I made a Spotify playlist of random songs that I've heard throughout the years and I wanted to share some info and thoughts on each of them. The playlist is 20 songs long. In the last episode, Episode 16, I discussed the first 10 on that playlist. Now, we do the last 10 on the list:
Can't play the songs in the podcast for obvious reasons, but I have the link to the playlist so you can hear them. Like, subscribe, and comment. Let me know what your think.
It's a new kind of episode for all you S.T.R.O.L.L. listeners. It's called A Walk In The Park. It will highlight a list of things to talk about, as if I'm talking to a friend about things that interests me. For this first one, we go with songs. 20 songs, 10 of which you'll hear about in this episode:
You will not be able to hear the songs during this episode because of copyright issues, but I have linked an accompanying playlist from Spotify where you can hear the songs in their entirety: A Walk In The Park playlist
The second half of the list will be done in the next episode.
In this fourth edition of my Road Trip series, we S.T.R.O.L.L. to Oxfordshire, England to meet a set of twins who recently celebrated their 100th birthday.
Meanwhile, in Lancashire, a little girl wanted to make sure her local police ok as they attended to an emergency. A set of 6-year-old twins in Pittsburgh are more than happy to give everyone "sunshine in a cup". Find out how the crew of a Carnival Cruise ship, which left Sydney days earlier, helped two couples and their three dogs escape peril on the high seas.
In Montreal, a woman is trying to find out who spent 20 minutes giving CPR to their father, saving his life after collapsing in a park. Hear the inspiring story of a Tennessee woman who had the blessing of bringing five kids into this world and beat the odds after her path to success delayed by a medical condition.
I also bring you an amazing story of a 14 year old English teen who saved a man's life when he became injured and disoriented in the surf, a story of generosity between a dental office and a mailman in North Carolina, and a woman who grew up knowing she was adopted and took a 44 year journey to connect with the sisters she didn't know she had.
This episode of S.T.R.O.L.L. will stir up nostalgic feelings, especially for kids of the 90's. Today, I talk to one half of the influential and memorable hip-hop/rap duo Tag Team, the multi-talented DC The Brain Supreme (DC Glenn). The Denver native met Steve Rolln (Steve Gibson) back in the early 80s in high school.
Little did he know, it would start a life journey that would lead him to not only help create to one of the greatest jock jams and party jams of all time (Whoomp! There It Is), but - as you will hear in this interview - would also lead him down multiple paths of hustle and hunger that is keeping him and the Tag Team story alive today.
You will be inspired by DC's words and by his tenacity to keep learning and keep growing in his journey. Listen in and find out about DC's piece of the puzzle.
To learn more about DC and Steve, check them out at:
It's another Road Trip here on S.T.R.O.L.L. For this one, we go to either side of the pond. First, a young couple in Connecticut found an endearing and generous way to celebrate their four month anniversary. Then, a former social worker is going cross country to listen to his fellow Canadians. In Texas, an Amazon delivery driver stopped in the middle of his busy day to help a neighbor he wasn't even delivering to. A five-year-old from Pembrokeshire found an awesome way to pay homage to his inspiration on their 99th birthday. A California woman saw something on a busy freeway and felt compelled to jump into action. We also go to Pensacola, Florida, where a girl caught up in a rip current was saved by a Good Samaritan who can't swim. Meanwhile back over in Sussex, a very compassionate woman is hailed for her over 50 years of service to the safety and well-being of animals. You'll also hear the story of Leonardo, a tortoise who slipped away for his own road trip. And finally, a Florida man who jumped into action to save a "symbol of America".
On this edition of S.T.R.O.L.L., it's a bit of a road trip - but a special one. In lieu of the usual Tuesday episode, I bring you one today as we honor our mothers. In celebration of Mother's Day, I share some thoughts about mothers - about the mothers I know personally and the ones I don't. They brought us into this world and no matter what age we are, they will always see us as their babies. To all the moms out there, here is a episode that is for you.
It's time for another Road Trip edition of S.T.R.O.L.L.
In this episode, you'll find out about a Pennsylvania teacher who wanted to find a fitting way to honor her late sister, a Tennessee woman who is chasing her dream thanks to Live Mas, a science teacher from Florida who is trying to make things easier for college freshmen, a two-year-old who got quite the assist from an Arizona ranch dog, a homeless man in California who received a new lease on life, three high school students from India who invented something that will surely change lives, a surprising soon-to-be college grad in California, a story of survival from down under, a Michigan postal worker who inspired a homeowner to pay it forward and an incredible story of determination from across the pond.
For this edition of S.T.R.O.L.L., we find out the puzzle piece that is Ellen Rothstein. She started out as a painter. In fact, her work has made it into exhibitions. Listen in and find out the journey she's been through that led to her being a life transition coach. Ellen brings some great clarity and wisdom that we can all use in our respective journeys.
To find out more about Ellen, go to: https://www.ellenrothstein.com
We all have our hills and mountains to climb in life. My guest for this S.T.R.O.L.L. is Michelle Kuei, who had a transformative event happen to her when she was just 11 years old. It set Michelle on her journey leading up to today. She is a motivational speaker, marketing coach and an author. Listen to this episode and find out why she named her book "From Crutches to Courage: Reaching The Mountaintop, One Courageous Step At A Time". Everyone is a puzzle piece in the big picture of life (the basis for this podcast). Find out about Michelle's piece and be prepared to be inspired by her fortitude and strength.
To find out more about Michelle, go to:
Grief, loss and trauma are all part of life. At some points in our journey, we are going to lose someone we care about. Some of us may feel the unbearable sting of emotional and physical pain at the hands of someone we love. Sometimes we may have to undergo tremendous bouts with change as we go along. But these are all things we can handle if we are equipped with the knowledge to do so. Edy Nathan, an author, public speaker, licensed therapist and foremost authority on grief and trauma joins us for this S.T.R.O.L.L. Edy shares her expertise on what grief is, what the phases of it can be, how it can differ for all of us and how we reconcile the fact we carry it with us in some way going forward. Tune in for an enlightening and thought provoking look at something we all must face, whether we are prepared for it or not.
For more information on Edy Nathan, go to:
For today's S.T.R.O.L.L., I get the privilege of speaking to Austin, Texas based food photographer Mica McCook.
She's a creative entrepreneur that overcame adversity early on in her life and changed the trajectory of her life by discovering the marriage between her passion for food and her love of photography.
Mica is the host of The Savory Shot podcast, which doesn't just explore the subject of photography but gives insight from creatives all over with tips and anecdotes about entrepreneurship, business and life. Listen to this episode and find out the ins and outs of the life of a creative in the world of business, as well as why Mica choose Ravenclaw.
To find out more about Mica, go to https://micamccook.com
We're taking our latest S.T.R.O.L.L. with Laurie Singer.
She is a licensed marriage and family therapist based in California. Laurie shares her story and her expertise when it comes to anxiety and ADHD and how her background as a remarkable endurance athlete has helped shape her journey throughout the years, which included her own personal tragedy back in 1987.
Laurie is the author of the book "You're Not Crazy: Living with Anxiety, Obsessions and Fetishes". Laurie, who was inducted into the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame back in 2017, also tells us about the new book she is working on. This is an inspiring conversation and an informative one as well.
If you want to find out more about Laurie, you can go to https://lauriesingerbehavioral.com
Every so often, I will be doing a special episode of S.T.R.O.L.L. which will be known as a "Home Session". This is a musical episode. For this first Home Session, I am featuring my own songs for you to listen to. I have a lot of originals, but for the purposes of this, I handpicked seven of my songs to play for you. Just me and my guitar. I hope you enjoy this brand new type of episode. God willing, in the future, I will feature other musicians for these Home Sessions. In the meantime, the seven songs you will hear today are as follows:
1. You Saved The Worst for First
2. Aren't We All Under The Weather?
3. Where The Money Went
4. Desperation
5. Easy Money #3
6. Trouble With The Law
7. Rows of Stones
All songs written by yours truly, Kevin Thomas. If you want to see more episodes like this or you like this podcast overall, be sure to like, subscribe, follow and leave a comment.
God bless.
Every so often, I will be doing a special episode of S.T.R.O.L.L. which will be known as a Road Trip. I will give you positive and uplifting stories from around the country and the world as an antidote to the negative droll that you get from the news on a daily basis. It's a space where you can hear about good people from all over who are doing great things for their community.
In this episode, you'll hear what a barber shop owner is doing to give back to his local veterans, a Scottish couple's enduring love despite not speaking the same language when they first met, a hero bus driver who was in the right place at the right time, a Michigan cafe owner who stepped up to help a homeless Army veteran, a Colorado woman who played a big part in saving the life of a man that she went with to her high school prom, a Pennsylvania hiker who helped a local family reunite with their missing dog, a Kentucky police officer serving his community by aiding a disabled woman, a Mississippi town that came together to help out a cherished member of their community, an English shopkeeper who won a national lottery and decided to give back to her community, the relaunching of an important organization in hurricane ravaged New Orleans, an English boy whose class project grew into something truly special for his local community, a Kentucky bus driver who came to rescue for a child who didn't want to miss out on the fun at school, a Michigan special education teacher who thought of others affected after surviving a double lung transplant, and a Hollywood star who found a way to reward LA-area high school students after the destructive wildfires in California earlier this year.
According to a 2023 Gallup poll, around 44 percent of American workers experience workplace burnout. A 2023 Deloitte study states around 77 percent of U.S. workers reported experiencing burnout at their current job at least once.
Today, I speak with a renowned figure in mental health innovation, Michelle E. Dickinson. She is a keynote speaker, TED speaker, Workplace Resilience Visionary, Burnout Interventionist and bestselling author of the book "Breaking Into My Life". In this episode, you'll hear the personal struggles that led to a change in trajectory for Michelle and resulted in "Resilience As A Lifestyle". Find out what Michelle means by "Personal Agency" and why a shift in how we think of stress can lead to life changing results - and not just in the workplace.
For more information on Michelle E. Dickinson, go to her websites:
http://resilienceasalifestyle.com
and
In this episode, I speak with online wellness coach and solopreneur Megan Gaul. She started out in teaching and education, but after losing 100 pounds a few years ago and maintaining a healthy weight since then, she has changed course and become a wellness coach. The proud Staten Islander is also proud to be a nerd, especially when it comes to her data-analysis skills - which has helped her not only maintaining success in her own health journey, but it also aided Megan in helping others break free from negative cycles. Megan and I have a fun conversation about her journey, including how the once reluctant cook is now inspiring others to make solid choices in the kitchen.
To find out more about Megan Gaul, go to her website: http://partakemealplanning.com
I'm honored to have the first guest of S.T.R.O.L.L. be the Arizona-based singer/songwriter, filmmaker and podcaster Adam Blaylock. He is the director and star of the YouTube-based documentary "Back to the 'Burgh", as well as "EveningTheScore: Unplugged at Pub Rock Live!". He has hosted and produced over 150 episodes of his previous podcast "A Guy, A Car, And A Podcast". He now hosts "Heart Songs: The Podcast", which explores the impact and influence of music on the lives of its guests - fellow singer/songwriters. Join me for an in-depth conversation with the lead singer and principal songwriter of the band EveningTheScore as we talk about faith, music and the unexpected journeys in life.
To find out more about Adam, go to his website: http://www.blayrock.com
My name is Kevin Thomas and I'm hosting a new podcast here called S.T.R.O.L.L. - Solving The Rebus of Living Life. Listen in to hear what this concept is all about! Coming soon!
