Living The Next Chapter: Candid Conversations with Authors and Writers for Readers Searching for a New Read

E676 - Jennifer Celeste Briggs - Watching Sarah Rise - A Journey of Thriving With Autism

EPISODE 676 - Jennifer Celeste Briggs - Watching Sarah Rise - A Journey of Thriving With AutismJennifer Celeste Briggs has a BA in English Literature from Swarthmore college. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and two daughters. Her daughter Sarah has a genetic anomaly and autism. When Sarah was four, Jenny decided to run a Son-Rise Program for her, calling it Sarah-Rise, and training at the Autism Treatment Center of America. The Son-Rise Program is a loving child-centered approach to helping those with autism and other challenges connect socially, verbally, and through increased eye contact. Organizing hundreds of hours of therapeutic play time for Sarah, Jenny trained and coordinated multiple volunteers who contributed their love and creativity to the venture. Jenny started a blog to share the experience of Sarah-Rise and has heard multiple times that her words were helpful to others dealing with life struggles. Jenny wants to help parents feel understood and to spread the word about The Son-Rise Program. She hopes that her words bring comfort, joy, and inspiration to readers whatever their challenges and journeys may be.Sarah is a feisty and determined four-year-old with autism and a unique genetic blueprint. Her mom Jenny is equally feisty and determined, which leads to clashes and strife but also leads to phenomenal connection and progress as Jenny runs a Son-Rise Program for her, calling it Sarah-Rise.The Son-Rise Program is an approach to working with people with autism to foster social connection. It provides intensely loving, focused one-on-one therapeutic play time, meeting Sarah where she is and never stopping her repetitive behaviors. Sarah’s language explodes, her eye contact intensifies, she plays games, plays imaginatively, uses the potty, eats healthily, reads, and writes.Playing with Sarah is deeply rewarding for the volunteers who spend time in the Sarah-Rise room. While Jenny sometimes doubts herself and criticizes her parenting, she also explores new pathways to gentleness, joy, and laughter. She celebrates Sarah’s successes, marveling at the depth of love and creativity that her volunteers bring to the scene and stretching her own creative self. Accompany Jenny from Sarah’s birth through the decision to run Sarah-Rise, and follow the years of Sarah-Rise, pretending that markers are flowers and number flashcards are snowflakes. Have your heart warmed and your socks knocked off by this momentous journey.“Watching Sarah Rise is equally informative as it is inspirational, gracious as it is gutsy.  A beautifully written story filled with hope, integrity, and pure emotion, Briggs intimately invites her reader to experience the unique heartbreak and joy that comes with mothering a neurodivergent child.”-Sherry Sidoti, author of A Smoke and a Song: A Memoirhttps://www.watchingsarahrise.com/Support the show___https://livingthenextchapter.com/podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!https://buymeacoffee.com/truemediaca

E393 - Adam Nimoy - The Most Human, Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy

Episode 393 - Adam Nimoy - The Most Human, Reconciling with My Father, Leonard NimoyAdam was born during the Eisenhower administration to Leonard and Sandra Zoberblatt Nimoy. He attended the University Elementary School, a “lab school” run by UCLA, where he was subjected to numerous psychological experiments. The experimentation continued at UC Berkeley in the form of mind-altering substances from which he may, or may not, have fully recovered. In a state of absolute certainty, Adam attended Loyola Law School. He was wrong. After seven years of practicing entertainment law and one moment of clarity, Adam left his life as an attorney to follow his passion of making films. After directing forty-five hours of network television, some of it sublime, some of it eminently unwatchable, Adam’s career plummeted due in large part to drug and alcohol addiction. On January 1, 2004, Adam entered 12-Step recovery hoping to achieve an attitude adjustment. This was a New Year’s resolution he knew he had to keep. For 8 years, he taught writing, directing and acting at the New York Film Academy and taught filmmaking at Beit T’Shuvah, an addiction treatment center where the residents kept him on the straight and narrow.Book: The Most Human: Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy"Engaging and immensely relatable, while at the same time offering deeply profound insights into Adam Nimoy's personal relationships, particularly with his famous father." — Eugene Roddenberry Jr., CEO Roddenberry Entertainment Living with Dad was like living with a stranger— as a kid I often had trouble connecting and relating to him. But I was always proud of him. Even before Star Trek I'd see him popping up in bit roles on some of my favorite TV shows like Get Smart, Sea Hunt, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. And then one night he brought home Polaroids of himself in makeup and wardrobe for a pilot he was working on. It was December 1964 and nobody had heard of Star Trek. Still, the eight-year-old me had watched enough Outer Limits and My Favorite Martian to understand exactly what I was looking at. Spock's popularity happened quickly, and soon the fan magazines were writing about dad's personal life, characterizing us as a "close family." But the awkwardness that defined our early relationship blossomed into conflict, sometimes smoldering, sometimes open and intense. There were occasional flashes of warmth between the arguments and hurt feelings— even something akin to love— especially when we were celebrating my father's many successes. The rest of the time, things between us were often strained. My resentment towards my father kept building through the years. I wasn't blameless, I know that now, but my bitterness blinded me to any thought of my own contribution to the problem. I wanted things to be different for my children. I wanted to be the father I never had, so I coached Maddy's soccer, drove Jonah to music lessons, helped them with their homework— all the things dads are supposed to do. All the things I wanted to do. So what if my Dad and I had been estranged for years? I was living one day at a time. And then I got his letter. Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3KvTi1shttps://adamnimoy.com/original pub date - Wednesday, July 17, 2024Support the show___https://livingthenextchapter.com/podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!https://buymeacoffee.com/truemediaca

E675 - David Niemitz - Writer and Teacher - Guild Mage, a serial fantasy novel

Episode 675 - David Niemitz - Writer and Teacher - Guild Mage,  a serial fantasy novelWriter and teacher David Niemitz joins the show from Connecticut to talk about his dual life in the classroom and on the page, and how both worlds feed each other. He shares how teaching “film as literature” to high school seniors, using stories like Star Wars, The Matrix, Moana and The Princess Bride to explore the Hero’s Journey, keeps him immersed in narrative structure, character arcs, and mythic storytelling. That daily engagement with story craft feeds directly into his own writing.David explains the practical realities of publishing, contrasting the limited data and delayed royalty statements that come with working through traditional and small publishers with the detailed dashboards and page-read metrics available to indie authors on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing and Kindle Unlimited. He talks frankly about the trade-offs: more support and distribution versus more control and information, and how audio rights and sales data can be even more opaque when handled by audio publishers.The conversation then dives into his path to becoming an author. A lifelong reader raised in a house full of science fiction and fantasy, David rediscovered his passion for writing when he pursued a creative writing master’s degree while teaching full time and parenting a toddler. That intense season led to his first self-published science fiction novel, set on Europa and grounded in real-world technology and hard science principles. From there, he evolved his craft, ultimately launching Guild Mage, a serial fantasy novel that became his flagship series.Guild Mage began as serial fiction following Liv, the daughter of a castle cook, who slowly discovers her otherworldly heritage and magical powers over many years. David wanted to explore what it means to age more slowly than those you love, watching human friends grow up, marry, and die while you remain “behind.” He layers in his own experience raising an autistic son, using Liv’s slower social-emotional development and sense of being left out as an emotional core, then gradually raising the stakes as she moves from bullied child to powerful adult in a complex fantasy world.Community is at the heart of his process. Early chapters of Guild Mage release first on Patreon, where a devoted Discord community offers feedback, catches continuity errors, and even helps shape cover art concepts that his publisher then passes to illustrator Ben Moran. David describes this as “open development” for fiction, heavily influenced by decades of tabletop roleplaying games where he learned to watch what players love, adjust pacing, and keep tension high so no one gets bored.He also unpacks his hybrid “pantser with prep” approach to plotting using worldbuilding notes, bullet lists, and physical note cards for complex multi-POV battles, while still leaving room for discovery and reader-driven emphasis. https://www.facebook.com/p/David-Niemitz-Author-61558007085046/Support the show___https://livingthenextchapter.com/podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!https://buymeacoffee.com/truemediaca

E368 - Milton Sithole - Dominate Your Potential - Break Free from Self-Defeating Thinking, Lost Boys

EPISODE 368 - Milton Sithole - Dominate Your Potential - Break Free from Self-Defeating Thinking, Lost Boys"Dominate Your Potential: Break Free from Self-Defeating Thinking." Unpacking how we communicate, empathize, and behave unveiling biases, assumptions, and vulnerabilities. This self-awareness elevates communication and empathy, crucial for establishing healthier professional relationships. Introspection fuels self-awareness, enhances decision-making, and catalyzes personal growth. It's a journey—be patient, integrate self-reflection into your routine, and foster professional and personal development.Book: Dominate Your Potential: Break Free From Self-Defeating ThinkingWhat would your life look like if you finally stopped doubting yourself and started acting on the potential you already have?In Dominate Your Potential, motivational speaker, writer, and mentor Milton Sithole takes you on an extraordinary journey of self-belief, resilience, and purpose. Drawing from a life shaped by fatherlessness, adversity, faith, and an unwavering desire to rise, Milton reveals how anyone, regardless of background, can break free from the self-defeating thinking that quietly destroys dreams.Through powerful storytelling, practical strategies, and deeply personal insights, this book helps you:✔ Challenge limiting beliefs and replace them with a mindset wired for success✔ Develop hunger, passion, and discipline so you can take meaningful action✔ Build unshakeable self-confidence rooted in your identity, values, and purpose✔ Learn the importance of mentorship and how the right guidance can change your entire future✔ Discover your God-given potential and live a life aligned with who you were created to be✔ Rise above fear, shame, comparison, and emotional barriers that keep people stuck✔ Take ownership of your life story and turn your struggles into strengthFrom overcoming childhood wounds to navigating global fatherlessness, from finding purpose to embracing originality, Milton shows that success begins in the mind, and domination begins with belief.If you’ve ever felt overlooked, underestimated, or held back by fear, this book will ignite your inner fire. It will push you to stop negotiating with your potential, stop living small, and stop letting circumstances define your identity.You are loaded with gifts. You are built for greatness. And it’s time the world sees it.Whether you're an entrepreneur, leader, student, or someone simply tired of standing in your own way, Dominate Your Potential gives you the clarity, courage, and conviction to rise.Your future is waiting. Your greatness is calling.It's time to dominate your potential.https://amzn.to/4pP4GZfhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/milton-sithole-52a0b583/___https://livingthenextchapter.com/podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/Published:May. 20, 2024Support the show___https://livingthenextchapter.com/podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!https://buymeacoffee.com/truemediaca

BONUS - Surrender, An Audiobook by Bono of U2 - Dave's Audible Recommendation

BONUS - Surrender, An Audiobook by Bono of U2 - Dave's Audible Recommendation Surrender, An Audiobook by Bono of U2 - Dave's Audible RecommendationBono—artist, activist, and the lead singer of Irish rock band U2—has written a memoir: honest and irreverent, intimate and profound, Surrender is the story of the remarkable life he’s lived, the challenges he’s faced, and the friends and family who have shaped and sustained him.Narrated by the author, Surrender is an intimate, immersive listening experience, telling stories from Bono’s early days in Dublin, to joining a band and playing sold out stadiums around the world with U2, plus his more than 20 years of activism. Throughout a remarkable life, music has always been a constant for Bono and in the audiobook, his distinctive voice is interwoven with a very personal soundtrack adding atmosphere and texture to each and every scene. From moments of classic U2 hits to snippets by The Clash, Patti Smith, Verdi, Johnny Cash and Mozart, Surrender also exclusively features clips of newly recorded reimagined versions of U2 songs including ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’, ‘With Or Without You’, ‘One’, ‘Beautiful Day’ and more, glimpsed for the first time on Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story.___https://livingthenextchapter.com/podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/Originally Published: Nov. 14, 2022Support the show___https://livingthenextchapter.com/podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!https://buymeacoffee.com/truemediaca