John St. Augustine says a voice told him to go on the radio. By his account, he began in 1997 with five unpaid one-hour shows at a small station in Escanaba, Michigan, and in 2006 he helped launch the Oprah & Friends channel on XM Satellite Radio as a senior producer, coaching Dr. Oz and Jean Chatzky from guests into hosts. This week he sits down with Richard Schreiber and Tom Martin to recount the 1996 walk that came before his first broadcast — and to explain why he believes the inner voice most people drown out is the one worth following. The conversation moves from that walk, from Rapid River, Michigan, to Chicago and back, to his friendships with John Denver and Walter Payton and the kidney he donated to his daughter in 2002, to the question underneath it all: what a broadcaster owes an audience when dividing it pays better. He now hosts the Life 2.0 podcast and co-hosts Saints & Sinners with former WGN radio host Garry Meier, and he says he turned down advice to build a career on picking a political side. This is a conversation about listening, not shouting — about a broadcaster who tells his audience to figure things out for themselves in an industry he says rewards picking sides. Topics Covered The Walk That Came Before the Microphone: His account of walking from Rapid River, Michigan, to Chicago in 1996 with two companions, returning alone, and finding himself inside a recurring dream on the way home.Five Shows, No Pay, Sink or Swim: How cold calls from a motel phone led to a five-week trial in Escanaba, and how a guest appearance by Stedman Graham, which he says coincided with a new book, earned him more airtime.Human Math: His 2018 TEDx talk in Ontario, which converts a lifespan of roughly 78 years into about 28,000 days and asks how many remain.“Do You Know That Your Voice Matters?”: How a backstage conversation with John Denver in 1991 led, two years later, to an invitation to speak at Denver's Windstar event in Snowmass, Colorado.A Kidney for His Daughter: The 2002 transplant in which he donated a kidney to his daughter, and the unexplained experience in a ceremonial lodge in Michigan that he recounts in his book Phenomena.The Voice in the Edit Suite: His account of a 2008 Halloween taping when staff heard a voice speak a name later tied to a victim of the 1915 Eastland disaster, whose dead were taken to an armory later made part of Harpo Studios.Oprah, Oz, and Walter Payton: What he says he learned working with Oprah Winfrey, whom he sums up in one word, authenticity; coaching Dr. Oz for radio; and watching Walter Payton adjust to life after football.The Wire: A Pentagon proposal to exempt certain unclassified records from FOIA, the West Health-Gallup Center's 2026 finding that 24% of workers with employer coverage stay in unwanted jobs for insurance, and New Jersey's disclosure of 6,600 noncitizens registered through a system error.About the Hosts Richard Schreiber Richard Schreiber is a strategic AI consultant, journalist, autism advocate, and fiction writer based in New York City. With a background spanning investigative reporting, technology consulting, and over 25 years in legal technology and procurement, Richard brings a rare combination of real-world experience and analytical depth to every conversation. He is the founder of a growing autism advocacy foundation and the author of multiple books, including Autism Care Revolution. His journalism is guided by one principle: facts first, always. Tom Martin Tom Martin is a veteran television news producer with more than 20 years at some of the most respected names in broadcasting. He got his start at the CBS News Washington Bureau in 1982 — where he witnessed history firsthand, including being in the room when Nixon delivered his infamous "I am not a crook" statement. The son of a legendary newspaper editor who helped launch USA Today, Tom grew up believing journalism is a sacred public trust. He carries that belief into every story he tells. Guest: John St. Augustine John St. Augustine is a Chicago-area radio host, producer, and author whose broadcasting career began in 1997. In 2006 he helped launch the Oprah & Friends channel on XM Satellite Radio, where he was senior producer for shows hosted by Dr. Oz, Jean Chatzky, and Bob Greene. He is the author of Living an Uncommon Life, Every Moment Matters, and Phenomena: Sacred Moments, Messages, Memories & Other Sh*t I Can't Explain. He hosts the Life 2.0 podcast and co-hosts Saints & Sinners with Garry Meier, and his career reflects a thread this episode explores: broadcasting that informs without telling an audience what to think. Our Mission True Journalism exists because facts still matter. The press is a watchdog — not a lapdog — and the American public deserves reporting that shines a light rather than throws a shadow. This is not a political show. We do not have a party. We have one principle: if it is not a verified fact, we will say so.
