Let's Talk with Brian Bielanski

My guest on episode 38 of "Let's Talk" is Brittany Wagner -- she was featured on the Netflix docu-series -- Last Chance U, which followed top-ranked junior college football team, East Mississippi Community College (EMCC)

She was the Lions athletic academic counselor Brittany helped student athletes move beyond personal failure to find success and prepare themselves for life beyond the gridiron.

Our guest this week is William Jack Sibley author of "Here We Go Loop De Loop" -- Sibley is a fifth generation Texas rancher, an award-winning author and a versatile writer whose work has spanned from the likes of writing dialogue for television’s Guiding Light to serving as a contributing editor at Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine, to seeing his plays produced off-Broadway and regionally. Sibley is the author of a dozen screenplays, nine stage plays, and three novels (Any Kind of Luck, Sighs Too Deep For Words, and Here We Go Loop De Loop).

Sibley’s previous works have won the National Indie Excellence Book Award and USA Best Book Award while succeeding as a finalist in the Lambda Literary Award, Foreword Reviews Book of the Year, and more. Sibley currently is the Secretary of the Texas Institute of Letters, as well as a member of The Dramatist Guild and the Writers Guild of America. He lives in San Antonio.

Get his books here

My guest on Episode 36 of Let's Talk is Harry Guggenheim biographer Dirk Smillie -- He's written "The Business of Tomorrow: The Visionary Life of Harry Guggenheim: From Aviation and Rocketry to the Creation of an Art Dynasty"  It's an amazing look at a man who was instrumental in some of the remarkable technological achievements of the last 75 years. A member a family with a prolific history in the art world... Harry Guggenheim is the Guggenheim most haven't heard about but maybe should have. It's a great conversation you won't want to miss.

My guest on episode 35 of Let's Talk is Arthur Swan -- a Los Angeles-based award-winning novelist and Character Supervisor for Dreamworks (he’s contributed to films like A Beautiful Mind and How to Train Your Dragon). His latest horror/thriller novel, is  The Encanto: Book One of the L.A. Fog series (October 2021, Swanfall). We talk about his new book, his work at Dreamworks, and his work a non-profit "Young Storytellers. 

Young Storytellers - https://www.youngstorytellers.com/

On this episode of Let's Talk -- I talk with scientist, explorer, TV host, and former political candidate Jess Phoenix.

She’s Executive Director and co-founder of the environmental scientific research organization Blueprint Earth. She is a volcanologist, an extreme explorer, host of the upcoming Discovery Channel series Hunting Atlantis and former candidate for United States Congress. She’s an invited TEDx speaker and a fellow in the Explorers club -- which means she’s a total bad ass.

We talk about the climate crisis, what it’s like to stand on an actively erupting volcano and her experiences as a member of the legendary Explorer’s Club. It’s an episode you don’t want to miss!

App - Volcanoes and Earthquakes

Our guests this episode are twin sisters who know how to have a good time. Sarah Routman and Rachael Siegelman use laughter as a tool to help people improve their lives and their business interactions.

They motivate people to engage in healthy laughter for a vibrant, uplifting, and transformative shift in all aspects of their lives. They have found spontaneous laughter helps when negotiating contracts and in other business settings -- and they teach that to thousands at seminars.

TheLaughterBook.com

LaughHealthy.com

Jake Reiner is the host of a brand new podcast -- Meeting on the Mound -- It’s focus -- all things baseball. Whether it’s on the field, in the history books, or on the big screen, Jake Reiner shares stories from his unique upbringing around the game.  He joins me to talk baseball and we get all the details about his new podcast. Here's a hint... the first episode is with his dad Rob and grandpa Carl. 

Find the "Meeting on the Mound" podcast on all major podcast platforms. 

Follow Jake on Twitter: @Reiner_Jake

On Episode 22 of Let's Talk, I chat with Franke Previte and John DeNicola -- the oscar winning and golden globe winning duo who wrote two of the most iconic songs in movie history -- I’ve Had the time of my life and Hungry eyes from the 80’s blockbuster Dirty dancing.

These smash hits rocketed the blockbuster movie's soundtrack to No. 1 on the Billboard charts for 18 straight weeks and have propelled it to worldwide sales of over 55 million.

"(I've Had) The Time of My Life" was chosen as one of ASCAP's top 20 songs ever written.

Episode 19 - This episode of Let's Talk is with Occidental College Professor Caroline Heldman. She joins us to talk about the election and what could happen in the days and weeks that follow. This episode airs the day before what many are calling the most important US election in the history of our country.  We talk about everything from what a lame duck final few months could look like, how campaigning during COVID has affected both candidates, and the future of the Republican party. 

***This episode includes language that may not be suitable for children.

On this episode of Let's Talk -- I talk with award winning voice over artist and radio personality Mark Rider. He shares his journey from small market DJ to ACM Radio Personality of the Year and then his decision to leave radio to become one of the most sought after voice over artists. Some great nuggets on mindset, faith and hard work!

My guest this week is Cynthia Toussaint.  38 years ago she was a rising star in the ballet world when an injury began a life long  struggle with chronic pain. Her Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome went un-diagnosed for years in great part because, as a woman, doctors told her it was all in her head. She turned her experiences dealing with chronic pain, the health care and insurance system into a life long mission to advocate for women in pain. Then, in 2019 she was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer -- this is the story of her fight to beat breast cancer while being a CRPS sufferer.

In this episode of Let's Talk I chat with CBS Los Angeles Investigative Reporter Kristine Lazar about her work helping people navigate through the problems with unemployment insurance during the pandemic. 

Veteran Sportscaster Michael Coleman joins us to talk about the sports world's reaction to the shooting of Jacob Blake.

Dave Stevens was a three sport athlete in high school, He was a three sport athlete in college.  Dave Stevens tried out for the Dallas Cowboys, played professional baseball and he once pinch hit for Darryl Strawberry. He also earned eight Emmy awards while working at ESPN. All of those achievements are remarkable for one person... but there's one thing I left out.  Dave has no legs.  Hear his remarkable story on this episode of Let's Talk.  

In this episode of Let's Talk -- I chat with veteran political reporter Dave Bryan about last weeks Democratic National Convention and we preview this week's Republican National Convention.  We also talk a little bit about Kamala Harris. Bryan covered her extensively when she was Attorney General of California. We also look at how campaigning will be different in a world with Coronavirus.

Today my guest is Dale Scott  -- Dale Scott was a major league baseball umpire for 32 years. In that time, Dale worked three world series and three all-star games.  He was also on the field for a boat load of league and divisional championship series. He umpired 3,897 games -- but who’s counting. The Oregon native was behind the plate calling balls and strikes for a no-hitter. After suffering several concussions he umpired his last game in 2017.  Dale is also Major League Baseballs first openly gay umpire.

Drew Scott is an award winning broadcast journalists who has spent nearly  50 years delivering the news to viewers and listeners in the New York City area and across the country. His granddaughter died of an heroin/fentanyl overdose a few years ago and he's since dedicated his life to try to make sure other families don't go through what his family has.

Here are some resources in the fight against opioids. 

In this episode of Let's Talk education in a world with COVID-19.

Today we’re going to talk about the a shift in both the Democratic and Republican Parties with Dr. Jack Pitney -- he’s the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Politics at Claremont McKenna College.

It seems the parties have moved father and farther from the center.  When I started covering politics in the late 1980's the republicans were the party of family values, the moral majority, the party of evangelicals… the Democrats were for the working class, those struggling to make it, the party that fought for minorities. Each party also had a legitimate moderate wing that often came together to cross the aisle to get things done.

Now it seems like in many ways that’s flipped.