Artist Recovery Podcast S2 Ep. 21 | From CNN to Fiction: John DeDakis on Writing, Grief & Healing

What happens when a 25-year CNN veteran, a former White House correspondent who interviewed both Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, a decorated thriller novelist, and a grief-through-writing advocate all walk into the same conversation? You get John DeDakis — and one of the most unexpectedly profound episodes of this entire season.John is the creator of the acclaimed Lark Chadwick mystery suspense series, a six-novel run with his latest, Enemies Domestic, taking the grand prize at the Chanticleer International Book Awards. He's also a highly sought-after writing coach, manuscript editor, and workshop leader — but none of that is the real story. The real story is how a shy, self-described "scaredy-cat" kid from La Crosse, Wisconsin became someone who has spent his life excavating the human condition — one story, one question, one grief at a time.In this episode, Rich and John go deep — not just on craft, but on what it means to be a man who listens, feels, and heals.In this conversation:~Growing up in La Crosse — a stable, love-anchored childhood and why John says he was "born on second base" ~How the Vietnam War, the draft, and a campus radio station at the University of Wisconsin set his entire trajectory ~Enlisting to avoid the draft — and landing in Germany where his very first interview was with Alfred Hitchcock ~ 25 years at CNN and what it really felt like inside The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer ~ Why journalism was the perfect fit for a man who didn't want to pick a side — and why that matters more now than ever ~ The origin of Lark Chadwick — a 20-something female protagonist written by a man, and what writing her revealed about gender, safety, and emotional intelligence ~ What men get wrong about women — in relationships, in the room, and in conversation ~ The powerful truth that "women are always playing defense" — and why every man needs to sit with that ~ Grief as a creative catalyst — from witnessing a fatal car-train collision at age nine, to his sister's suicide, to losing his son to a heroin overdose ~ Why writing is not just craft — it's catharsis, and how mining your pain produces your most authentic work ~ The memoir — Plot Twists: A Memoir on Writing and Living — coming later in 2026Connect with John:Website: https://johndedakis.comLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-dedakis-4b09a34Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dedakisjohnFB: https://www.facebook.com/john.dedakisJoin Podmatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/artistrecoveryDyslexia Classes: https://www.skool.com/dyslexia-classes#ArtistRecoveryPodcast #CreativeRecovery #MentalHealthForCreatives #JohnDeDakis #CNN #ThrillerAuthor #WritingCoach #LarkChadwick #GriefAndWriting #WritingTherapy #MensMentalHealth #MenAndGrief #MaleEmotionalHealth #EmpathyForMen #FemalePOV #WritingFiction #CreativeHealing #GriefProcessing #BeYourOwnAdvocate #TherapyForMen #SuicideSurvivor #CreativePivot #TransferableSkills #PlotTwistsMemoiir #JournalingForHealth #SubconsciousWriting #StorytellingTherapy #CNNInsider #WolfBlitzer #richwrightartist #richwrightunlimited #richwrightunltd #artistrecoverypodcast #beaguest #podmatchguest #WhiteHouseCorrespondent #ReaganInterview #AlfredHitchcock #VietnamWarDraft #ArmyJournalism #EnemiesDomestic #ThrillerWriting #WritingAcrossGender  ⁨@PodMatch_com⁩   #WomenAndSafety #RelationshipsAndListening #LoveIsAChoiceSupport the showAlways remember, Listen to your Heart and Be Kind to Your Mind! -Rich WrightFollow us here: https://www.theartistrecovery.comJoin the Community: https://www,artrecroom.comListen Weekly at: https://www.artistrecoverypodcast.comConnect:InstagramFacebookXTikTokLinkedin