That Girl: The Definitive History of New Girl”. We welcome Thea Glassman. Thea, let's go Beyond the Mic. You wrote a Vanity Fair piece in 2018 was about New Girl trying to make things right in its final season. What were you seeing in the show that made you need to writ e that? Liz Meriwether described the New Girl set as a lab — a place where off-the-cuff comedy was created by the cast in the moment or through a long list of alt jokes, additional scripted jokes beyond what was written on the page. What's your favorite joke from that process? Which character did you relate to the most from New Girl? The Rockin' 8:Who's That Girl is the book, and Thea Glassman joins us for the Rockin' 8, 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. There is no Pressure. 1. You have a dog named Riggins, after Friday Night Lights. What was the first TV show that made you feel like you belonged somewhere? 2. You posted a photo of your 14-year-old self with a Dawson's Creek CD liner. What was that girl looking for in that show? 3. In Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson's Creek, you wrote about seven shows. Which was your favorite of the seven? Instant Followup : What makes New Girl worth its own book? 4. You baked "heartthrob cupcakes" for people who supported your past books. Is that your actual love language — acts of cupcakes? 5. Prince improvised on New Girl. Favorite Prince song? 6. What's the wildest behind the scenes story in the book: the thing that made you go "how did nobody know this?" 7. If you could rewrite one episode of New Girl, which one and why? 8. You traveled while reporting: mentioned extreme gelato and French covid. What's a moment from writing this book that you'll never forget? Sneaking in One More:What's something you found out about New Girl during reporting that genuinely hurt? You built relationships with the cast while reporting this. Did they tell you different things because they trusted you, versus what they might have told a stranger with a recorder? One Big Question:What part of New Girl's story do you think the show itself got wrong? The Wrap:She loved Dawson’s Creek for the love story, Switzerland for vacation and wants you to read “Who's That Girl: The Definitive History of New Girl”. Thea Glassman thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. And that my friends is a Beyond the Mic Short Cut. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

    Who's That Girl: Thea Glassman on the Real Story Behind New Girl

  4. Jul 21

    James Landry Hébert on Authenticity

    "The lines don't matter. The life does." — James Landry Hébert (On the difference between working with Sam Levinson and Taylor Sheridan.) Welcome James Landry Hébert:We’re joined on the Starline by a character actor born in Lafayette went from Brad Pitt's stand-in, to have Sam Levinson write a role specifically for him. Season 3 of “Euphoria” is streaming now on HBO Max. We welcome James Landry Hébert. James, let’s go Beyond the Mic. You said “Harley didn’t show up fully formed, we found him piece by piece.” When you read your first scenes, what did you recognize in that character that told you Sam already knew something true about you? “Euphoria” is so precise, with each frame deliberate. How do you hold onto the looseness, especially in the living room scene, when everything around you is that controlled? How has the way you see acting changed from when you started to now with “Euphoria”? The Rockin' 8:James Landry Hébert joins us Beyond the Mic for the Rockin’ 8, 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. 1. James, you graduated high school on the rez. What's one thing you knew how to do by graduation that your LSU classmates definitely did not? 2. Before acting you were a horse wrangler and a band manager. Which one prepared you more for Hollywood? 3. Which show or movie doesn’t get the respect you thought it should have? 4. Most Cajun thing you've done in the last month? 5. If the Chitimacha Tribal School had a yearbook superlative for you, what would it have said? 6. When you were a kid on the reservation and you first understood what storytelling was, not as a career, but as something people do to survive... where were you and who was talking? 7. Tarantino, Costner, Sheridan, Levinson: who scared you the most before you walked in, and was it deserved? 8. You've said you want to make a film about being adopted. What's the first scene? Sneaking in a couple more:You spent years in casting before you were acting... watching auditions, seeing what worked and what didn't. How did that change the way you walk into a room now? You've talked about wanting to produce, to connect the dots for people, help others get their stories told. When you think about the stories that aren't getting told yet… what's the one that sits with you? One Big Question:You've spent your whole career making dangerous people human. Finding the heart in the heavy. The Dardens took in a kid from Lafayette who had every reason to go sideways... and gave him a world. When you finally make that film... who are you making it for? The Wrap:The most Cajun thing James has done this month is make his families secret gumbo recipe, managing a band prepared him for Hollywood and wants you to see Euphoria Season 3 streaming now on HBO Max. James Landry Hébert, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. And that my friends is a Beyond the Mic Short Cut. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

    James Landry Hébert on Authenticity

  5. Jul 15

    Billy West Read His Own Audiobook in the One Voice He Never Uses Professionally.

    "I'm not worthless, like my father said I was." - Billy West Welcome Billy West:We’re joined on the Starline by a voice-over actor who did his best stuff in the 31st Century. His latest project is his book “Voice-A-Versa: Finding My Voice(s) Behind the Mic”. We welcome Billy West. Billy, let’s go Beyond the Mic. You wrote this book about your own life, and then you had to read it out loud for the audiobook in your real voice, no character, nothing. Forty-five years of voices at your disposal, and you picked the one you never use on the air. Why'd your story need the real you? The book doesn't flinch from a hard childhood. What made this the year to finally put it on paper? "I was totally fearless as a voice-over actor. I would try anything I thought might work. My choices and voices were considered “off the nose” because I didn’t want to offer up character clichés or use the “safe” way out." Where did that fearlessness come from Billy? The Rockin' 8:“Voice-A-Versa: Finding My Voice(s) Behind the Mic” is the book and Billy West it’s time for the Rockin’ 8, 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. There is no Pressure. 1. You sold guitars in a Harvard Square shop by day and gigged Boston clubs by night. What's the worst guitar you ever talked somebody into buying? 2. Your own X bio calls you a "microphone diaphragm destroyer." What's the take that actually blew one out? 3. Billy. where is your favorite place to think? 4. You had got a room full of guitars, which was your daily driver? 5. In your world: voiceover, animation, radio... who doesn't get the credit they deserve? 6. If someone else had to narrate the story of your life, which actor gets the job? 7. You had a fake ID when you were 20. Do you remember what name was on it? 8. Settling this once and for all: in Supergirl, is it Braille Face or Rivet Face? Sneaking in One More:Your earliest comedy wasn't for a crowd but for your mom, on the hard days, just to pull her out of it. What did a smile from her mean to you now? One Big Question:There's a line in the book: "The past lives in your head because it cannot survive anywhere else." So when did you find peace Billy? The Wrap:He listens to classical music to relax the voices, enjoyed playing a telecaster and wants you to read “Voice-A-Versa: Finding My Voice(s) Behind the Mic”, wherever books are sold. Billy West thanks for taking the time to talk with us today, And that my friends is a Beyond the Mic Short Cut. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

    Billy West Read His Own Audiobook in the One Voice He Never Uses Professionally.

  6. Jul 3

    Leanne Morgan: 27 Years Before Anyone Bought a Ticket

    "I'm getting death threat and you're getting marriage proposals." — Leanne Morgan Welcome Leanne MorganWe're joined on the Starline by a comedian who spent twenty years working Tennessee living rooms before Hollywood caught on. Now her sitcom is headed into season two and her tour keeps adding shows. “The Time of Our Lives Tour” is on the road now. We welcome Leanne Morgan. Leanne, let’s go Beyond the Mic. Before we talk tour, your daddy cut meat for a living. What do you still do at the grocery store meat case that normal people don't? You could have named this tour anything. "The Time of Our Lives" sounds like a woman making a point. What's your point? What happens in a club or theater that Netflix can't send to somebody's couch? The Rockin' 8:“The Time of Our Lives” tour is on the road, and comedian Leanne Morgan joins us for the Rockin’ 8, 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. 1. Coffee, tea, or moonshine? 2. What's the go-to road trip snack on that tour bus? 3. Your own bio says you got through University of Tennessee "by the skin of your teeth." Which class almost got you? 4. Last show you binge-watched? 5. Season two's got Lainey Wilson and Tyne Daly walking through your living room. If a season three comes, who's your dream guest? 6. My wife's in the middle of it, so I get to ask. What's the worst thing about perimenopause? Two left, no pressure. 7. Tennessee girl walks off the Ryman stage. What did you do the second you got to the wings? 8. You were a finalist on Nick at Nite's Funniest Mom, and you didn't win. Does not winning it feel sweeter today? The Back Half:Take me to the kitchen in Bean Station, 1996. Three babies. No comedy club within an hour. If that woman could see your life today, would she recognize you? Or would it break her heart how long it took? People call it an overnight rise. It was thirty years. What did the waiting give you that getting famous at 25 never could? Your show's premise is a husband walking out after 33 years. Your real husband stayed. What did Chuck say the first time he read that script? Does Chuck make it through an episode of anything, or is he asleep by the cold open? Women look at you and see themselves. But you fly private now. (no, really?) So aisle, middle or window seat? Who makes YOU laugh? What kind of comedy cracks you open? When's the last time you laughed so hard you couldn't breathe? One Big Question:When it's just you on the porch in Knoxville, sun going down, nobody watching. What's the dream that still hasn't come true for you? Sneakin’ in Couple More:How has your family been strengthened by this journey? You grew up down the road from the Bell Witch. Do you tell the grand kids the story on Halloween? The Wrap:She wants Amy Poehler for season three of her show, not winning feel sweeter today and wants you to see “The Time of Our Lives Tour” and season two of Leanne hits Netflix August 27. Leanne Morgan, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. And that my friends is Beyond the Mic. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

    Leanne Morgan: 27 Years Before Anyone Bought a Ticket

  7. Jul 1

    The Telemarketer Who Became a Social Psychologist Has a Simple Rule for Your Calendar

    What do the writers' room of Succession, ABBA's recording studio, and Michelin-starred kitchens have in common? According to social psychologist Ron Friedman, they all run on the same playbook—and it’s completely counterintuitive. Friedman analyzed over 100,000 data points for his new book, Superteams, and discovered that elite teams aren’t the ones that collaborate the most or put in the longest hours. In this episode of Beyond the Mic, Ron goes past the data to share the messy reality of high performance. He opens up about why academia pushed him out the door, what a former telemarketer who minored in European history learned about himself, and the exact rule that slashes calendar bloat overnight. Plus, stick around for the specific question that had Ron wondering what host Sean Dillon was going to throw at him next. Hit play for a Beyond the Mic Short Cut with Dr. Ron Friedman! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

    The Telemarketer Who Became a Social Psychologist Has a Simple Rule for Your Calendar

  8. Jun 26

    John PayCheck: "Those Weren't My Accomplishments."

    "Things don't come easy. It doesn't matter, you know, that who I'm related to, you know, I'm out here in a van driving around." Welcome John PayCheck:We're joined on the Starline by a man who grew up riding buses with one of country music's biggest outlaws. He walked away from music for two decades, fighting fires, flying for the Army, raising a family, and building a completely different life. Now he's back with The Cavalry, a single called "Sons of the Spark" alongside Struggle Jennings. We welcome John PayCheck. John, let's go Beyond the Mic. Tell me about one of your recent adventures. A venue owner canceled a show because he thought you rolled into town like Mötley Crüe with the full band, more than he was expecting. What was your reaction? "Sons of the Spark" brings you together with Struggle Jennings, another guy with a famous last name. Whose idea was it and what made the two of you realize this wasn't just another duet? What was the one unusual topic brought up from that chance meeting? You said growing up wasn't easy for either of you, and you both had your own demons. Was there a moment in that writing process where you surprised yourself with how honest you were willing to be? The Rockin' 8:"Sons of the Spark" is out now and John PayCheck joins us for the Rockin' 8. 8 random questions, 1st instinct, no pressure. 1. What's the last Army/Navy football game you attended? 2. What could you do at 20 that you can't do anymore, onstage or off? 3. What have your daughters taught you about your own music that you didn't expect? 4. John, favorite Texas Hold 'Em hand? 5. Best round of golf you've ever shot? 6. You went from roadie to tour manager before you ever stepped behind the microphone. What's one skill from those years that nobody would guess a singer still needs today? 7. You farmed, too. What's was your best crop growing on your land? 8. Three daughters, three college tours this summer—North Texas, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas State. Which campus surprised you by becoming somebody's favorite? Which one were you quietly hoping they'd pick? The Back Half:We're sneaking in a couple more with John PayCheck Beyond the Mic. You spent twenty years building a life that was music free. At what point did you realize it wasn't just a break anymore but it had become your life? So which song of your dad’s didn’t get the love you that it should have? As your daughters see your work the way you saw your dad’s, what do you hope they take away from this life? Definitely, you've worn a lot of titles: soldier, firefighter, farmer, husband, father. When somebody introduces you today as "John PayCheck," which part of you do you hope they discover before they hear the last name? How has your military service changed you? When you’re not on stage, where do you actually feel the most like yourself? As you fight every day making a living how has your family grounded you? Two Big Questions:You posted that the hits keep coming and you're still fighting. What's the one hit you haven't posted about yet and how have you overcome that problem? You walked away from music and built a life completely outside of it. What does the fans applause mean to you now? The Wrap:John has an acre of lavender growing, struggles with his golf short game, and he’s on the road. "Sons of the Spark" available now. John PayCheck, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. And that my friends is Beyond the Mic. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

    John PayCheck: "Those Weren't My Accomplishments."
See All (779)

Trailer

4.8
out of 5
25 Ratings

About

I believe every person has value. Behind every headline, hustle, hard-earned moment, and family tales there’s a story worth sharing. That’s why I built Beyond the Mic. I talk with artists, athletes, authors, icons and people you need to know. I don’t do puff pieces. I ask questions that get to the real stuff: the doubts, wins, detours, and moments that shaped them. The stories that you normally don't get to hear. Some stories make you laugh. Some hit you in the gut. All of them remind you: people matter, you matter. I’m not here to be famous. I’m here helping others be heard. I want curiosity to run free, connect communities, and make something that sticks with you long after the mic is off. Because in a world full of noise, real stories still cut through. Remarkable stories from people you know—and people you should. That's my mission. Let's go #BeyondTheMic. New Episodes Weekly! A Dog Drool Holdings production — dogdroolholdings.com This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Information

  • Creator
    Sean Dillon | Beyond the Mic
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    779
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 SM 2026 Dog Drool Holdings LLC All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Beyond the Mic with Sean Dillon

You Might Also Like