PODCAST · society
Behind The Story
by Jelani Gonzalez
Welcome to Behind The Story (BTS) Podcast: Exploring the deeper journeys of entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, creators, and leaders, Behind the Story is a weekly deep dive into the minds of extraordinary people. Each episode uncovers the strategies, innovations, and personal experiences that drive success-revealing the lessons, creativity, and resilience that shape their impact and inspire growth. We invite you to join us as a featured guest as we explore and tell compelling stories, one conversation at a time.
Episodes
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What If 1% Could Fund the Entire Government?
What if you never filed a tax return again — no April 15th, no IRS — and a single 1% tax funded the entire government? In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani Gonzalez sits down with Gary Barnes, a retired tradesman turned author of Fixing America’s Broken Government, for a wide-ranging...
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Cut the Boot or Lose the Foot: Reid Robinson's Story Behind the X Leg
Reid Robinson was a hardworking IT infrastructure architect and father of two in Calgary when an icy-road car crash changed everything. What followed was more than a dozen surgeries, years of crutches, and a recovery that tested his patience, his body, and his determination to stay present for…
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Why Habits Change When Your Story Does
What does it take to change a habit that has outlasted every attempt to break it? Connie Kwan, author of Story Habits, says the answer starts with the story you tell yourself about who you are, not with more willpower. Connie grew up between Hong Kong and Canada, trained as a computer engineer…
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What DEI Actually Is — and What It Isn't | Celeste Warren
The word "DEI" has been demonized — but what does it actually mean? In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani Gonzalez sits down with Celeste Warren, former Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at Merck, decades-long HR leader, author, and founder of CRW Diversity, for the clear-eyed...
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The Final Ruling: Inside the Supreme Court's 7-2 Mail-Ballot Decision
On Monday, September 14, 2026, the Supreme Court closed the book — at least for this election — on a fight Behind the Story has tracked across five episodes. By a 7-2 vote, the justices refused to let the Trump administration enforce a new U.S. Postal Service rule on mail-in ballots for the 2026...
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The Ali G Movie Firestorm: Banned Before Anyone Saw It
Twenty-six years ago, a comedian in a yellow tracksuit and orange shades sat across from real politicians, generals, and diplomats — and they answered him seriously. That was Ali G. This fall, Sacha Baron Cohen is bringing the character back in Ali G: Who Is I? — and tens of thousands of people…
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Arrested Over an $87 Check — Dr. Sheena Meade on Second Chances
In 2004, Sheena Meade was a young single mother earning about $18,000 a year when an $87.26 check bounced. Two months later, police arrested her in front of her four children. She paid the check back, completed the courses, and thought her sentence was over — but as she says in this conversation,...
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Robert Kennedy III: The Introvert Who Speaks to Thousands for a Living
He was born in Jamaica, named Robert Kennedy III by a grandfather who said it "with such glee" — and he's spent his life turning that name into a conversation starter. In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani Gonzalez sits down with communication coach, speaker, and self-described polymath...
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Judge Rules Trump's Mail Ballot Order Unconstitutional — What Happens Next
Back where we started — except this time, it's different. The same judge who was forced to lift her block on Trump's mail-ballot rule put a new one right back up, days later — and for the first time in five months, a federal court actually ruled on whether the policy is constitutional. Her answer...
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Mail Ballot Fight Part 2: The Judge Says They Broke Her Order
We told you two days ago this story wasn't over — it moved even faster than expected. A federal judge has now ruled that the Trump administration violated her own court order restricting mail ballot rules... and then declined to do anything about it. In this follow-up, we break down Judge…
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Supreme Court Rules on Mail Ballots: Who Controls Your Vote?
The Supreme Court just ruled 6-3 on who controls your mail-in ballot — but by its own admission, the ruling doesn't decide if any of it is actually legal. "Time will tell," the Court wrote. So what did the justices actually decide today, and what did they deliberately leave unresolved? In this...
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The Shadow Docket: The Supreme Court Power You've Never Heard Of
Somewhere in Washington this week, the Supreme Court will decide something that affects your life — and you may never know why. No hearing. No explanation. Sometimes not even a signature. It's called the emergency docket, better known as the "shadow docket," and over the last decade it has gone...
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The Mind Is All There Is — Consciousness, AI & the Kingdom Within
What happens when a man becomes so convinced of a single truth that he legally changes his name to match it? In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani Gonzalez sits down with the author and philosopher known as One I Am — a name he took after a 2004 spiritual awakening and the book I Am That....
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He Sold the Pills for 20 Years — Then He Walked Away
Dr. Keith Hersey spent more than twenty years behind the pharmacy counter. Then he did something most pharmacists never do — he stopped focusing on dispensing pills and started coaching people to need fewer of them. In this episode, Dr. Keith sits down with Jelani Gonzalez to trace the full arc:...
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He Googled "How to Make Money Without a Degree" — Then Built a Firm
Tom Hunter didn't plan any of this. He started as a primary school teacher in London, burned out, and Googled "how to make money without a degree." That search led him into recruitment — and nine years later, he walked away to build Story Recruitment, a firm placing the CFOs and senior finance...
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The Type of Diabetes Doctors Miss in Adults (LADA)
Manny Hernandez grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, in a world that no longer exists — and left in 2000 as the country changed around him. Years later, a routine checkup in the U.S. led to a diabetes diagnosis, and then a misdiagnosis: he was told he had type 2, when he actually had LADA, sometimes...
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The Laptop Landlord: How Naresh Turned a Side Hustle Into 9 Properties and 5 Books
Naresh built the kind of business most people are told doesn't exist: one that funds his life instead of consuming it. In this episode of Behind the Story, he sits down with Jelani Gonzalez to trace the road from a Duke degree and a coveted banking offer to becoming a self-described “laptop...
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Warrior of Light: Turning Chaos Into Purpose
Theresa Garcia didn't set out to become a coach — she set out to survive. After losing her fiancé and her mother six months apart, she rebuilt her life from the ground up, eventually writing the book Warrior of Light and founding Ruby's Positive Empowerment. In this conversation, Theresa opens up...
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The Career Crisis No One Talks About
Why do so many smart, capable, successful people still feel disconnected from their work? Sarah Aviram has spent her career answering that question — first as a director of talent development, then as the person who convinced her CEO to let her work from 12 countries in 12 months (before remote...
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The American Slumber Party: Sam Daley-Harris on Waking Up Democracy
Sam Daley-Harris spent twelve years as a professional percussionist and a career as a music teacher before a single question changed the direction of his life: does your member of Congress know your name? In 1978, he asked 7,000 high school students, classroom by classroom, if they could name…
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The Physician Taking Her Fight From the Exam Room to Washington
Dr. Neelam Perry spent over two decades practicing internal medicine and treating HIV/AIDS patients before a personal health crisis changed the direction of her life. After surviving seven strokes and fighting to access a costly medication she says her insurance wouldn't approve, she made a...
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The Diabetes Theory Doctors Don't Want You to Hear
After 27 years practicing as a pediatrician and allergist in Texas, Dr. John Poothullil noticed something in his own body that medical textbooks couldn't explain: weight that crept on every winter and refused to leave by spring. The standard answer — "improper diet and lack of exercise" — wasn't…
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The Legal Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make Too Late
Scherrie L. Prince did not take a straight path into law. Before becoming an attorney, entrepreneur, business coach, and podcast host, she worked in operations, real estate, mortgage brokerage, and business ownership. Then the 2008 mortgage crisis hit, and she lost everything while raising two...
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Birthright Citizenship: The Story Behind the 14th Amendment
For more than 150 years, birth on American soil has been understood as one of the clearest paths to U.S. citizenship. But after President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14160 on the first day of his second term, the country was forced back into a constitutional debate many people thought had...
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George Tinsley Sr. on Legacy, Faith, Family, and Franchising
George Tinsley Sr.’s story begins in Smoketown, Louisville, where he was raised by Willie Tinsley, a woman with one leg who could not read or write but gave him the foundation of loyalty, responsibility, and resilience. In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani Gonzalez sits down with George to...
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Can AI Help Musicians Create Without Replacing Them?
What happens when an award-winning vocalist and songwriter sits down with an AI music producer building a weekly online producer battle? In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani Gonzalez is joined by Gerard Barnes and David Nichol for a timely, honest, and surprisingly personal conversation...
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Caring Leadership in the Age of AI with Germain St-Denis
What does it really mean to lead people well? In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani Gonzalez sits down with Germain St-Denis, author of Empowering People Through Caring Leadership, for a thoughtful conversation about the difference between managing tasks and truly leading people. Germain...
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Gerard Barnes: The Man Who Built A Battle Show for AI Music Producers
Gerard Barnes is back on Behind the Story — and this time, the conversation goes deep into the world of AI music. Gerard is the creator of A-Idol, a TikTok-based AI music battle competition where producers from around the world go head-to-head using nothing but their imagination and a machine....
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Why Success Doesn’t Fix Your Patterns with Daune Thompson
Why do so many successful people still feel stuck, burned out, or disconnected? In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani Gonzalez sits down with Daune Thompson, speaker, coach, and creator of the Soul CEO and Lighthouse Mastery approach, for a conversation about success, burnout, subconscious...
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From Special Ed to Doctorate: Dr. Brian Arnold’s Journey of Resilience
Dr. Brian Arnold’s story is a powerful reminder that where you start does not have to define where you finish. In this episode of Behind the Story, host Jelani Gonzalez sits down with Dr. Brian Arnold to explore his journey from struggling to read as a child and being placed in special education...
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Helping Young People Find Their Voice
In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani Gonzalez sits down with Dale Novella Anderson Lee, a singer, songwriter, music producer, educator, and leader in teaching artistry. Dale shares how music became a source of healing in her own life and how that calling eventually led her into classrooms,...
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Source Intelligence: The Inner Clarity Modern Leaders Are Missing with Anthony Nayagan
What if the future of leadership is not about having more information, but accessing a deeper form of intelligence within? In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani sits down with Anthony Nayagan, a modern mystic, executive mentor, author, Tamil Siddhar, and Rajarishi, whose work bridges…
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Rethink Retirement: Why the Next Chapter Needs a New Identity
In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani Gonzalez sits down with Dr. Andrea “Andi” Simon, a corporate anthropologist, culture change expert, author, and speaker who helps people and organizations learn to see, feel, and think differently. Andi explains why change is so difficult, why leaders...
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Sandy Knight on Healing, Journaling, and Trusting Your Inner Voice
What happens when your life keeps falling apart — and you decide to rise anyway? In this episode of Behind the Story, I sit down with Sandy Knight, author of Phoenix Rising Guided Journal for Your Renewal and founder of Spirit Knight, for a conversation about healing, transformation, intuition…
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Why Creative Businesses Stay Busy but Not Profitable
In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani Gonzalez sits down with Michelle Williams, founder of Scarlet Thread Consulting and host of Profit is a Choice, for a powerful conversation about what creative entrepreneurs often miss when building a business. Michelle works with interior designers,...
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Fired at 63, Millionaire by 69: David Nassief’s Wealth Turnaround
What happens when you get fired at 63 and realize the math says you could be broke by 65? In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani sits down with David Nassief to talk about the financial wake-up call that changed his life. After a 40-year career, David found himself facing job loss, fear, and...
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Daniel Burrus on Human-First AI, Hard Trends, and How to Predict What’s Coming Next
What if the future is more predictable than most people think? On this episode of Behind the Story, I sit down with world-renowned futurist Daniel Burrus to talk about how leaders, professionals, and everyday people can stop reacting to change and start anticipating it. We get into Daniel’s...
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Former FBI Analyst on Career Change, Self-Trust and Reinvention
Former FBI intelligence analyst Adam Dickinson joins Behind the Story for a conversation about the hidden cost of always being the reliable one. After more than 15 years analyzing high-stakes information, Adam made a major shift into entrepreneurship and now helps high-performing professionals...
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“Inside the System”: A Black Federal Worker on Trump, DEI Backlash, Voting & “White Pomposity”
What happens when a career federal public servant spends decades working across administrations—and then lives through the Trump era from the inside? In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani sits down with Deric A. Gilliard, author of The Longest Four Years of My Life, for a candid…
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Aaron Ryan on Writing 43 Books, Fatherhood, and the Fight to Keep Storytelling Human
On this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani sits down with bestselling and award-winning author Aaron Ryan for a deeply personal conversation about the life behind the books. Aaron opens up about the childhood spark that made him a storyteller, the emotional therapy of writing, how fatherhood...
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Dr. Donna Bellinger: Discipline, Self-Worth, and Getting Paid Your Value
What really keeps business owners stuck in sales? In this episode of Behind the Story, Dr. Donna Bellinger breaks down the habits, mindset gaps, and leadership mistakes that quietly block revenue growth. She shares why business owners often become their own bottleneck, how self-sabotage shows up…
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Michelle Minnikin on Good Girl Conditioning, Imposter Syndrome, and Women Playing Small
Why do so many women grow up learning to be liked, agreeable, and accommodating — but not fully themselves? In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani sits down with Michelle Minnikin — author, speaker, coach, and organisational psychologist — to unpack the hidden conditioning that teaches women...
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Epstein Files, FBI Pressure, and the Truth Behind the Redactions
In this special edition of Behind the Story, Jelani sits down with attorney Courtney Groff and retired FBI agent Eric Robinson for a timely roundtable on the Epstein files, the DOJ response, FBI procedure, congressional pressure, and the growing crisis of public trust. The conversation breaks…
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Jade Simmons on Purpose, Reinvention, Faith, and Independent Politics
Jade Simmons joins Behind the Story for a powerful conversation on purpose, reinvention, faith, leadership, mental health, and politics. Jade shares how a battle with stage fright unexpectedly transformed her career from classical concert pianist into transformational speaker, and why she now...
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Mark Astor: Why the System Fails Families in Addiction & Mental Health Crisis
In this episode of Behind The Story, Jelani sits down with attorney Mark Astor for a candid conversation about addiction, severe mental illness, and why the system often reacts too late to save families. Drawing from his experience as a former prosecutor and his current work helping families...
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Chronic Pain Isn’t Forever: Daniel Esposito’s “Undo Method” + The Comeback Story
What if chronic pain isn’t the end of the story? In this episode of Behind The Story, I sit down with Daniel “Dan” Esposito, creator of the Undo Method, to unpack his decade-long battle with chronic pain, multiple diagnoses, and feeling like he couldn’t fully show up for his family — and how he...
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Inside the FBI: Undercover Work, Investigations, Politics, and the Human Side of the Badge
What does FBI work actually look like beyond the movies and headlines? In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani sits down with former FBI agent, SWAT operator, tactical instructor, and investigator Eric Robinson for a candid conversation about what really happens behind federal investigations....
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Former DEA Agent Reveals the Truth About the Fentanyl Crisis (Only 2mg Can Kill)
What does the fentanyl crisis actually look like from inside law enforcement? In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani sits down with Brian Townsend, a retired supervisory special agent who spent nearly 30 years in law enforcement, including 23 years with the Drug Enforcement Administration....
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Connection Builds Trust: Angel Tucker on DISC, Leadership, and the GLOW Connection
What if the real problem isn’t “bad communication”… but a missing connection? In this episode of Behind The Story, Jelani sits down with Angel Tucker—personality strategist, bestselling author, and keynote speaker—to break down the DISC personality model and her proprietary GLOW Connection method...
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Antoine Free: Becoming the Martian Man and the Mind Behind the Persona
In this episode of Behind The Story, Jelani sits down with Antoine “Martian Man” Free — a creator whose presence is impossible to ignore. Known for his unique persona, sharp mindset, and magnetic energy, Antoine has built a brand that challenges the norms of identity, confidence, and creative...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Welcome to Behind The Story (BTS) Podcast: Exploring the deeper journeys of entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, creators, and leaders, Behind the Story is a weekly deep dive into the minds of extraordinary people. Each episode uncovers the strategies, innovations, and personal experiences that drive success-revealing the lessons, creativity, and resilience that shape their impact and inspire growth.
We invite you to join us as a featured guest as we explore and tell compelling stories, one conversation at a time.
HOSTED BY
Jelani Gonzalez
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Behind The Story have?
Behind The Story currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Behind The Story about?
Welcome to Behind The Story (BTS) Podcast: Exploring the deeper journeys of entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, creators, and leaders, Behind the Story is a weekly deep dive into the minds of extraordinary people. Each episode uncovers the strategies, innovations, and personal experiences that drive...
How often does Behind The Story release new episodes?
Behind The Story has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Behind The Story?
You can listen to Behind The Story on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Behind The Story?
Behind The Story is created and hosted by Jelani Gonzalez.
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