Category: Music

Brighter Day

Brighter Day

by | Jul 15, 2025 | , , | 0 |

Today is my 56th birthday.

If you had asked me a week ago how I’d be spending it, there is zero chance that my answer would have been correct.

Instead of preparing to launch a pre-sale campaign for my 5th book, A Good Boys Journey, as we had planned, I will be sitting in a patient room at Penn State Health in Hershey, Pennsylvania, waiting for my wife to be taken for a kidney biopsy that was originally scheduled for yesterday.

Sandy and I have been workamping at the Hersheypark Camping Resort since the middle of May.

One of the perks of our employment is free entry into Hersheypark.  I figured at some point this summer; I would hop on one of the 16 roller coasters at the park.  However, never in a million years did I expect the roller coaster ride that we’ve been on since July 9th.

That was the day Sandy was admitted to Penn State Health in Hershey. 

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Christian Ray Flores – Live to Give

Christian Ray Flores – Live to Give

by | Jun 6, 2025 | , , , | 0 |

In this episode of the Journey of My Mother’s Son podcast, I talk with Christian Ray Flores.

Christian was born in Moscow, Russia to a Chilean father and a Russian mother. The family moved to Chile when Christian was nine months old.

During the 1973 military coup of Augusto Pinochet, Christian’s father, Americo Flores, was arrested along with thousands of others and spent time in one of the infamous concentration camps. His mother Larisa and two children went into hiding under an assumed name and with a fake Argentinian passport. After Americo’s release, the family spent some time in a UN refugee camp and was granted asylum in Germany, moving to Munich. After living in Germany and Russia, Americo and Larisa moved to Mozambique, at the government’s invitation, which was recruiting international professionals after a mass exodus of Portuguese upon the nation’s independence. Christian learned four languages by age nine: Russian, Spanish, English, and Portuguese. After his parents’ divorce, Christian returned to Russia with his mother and sister in 1983. Christian got a master’s degree in economics in 1991 from the RUDN University in Moscow.

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Joe Engler – Baseball, Books, and Music

Joe Engler – Baseball, Books, and Music

by | Feb 21, 2025 | , , , , | 0 |

In this episode of the Journey of My Mother’s Son podcast, I talk with Joe Engler.

Joe played for our organization back in 2003. He was on our Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League (ACBL) team between his sophomore and junior seasons at Minot State University in North Dakota. I refer to him as one of my old players, but he never actually played a game for me, he just played in our organization. He was one of the players who I really connected with while he was with us.

Joe and I talk about the life lessons that the game of baseball taught him and how he is using them today in both his work and personal life.

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Soul Family Retreats

Soul Family Retreats

by | Dec 10, 2024 | , , | 0 |

Be part of our Soul Family!

Over the years, Sandy and I have been blessed to meet so many amazing humans throughout our travels.  People who many times come into our lives as strangers and stay in our lives as part of our Soul Family.

As a matter of fact, most of the people on this email list are people who we have met in person, people who I have shared a screen with on a podcast, or both.  My email list isn’t your typical “marketing email blast list.”  It’s truly made up of mostly people who I have connected with personally at some point in our journey.

The greatest part of our never-ending road trip is the ability to connect and reconnect with people we love throughout the country.  I value that connection more than you could ever imagine.

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Jon Sexton – From the Courts to the Screen with a few stops in Between

Jon Sexton – From the Courts to the Screen with a few stops in Between

by | Sep 27, 2024 | , , , , | 0 |

Jon and I talk about his entrepreneurial journey.  It started on the tennis and basketball courts and other athletic venues of Visalia, California and has now landed him as the host of the TV show, Selling Nashville.  Jon’s journey, like so many other entrepreneurs took a few twists and turns along the way.  He originally relocated to Nashville to pursue a career in music.  In order to not fall into the “starving artist” category, he used some of the leadership skills and life lessons that he learned from sports to get into the health club and gym industry.  What initially started as a way to simply help make ends meet while he pursued his music career, eventually turned into another passion and eventually ownership of his own health club and gym business.  While running his business, he started investing in real estate, which eventually led to him securing his real estate license and heading up his own team of agents.

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Dan Clouser – Soul Family – A Monologue

Dan Clouser – Soul Family – A Monologue

by | Sep 20, 2024 | , , , | 0 |

As I’m sure you know by now, from my recent emails and social media posts, I’m honored to be an associate producer on a project by my friend and a member of our soul family, Aliza Hava.  I’ve had Aliza on my podcast twice, and we just immediately connected.  We became part of each other’s soul family instantly.  Her and her husband, Avi drove over two hours to meet Sandy and I for dinner after one of my book signings in Brookings, Oregon.  Like Aliza, we connected immediately with Avi as well.  There are just some people in the world who you know are part of your tribe the minute you meet them.  It seems like you’ve known them for years.  

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Catherine Gairard – The Heart of an Artist

Catherine Gairard – The Heart of an Artist

by | Jun 14, 2024 | , , , | 0 |

Born in Peru into a low-middle-class family, Catherine faced financial barriers that hindered formal music education. Undeterred, she dedicated herself to self-study, cultivating a passion for music that eventually became a driving force in her life. Early on, she showcased her artistic flair by participating in school events, be it through dance, reciting poems, acting, or singing.

Guided by her father, an artist himself, she delved into the world of drawing. This early exposure laid the foundation for her artistic journey. The pursuit of theater studies followed, shaping her understanding of the performing arts.

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Aliza Hava – Into the Light

Aliza Hava – Into the Light

by | May 17, 2024 | , , , | 0 |

Aliza is making her second appearance on the show.  We first spoke back in January and talked about the healing power that music has.  Feel free to listen to that conversation by clicking here.

In this episode, we really focus on talking about her new album that is scheduled to be released in the coming months. “Into the Light.”

This album is deeply personal for Aliza.  She has used music to help her overcome the trauma of an abusive childhood.  It was a healing journey for her, and she hopes that it can be used by others in their own healing journeys.  The album was produced by multi-platinum Grammy-winner Mikal Blue, who is best known for his work with Colbie Caillat, Jason Mraz, and OneRepublic.  The album is a body of work, which features ten songs that take the listener on a soulful journey from darkness, “Into the Light.”

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Emma Rowena – Embracing Peace in the Journey

Emma Rowena – Embracing Peace in the Journey

by | Apr 19, 2024 | , , , | 0 |

Emma Rowena is a musician, performer, intuitive reader, healer, meditation guide, and emerging social entrepreneur, helping people find peace, purpose, and healing in their lives.

Emma was born in the UK, grew up in Norway, and has lived in Cuba and the USA. With her bilingual and bicultural heritage, Emma never felt quite at home in one place – she always felt more part of the greater world, and the years abroad helped her connect to her energy and colours. Inspired by her music-loving, piano-playing father, Emma studied to be a classical pianist. For nearly two decades she made her living teaching children to play the piano, and performing with some of Norway’s most renowned singers and soloists.

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Shane Anderson – Music for the Soul, on the Road

Shane Anderson – Music for the Soul, on the Road

by | Apr 12, 2024 | , , , | 0 |

They draw inspiration from the incredible adventures they experience all across North America in their converted school bus/home. Their unique journey inspires the ambient folk sound that captures the serenity of the Western vistas, the rhythms of the Eastern coastlines, and the brilliance of the national forests. They express their passion for life through music and invite listeners to travel along with them by listening to the intricate instrumentation, layered harmonies and lyrics that tell their stories.

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Aliza Hava – Music is Healing

Aliza Hava – Music is Healing

by | Jan 30, 2024 | , , , | 0 |

In this episode of “The Journey of My Mother’s Son” podcast, I sit down to talk with Aliza Hava.

I was honored to have the incredibly talented singer songwriter, Aliza Hava on my show.  We talk about music, trauma, healing, life, and the state of our world today.  Most importantly, we talk about the role in which music can play in our lives to help heal past trauma and help us connect with each other and God.

Ethereal. Enlightening. Medicine for the soul. Aliza Hava (“aLEEza Hah-vuh”) interlaces the elements; earth and sky, fire and water. Her transcendent voice is reminiscent of the mystical tone of Stevie Nicks, the raw soul of Janis Joplin, and the gritty wisdom of Brandi Carlile. With her award-winning infusion of folk, rock, pop, and soul, Aliza heals the tiny forgotten bits of ourselves while rekindling our memories, setting our feet on the path back home, and calling us to rise into our best versions of ourselves.

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Vanessa Rae – Called to Make Music

Vanessa Rae – Called to Make Music

by | Mar 3, 2023 | , , , | 0 |

Vanessa loves writing songs that share her true-life stories with her listeners. Inspired by many artists in the genres of country, gospel, and pop, Vanessa has a unique style all her own. Though Vanessa grew up loving musical theater and singing, it was not until recent years that she was ready to hop on stage and share her voice and songs. Being a native of the California Central Valley, Vanessa has played at several venues and events locally, including opening for Josh Turner earlier this year at the Visalia Fox Theater.

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