Author

Vicki

Memoir, Non Fiction, Personal Development

Feb 08: From Showing Off to Showing Up with Nancy Regan

February 8, 2023

The perfect job, perfect marriage, perfect kids … she was deliriously happy. But was she?

Podcast Nancy Regan From Showing Off to Showing Up

In what seemed from the outside to be a great life, Nancy Regan reached a point where she knew she was living a lie and had to make changes. Big ones. One of the hardest was to let go of her persistent need for perfection, from herself and others.

In her new book — part memoir, part self-empowerment guide — Nancy shares her journey from successful TV host to living a more authentic and fearless life. We discuss how comparing ourselves steals our joy. How Nancy’s fear kept her stuck in shame. How she dealt with imposter syndrome. And how she brings herself back to the present when she finds herself retreating into old patterns.

About Nancy Regan

She’s a passionate storyteller who built a solid reputation over 15 years as the host of CTV Atlantic’s Live at 5. Nancy Regan also served as the national host of Good Morning Canada and That News show. She’s interviewed people from Oprah to Madonna and Russell Crowe. From Showing Off to Showing Up: An Impostor’s Journey from Perfect to Present is Nancy Regan’s debut book.

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History, Journalism, Non Fiction

Jan 18: The Nazi Conspiracy with #1 NYT Bestselling Author Brad Meltzer

January 18, 2023

The Nazi Conspiracy_BradMeltzer_ConversationsLiveVickiStClairThe Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill

Brad Meltzer’s books are full of twist and turns, intriguing characters, and little known historical details. And it’s those delicious details that make The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill so compelling.

Brad shares how he discovered this true Nazi assasination plot that, had it not been thwarted, would have changed the world. We discuss what surprised him most during his research, how this part of history informs today’s landscape, why Brad says we need to feel uncomfortable, and much more.

 

About Brad Meltzer

BRAD MELTZER is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lightning Rod, The Escape Artist, and over ten other bestselling thrillers, as well as the Ordinary People Change the World series. He is also the host of the History Channel TV shows “Brad Meltzer’s Decoded” and “Brad Meltzer’s Lost History,” which he used to help find the missing 9/11 flag that the firefighters raised at Ground Zero. Brad coauthored The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill with JOSH MENSCH – a bestselling author and award-winning TV documentary producer.

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Creativity, Non Fiction, Personal Development, Professional Development, Psychology

Dec 28: Stop Procrastinating, Start Living Your Dreams with Kate Eckman

December 28, 2022

Eliminate Perfectionism, Shed Self-Doubt, Create a Fun & Fulfilling Life

As many of us think about goals for 2023, we look at why we so often get in our our own … and how we can change that!

Kate Eckman knows first hand how the stories we tell can make or break us. We discuss why you should dare to suck at something new. How naming values helps establish clarity. How creating safe space helps develop the independence needed to live authentically. Why humor and fun and play is imperative!

About Kate Eckman

Former elite athlete Kate Eckman deeply understands sports psychology and performance. She’s a  certified executive coach, working with leaders in business and sports, and the award-winning author of The Full Spirit Workout: A Ten-Step System to Shed Your Self-Doubt, Strengthen Your Spiritual Core, and Create a Fun and Fulfilling Life.

 

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Fiction, Writers on Writing

Dec 14: Wendy Sand Eckel with Mystery at Windswept Farm

December 14, 2022

A Rosalie Hart Mystery

A love of organic farm-to-table food, Italian cuisine, and murder and mayhem in an intimate community … what’s not to love?

Today we discuss the third novel in the Rosalie Hart Mystery Series with author Wendy Sand Eckel. She shares how a minor incident in her teens led to a background in criminology. How she approaches her writing, develops her characters, and how she chose the antagonist for Mystery at Windswept Farm. We also discuss thoughts on the important Italian practice of “Il dolce far niente”.

About Wendy Sand Eckel

With degrees in criminology and social work, followed by years of clinical practice, Wendy Sand Eckel combines her passion for words, relationships, and meaning, through her stories.​ The award-winning author of the Rosalie Hart Mystery Series, Wendy is an active member of the Mystery Writers of America and the International Association of Crime Writers.

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Nature, Psychology, Self-help

Nov 23: Healing PTSD & Trauma with Dr. Rochelle Calvert

November 23, 2022

Heal Your Soul with Nature, Mindfulness, Somatic Therapy

With the drama and crises of the past five years, it’s no wonder so many Americans are feeling stressed, distressed, depressed, and traumatized.

How can you heal trauma and PTSD? How can you pull yourself back from feeling broken, to feeling good about yourself and life? How can you become calmer, more present, more in control, more joyful?

Author of Healing with Nature, Dr. Rochelle Calvert, says answers often lie in nature, with the combination of somatic practices and mindfulness. We explore the science behind this  therapy, and the benefits of getting outdoors into nature. Dr. Calvert also shares how to incorporate these simple practices into everyday life.

About Dr. Rochelle Calvert

Rochelle Calvert, PhD is a clinical psychologist specializing in life transitions, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and pain. She’s the founder of New Mindful Life, has a private practice in California, and is an expert on mindfulness, nature-based therapy, and somatic experiencing. Her book is Healing with Nature: Mindfulness and Somatic Practices to Heal from Trauma.

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Essays, Memoir, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

Nov 09: Peter Orner – Still No Word From You: Notes in the Margin

November 9, 2022

Observations on books, stories, poems, and life by the author of Am I Alone Here?

He’s known as a writer’s writer, a triple threat — novelist, short story master, and prolific essayist. But if you ask Peter Orner what he really wants readers to take away from his work, it’s connection.

Still No Word from You: Notes in the Margin melds intimate stories from the lived life and reading life. We discuss how Peter’s stories are often built around small moments;  how he knows which moments will make a great story. Living the writer’s life. What challenges Peter as a writer, and more.

About Peter Orner

The author of two novels and several story collections, Peter Orner‘s work has appeared in The Best American Short Stories, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Paris Review, and more. His previous essay collection, Am I Alone Here? Notes on Living to Read and Reading to Live, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism. Peter Orner is a 3-time recipient of the Pushcart Prize and has received numerous awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Fulbright in Namibia. He is currently the director of creative writing at Dartmouth College.

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Memoir, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

Oct 26: Tuesdays in Jail with Author Tina Welling

October 26, 2022

Book Cover Tuesdays in Jail by Tina WellingWhat I Learned Teaching Journaling to Inmates

When Tina Welling volunteered to teach journaling at her local county jail, little did she know how much she’d learn about herself, and how much she and the inmates had in common.

Eleven years into her teaching journey, Tina shares some of the stories from her new book Tuesdays in Jail. We discuss what she learned about even the most hardened criminals. What working with inmates taught Tina about self-awareness, and helped her overcome some of her own limitations, providing growth in ways she didn’t expect.

About Tina Welling

The author of the novels Cowboys Never Cry, Fairy Tale Blues, and Crybaby Ranch, Tina Welling also wrote Writing Wild: Forming a Creative Partnership with Nature (listen to our podcast on Writing Wild.) Tina Welling is the recipient of a Wyoming Arts Council writing fellowship, and has been conducting Writing Wild workshops for ten years. She lives in Jackson, Wyoming. More on Tuesdays in Jail.

 

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Fiction, Non Fiction, Short Stories, Writers on Writing

Oct 19: Gary Lippman One Sentence Stories

October 19, 2022

Book jacket - We Loved the World But Could Not StayStories for People with Short Attention Spans

Why one-sentence stories? Because author Gary Lippman wanted to rise to the challenge, and “…because imperfection is easier to tolerate in small doses.”

He’s kidding about that last part, of course, and ended up writing more than 300 one-sentence stories. Some true, some partially true, some total fiction—all are well told, and full of wit and wisdom. So, what went into writing We Loved the World But Could Not Stay, and which stories are true? Listen up!

About Gary Lippman

We Loved the World But Could Not Stay is Gary Lippman‘s second book.  His first, a novel, Set the Controls for the Heart of Sharon Tate was published in 2019. Lippman’s play Paradox Lust ran off-Broadway in 2001, and his journalism has appeared in The Paris Review, Literary Hub, VICE, The New York Times, and Fodor’s Travel Guides. Gary Lippman has a law degree from Northwestern University, and has worked with New York City’s Innocence Project.

 

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Memoir, Non Fiction

Oct 05: White Flag – A Memoir with NYT Bestselling Author Judy L Mandel

October 5, 2022

70% of kids who try drugs before 13 develop a substance abuse disorder within 7 years

When Judy Mandel made a deathbed promise to her sister, she had no idea how that promise would end. From an early age, Judy’s niece Cheryl struggled with addiction and the horrors that came with it – from imprisonment to living in shelters, and ultimately, a fatal overdose.

Trying to understand Cheryl’s life and where things went wrong, Judy Mandel drew on her investigative journalism skills and set out on a painful but revealing journey. The result is her latest memoir, White Flag.

About Judy Mandel

Judy Mandel is a former reporter and marketing executive. She has an MFA in create writing from Stony Brook University, and her essays have appeared in numerous publications including American Writers Review and Complete Wellbeing Magazine. She’s the New York Times bestselling author of Replacement Child. Her second memoir is White Flag.

*According to NCDAS: National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics

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Journalism, Memoir, Non Fiction

Sep 21: Rebel with a Clause – Ellen Jovin

September 21, 2022

Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian

Ellen Jovin‘s journey of almost 30,000 miles around America began outside her Manhattan apartment, with a folding table, and a sign saying GRAMMAR TABLE. From lawyers , couples, and families, to  writers, students, and rappers, passers-by had questions for Ellen — and she had answers.

But how did this take Ellen to 49 cities and towns, by five modes of transport? We discuss why people stopped by the Grammar Table, how that led to the  documentary film and Ellen’s book. And why this isn’t just about words, language, and grammar, but connection, community and — yes — sometimes just wanting to be right.

About Ellen Jovin

Ellen Jovin is the author of four books on language, and a cofounder of Syntaxis, a communication skills training consultancy. She has a B.A. in German studies, an M.A. in comparative literature …  and studied 25 languages just for fun. Her latest book is Rebel with a Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian.

 

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