The Lilly Pad: Recent Episodes
Jason Lilly
Come hang out at the Lilly Pad, a podcast created to spotlight the people who are making their unique mark in the world by using their gifts and talents to make a difference in their communities. Hosted by Jason Lilly: English teacher, Shakespeare enthusiast, and book nerd.
Ethan Linn is a husband, new father and online health & fitness coach. When he's not spending time with family or friends his primary focus is on helping other parents shed fat, build strength and regain their energy with simple solutions that allow for lasting results. He is an avid kettlebell user and has found the kettlebell to be one of the best tools to teach people how to get the results they are desperate for while enjoying the process. He believes regaining one's health will improve every other aspect of life. You can learn more about what he does by following his most active social media account on Instagram @ethan_kettlebellcoach
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Just some heartfelt motivation if you're feeling down this holiday season.
Kevin McNee is a dedicated Transformational Coach & Mentor specializing in helping men become the best versions of themselves. With a focus on navigating life transitions, overcoming self-doubt, shedding limited beliefs, and breaking free from self-limiting behaviors, Kevin provides a safe and open space for men to be vulnerable and authentic.
He empowers men to confront and conquer obstacles, unlocking their full potential for greater fulfillment and success in all aspects of life.
You can find out more about Kevin and his work by following him on Instagram @kevin_heartwarrior
Brian Tierney holds a PhD in Somatic Psychology and has, for over a decade, been an international trainer of somatic clinicians. As a somatic practitioner trainer, Brian aids people in working more skillfully with the physiology of the nervous system to build resilience, release trauma, and alleviate chronic pain. His doctoral project was an Integrative approach to Psychology that wove together Somatic Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Embryology, Neurobiology, Mythological Studies, and General Systems Theory. Brian has been an integrative clinical bodywork practitioner since 1999 and has a multiplicity of experiences including working with cancer patients in New Zealand, stewarding rites of passage events for men and boys, and providing drama therapy in group settings. His thousands of hours of training in the healing arts and sciences include certificates in the Rolf Method of Structural Integration, EMDR, Leadership and Social Transformation, Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, Advanced Breathing Facilitation, Yoga Teaching, Clinical Hypnosis, Transformational Dance, Drama Therapy, and a plethora of Clinical Massage modalities. Brian is a Licensed Psychologist specializing in hands-on somatic approaches to trauma resolution. He is an eclectic psychotherapist who uses a combination of talk therapy and education with individuals, families, couples, children, and groups. He is also a seasoned dancer with over 20 years of experience in modalities such as Contact Improvisation, Capoeira, and Authentic Movement. Additionally, Brian is currently an adjunct professor teaching at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco.
When Dan isn’t diving in the dark with Navy SEALs, rucking through the cold with a team carrying logs, or building something in his shop, he’s serving his wife and three kids in the ways that only he can in Eugene, Oregon. Every day he’s showing others how to have an epic, adventurous life and love the journey with some powerful tools!He started the Anthem of the Adventurer out of a deep seated need for adventure in his life, and to share that journey with other men. Before joining SEAL Team Leaders, where he serves as the head coach in the leadership and teams class, Dan has worked with research centers at Purdue University for both the National Science Foundation and NASA, helping make our society more resilient to all the natural hazards nature throws at us on Earth as well as on the moon and Mars. Prior to this, he has worked as a validation engineer for Caterpillar, a manufacturing engineer for Subaru, and a fluid systems engineer for Electric Boat working on nuclear submarine design. Dan holds a bachelor’s of science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, but clearly… doesn’t do much engineering these days. He is also working on a book. You can find Dan on Instagram at @anthemoftheadventurer
Eric Spector is a fitness professional and kettlebell enthusiast. He started using kettlebells during the pandemic and quickly became obsessed. Unlike many kettlebell users, Eric is self taught, studying videos from YouTube and Instagram to develop his skills and unique style. He has since started posting videos of his own workouts online, and offers a Weekly Kettlebell Workout Subscription to those who want to follow along with his programming.Eric mostly works out outdoors, which helps him connect with nature and avoid noisy, crowded, and expensive gyms. This was the inspiration of his apparel brand, Touch Grass Co.You can find Eric on Instagram @ericdoeskettlebell.
Max Stossel is an Award winning poet, filmmaker and speaker, named by Forbes as one of the best storytellers of the year. Max and his work have been featured in BBC, Bustle, Buzzfeed, CNN, Daily Mail, Elite Daily, Fast Company, Mashable, Quartz, and Upworthy. His one-man show “Words That Move” is currently selling out theaters all over NYC and is beginning to tour in select locations. Spanning across five continents, from Lincoln Center in NY to the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Max’s performances have been described as mind-expanding, profound, and hilarious all at once. His work has been translated to fourteen languages, won multiple film festivals, and has been viewed over 20 million times online. Max is also the Youth & Education Advisor for the Center for Humane Technology, An organization of former tech insiders dedicated to realigning technology with humanity’s best interests. Before working with CHT, Max was a media strategist with an extensive background in social, spending more time learning the ins and outs of the facebook algorithm than any human should.He ran social for multinational brands, and later worked for a social media company where he designed some of the same notification structures to distract people that he now criticizes. He has spent the past four years speaking with thousands of students, parents, and educators around the world, and creating resources to help manage social media's impact on their lives. Max provides a unique and much needed perspective on the role of technology in schools and in our society.The merging of these fields allows Max to provide a fascinating perspective on modern content and culture. He is currently performing "Words That Move" in theatres, speaking or performing at schools, corporations & events, and helping select brands tell their stories in his style via video.You can learn more about Max by following his Instagram @maxstossel and by visiting his website wordsthatmove.com
Corduroy Brown is a musician from Huntington, WV. His music is a welcome blend of poppy feel-good rock and songs that go straight to the heart. A near-death experience in 2021 changed his perspective and taught him a lot about what matters most in life. This new outlook has impacted him as a musician and is reflected in his upcoming EP titled Rest.
Be sure to listen and follow Corduroy Brown on Spotify, and check out his Facebook and Instagram @corduroybrownwv.
Rebecca Solnit said, "Walking... is how the body measures itself against the earth." For me, walking is one of the best ways to relieve stress, to process my thoughts and emotions, to feel present and in the moment.
It's been too long! Here is a life update and some info about the future of the podcast.
My guest today is Ken Ott. Ken was introduced to me by our mutual friend Brandon Alexander. In 2017, Ken found himself in a dark place after some drastic life changes impacted his mental health. However, a failed suicide attempt gave Ken hope, and since then he has found opportunities to reach out to other men, including his own son, who were in similar dark places. This conversation comes with a trigger warning because we "have the hard conversation" and talk about depression, suicide, and similar painful topics. More importantly, we talk about how desperately men need connection and need to find healthy ways to unashamedly express their true selves in the world. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Ken is a father to one son and two daughters, whom he describes as his "constant source of light" and the "stars" that give him guidance no matter how much his own darkness threatens to swallow him up. His children give him the courage to share his journey and be himself, flaws and all, so that they can learn and hopefully not repeat or inherit the mistakes of their father. It's a focus on breaking the generational curses that can appear. Ken works as a manager of a team focused on process improvements and optimization.
When not at work, he loves to fish, read, and watch anime, along with working on getting a few more tattoos, and trying to understand the dating world. Ken is focused on figuring out what to do with his story. He hopes that in sharing this podcast, it will be the starting point to finding ways to prevent and shape others from the "death of a thousand papercuts" that leads many men to think suicide is the only decision left to make.
Just a quick a response to a question I am often answered: How do you find time to read all the books you read?
My guest today is Bob Zanlungo. Bob is not an entrepreneur, artist, musician, or athlete. He is a mortgage banker from Connecticut. But I invited Bob to the podcast because he decided to change his life for the better by getting involved in men's work and joining a community of brothers who support each other and challenge each other to be the best men they can be in all aspects of their lives. We discuss the challenges men face today and why it is important to have the support of men who know you and have your back both when you are at your best and when you are at your worst. Bob was born and raised in CT and after a decade in Washington DC for college and a few jobs in politics, he moved back to CT and began working in the mortgage industry. He’s been in mortgage banking for the past 16 years and runs a branch office of Norcom Mortgage with his business partner, Kelly Turner. Bob stumbled into men’s work a few months before the pandemic struck. It was the best thing that ever happened to him. He is a member of The Uncivilized Nation, a men’s community started by Traver Boehm. Bob believes that men living a life that is true and honest to themselves, their partners, and the world around them is truly the medicine our culture needs. Bob is owned by an 11lb miniature pinscher named Mia and lives in Glastonbury, CT.
Phil Melick is the owner and shopkeeper of Elk City Records, a record shop located in the historic Elk City district of Charleston, WV. Phil was born and raised in central Ohio. He attended Miami University where he met his wife, Susie, who is a Charleston native. Following their graduation in 1980, the two married and Susie worked while Phil attended law school at Ohio State. The couple moved to Charleston, WV in 1983 after Phil joined a large law firm and the two moved into their current house in 1984.
Deciding to retire from full-time law practice in 2016, Phil and his wife followed a passion and love for music and records by establishing Elk City Records, which opened its doors in March 2017 in the Elk City district, which also happens to be Susie's childhood neighborhood. As a testament to their love of music, Phil and his wife have also been season ticket holders to the WV Symphony Orchestra since 1984, and Phil still plays the euphonium with a brass quintet and has previously done so with various community groups, including the Mountain State Brass Band.
Phil and his wife have two daughters and sons-in-law, and one grandson, who reside in Boston and Chicago metro areas.
Do your limitations make facing your challenges impossible or just difficult? Let's talk about it!
Propaganda is a hiphop artist, poet, political activist, husband, father, academic, and more. With LA flowing through his veins & armed with a bold message, Propaganda has assembled a body of work that challenges and guides. Propaganda’s ideas stem from where he sits at the intersection. He sees how cultures cross and inspire one another, and can see the oneness of us all. Propaganda will cause you to nod your head, but more importantly he will stretch your mind & heart. Be sure to follow Prop on all social media @prophiphop or at his website prophiphop.com
It would not be exaggeration to say that this conversation was a dream come true. Several years ago, I read a book titled The Heroic Path by a man named John Sowers. The book was very honest and intimate, and I felt very connected to the author's story and was captivated by his use of myth and poetry and popular culture to share his journey as a man, a husband, and a father. I immediately longed to talk to John more about the ideas in his book, especially those that felt very familiar to my own story. I reached out to him on Twitter, and we communicated several times about various things, including our mutual love of Tolkien. Fast forward a few years, and I knew when I started this podcast that I wanted John to be a guest. We finally made it happen, and I am honored to have him. Dr. John Sowers is an author of several works, including Fatherless Generation: Redeeming the Story, The Heroic Path, and his most recent book, Say All the Unspoken Things, is a series of personal letters to his daughters that cover such topics as bravery, wonder, beauty, kindness, romance, and God's patient love. John's work and writing have been featured by CNN, Maria Shriver, NBC, Fox News, Wilderness Magazine, Relevant and others. In 2012, John received the President's Champion of Change of Award at the White House from President Obama. He received his Doctorate from Gordon Conwell in Boston and his Masters of Divinity from Trinity in Chicago. He enjoys old books, hunting, knife making and mythopoeia, and is active on Instagram - @johnsowers.
I am stoked to get back into these Monday Motivation segments. This week I talk about how positive life changes are big deal, no matter how "small."
Rainier Wylde is a teacher, writer, and facilitator who works with men and women around the world in the art of working with your unacknowledged shadow, balancing the masculine & the feminine, and experiencing spiritual awakening. His recent book, As You Are: Meditations on Self and Other, is a collection of musings about what it means to be authentically you and to accept that you are good and worthy of love "as you are," which then empowers us to live fully and authentically with others. Rainier has been a sort of "online mentor" to me for a little over a year now. He is, without a doubt, my favorite person on Instagram. His posts seem to both defy and embrace what we really need from social media: visually and emotionally captivating posts about life, love, loss, heartache, healing, and (most importantly) being our true selves. Rainier is qualified to write and talk about being our true selves because he lives it every single day. You can learn more about Rainier and his work by following him on Instagram @rainierwylde and his website rainierwylde.com
No guest this week, so I thought I would take some time to give a life update and talk a bit about the future of the podcast.
Philip Shepherd is the author of two books, Radical Wholeness and New Self, New World, and co-author of Deep Fitness, which is being released on Oct. 19th, 2021. He also originated The Embodied Present Process (TEPP), which is taught in workshops, retreats and Facilitators Trainings worldwide. TEPP offers over a hundred gentle, unique practices to help people overcome the effects of our disembodied culture, which dulls us to self and world. As people learn through the practices to re-sensitize their body to the present, they begin to ground their being in its natural, awakened calm. Philip’s personal journey to embodiment includes cycling alone as a teenager through Europe, the Middle East, Iran, India and Japan; studying classical Japanese Noh Theater; co-founding an interdisciplinary theatre company; writing two internationally produced plays and a television documentary; and playing lead roles on stages in London, New York, Chicago and Toronto. Find out more at EmbodiedPresent.com.
Investigative journalist and anthropologist Scott Carney has worked in some of the most dangerous and unlikely corners of the world. His work blends narrative non-fiction with ethnography. What Doesn’t Kill Us was a New York Times bestseller; other works include The Wedge, The Red Market and A Death on Diamond Mountain. Carney was a contributing editor at Wired for five years and his writing also appears in Mother Jones, Men’s Journal, Playboy, Foreign Policy, Discover, Outside and Fast Company. His work has been the subject of a variety of radio and television programs, including on NPR and National Geographic TV. In 2010, he won the Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism for his story “Meet the Parents,” which tracked an international kidnapping-to-adoption ring. Carney has spent extensive time in South Asia and speaks Hindi. He attended Kenyon College and has a masters degree in anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He currently lives in Denver, CO
Rick Alexander is a man who lives to find the depth in life. After serving 12 years in the military in a special operations capacity, he answered his next call to adventure to become a writer, speaker, and coach. Rick creates content that explores mythology, psychology, spirituality, and the human quest to find meaning. You can learn more about Rick's ideas in his podcast A Thousand Names for God, by reading his latest book Ambitious Heroes and Heartache, by enrolling in one of his courses or upcoming workshops, or by having him speak to your team, organization, or club. Be sure to follow Rick on Instagram @rickalexander_ and check out his website: rickalexander.com
Bryant Baker is a passionate adventurer and someone who is proud to call West Virginia home. He founded Adventure Appalachia, a non-profit whose mission is to provide powerful outdoor adventures to children and adolescents who might not otherwise have the opportunity. Bryant also founded the Rim to River 100 mile race in the New River Gorge. It was the first 100 mile race to ever be held in West Virginia and brought positive attention to the state, as well as raise funds for Adventure Appalachia. Bryant is inspiring because he is using his love of adventure, the outdoors, and West Virginia, to make a difference in the lives of adventurers of all types, both young and old. You can learn more about Adventure Appalachia by going to their website: AdventureAppalachia.org You can also learn more about the Rim to River 100 by going to RimtoRiver100.com
Ben Jamn is a small-town kid from West Virginia just chasing his dream of being a musician. Singer, rapper, writer and composer, Ben is just having fun with his musical talents. He's not your typical artist who limits himself to one genre. Raised on Rock N Roll and Country, he found his love for Hip-Hop early on as well, so all of those sounds are bleeding from his soul. Hoping to share his love for West Virginia to the rest of the world. You can find out more about Ben Jamn by following his Instagram: @benjamnwv
My guest this week is my friend Mike Yarbrough, author and founder of Wolf & Iron, a powerful men's movement that is inspiring men to "heed the high call" in their lives and become the man they were meant to be. His most recent book is titled Tending the Fire, and it is a call for men to step into their purpose and live deliberately by "tending the fire" God placed in our hearts. Having spent his formative years on the banks of the Hatchie river in the small town of Mercer, TN, Mike Yarbrough yearns for the hardihood and old-school wisdom so common in generations past. He is the founder of Wolf & Iron (https://wolfandiron.com) and Rustic and Main (https://rusticandmain.com). Mike has a passion for entrepreneurship, stories, and helping men heed the High Call of manful living. He now resides in Charlotte, NC with his lovely wife and two handsome sons.
Matt Browning is a Charleston, WV, based writer. His latest book, The Definitive Golden Girls Cultural Reference Guide, examines the many pop culture references made on the enduring series. His other works include Bookstore Explorer: West Virginia, a celebration of the Mountain State’s indie bookshops, and Chicks and the City, a children’s book about urban farming. Learn more at MattBrowningBooks.com
For this 25th episode, I interviewed my friend Crystal Price. Crystal and I worked together at a movie theater, and I just knew there was something inspiring in her that would encourage her to do something big one day to help her community. Crystal Price is the founder and clinical director of Mountain Care Network. She is a LICSW from WV. She was born in Wheeling, WV to two 16 year olds in 1990. She went on to graduate with her MSW from WVU. Crystal and her family moved to Raleigh, NC where she obtained her licensure and was quickly promoted into leadership. She was certified in PCIT by Duke while leading intensive therapy programs in homes. Crystal and her partner, Chris, moved back to WV to open Mountain Care Network and increase accessibility to mental health services in their home state.
Jason Gardner is a former U.S. Navy SEAL, combat leader, and now a leadership instructor and speaker with Echelon Front. Jason spent nearly three decades in the SEAL Teams with nine deployments across the globe. With experience operating in violent cities in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Jason has seen first-hand the power of the leadership lessons taught at Echelon Front. He brings perspective from every level of leadership from a front line SEAL sniper to the SEAL Team FIVE Command Master Chief. As a lead instructor for Naval Special Warfare Group One Training Detachment, he created and implemented realistic and challenging special operations combat training to better prepare SEAL units for the real-world battlefield. Throughout his career, he worked alongside Jocko, Leif, and several members of the Echelon Front team developing the same principles and mindsets taught to companies across every industry. He is the recipient of the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, a Purple Heart and numerous other awards. After his retirement from the US Navy, Jason brings unmatched experience with combat leadership in dynamic environments, building winning teams, and developing relationships across all levels of an organization. He serves as a leadership instructor, speaker, and strategic advisor at Echelon Front. (bio from EchelonFront.com)
To find out more about Jason and his work, check out his Instagram and Twitter @jason.n.gardner.
Jeddy Azuma is the founder of The Rising Man Movement and the host of The Rising Man podcast. He is a proud husband, father, and mentor, and his goal is to initiate a generation of men into their power and purpose. To find out more, you can follow Jeddy on Instagram: @jeddyazuma @risingmanmovement risingman.org
J. Nichols is a marine biologist, water-lover, turtle nerd, embarrassing dad, and creator of useful words. J. is the author of Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do. J. is a passionate ocean lover and conservationist and has worked for decades to protect out planet's most life-giving resource: water. Through reminding us how special and important water is to our everyday life, J. transforms how we should view protecting our streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans: by remembering how much we love them and are connected to them.
To find out more about J. and his work with ocean conservation, check out his website: wallacejnichols.org or on social media:
Facebook: wallacejnichols
Instagram: wallacejnichols
Isaac Cotec has dedicated his life to empowering others through art and creativity. He is a scholar of the subconscious and has studied the power of symbolism to help create enduring change. He has spent over a decade facilitating dance events, hosting music retreats, and mentoring artist. The HeroRise Archetype Deck gave Isaac another platform to inspire others on their creative purpose. He has seen the transformative power of self-discovery through symbols and rituals and created the deck as another tool for those along the path.
To find out more about Isaac and his work, check out his impressive website herorise.us or follow him on Instagram @herorise.us
You can learn more about the Masculine Archetype deck at https://www.herorise.us/archetype-deck/
My guest this week is a guest whose work I have been following for a number of years: Erwan Le Corre. Erwan is the godfather of natural movement, and if you have known me for some time, he is partially to blame for why I run around barefoot, lifting logs and stones, balancing on fallen trees, jumping across creeks, and crawling along trails. Just watch the Youtube video titled "The Workout the World Forgot," and tell me that doesn't look like fun! Erwan Le Corre is the founder of “MovNat,” a synthesis of his long-term passion for real-world physical competency, his love of movement in nature, his extensive knowledge of Physical Education history, and his personal philosophy of life. He believes it is everyone’s universal and biological birthright to be strong, healthy, happy and free. He calls this state of being our “True Nature.” (bio taken from MovNat.com) You can learn more about Erwan and his movement program at MovNat.com. You can also follow Erwan on Instagram @erwanlecorre
For this episode, it was a great pleasure to interview Brandon Alexander: actor, entrepreneur, dancer, and more. Brandon Alexander is a young and inspired creative, born in Bremerton, Washington. At a young age Brandon began dancing and performing in talent shows and discovered he enjoyed the spotlight. He continued performing and took up sports when his family moved to their hometown of Killeen, Texas. It was there he auditioned for the highly acclaimed televised dance competition "So You Think You Can Dance" and although it panned out unsuccessful, he was further inspired to take his passion to Los Angles and train and dance professionally. Since his move to Los Angeles, Brandon has performed with artists such as Beyoncé, Raphael Saadiq and Jennifer Lopez. Brandon later shifted his energy and focus to acting, to his business, @newagegents, which provides services that empower men, and to horseback riding. He is the co-host of Men Talking Shift, as well as 1/3 of The Refinery with his friends Colt Prattes and Jon Gorski. As he says in our interview, he is these things and more.
An upfront conversation about the freedom we need to give ourselves to feel and express our emotions.
Traver Boehm knows men. How they think, what’s behind their behavior, and most importantly — their unique challenges in the modern landscape. Traver is the founder of the UNcivilized Men’s Movement, the fastest growing men’s movement in the world. He is the author of Today I Rise, and Man UNcivilized as well as a two time TEDx speaker, men’s coach and podcaster. Drawing upon an eclectic background ranging from professional bodyguarding and Mixed Martial Arts to a Master’s Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and meditation, Traver counsels men, women, and couples on how to better understand men’s mental health and relationship difficulties. Although he’s not quite sure how to feel about the title, he has been dubbed, “The Man Whisperer” as he has the unique ability to speak to men in a way they can hear and understand. In 2016 after losing a pregnancy, his marriage, and his business partnership all within weeks of each other, he created a radical year long social experiment to answer the questions, “Who am I and who am I as a man?” Highlights of the year include:
Volunteering with the dying as a hospice worker
Meditating for 28 days straight in complete isolation and pitch-black darkness in a Guatemalan hut
Living in the frigid Utah wilderness for a month with only a knife, a water bottle, and a blanket
With a passion for people and a unique lens through which to view the human experience, Traver is a highly sought after teacher in the fields of consciousness, intimacy, and personal development. When not teaching workshops or radically shifting the way men experience their masculinity, Traver can be found obsessing over a single word in front of his laptop, chasing surf around the globe, and being awful at yoga. For more information please visit his website www.manuncivilized.com And find him on Instagram: @traverboehm And all podcast platforms at The UNcivilized Podcast with Traver Boehm
Casey Voltin is the owner of Casey's Cakes and Cookies. Her bakery is a bit different from others because it's not there for her to profit anything; it's there for her to help people get what they want at a super reasonable price. Casey feels that nobody should have to spend an arm and a leg to make an event very special to them. That's why her slogan is "making your life a little sweeter" because that's her goal is to make everybody's life a little sweeter.
Welcome to another Solo Saturday. This just an update of some of the things going on in my life and what to expect from the podcast next month.
Mike and Rachel are the owners of Coal River Coffee Company, a locally owned coffee business and shop in St. Albans, WV. Mike's passion is to serve the best and freshest roasted coffees from around the world to everyone who walks in the doors. Rachel loves to bake beautiful and delicious food to share with all who visit the coffee shop. They both grew up in St. Albans, WV and are grateful to base their business there. Their desire is not only to roast the best coffee but also to brew community. Mike and Rachel have used their business to help strengthen their community through partnerships with other businesses and organizations in the area. Mike and Rachel both have a powerful vision for their company that is about so much more than business success. Their coffee shop is located on Olde Main Plaza in the heart of St. Albans, WV, and within walking distance of the company's namesake, the Coal River. You can learn more about Coal River Coffee Company by following their Instagram: @coalrivercoffeecompany, Facebook: Coal River Coffee or on their website, CoalRiverCoffee.com.
Adam Bryan has been involved in the arts as long as he can remember. He has worked for professional theatres such as Theatre West Virginia, where he played Dave Morgan in Honey in the Rock and various roles such as Jim Vance and Devil Anse Hatfield in the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s, as well being a performer and road manager for the educational tours that TWV offers to the great state of WV. Adam has performed in anything he could since he was a small boy. Now being much “bigger” he is the Director/Manager of the Alban Arts Center. He spends his days trying to find a way to offer artistic experiences to the community and provide artistic opportunities for artists. Adam has been the director for 12 years and in partnership with other members of the community and a long list of talented actors, artists, producers, and technicians has brought a variety of arts programs, shows, and productions to the area. In spite of the challenges presented by COVID in 2020, Adam and the Alban Arts team used their innovative minds to find creative ways to keep the Alban alive by using technology to stream live productions. It is this type of innovation and creativity that has transformed theater and yet maintained the integrity of live theater and kept the Alban Arts center thriving.
In this episode, I talk about what's next for the podcast. I am excited about the future of this podcast and am looking forward to featuring new guests and seeing it grow.
Welcome to another Solo Saturday. For this episode, I share some exciting news for my family.
Josh Lewis moved from Minneapolis, MN to Bluefield, WV in the fall of 2000 to work for WVVA TV as a sports anchor/reporter. After two years he was able to get a job at WCHS TV in Charleston. Nearly two decades later he now calls West Virginia his home. He has always had a passion for fitness and it makes him feel good to help others so he decided he would work towards a certification as a personal trainer while continuing his work as a sports broadcaster. In 2016 he created Grind Time Training from scratch as a creative way to continue his work at WCHS, continue growing as a trainer, and spend time with his 2-year-old son, Brady. It became clear that his busy schedule was going to stand in the way of being a present father, so he had to think outside the box. If he was training at someone else's gym he couldn't bring his son with him... so it was either: quit his passion as a trainer and focus on his TV job alone or continue working as a trainer and a TV person but miss out on quality time with his son. He didn't really care for either of those options so he decided to just open up his own small gym. In 2018 he was approached about an empty building that he could purchase to use as my gym. It was a very unique situation as the building sits across the street from the building where WCHS TV is located. To add a layer to the story, he also built a loft apartment above the gym for him and his son to live in. It was absolutely perfect. His home and his gym were only 110 steps from his work. Again, it was perfect. Until it wasn't. In March of 2021, he was one of nearly 500 Sinclair Broadcast Group employees from across the country to lose his job. After nearly 20 years of reporting sports in Charleston--more than 20 years of experience overall--he was out of a job. However, Josh is all about turning setbacks into comebacks, so he has taken this situation on as a challenge. For the first time in his life, Josh feels he has the opportunity to fully devote himself to training and growing his business. What was once a passion--some might even call it a hobby--is now a business. Josh says, "We live in a state that is always getting kicked around nationwide. A punchline for those who aren't from this great state and don't understand how special this place is. I would like to do something to help. My goal is to help reverse the stereotypes and fighting the obesity epidemic in West Virginia is a good place to start. Fitness has meant so much to me in my life- I feel inclined to share it with the world. I love it when the light 'goes off' for someone else about fitness and they begin to implement life changes that help them transform both their body and their mind. Fitness isn't just about aesthetics. Yes, working out makes you look more appealing but- to me at least- what fitness does for your mind is far greater!" Find out more about Josh's gym, Grind Time Training, LLC. at the links below: Instagram: @grindtimewv Facebook: GrindTimeWV Website: https://www.grindtimetrainingllc.com/
For this episode, I was honored to interview musician and producer Christopher Vincent. Raised in West Virginia, Christopher is spreading his eclectic music across the states at a rapid pace. He is self-taught, and his bastardization is just as much a benefit as his innovation. He currently fronts a popular, eclectic, gypsy-esque band and a falsetto grunge group based in West Virginia, and has played solo on both coasts. His work is known for its intricacy of structure and meaning, as well as its mutation of genres. He has a deep, powerful voice that is not easily forgotten, and his compositions are complex, but engaging and accessible by all audiences.
Denise Giardina is a novelist from Charleston, West Virginia. She is considered one of the most talented Appalachian novelists, with six critically acclaimed novels, several of which received awards and high recognition. In addition to being an acclaimed novelist, Denise is also a retired university professor, a playwright, an ordained Episcopal deacon, a community activist, an actress, and a former candidate for governor of West Virginia. In this conversation, we talk about her novels, about her challenges and successes as an author, and about her time in community theater. We also discuss the unfortunate stereotyping of Appalachian culture and community and how it is so often negatively conveyed in popular culture.
Holly Medley is a baton twirler, a twirl coach, and one of the owners of local area twirl competition team, The West Virginia Mountainettes. For this episode, I talk to Holly about her challenges and successes as a twirl coach and about what she feels is most important to her as a coach and what she expects of her students, as well. I also talk to my daughter, Aryanna Lilly, who was a twirler, a student of Holly's, and a Mountainettes team member. She talks about her time learning from Holly and shares how she feels she has grown both as a twirler and as a person because of her time as Holly's student. Holly Medley resides in Pinch, WV. She is happily married to her husband, Clay, with 2 adorable boys, Reed and Hayes. She earned Bachelors and Master’s degrees from West Virginia University. While at WVU, she was a member of The Pride of West Virginia, Mountaineer Marching Band color guard. Holly is a Social Worker at Oak Ridge Center nursing home and has a strong passion for working with the geriatric population. Holly started baton twirling at the age of 5 at Donna’s School of Baton and Dance. She took dance and baton classes for 8 years before starting private baton twirling lessons. Holly was the feature twirler at South Charleston High School. Holly met Michelle Elmore-Wooton while at WVU and began taking private twirling lessons again, as she was not quite ready to hang up her batons, just yet. Holly started competing locally and nationally, earning many state and regional awards. Holly placed in the top 10 in the beginner pageant at Notre Dame. She competed in modeling, 2 baton, strut, solo and duet. Holly and Michelle had a strong connection, and with their passion for baton twirling, they decided to start a baton twirling team in the Charleston area. The idea behind the team was to build baton twirling in the area. Together, they created The WV Mountainettes. Holly enjoys seeing her students grow and develop. It has been more exciting to watch her students learn, improve, and perform well at contest and football games, than to earn awards and titles herself. The sport of baton twirling continues to bring enjoyment and pride as a coach. You can find out more about Holly and Michelle's twirl team by finding the West Virginia Mountainettes Twirling Team on Facebook.
Kelly Chapman is the owner and teacher at Kelly's Dance Studio in Cross Lanes, WV. Kelly has had over 41 years experience in the dance field. She started dancing when she was about 6 years old, started shadowing her dance teacher when she was 12, and began as an assistant instructor when she was 16. Kelly taught at a Charleston studio for 10 more years before moving on and opening her own studio. Kelly teaches all of her classes, choreograph all of her dances, and constantly tries to better her skills. She uses instructional DVDs, manuals, and videos to stay current on dance trends and to brush up on old skills. When possible, she even takes a class or two herself. She tries to always give everyone she works with the very best she has to give. She stays in the classroom with her dancers because she believes that is where she belongs, and she wants the dancers to know how much she appreciates them and how much she wants to be with them.
Aaron Fisher is a musician from Sissonville, WV, the former owner of 101 Productions/The Fishbowl Recording, a current partner at 7 West Recording Studio in Charleston, WV, and singer/songwriter for the group Aaron Fisher and Ghost Fleet. You can find more information about Aaron, his production work, and his group at his website AaronFisher.com.
Willow Hess is a local artist from West Virginia who creates unique art through different medias. Working towards her bachelors degree in Graphic design, Hess hopes to give back to her community with her ideas.
For this episode, I share my favorite poem and talk about my retro taste in music & movies (among other things).
For this episode, I interviewed Charleston area entrepreneur & athlete KeyKey Dudley. Keymonisha “KeyKey” Dudley is a Charleston native. She is a Capital High School and WVU Tech student-athlete graduate. Although all odds were against her through her lifetime, that never stopped her from reaching her highest potential. She is now a young business owner, still striving to be the best version of herself.
For this week's Monday Motivation, I talk about gratitude. This episode features messages from listeners like you who share what they are grateful for. For more information about how you can also be featured in episodes like this one, message me on Instagram @thelillypadpodcast.
Another Solo Saturday segment. I don't really like talking about politics, but I hope this message resonates with some of you.
Brandon Corns is a photographer in Charleston WV. He went from posting snapshots on Instagram to starting a small photography business. Capturing the moment isn’t just a lifestyle for him; it’s his business model. Brandon Corns is also one of my running buddies who I met during my first 5K race, which he beat me in, although I redeemed myself the following year by beating him in a 4k trail race. He also is a self-proclaimed meme lord. Please support his photography page https://www.facebook.com/brandoncornsphotography/
Elaine Abdalla is a visually-impaired entrepreneur who has supported her mother, Mary Case, throughout their journey into the food service industry. She is the operator of Cafe Crema, a cafe in Dunbar, WV that serves coffee, tea, sweet treats, ice cream, and a variety of unique sandwiches. Elaine lives in the Charleston, WV area with her best friend: Clover the Rat Terrier. Find out more about Cafe Crema at the links below: cremawv.com Instagram: @cafecremawv Facebook: CafeCremaWV
For this Solo Saturday, I reflect on the family and friends who have inspired me and given me hope during challenging times.
Autumn is a special education teacher, dog mom, wife, and photographer! She picked up photography as a hobby because she loves to capture all the beautiful moments of life. She enjoys it so much that she decided to start her own photography business. Whether it’s capturing family photos, a romantic engagement session, or simply some fun best friend photos, Autumn is eager and excited to create some magic for all of her clients! Autumn is located in Morgantown, West Virginia, but she travels to the Charleston area quite frequently. Website -- Autumn Collette Photography, LLC Social Media -- Instagram: @autumncollettephoto, Facebook: autumncollettephotography
Brandon Perry is an ultra runner who started running to lose weight but quickly fell in love with it. Before he began running, Brandon was 300+ pounds until he decided that he wanted to lose weight. This started his running adventure, which has grown to include multiple races and events, including multiple marathons and ultramarathons. Brandon is from Cross Lanes, WV. He attended Cross Lanes Christian School and West Virginia State University with a background in Psychology. He has participated in the Marshall University Marathon (5 times!), the Haulin in the Holler 25 and 50k trail races, the Frozen Sasquatch 50k trail race, the Kanawha Trace 50k trail race, the Charleston Distance Run 15 mile road race, the Poca River road run 15k, and the Highland Sky 41 miler in Davis, WV.
Another episode of Monday Motivation to get you motivated to make your day matter!
Get the Every Monday Matters book I discuss in this episode here.
In the second episode of #TheLillyPadPodcast, it was my pleasure to interview musician and author Tony Harrah. We talked about his journey as a musician and about his new book, Boxing With God. But more importantly, we talked about family, about fatherhood, and about how to stay determined, how to make hard decisions when necessary, and to find a way out when struggles come. Below is a bio taken from Tony's website, which you can find at http://www.tonyharrah.com Based out of the small town of Nitro, West Virginia and steeped in blues and traditional folk sounds, Tony Harrah is a voice of Appalachia that begs the attention of the hardest heart string. Gritty and true, his songwriting speaks to the life of blue collar society and forgotten America. Since the 2016 and 2017 albums "Two Dollar Suit" and "Oklahoma Blues" done with the Putnam Prohibition, Harrah has been showcasing his widespread instrumental and writing talents. Being billed alongside artists like Tyler Childers, Jeremy Pinnell, Nicholas Jamerson and many more, Harrah is breaking out of his regional coverage and spreading his fan base nationally. With musical influences ranging from Guy Clark and Tom Waits, to Springsteen and Ryan Adams; Harrah has perfected his own unique sound and has been described as "like Ray Charles and a hippie had a child and it came out sounding like Muddy Waters." - J.A. Outlaw Resurgence.
This is a short, solo episode where I talk about how I am a "special kind of crazy" because I actually enjoy getting up early Saturday mornings and running trails with my buddy Rick, who is also a "special kind of crazy." Why do we do it? Listen to find out.
For the first episode of #TheLillyPadPodcast I interview Cathy Pleska, author, editor, professor, teacher and born-and-raised West Virginian. We talk about her origins as a writer, the struggles and blessings of writing, and how to start telling your own story. Her bio below is taken from her website, which you can find at http://www.catpleska.com
Cat Pleska is an author, editor, educator, publisher, and storyteller. She often leads writing workshops in the community and is an essayist for West Virginia Public Radio, and a book reviewer for West Virginia University Press. She edited the anthology Fed from the Blade: Tales and Poems from the Mountains (Woodland Press 2012), and her first book, Riding on Comets: a Memoir was published by West Virginia University Press May 2015. Riding on Comets was short listed for the 2015 book of the year in the memoir category by Foreword Magazine. Cat is the 2016 recipient of the Governor’s Arts Award for Support of the Arts. Her cookbook, One Foot in the Gravy—Hooked on the Sauce: Recipes You’ll Relish was published by Mountain State Press in April 2017. She is working on a novel, a collection of short stories, and a collection of essays. She holds an MFA from Goucher College in Baltimore (2004), as well as an MA in Humanities (1998) and a BA in English (writing emphasis, 1994). She taught in the graduate humanities program for Marshall University and was a full time Instructor for Arizona State University’s Master of Liberal Studies Program. She now teaches full time for the English department at Marshall University.
This episode is an introduction to me and to this podcast. I hope you'll stick around and come back for future episodes.