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Ryan Holiday – The Obstacle is the Way

The Obstacle is the Way – Ryan Holiday on adversity

Every day we face challenges in the form of obstacles in our path, whether it be at work or in our homelife. Ryan Holiday, podcaster and author of The Obstacle is the Way:The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph gives us a roadmap for how we can turn these barriers into advantages!

Listen as he describes his three-point plan to tackle a perceived obstacle,  how icons such as John D. Rockefeller, Amelia Earhart and Abraham Lincoln took nearly impossible situations and turned them into amazing success,  plus how and WHY do we create our own obstacles that can sabotage us.

Click on the player below to hear the chat with Pam and Ryan

About Ryan Holiday

Ryan Holiday is a writer and media strategist. When he was 19 years old, he dropped out of college to apprentice under Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power. He had a successful marketing career at American Apparel and went on to found a creative agency called Brass Check, which has advised clients like Google, TASER, and Complex, as well as many prominent bestselling authors, including Neil Strauss, Tony Robbins and Tim Ferriss.

He is the author of ten books, including The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy, The Daily Stoic, Conspiracy and Stillness is the Key which have sold more than 2 million copies in thirty languages and have a following among NFL coaches, world-class athletes, TV personalities, political leaders, and others around the world. He spends much of his time on a ranch outside Austin, Texas where he does his writing and work in between raising cattle, donkeys and goats.

For more about Ryan, check out his website: RyanHoliday.net
For his book, The Obstacle is the Way: Click here
Follow him on Twitter: @RyanHoliday

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Ghost Whisperer Creator John Gray on his Novel The Desecrated

Ghost Whisperer Creator John Gray on his novel The Desecrated

When my friend Richard suggested I read the book The Desecrated, I was a little hesitant because it had a supernatural bent and I’m a pure detective fan. But when he told me it was written by John Gray – I knew I had to open it up!  John Gray – the creator of the hit series The Ghost Whisperer. The director of Martin and Lewis with Sean Hayes and Jeremy Northam. The director of a ton of Grimm and Reckless episodes… Yeah, THAT John Gray.

And I’m glad I did! I raced through the book that was set in a morgue and got caught up in all the twists and turns and quirky characters. I recoiled at some of the descriptions and laughed at some of the situations. All in all – I got caught up in the book that made me start thinking “this sounds like a great movie!”

In our chat with John we find out why he delves into the supernatural, how he scared himself on a morgue set, and where he came up with some of his characters. Plus – we learn about the ghosts in his OWN home, how he turned the negative of the pandemic into a creative idea for a film, and what to expect from him next. Bonus pearl of wisdom – why it’s so important to ask yourself: “Am I leading my career, or is my career leading me?”

Click the player below to hear the chat with Pam and John

About John Gray
John Gray is an award-winning New York-based writer-director-producer. He created the long running hit CBS series, GHOST WHISPERER, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, as well as writing and directing many award-winning and critically acclaimed movies for television, such as MARTIN AND LEWIS, starring Sean Hayes and Jeremy Northam; the Emmy® nominated A PLACE FOR ANNIE with Sissy Spacek; the Emmy® nominated mini-series HAVEN with Natasha Richardson and Anne Bancroft; HELTER SKELTER with Clea DuVall and Bruno Kirby, and many others.

Gray has directed dozens of episodes of broadcast and cable series and was also the producing director of the CBS series, RECKLESS. He has written and directed several studio and independent feature films, including the award winning WHITE IRISH DRINKERS, starring Stephen Lang and Karen Allen, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.
Gray’s acclaimed short films have played and are currently in film festivals all over the world including FRENCH KISS, which has also notched 6.3 million views to date on YouTube. THE DESECRATED is his debut novel.

For his book, The Desecrated: Click here
Follow him on Twitter: @JThomasGray
And Instagram: @bayrdge

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Two Mikes and a Film Called Bound

BOUND – with Michael O’Neill and Mike Pniewski

When we heard that actors Mike Pniewski and Michael O’Neill were teaming up to film a 10-minute short written by Pniewski – we couldn’t wait to get in on the action! Wouldn’t it be cool to follow along in the process and see what it was like to create a film from start to finish?

Both Mikes were up for it! From getting to know their personal backstories, to fun Hollywood inside scoop, to how the actual filming went, we set up a series of interviews, with some of your questions included.

Now when the film BOUND comes out – you’ll feel like you were part of the crew all along!  Follow the series and become a film-making insider!

Interview Series

Michael O'NeillMichael O’Neill

Just SOME of the places you have seen him!
Council of Dads
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan
Dallas Buyer’s Club
Scandal
Grey’s Anatomy
West Wing
Rectify
Catch up on our past interviews with Michael O’Neill.

In this interview from 2013, Michael talks about the very unusual way he was “discovered,” what his two requirements were before he took on the part of the crazed gunman on Gray’s Anatomy, and how he still lives with the insecurity of the acting business. Plus… his sex scene in Rectify, and how he didn’t recognize Matthew McConaughey on the set of The Dallas Buyer’s Club movie.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN to the interview

In this interview from 2020, we chat about the award-winning film Clemency, how it personally affected him, and how wonderful Aldis Hodge was in it. And how that role on Grey’s Anatomy changed him personally.  Plus, how Michael felt about Sons of Anarchy and Sea Biscuit, and what he appreciated about Al Pacino.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN to the interview

NEW!! Interview with Michael O’Neil posted 8/4/22

In this very vulnerable interview, actor Michael O’Neill shares insight into his characters and how it can affect an actor’s mental health when a job is finished.

In this interview taped right before the filming of BOUND, we find out how he felt about Council of Dads getting cancelled, why he went into therapy after one of his roles, and what it’s like to work with Shonda Rhimes. Plus, why he liked the character of Butterfield on West Wing so much and how HE says I bring out the worst in him!

Click on the player below to hear the chat with Michael and Pam

Mike Pniewski

Just SOME of the places you have seen him:
Hightown
The Good Wife/Fight
Madam Secretary
Blue Bloods
Law and Order/Criminal Intent/SVU
Mean Girls 2
Remember the Titans

INTERVIEW ONE with MIKE PNIEWSKI

You’ve seen Mike Pniewski in everything from The Sopranos to The Good Wife/Fight, Law and Order (just about every incarnation!) and now Hightown on STARZ. He’s a face you don’t forget.

He’s also a writer and an author. And calls fellow actor Michael O’Neill one of his best friends.  So it was only natural that they would want to do a project together. When nothing right came along, they decided to create their own! Pniewski wrote the script for a 10-12 minute short film that featured just the two actors.

In our first interview with Pniewski, we found out how dissecting human cadavers changed his career trajectory, how he found out he got a part on The Sopranos, and how people sometimes respond to him in public!

Plus, insight into his character Ed on the show Highttown, a rapid-fire round of shows he’s been in, and a question from listener Rebecca Griffith. Oh – and what it’s like to act next to a Spit Bucket!

Click on the player below to hear the chat with Mike and Pam