Uncorking a Story Michael Carlon

Today’s guest on Uncorking a Story, Karen Winnick, reminds me so much of my mother. Both are from Brooklyn and are animal lovers who would rather set a spider free than squish it. But unless my mother has been hiding the fact that she is a successful children’s book author searching to teach children about compassion for animals through her writing, that’s where the similarities may end.
Meet Karen Winnick:
Karen is the author of more than a dozen picture books for children, most of which she illustrated. An animal lover, she serves on several boards devoted to the well-being of animals. She joins me today to talk about her life and latest book, Can You Spot the Leopard?: An African Safari, which was inspired by a real Safari Karen went on before the pandemic.
Key Topics:

How a friend’s eccentric pair of shoes inspired her first attempt at writing an animated children’s book entitled Happy Soles.

Why she wants to teach children compassion for animals through her picture books.

The importance of her work giving children a voice.

How she stayed connected to her passion of reading to children throughout the pandemic, and the new opportunities it brought her.

What we can learn from disabled animals.


Buy Can You Spot the Leopard?: An African Safari: 
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3U0quRM
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781626349759

Connect with Karen:
Website: https://karenbwinnick.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenbwinnick/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/171244.Karen_B_Winnick

Connect with Mike
Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/

If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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When I was a kid there were a few things I thought would be more of big deal in adulthood including quicksand, killer bees, and satanists. Now I am not saying these things don’t exist, just not at the level we were scared into believing as children. Dr. Richard Gallagher, though, might argue about the last item on my list as he’s spent the past quarter of a century investigating cases of demonic possession from a medical expert’s point of view—but that is his story to share!
Meet Richard Gallagher, MD:
A board-certified psychiatrist and highly experienced clinician and teacher, Dr. Gallagher  is a professor of psychiatry at NY Medical College and a psychoanalyst on the faculty of Columbia University. In addition, he is the longest-standing member of the International Association of Exorcists since the early 1990's, serving for a time as a scientific adviser on its governing board. He has devoted many years to distinguishing the rare cases of overt demonic attacks from the much more common conditions of medical and psychiatric disorders.
He joined me on Uncorking a Story about his career and book Demonic Foes: My Twenty-Five Years as a Psychiatrist Investigating Possessions, Diabolic Attacks, and the Paranormal. 
Key Topics:

How he got invited to investigate suspected cases of demonic possession.

The numerous criteria he uses to differentiate between mental illnesses such as dissociative disorder and demonic possession.

Why staying involved in the work relates to why he became a physician in the first place.

Being approached by A-List Hollywood filmmakers to make a movie inspired by his book and experience.

What Hollywood gets right about demonic possession and what it gets wrong.


Buy Demonic Foes: My Twenty-Five Years as a Psychiatrist Investigating Possessions, Diabolic Attacks, and the Paranormal
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3UhemM8
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9780062876478

Connect with Dr. Richard Gallagher:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18483110.Richard_Gallagher

Connect with Mike
Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/

If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.


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My guest today, Nathanael Garret Novosel, was just six years old when he started questioning the meaning of life. When I was younger, I questioned it as well, but we went about it in different ways. For example, Nate asked big existential questions whereas yours truly watched Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life. It’s no surprise, then, that Nate grew up to write a book on finding purpose and meaning in life, and I’m on the other side of the microphone asking him questions.
Meet Nathanael Garrett Novosel:
Nathanael is a professional researcher and advisor with over 20 years of experience studying individual and group behavior. Over that time, he has researched psychology, evolutionary biology, organizational best practices, leadership decision making, business, technology, finance, and philosophy to understand how the world as we know it works and why.
He spent much of his career using the insights from this research to help the world’s leading executives solve their most pressing organizational challenges and create their strategic plans. Noticing the common drivers of success in all areas of life, he decided to devote his research, problem-solving, and advisory skills to helping people live the best lives possible.
He joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss his new book The Meaning of Life: A guide to finding your life's purpose. 

Key Topics:


The impact his father leaving the home when he was 5 years old had on his choice to write this book.

Why growth is so important  in finding meaning and purpose in life.

Identifying the influencers on our emotions and how we can change them.

The importance of taking action.

Why having faith, not necessarily religious faith, can lead us to a more successful life.


Buy The Meaning of Life: A guide to finding your life's purpose:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3sPhdjC
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781948220019

Connect with Nathanael:
Website: https://yourmeaninginlife.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themeaningoflifebook/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lifethebook
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LifetheBook/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDu5IsEGvKXLZefdTBbmaA

Connect with Mike
Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/

If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.


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I believe that, no matter how old we are, we never stop trying to secure the approval of one or both of our parents. While my twin brother was always searching for our father’s affections, I was always trying to vie for my mother’s approval in everything I did. Today’s guest, Brian O’Hare can relate. Imagine having a larger than life character as a father—someone who casts so wide a shadow, you might lose yourself in it. Well, that’s where Brian’s story begins!
Meet Brian O’Hare:
Brian  is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and former US Marine Corps officer. His storytelling career began in a Baltimore bar, the legendary Club Charles, where director John Waters cast him to appear in his film Cry Baby. Currently, Brian an award-winning writer and filmmaker living in Los Angeles. His work has appeared in War, Literature and the Arts; Santa Fe Writers Project; Hobart; and other journals, and he has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes. He was named a Writing Fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and recently served as Visiting Writer at CUNY/Kingsborough. He joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss his career and new book, Surrender. 
Key Topics:


Feeling as if we have to constantly search for the approval of a parent.

The danger of denying parts of self to appease another person.

How writing Surrender was Brian’s way of breaking the cycle of constantly searching for approval in his life for his own benefit and for the benefit of his children.

Why, in Brian’s case, the notion of surrender ironically equates to freedom.


Buy Surrender:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3WjrodF
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9780815611509

Connect with Brian:
Website: https://brianohare.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bohare13x/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bohare13x

Connect with Mike
Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/

If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Most people who now make their living as authors had a day job at some point. It is common for me to interview former teachers, professors, journalists and, interestingly, lawyers, but today was the first time I got to interview a former theoretical physicist—and there was nothing theoretical about this conversation!
Meet Dilani Kahawala:
Dilani earned her Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Harvard and began her career by working on extra dimensions. She figured out pretty quickly that there weren’t many people who wanted to read her work as a theoretical physicist, so she began exploring new dimensions in fantasy fiction. Many of the characters in her stories are inspired by the various cultures she grew up in. Born in Sri Lanka, she has lived in New Zealand and Australia and now lives in the United States and joins me today to talk about her debut novel, Blood Moon Prophecy.
Key Topics:


Why Dilani was attracted to studying theoretical physics and why she ultimately left the field.

How growing up on three continents has impacted her writing.

The backstory to her debut novel, Blood Moon Prophecy.

What Dilani has learned about character development.

Dilani’s point of view on whether time travel is possible.


Buy Blood Moon Prophecy
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3FywhK8
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9798986443706

Connect with Dilani
Website: https://dilaniwrites.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dilaniwrites/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dilaniwrites/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DilaniWrites

Connect with Mike
Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/

If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.


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For so many of us writers, the actual act of writing is a solitary process. We write alone and maybe, after a while we will share something with a confidant or perhaps our agent. Of course, at the end of the first draft it will go to an editor and, at that point, writing becomes more of a collaborative process. Well, today’s guests do things a little bit differently—Alli Frank and Asha Youmans met while teaching at the same school. One day, Alli approached Asha with the idea to co-write a novel and the rest is history. They joined me on Uncorking a Story to talk about their career and latest novel Never Meant to Meet You.
Meet Alli and Asha:
Alli Frank has worked in education for more than twenty years, from boisterous public high schools to small, progressive private schools. A graduate of Cornell and Stanford University, she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two daughters. 
Asha Youmans spent two decades teaching elementary school students. A graduate of University of California, Berkeley, she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. 
Key Topics:


How working at a small, progressive private school influenced Alli and Asha’s first, and subsequent, novels.

What it is like to write collaboratively.

How humor can be a vehicle for bigger life lessons.

Why we can learn important lessons through fiction as well as non fiction.

What it means to write from the human perspective.


Buy Never Meant to Meet You
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3UdqHAI
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781542034104

Connect with Ali and Asha
Website:https://alliandasha.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlliandAsha/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alliandasha/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alliandasha

Connect with Mike
Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/

If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices