The Good Rascals: Recent Episodes
Kevin Del Principe
The Good Rascals is a podcast about outsiders who care and dare to reimagine the world. Many people feel as though they don't fit in. Some take that feeling and turn it into passion and constructive change. Artists, thought leaders, entrepreneurs, as well as all sorts of outsider people where titles don't quite suit them, are interviewed by host Kevin Del Principe about why they identify as outsiders and how they have turned that energy into changing the world for the better.
What intellectual and spiritual posture can support the constructive transformation of ourselves and the world? In this episode, Norman Blair (yoga practitioner and teacher) and Kevin discuss the importance of making informed choices while maintaining a humble nature. Norman and Kevin consider a critical position that must be held to grow—strong convictions alongside an openness to learn more.
Sources and Mentions:
For more info about Norman and his book Brightening Our Inner Skies: Yin and Yoga:https://www.yogawithnorman.co.uk/
Norman’s blog article “Rocking Boats” on his site:
https://www.yogawithnorman.co.uk/blog/rocking-boats
The book about shadow work that Kevin mentioned but couldn’t recall the name during the podcast is The Dark Side of the Light Chasers: Reclaiming Your Power, Creativity, Brilliance, and Dreams* by Debbie Ford: https://a.co/d/105ZWmu
When the career path seems unclear and sometimes even blocked by gatekeepers, how can creatives find their way to fulfilling lives? In this episode, Clay Stafford (writer, creative, and entrepreneur) discusses the core principles that have guided him. Tune in for Clay’s reflections on how to build community and maximize opportunities for creative success.
Sources and Mentions:
Clay’s website: https://claystafford.com/
Clay’s new platform for writers: https://thebalancedwriter.com/
Killer Nashville: https://www.killernashville.com/
What emboldens a person to take risks to grow? In thisepisode, Tony Wijs (owner and lead audio engineer of Immersed Productions) and David Tansey (producer at Immersed Productions) share their ideas on developing creatively and professionally, including the importance of encouragement.
The episode is available here: https://dogheartland.com/thegoodrascals/
*It's also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, and iHeartRadio
Sources and Mentions:
For more info regarding Tony, David, and Immersed Productions, check out this link:https://www.immersedproductions.com/
For more info about The Guiding: The Guiding Voice Sessions podcast, check out this link: https://dogheartland.com/theguiding-theguidingvoicesessions/
What’s best… living life as a wild trip or staying steady? In this episode, author Bronwyn Judde shares how “Adventures with stability are much better […}.” Bronwyn Judde is a writer whose current work centers on romance stories. Bronwyn Judde is a pen name, and Kevin knows Bronwyn as Sarah. In fact, Kevin’s connection to Sarah and her husband Steve goes back around twenty years. Bronwyn/Sarah chats with Kevin about her writing journey and a formative time in her life when she lived in Greece and when she first met Steve.
The episode is available here: https://dogheartland.com/thegoodrascals/
*It's also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, & iHeartRadio
Sources/Mentions/Resources/Corrections
For more info regarding Bronwyn and her books, here’s a link to her author page on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Bronwyn-Judde/author/B09W5ZY9P3
When things seem bleak, what can you do to make your life better? Kerry Cutrell (mindfulness coach) shares how, with the support of a shaman, she came to understand that “The first thing you have to do is learn how to love yourself.” Kerry chats with Kevin about how meditation has improved her life and how she now helps others through her guided meditation program, Find Your Strength.
The Good Rascals episodes are available here: https://dogheartland.com/thegoodrascals/
Sources/Mentions/Resources/Corrections
For more about Kerry's Meditation Program, Find Your Strength: https://letsfindyourstrength.com/
Kevin mentioned one of Richard Rohr’s books again but did not say the title quite right. Here it is:FallingUpward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life
Out of fear, many people run away from difficulty, but what if one is afraid of not truly living? Ivy Lewis (writer) talks about a pivotal moment when she decided to run toward a tremendous challenge because she feared having regrets. Check out the episode to learn more about what can be earned from pursuing an extreme personal test. Kevin and Ivy talk about Ivy’s storytelling interests and the basic choices people can make to live decently. Ivy Lewis is Ivy’s pen name, and she also chats about using a nom de plume. Keep a look out for Ivy’s forthcoming novel Ferrishyn: Book 1.
Sources/Mentions/Resources/Corrections
For more about Ivy and her writing: https://www.ivylewisauthor.co.uk/
Also, here's a link to Scorpius Books (the publisher of Ivy's book, Ferrishyn: Book 1): https://www.scorpiusbooks.com/
Kevin mentioned one of Richard Rohr’s books but did not say the title quite right. Here it is:Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life
How can we grow as artists/people in a society that works against our development? Billups Allen (writer, musician, and record store clerk) provides ideas on how we can create spaces where growth is encouraged. For example, Billups talks to Kevin about his micro-screening series based in Memphis called Off the Marquee. Kevin and Billups also chat about Billups’s book 101 Films You Could See Before You Die: A Film Guide for the Disenchanted.
Sources/Mentions/Resources
For more about Billups and his creative work: https://cramholezine.wordpress.com/about/
What lessons can we from punk rock? John Rash (photographer, filmmaker, editor, and educator) shares some punk rock lessons he’s learned and how they apply to his filmmaking career. John also talks with Kevin about Our Movement Starts Here, his latest documentary film that he co-directed, produced, etc.
Sources/Mentions/Resources/Corrections
Film: Our Movement Starts Here
Podcast episode: Brian Brogan Explains How We Can Heal
*Kevin may have been introduced to Sunny Day Real Estate during his sophomore year of high school rather than his freshman year. Regardless, hearing their music for the first time opened new creative pathways for him.
How can people really heal rather than being caught in a repetitive process of trying to heal? Brian Brogan (poet, artist, and healer) chats with Kevin about how to embark on a spiritual journey. Kevin also shares how he and Brian met over twenty years ago and how Kevin's company Dog Heart Land, under its small press Dog Heart Land Press, recently published Brian's latest poetry book, Tracking the Masked Dawn.
Sources/Mentions/Resources
Book: Tracking the Masked Dawn by Brian Brogan
Book: The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
Article: "Are You a Wounded Healer" by Diana Raab, Ph.D. (Check this article out for more learning about the concept of the "wounded healer" as discussed by Carl Jung)
What posture can best help people see their tremendous value? Ali Cheff (actor, voiceover actor, and a humanitarian clown) talks to Kevin about how to be present and engage those who are suffering. Ali also talks about their love of telling stories.
What style of thinking leads to more opportunities? Kris Coleman (Comedian, AKA Comedian Daddy Ice) talks to Kevin about the mindset that's helped him personally and professionally. Kris and Kevin also talk about how they met when Kevin was his theater teacher and how Kris became involved in comedy.
Source/Mention/Resource:
Article/Interview: "George Carlin" in The A.V. Club
What should we do when we see suffering? Suzy Hollenbach (Founder of the non-profit animal rescue organization All 4s Rescue League) chats with Kevin about what she's seeing in the Memphis neighborhoods that need the most support. She also shares how her work with All 4s Rescue League started.
Source/Mention/Resource:
Book -The World We Have: A Buddhist Approach to Peace and Ecologyby Thich Nhat Hanh
How can we make sense of the things in life that feel absurd? Murray Warburton (animator, editor, and filmmaker) chats with Kevin about how he's striving to tell an animated story about the war in Ukraine based on his experience being in a relationship with his girlfriend, who is from Ukraine. Murray and Kevin also discuss how difficult situations can lead to personal growth. Murray's animation about Ukraine is now shifting into a different project concerning Ukraine. This episode was initially recorded on April 30th, 2022.
Source/Mention/Resource:
Book - A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders
Is art required to remind us things that we ought to already know? Rollence Patugan (photographer and college teacher) chats with Kevin about his artistic motivations. Kevin also shares a story about how Rollence gave him one of his photographs during a challenging time in his life.
Source/Mention/Resource:
Article - "At War with the Obvious"
Short Story - "The Bully"
The Good Rascals host Kevin Del Principe interviews Aris Lanaridis (composer and lecturer in Music). Aris composes for film and various media. On this episode, Aris chats about the connections he sees between narrative and music. He also shares a message of encouragement and perseverance to the next generation. Source/Mention: Hunter Thompson Quote
The Good Rascals host Kevin Del Principe interviews Katherine E. Lewis (writer, storyteller, and filmmaker). Katherine’s written for TV, podcasts, storytelling apps, and recently, she’s co-written a novel. Other storytelling mediums for Katherine include: drawing, painting, and animating. On this episode, Kevin and Katherine chat about the coming-of-age novel that she co-wrote with her sister Rebecca Lewis, Convergence - Book One: Incarnation. Katherine shares some lessons she’s learned about family and place, and how these themes manifest in her writing. Source/Mention: The Naked Now by Richard Rohr
The Good Rascals host Kevin Del Principe interviews Megan Murtha (playwright, director, composer, and professor). Megan and Kevin share their experiences growing up in West Seneca, NY and how their hometown had an impact on their artistic practices. Megan explains how she is focusing on cultivating a supportive, community-conscious process in her art as well as alternative ways she can use her art to positively engage with the world.
Source: Check out Richard Rohr’s meditation in which artist and author Christine Valters Paintner’s concept of receiving pictures rather than taking them was mentioned
Here’s her book: Christine Valters Paintner, Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice (Sorin Books: 2013).
The Good Rascals host Kevin Del Principe interviews Kyndle Wylde (musician, singer, & songwriter). Kyndle explains how she learned to listen to her inner voice to tell her own story on her debut EP, Kyndle Wylde. Kyndle and Kevin both share stories from their youth where they felt on the outside of things and how these experiences led them to have greater empathy for others. At the end of the podcast, the audience can listen to a clip from Kyndle's single "Like You Used To."
The Good Rascals host Kevin Del Principe interviews his long-standing friend and creative partner Mark Blaszak (entrepreneur, business owner, videographer, cinematographer, storyteller, & co-founder of Uplifter Video). Mark and Kevin chat about how they became friends in high school by playing in a band and how their creative partnership has continued all these years--most recently by working together on the movie Up on the Glass. They also chat about the importance of storytelling. Mark explains how his love of storytelling brought him to leave a corporate job and start his own business.
The Good Rascals host Kevin Del Principe interviews his friend/cousin Matt Chavanne (lighting designer, electrical engineer, musician/drummer for Humble Braggers). Matt and Kevin chat about their upbringing and how they've become closer over the years. Matt describes maintaining a career that is both technical and creative and how there is unity between these concepts that are often inaccurately described as oppositional. He also shares a clip of the latest single from his band Humble Braggers entitled, "I'll Keep Running." *In the podcast, Kevin mentions a concept about supporting others articulated by Dave Chapelle in his comedy special, "The Bird Revelation."
The Good Rascals host Kevin Del Principe interviews his longtime friend Rob Currin (teacher, coach, creative). Rob and Kevin chat about how their friendship began while rallying for the local public library. Rob explains the nexus between competition, inspiration, and creation. *The three books whose ideas I mentioned in the podcast were Making Movies by Sidney Lumet, Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Richard Rohr, and The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert.
The Good Rascals host Kevin Del Principe interviews his friend and neighbor Jon Hornyak (musician, entrepreneur, Sr. Executive Director of the Memphis Chapter at the Recording Academy). Jon explains the importance of mentorship in his multi-faceted music career, and how the Recording Academy now has mentorship programs. He also shares how Memphis provided him creative freedom as well as people who showed him the way along his music and business journey.
The Good Rascals host Kevin Del Principe interviews his friend Gerry Trentham (dancer, choreographer, Artistic Director of pounds per square inch performance, teacher). Gerry shares how increasing body awareness allows for a greater sense of both pleasure and pain. He also chats about how certain questions can bring a person to zero, but at that place there is a hidden spine that can be discovered.
The Good Rascals host Kevin Del Principe interviews his friend and neighbor Ellen Rolfes (entrepreneur, storyteller, philanthropy strategist). Ellen shares how listening to her inner voice has guided her own story and allowed her to help others tell their stories too. Rather than perceived burdens, Ellen details how adversity and fears can be tremendous gifts that can lead to new possibilities.
The Good Rascals host Kevin Del Principe interviews his long-time friend Jim Thurston (carpenter, creative, co-owner of CWT Builders, farmer) about what qualities allow a friendship to endure. Jim and Kevin talk about their college days and discover a new gratitude for the difficulties they experienced and also those mentors who saw them through.
Go to the CWT Builders Facebook Page for more info about Jim's construction company.
Check out the Thurston Family Farm for amazing maple syrup and to learn more about the multigenerational farm that has been in Jim's family for over six decades.
The Good Rascals host Kevin Del Principe chats with Derek Diamond (podcast host and filmmaker) about why Derek first created his podcast and how his rationale has evolved over time. Derek explains how sharing one's own stories about overcoming adversity can help others foster their own resiliency.
Check out Derek's podcast for great film and TV content and interviews with industry creatives at The Derek Diamond Experience.
The Good Rascals host Kevin Del Principe talks with his brother Keith Del Principe (artist, ecologist and animator) about how Keith developed a meditative practice to rewire his mind and better connect to his body in order to create art and pursue a "greatness" that he says is inside all of us.
Along with his partner, bekky O'Neil, Keith is the owner of Cardboard Reality, a permaculture farm, boutique shop, and animation studio.
The Good Rascals host Kevin Del Principe chats with his good friend David Ngo (writer, filmmaker, college teacher, and podcast host of the Best Story I Never Told) about David feeling like an outsider growing up and how that feeling has continued even today. David shares about living in between multiple worlds/cultures, and how he has learned the importance of deep listening, communication, and creating space for people to share their stories through creating his podcast.
The Good Rascals host Kevin Del Principe chats with Jared Hernandez (writer, musician, visual artist) about having diverse creative passions. Kevin also chats with Jared about his feeling a little on the outside of a church experience as a teenager and young man, and how it taught him to give people a little bit of grace.
The Good Rascals host Kevin Del Principe chats with Nikki Del Principe (writer, producer, actor) about her experience feeling like an outsider growing up and how that has propelled her to reframe old institutions as well as create new institutions to foster constructive meaning for herself and others.