Life 2.0

Ah, nothing like a colonoscopy to bring a little perspective! It occurred to me as I went through the wonderful pre-procedure flush that sometimes getting totally cleaned out and starting all over again is a really good thing. Add to that a short preview of an upcoming podcast project with radio legend Garry Meier, a few hours digging in my sister's garage and finding evidence that at one time, I had really good handwriting, along with some incredible artifacts and the reminder comes that one man's trash is another man's treasure. Music by Mark Cleveland used by permission.

On this overcast spring morning, I am reminded of a different place and time, when my whole life was encased in a massive two-story building that my family lived in until 1966. It was just this side of heaven to me, as every adventure was in our backyard, or just down the street with my best friend, Garry. 50 plus years later, so much has changed outside, but inside, where it counts, it remains the same. Darcy's Guitar by Pete Huttlinger used by permission.

On this, the 56th anniversary of the first official Earth Day in 1970, I pulled a few of the "Earth Matters with Bill Kurtis" episodes that aired in national syndication on the radio for a decade. It was a great project that shed light on some of the darker environmental issues we face, as well as a few reminders that if you think globally and act locally, you can make a world of difference.   Music used by permission of the John Denver estate.

There are as many definitions of love as there are hearts in the world. But what about that which lies above and beyond the human experience? My guest, Glenn Aparicio Parry, writes, "What we are experiencing is tantamount to a shamanic dismemberment. We need to dismember to remember; we need to put ourselves back together again in ways that are healthy and whole. We are compelled to reconstruct the whole out of what has been torn apart; we are being called to dig deeper into our psyche." Get ready to take a deep dive into the source of love and how you can recognize, understand, and reconnect to that which binds all things together.

After 9 days and over 600,000 miles, the crew of Integrity has safely returned to Earth after taking a lap around the Moon. I couldn't wait to talk with Ashlee Nichols, the award-winning producer and content creator, who is currently working with NASA+ in telling the story of Artemis II. It's a listen behind the scenes about the massive amount of effort that goes into the media end of things, and the the amazing connection she has through her father, the late, great Roger "The Immortal" Nichols who always wanted to be an astronaut, but ended up being a GRAMMY Award winning sound engineer for everyone from Steely Dan to John Denver. 

It's been quite a week for your host. First, watching Artemis II break the surly bonds of Earth brought me back to being a 10-year-old boy as we rocketed to the moon in 1969. Then, I received a message from someone who used to listen to my show nearly 30 years ago, who took the information they heard and applied it to their own life, which led them to their own life's calling. It's the perfect segue to roll back the years to 2000 and my conversation with the brilliant Dan Millman, best known for "The Way of the Peaceful Warrior" book and many others. Finally, when I got a call from my son in the middle of the week so my twin granddaughters could say hi and warble out a few lyics from "Country Roads" in my ear, all was right with the world. Music used by permission of the John Denver Estate.

At 14, Christian Picciolini went from naïve teenager to white supremacist -- and soon, the leader of the first neo-Nazi skinhead gang in the United States. How was he radicalized, and how did he ultimately get out of the movement? He is the best-selling author of Romantic Violence: Memoirs Of An American Skinhead. This Saturday Rewind goes back to 2017 as Chris and I discuss his riveting, revealing journey from hate-monger to peace activist.    

The Saturday Morning Rewind takes us back to 2015, and my conversation with the late, great Arun Gandhi, the youngest grandson of Mohandas Gandhi. In going through more vintage audio, I came across our conversation (one of many over the years) and was sad to find out that Arun had passed away in 2023, which makes this conversation even more important. Its an exercise in the idea of non-violence that Arun made his life's mission and an opportunity to share a few words I wrote at a peace conference back in 1997 that are sadly, still true today. "It's About Time" used by permission of the John Denver estate.

So, what do Bill Kurtis, Jean-Michel Cousteau & Ed McMahon all have in common? They're all part of the ongoing purge of my vast Aurora Media Productions audio archives. These vintage clips are like digging up buried treasure, because I haven't heard this stuff for years. Add in a current offering from radio hall of famer Garry Meier, and you've got a solid half hour of common sense for uncommon times.  

Just about a month ago, I was watching Super Bowl LX and waiting for the highly anticipated and controversy-stirring halftime show featuring Bad Bunny. Since I survived everyone singing the Macarena in the 90s, I could endure 15 minutes of Spanish music. But imagine my surprise when the camera panned over Bunny's shoulder, and I caught a glimpse of Rose Crelli in a tuxedo playing the violin at the biggest event in the world! There are few people I know who have had a greater journey than Rose, from being adopted from an orphanage in China, to living without electricity off the grid as a child in Canada, to becoming one of the premier violinists in the world.  Time & Space by Rose Crelli ft. Tyler Reese, produced and recorded by Rossy Angelo, used by permission.  

This is one of those episodes that created itself out of bits and pieces of life stuff over the past week. It started with me finding an email from March 1st, 2020, about a radio concept that would become a reality, bringing my voice to Beijing, China, for a year. Part of that team was Cimcie Nichols, who also floated into my orbit again, and it was great to catch up on her latest effort called Hatchet Granny. Add to that a profound Facebook post (there aren't many) from Rolland Smith about the impact that John Denver's Windstar blueprint had around the world, and you realize the importance of being bridge builders, no matter who you are. Music used with permission from the John Denver Estate.

Yesterday, the budget axe fell on the careers of nine on-air personnel at WGN-TV, including notable names like long-time entertainment critic Dean Richards and sports anchor Chris Boden, along with stalwart news anchors Ray Cortopassi, Sean Lewis, and Judy Wang. Reporters Julian Crews & Bronagh Tumulty, as well as meteorologist Mike Janssen and political analyst Paul Lisnek, have all been given pink slips. I can tell you from the inside out, that the inner workings of the media is often built around the good, the bad and the ugly and cutting out trusted names, is a real blow to the community they serve and only benefits the shareholders. I remember my time at WGN Radio and when my ID stopped working...so did I.

She's one of my favorite gal-pals, and a true force of nature for all things good in the world. After leaving the "If it bleeds, it leads" media world (with a few awards in hand), Jen Weigel decided to turn her talents to creating content that lifts people up, not pushes them down. As always, it's a rousing conversation about the human condition and how each of us can make a difference in our own lives, which is where all real change starts. With the Olympics taking center stage, I was moved to include a song by John Denver that he wrote for the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo called "The Gold and Beyond." This particular version was recorded in the former Soviet Union, by Roger "The Immortal" Nichols in 1985. Music used by permission of the Denver Estate.

Three days a week, I watch the ebb and flow of discarded items get dropped off at the local Goodwill Store. From my perch on the treadmill at the gym, I have a ringside view of this $6.1 billion industry that takes in discarded items, slaps a price tag on them, and the re-sells it to people who wait in line for 30 minutes for the doors to open. But it wasn't until I inadvertently dropped off an item that was buried in a bag with other stuff, and went back to retrieve it, that the sticker shock of the mini-fridge I donated for free wasn't worth it.  The bottom line? We're all estate sales, garage sales, or yard sales in the making. Or, Goodwill inventory contributors. A little musical backup from the great David Stoddard on this one.

Once again, we are out buying cards, candies, and roses for our beloveds. But how did this all start? Why is it celebrated on February 14th? Beyond all that, this is the date that I remember when a bunch of 2nd graders helped me find my heart again, during a very turbulent time in my life, and how the power of love triumphs over all.

The first AFL–NFL World Championship football game was played on January 15, 1967, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The National Football League champion Green Bay Packers defeated the American Football League champion Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 35–10, winning their tenth championship and becoming the first NFL team to win double-digit championships. It wouldn't officially become the "Super Bowl" until the 2nd matchup of the Packers vs. the Raiders in 1968. Jerry Kramer is one of a handful of men who are still alive from both SBI & SBII and now at the age of 90, we take a look back 60 years with the Hall of Famer Green Bay Packer legend. 

In 1967, singer Danny Hutton invited Chuck Negron to join him and Cory Wells to form the band Three Dog Night. The group became one of the most successful bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s, selling approximately 60 million records and earning Gold records for singles that featured Negron as lead vocalist, including "Joy to the World", "One", "Mama Told Me Not to Come", "Old Fashioned Love Song", and "Easy to Be Hard". Back in 2001, Chuck joined me to talk about his book "Three Dog Nightmare," in which he described his life as a high school athlete and a member of a successful rock band. He talked about his descent into drug abuse and attributes his recovery from heroin addiction to his turning to God in desperation after dropping out of more than thirty drug treatment facilities. Chuck Negron passed away on February 2nd, 2026 at the age of 83-clean and sober. Godspeed.  

He's one of a handful of men who played in Super Bowls I & II, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018, and is the author of five best-selling books, including Run to Win, written with Bob Fox in 2023. Jerry Kramer turned 90 yesterday (and shares a birthday with my son, Andy). This Saturday Rewind was an easy choice, with another look back at the glory days of pro football, when it was more of a game than a business, with the best guard who ever strapped it up and stepped on the gridiron...and then shared his story with the world.

I had to wait a few days to mourn the Bears' loss to the Rams and gather my thoughts (not really), but once again, I am reminded that football (really all sports) is tribal warfare and is based on the woulda, coulda, shoulda game plan. That means that if we woulda changed a play, or coulda caused a turnover, or shoulda kicked a field goal, somehow we'd reach the promised land. I've got about 20 years in the game as both a player and coach, and I am here to tell ya that you can play your heart out and still lose, and conversely, play like shit and win. To me, it's just a game, but for way too many humans, it's an obsession that borders on insanity, like the 4-year-old kid who's getting death threats because people are losing money on her NFL picks. Wow. Get a grip, and get a life. 

During his lifetime, Pete Huttlinger became widely known as one of the most awe-inspiring acoustic guitar players in the world. His unique arrangements and spell-binding musicality and precision entertained audiences from Nashville to Los Angeles to Milan. He toured with such major acts as LeAnn Rimes and John Oates of Hall & Oates and became John Denver's lead guitar player in 1994.  Born with a rare heart defect, Pete underwent a series of operations, beginning as a teenager, that ultimately failed to normalize the heart’s functions. In 2010, he suffered a stroke that his doctors initially thought would permanently immobilize him. But with characteristic determination, he returned to playing guitar within three weeks. His first performance was for his incredulous doctors. Soon after, he suffered a heart failure so catastrophic that it kept him at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston for four months in 2011. Again, he worked his way back, first to proficiency and then to mastery of his instrument. He and his wife and manager, Erin Morris, chronicled his ordeal and recovery in their 2015 memoir, Joined at the Heart: A Story of Love, Guitars, Resilience and Marigolds. Pete Huttlinger passed away ten years ago, on January 15th, 2026, at the age of 54. My conversation with Pete and Erin, just about a month before he passed, in December of 2015, once again proves that your cause of death isn't nearly as important as your cause in life and Pete's mantra of "Don't just live, live well"...lives on.

I had thought about taking the easy route today, as Da Bears are hosting the Packers tonight in the first playoff round and chatting up that decades-old rivalry. But then, the events of the past week wouldn't leave me alone, and I literally sat for an hour before turning on the mic this morning, arguing with myself if I had anything at all worth sharing as it pertained to making sense of the senseless. Three things came to mind, and for better or for worse, I've once again attempted to find the obvious in the absurd. Music speaks where words fail, and I kept hearing the lyrics of Stone Haven Sunrise in my mind.."For the needs of the many, are the sins of a few, and the day is forthcoming when accounting is due." Music used by permissIon of the John Denver Estate.    

Here we are once again, at the beginning of a brand new calendar year. I've got a few thoughts on where we've been, why we are here, and where we are going in the next 365 sunrises. In addition, a good friend of mine sent me a sorta "Rules of the Road" message to start the new year, mostly as it pertains to those of us who are past the half-century mark, and I found it worth sharing. And just like I ended 2025 with a tribute to my old pal Mr. Denver, I found it fitting to kick off this year with his voice as well, to wrap this 1st episode of the Life 2.0 podcast of 2026. All music used by permission of the John Denver estate.

As we celebrate New Year's Eve, I am reminded that today would have been John Denver's 82nd birthday. I've produced and hosted numerous tribute shows in his memory over the years, and every time I think it's no longer important to do so, I remember John's own words,  "Though the singer is silent, there still is the truth of the songs..." In a world of turmoil, his music and message continue to ring clear and cut through the chaos. Memories and more from John Berry, Richard Hyman, Roger "The Immortal" Nichols, Ashlee Nichols, Hal Thau, Ronald Deustchendorf, Michael Martin Murphy & Annie Denver. 

I've been a bona fide "Ted Head" since the age of 10 or so, when I read a story about TR as a boy, growing up in New York, and securing the skull of a dead harbor seal as the most impressive artifact for the Roosevelt Natural History Museum (which consisted of a drawerful of animal bones in his bedroom). A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine gifted me a copy of "In The Arena" by David S. Brown, which was just published in early December, and I devoured the book in less than a week. So, I reached out and had a great conversation with David about our 26th president, his high and low points, and if the comparisons between Teddy & Trump hold water. The bottom line? History matters.

This Saturday Morning Rewind is from Christmas 2022. It all started back in 1980 when I volunteered to be the Santa at the NAS Glenview Air Base during my first year of enlistment. Then, the CO of CGAS Chicago asked me to do it for the Coast Guard Christmas party. Then, a few of the guys on the crew asked me to do it for their kids. The word spread, and eventually, I donned the red suit and beard, along with a sack of toys, to visit hospitals, homes, and participate in "Breakfast with Santa" for nearly 20 years. I recounted those Santa moments in my 2nd book, "Every Moment Matters," and how much like Superman putting on his cape, every Christmas Eve when I put on the Kringle gear, I felt a bit supercharged, and watching the faces of young and old alike break into a smile when I was near was like winning the lottery.  Music used by permission of the John Denver estate. 

This past week, I caught up with country music icon John Berry, who is on his 29th annual Christmas tour. While we were having a great breakfast that included JB, his wife Robin, manager Brian Smith, and a couple of the band guys, I couldn't help but think that there are few, if any, recording artists who have overcome as much as he has. At the age of 21, while riding his motorcycle, Berry was hit by a car, breaking both legs and his left hip. He had just lost his mother earlier that year. Doctors were afraid that he might not walk again, and add to that, a brain tumor in 1994 when his first #1 hit "Your Love Amazes Me" topped the charts, to beating throat cancer. This episode of the SMR is my conversation with JB on his tour bus in 2018, just before he was diagnosed. As always, it's a deep dive into the songs and stories of one of the great voices in music and a man whose faith moves him forward matter what.

This past May, Chicago Cubs legend Randy Hundley and I went to hit a few balls at Top Golf, and a chance encounter with Patti Guzak has become one of the greatest "You're not gonna believe what happened next" moments you'll ever hear. As it turned out, Patti had a book concept on her computer for 16 years, and I am happy and proud to announce that "The Not-So-Exciting Adventures of Tuxedo Man" is now in print, making it the perfect gift for a young reader in your life. But, ya gotta hear the back story on this one!

As I prepare to head out shortly to a book launch for a new author that I am working with, I came across some great audio from Thanksgiving in 2004, and my conversation with the creator of "The Waltons," the late, great Earl Hamner. There's just something about the Virginia lilt in his voice, his down-home way, and simplistic way of seeing the world, that I needed to be reminded of this morning.  When Earl passed in 2016, he did so while listening to "Rocky Mountain High" by John Denver. Music used by permission of the Denver Estate.    

Back in 2021, I was approached by Michele Phillips to support her in creating a book based on her concept that you can actually energize your happiness by learning how to direct your PEA (Personal Energy Alignment) and change your life for the better. I agreed to take on the book; little did I know it would be the longest project I've ever worked on with an author. Four years later, this incredible piece of work is now available worldwide. I'm thrilled to have this conversation with Michele, a true force of nature, a wide-eyed optimist who wears her heart on her sleeve right where it belongs and is leading people back to life, liberty, and the energizing of their own happiness. "Farewell Andromeda" used by permission of the John Denver Estate.

I have begun the process of culling the cassette herd of hundreds of tapes from my radio shows over the decades, which I have in storage, looking for the ones that might contain some valuable conversations.  Everything else is going into the Techno-Trash can. At the very top of the "keepers list" is my last on-air conversation with the late, great Capt. Jerry Coffee (USN Ret.), who was one of the longest held POWs in Vietnam and the author of "Beyond Survival." Jerry insisted that the most powerful thing you can do to change your life for the better, is to look for the purpose in everything, including the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Welcome to another edition of The Wednesday Rant! As I was about to fire up the Life 2.0 microphone, a power rodding company took up residence about 100 yards south of my studio, in an effort to unclog the sewer system, and that took me back to my days in the Sewer Dept. It also got me thinking about the two "miracle" strainers I have to send back to QVC, the guy that came in a couple weeks ago to rod out the kitchen pipes (a first since Nixon was POTUS), and finally taking apart the shower head because sediment had clogged up the flow...and life is all about flow. Once you figure out how to clean your strainer, life opens up in amazing ways. A little help from my longtime pal and Packer HOF guard Jerry Kramer on this one with..."Invictus." 

What happens when genuine transformation meets unchecked power? Before Tony Robbins filled stadiums, before The Secret became a global phenomenon, before transformation became a multi-billion-dollar industry, there was Erhard Seminars Training (est). And behind est was a young woman who would help build one of the most influential personal development organizations in history—while struggling to find her own authentic voice in the process. In Sex, Power, and Transformation, Marcia Martin takes you inside the explosive rise of the Human Potential Movement, revealing the untold story of how a small San Francisco seminar exploded into a cultural phenomenon that transformed millions of lives. Mine included.

The first person that comes to mind every November 1st is the late, great Walter Payton, who passed away on this date in 1999. I had the good fortune of working with "Sweetness" for a few years, and as it turns out, today is also Day of the Dead for millions of people who take this day to remember those they have lost over the years. With tomorrow being All Souls Day, it seemed appropriate to share some names from my life that have gone before me. I've had ten friends since March make their transition, and each of their passings is a reminder of how important not to count the days, but make the days count. David Stoddard's music used by permission.

For most of the year, my dad was a mild-mannered banker, avid bowler, and frustrated architect. But, in October, he transformed himself into "The Count" and used his design skills to build out one of the most popular haunted houses in Chicago for over twenty years. A steady cast of werewolves, Frankenstein's monster, creepy cavemen, and assorted ghouls and goblins waited in the darkness to scare the crap out of people. In this episode, I have an exclusive conversation with one of the "original monsters," Sam "The Mummy" Wright, who drank the tanna leaves and went off in search of victims on Berteau Street back in the day.

Throwback Thursday. Had occasion yesterday to drive east on Washington St. into the city and found myself in somewhat familiar place as I hit the stop sign on Aberdeen, one block west of Carpenter Street. To my left, what was once Harpo Studios (now McDonald's Corporate Headquarters), and on the south side of the street, is where the studios of Oprah Radio were located, which now appear to be condos. I have a ton of memories from my years working on the Oprah & Friends Satellite project, and then I remembered what happened just around this time of year back in 2008, when we had an uninvited visitor show up. It might be one of the most bone-chilling, hair-raising, and unexplained experiences in my life, which was also witnessed by three other people.   "Neils Petersen will not be forgotten."

We live in a time when we are virtually closer than ever before, but also further apart from one another. Too much information (TMI) leads to Turbulent Mind Syndrome (TMS) as we cannot possibly assimilate all the headlines begging our attention, that serve one purpose-to kick off our fight or flight response, and drench our central nervous system with stuff we can't do anything about-except rachet up our anger meter and get the blame-thrower out to torch people who disagree with us. I offer a few options that I use to keep me from going over the deep end and forgetting how much of a gift it is to be alive.  As Buckminster Fuller said, "Our technology is surpassing our humanity." A little backup from John Denver on this one, and as always, JD's music is used by permission from the Denver Estate.

My journey as a book coach/ghostwriter/publisher has brought me down some interesting paths. Each project brings with it a certain sense of fate, as if the person I'm working with and I have a date with destiny. Of the dozen or more books I've helped bring into the world, that sense of the unseen hand guiding me to someone was never more apparent than when I met Trudy Gronning in 2015. She'd grown up in Munich when it was under the rule of Hitler during WWII. She'd witnessed terrible things, endured the death of her beloved father, who was a renowned violinist, and the horrors of The "Night of Shattered Glass," commonly known as Kristallnacht. She battled MS since her mid-20s and was a single mom back when that was a serious liability as a German living in post-war America.  Trudy's life was a testament to faith and her belief that tomorrow would be better than today. After two years of work, her book "A Matter of Grace" was published in 2017 when she was 88 years young, and we became very close friends during the process. I was saddend to hear the news that Trudy Gronning has passed away at the age of 96. This tribute/rememberance episode features audio from some of our most intimate conversations about her incredible life.  Godspeed my dear friend.

It's one thing to take a lunch break, quite another to drop everything I'm doing to watch "The Creature From the Black Lagoon" for the 438th time. But that's exactly what happened today. But what I didn't know was that apparently, the Gill-Man (as well as all the other favorite movie monsters) is really a metaphor for something else in life. The same goes for the Wizard of Oz, which I will never look at the same way again. All this psychoanalysis aside, if the creature features allow me to be 12 years old for a couple of hours again, that's all I need to know.

I haven't played high school football since Gerald Ford was president, but that really doesn't matter-because today is game day! For the past eleven seasons, a huge huddle of Schurz Bulldogs has gathered once a year to not only have a major all-school reunion called "The Bulldog Bash", but also raise some serious coin for kids who have no idea who we are, or why we support them as we do. We're paying it back by paying it forward. On a day when thousands will protest against something without knowing if it will change anything, a few hundred of us will be taking action that we absolutely know will make a world of difference. 

28 years ago today, October 12th, 1997, John Denver's experimental aircraft plunged into the waters of Monterey Bay, and he died at the age of 53. Ever since that day, I've continued to honor the man and his music, and his support of my work, long before I could see it myself. I wasn't planning on doing this podcast, but then early this morning, I remembered that I wouldn't even be behind a microphone without him, and so, here are some songs and stories from JD. His voice still matters. Music is used by permission of the John Denver Estate.

Albert Einstein is the gold standard when it comes to being a genius. Is it possible that each of us has an "inner Albert" that remains dormant until something comes along and shakes us up and wakes us up to the possibilities life has to offer? Kenn Hundley (younger brother of the legendary Chicago Cubs catcher Randy Hundley) has had an interesting path to say the least, and he shares the concept that embedded in our DNA, lies the genius gene, that once accessed, can change your life for the better.

Last Monday, I was able to virtually attend a service for my friend, the late Hal Thau, in Aspen, a man who made a difference in my life on many levels. Just two days later, the iconic Dr. Jane Goodall passed away, and I went on a search to find all of the audio I had from our conversations over the years. Hearing Dr. Jane's voice now reminded me that the lessons learned from both of these two life influencers came down to character, integrity, and singleness of purpose. I was fortunate to be in their orbit. A little help from Mr. Denver to close this one out.

Cynthia Jamison had an executive career as a crisis CFO before ascending to become a member of, and eventually Chair, of several public company Boards of Directors. She is a frequent keynote speaker on CFO and boardroom topics. She has been quoted as a financial/economic expert in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, CFO.com, Agenda, Corporate Board Member, and the Economist. She was also a single mother to four boys - leading her to become somewhat of an expert on work-life balance. All that and more has led her to write "Shards in My Hair-Tales From Breaking the Glass Ceiling" which is part a Devil Wears Prada coming-of-age story, part career advice, and part memoir - a story of the chaos and the sometimes unfair and challenging aspects of business.

There's a lotta turmoil in the land of the free these days. Talk show hosts getting suspended, millions of Disney subscribers dumping Dumbo, protesters battling ICE, the Tylenol debate, The Rapture (it was either yesterday or later today), and now comes the Windy City shattering news that the CEO of Portillo's has made an abrupt exit, amid "sluggish sales." Wait, what? Sluggish sales? Portillos?    Holy celery salt Batman!   How is it possible that the iconic Chicago restaurant is in hot dog retreat? What's next for the weiners and beefs and what does Jurassic Park have to do with it all?  

Early this morning, I was checking out the last vestiges of veggies, and came across the last tomato of the season. It's that time of the year again, as the garden has gone through its life cycle. Bittersweet, for sure, as I'll have to wait until next season to watch the miracle of growth, with the elements of sun, dirt, and water doing their thing. Impossible for me not to draw parallels to my own life cycle and how important it is to squeeze as much juice out of life as possible, because tomorrow is promised to no one, and one day, I'll be the last tomato.

Millions of viewers know Bill Kurtis from his work on A&E, CBS News, and his many documentaries. In his recently released memoir, Kurtis brings us into some of the most iconic moments of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. He was in the streets during the riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago; he uncovered the truth about the deadly effects of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War; he was the first US television journalist to return to Chernobyl after the infamous nuclear disaster; and much more. Kurtis also offers an insider look at how television evolved from an emerging news source to the dominating force in American media.   We take a deep dive into his career with honesty and insight and he gives a rare picture of American history and broadcast journalism. 

Joe "Animal" Laurinaitis, along with the late Mike "Hawk" Hegstrand, were known as "The Road Warriors," the greatest tag team in the history of pro wrestling. Joe passed away in 2020, and on September 12th, he would have celebrated his 65th birthday. I reached out to his daughter, Jessica, to celebrate his life, not just as one half of the best tag-team in the history of the sport, but more importantly as her dad, and to share memories and moments from the 11,368 days she had with him. 

Yeah, I know, it seems like a year (or a week) ago CCC (Cracker Barrel Chaos) was all over the headlines. The news cycle has gone on to chew on other fodder, like the looming threat of Chagas Disease caused by kissing bugs, but a recent road trip put me smack dab in CBC (Cracker Barrel Country), and I had to stop, not once but twice (within an hour) to feast on chicken covered with sawmill gravy and get the inside scoop on logos, roast beef and good ole Uncle Herschel.

Since 1979, John Berry has recorded more than 20 studio albums, including one platinum album and two gold albums. In his career, Berry has also charted 19 songs on Billboard Hot Country Songs, including the Number One single "Your Love Amazes Me" in 1994. A Country Weekly article said of Berry, "John's greatest strength is his pure, soulful tenor," and The Entertainment Nexus described him as "one of the most remarkable voices in music." His musical journey is hard-won, overcoming a brain tumor and throat cancer along with a list of other challenges that would have stopped most people in their tracks. It's a great convo about his influences like James Taylor, Neil Young, and John Denver. Time spent with Charlie Daniels, how his version of "O Holy Night" has become one of the most requested renditions on the radio every Christmas, and what it was like to record a duet with the great Patsy Cline. Any chance I get to support JB's music, I'm all in.

31 years ago this very weekend, I stood on the stage of the Aspen Music Tent for my first "public" speaking event at the Windstar Ninth Annual "Choices for the Future" Symposium by John Denver's invitation. From that point on, my life took a serious turn in ways I could never have predicted, and while discussing the "ripple effect" concept last night at dinner with two of my guys, I was transported back over the decades to the sunny Saturday morning in the Rocky Mountains. Amazing things can happen when you answer the call.