S6-EP20: Josh Tomeoni on Masculinity, Divorce, Addiction, and the Fight to Rebuild

In this powerful episode of Spirit Talk Show, Doyle sits down with Josh Tomeoni for an honest, deeply personal conversation about masculinity, divorce, identity collapse, addiction, failure, and the long road back to yourself.
Josh opens up about the moment his life cracked open—when shame, loss, and the collapse of the life he thought he had forced him to confront who he really was underneath the roles of husband, father, provider, and “good man.” What follows is a raw and thoughtful exploration of what happens when the white-picket-fence dream falls apart and a man has to decide whether he will keep hiding or finally face himself.
Together, Doyle and Josh talk about modern masculinity, self-worth versus self-esteem, addiction as escape, the pressure men feel to be useful at all costs, and why so many men suffer in silence rather than reach for help. Josh also shares insights from his book, The Gospel of an Ex-Derelict: Fight, Fail, Rebuild, offering a grounded and compassionate framework for what rebuilding can actually look like.
This is a conversation about pain, responsibility, identity, and the courage to stop performing strength and start becoming real.
A moving episode for anyone who has lost the life they thought they were supposed to have and is trying to build something truer in its place.
Learn more about Josh Tomeoni:http://exderelict.com/
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow 

S6-EP19: John David - The Bystander, Viral Footage, and the Cost of Witnessing

What happens when the person behind the camera becomes part of the story?
In this episode of Spirit Talk Show, Doyle sits down with novelist and crisis communications expert John David, author of the award-winning thriller The Bystander.
Inspired by a real-life active shooter intervention, the novel follows TV reporter Pete LeMaster, who captures the moment a bystander stops a shooter. The footage goes viral — and his career changes overnight. But as John says, “all is not as it seems.”
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With more than 30 years in public relations and crisis communication, John explores:
• How viral clips distort context• The moral weight of witnessing• The tension between fame and tragedy• The brutal reality of traditional publishing• Why nuance still matters in a polarized world
We also talk about rejection, reputation, redemption, and what it means to stand just outside the blast radius — until you’re pulled in.
The Bystander is available everywhere books are sold.The audiobook releases in April.Book two in the series, The Pawn, releases May 13.
Learn more about John and his work:https://byjohndavid.substack.com/
A conversation about crisis, consequence, and the space between the lens and the hand.
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow 

Bonus 6: Quantum Coins, Hypercubes, and 37 Goats

What’s the difference between being wrong… and simply not having it right yet?
In this special episode of Spirit Talk Show, Doyle sits down with longtime friend Russ — former computer science consultant turned goat rancher — for a conversation that begins with quantum entanglement and spirals into superposition, imaginary numbers, higher dimensions, and the psychology of certainty.
They unpack Einstein’s “spooky action at a distance,” wrestle with the Bell Experiment, and ask the uncomfortable questions most of us secretly have:
If two particles can remain mysteriously connected across the universe…How does one instantly “know” what the other is doing?Does observation change reality?Is the universe deterministic — or fundamentally uncertain?
Along the way, the discussion wanders through:
• Superposition and collapsing probability• Why imaginary numbers both confuse students and power modern technology• Hypercubes and what a fourth dimension might look like• The surprising research on why the less we know, the more confident we feel• And how someone can be a world expert in software one decade… and a goat rancher the next
This isn’t a physics lecture.
It’s a conversation about curiosity.About humility.About the willingness to explore ideas without pretending to have mastered them.
Because sometimes the most honest intellectual position is:
“I might be wrong — but I’m willing to think.”
A thoughtful, funny, and unexpectedly human dive into the mysteries of the universe — and the limits of our understanding.
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow 

S6-EP18: Remembering the World Before We Forgot — with Catya Batalha

There is a quiet memory many of us carry — even if we don’t have language for it.
A sense that life was once gentler.That cooperation came before competition.That learning once meant becoming more human, not more efficient.
In this reflective episode of Spirit Talk Show: Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups, Doyle sits down with psychotherapist, yoga philosophy teacher, and author Catya Batalha to explore what it means to remember who we were before the world told us who to be.
Drawing from her book Echoes of the Timeless, Catya shares a vision of a civilization rooted in reciprocity rather than dominance — a world where spirit and nature were not separate, and where children were guided toward authenticity rather than comparison.
Together, they explore:
• The nervous system impact of prolonged competition and stress• Why so many children enter school expecting kindness — and leave disillusioned• Trauma as part of a larger soul journey• The balance between “shadow work” and “light work” in healing• How education might change if personal development came first• The idea that remembering together may be the most revolutionary act of all
Catya speaks candidly about her own journey — from anger and despair to spiritual awakening — and how she now integrates Western psychotherapy with Eastern wisdom traditions in her healing work.
This conversation is not about fixing yourself.
It is about remembering.
If something in this episode feels familiar in a way you can’t quite name, stay with it. The ache may not be sadness alone. It may be recognition.
Learn more about Catya’s work, her book, and her offerings at:https://catiabatalha.org/
And if you’re listening and thinking, “I thought it was just me,” it never was.
There are more stories to remember.
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow 

Bonus 5: Episodes 10–12: Dantro, the Planet Man — Stolen Ship, the Ancient Machine, and Marston’s Fall

In Episodes 10–12 of Dantro, the Planet Man, Billy and Jane make a daring escape from Mars in a stolen ship, only to find themselves caught between Marston’s forces and the waiting fleet of the League of Planets. As Dantro races to save them, a mysterious ancient machine hidden beneath Marston’s palace becomes the key to stopping an all-out interplanetary war.
With time running out, Dantro, Pat, Slats, and the projected image of Professor Darrow attempt the impossible: use the forgotten technology of the ancients to remove Marston’s armada before Earth is attacked. But even after Marston’s fleet is defeated, the danger is far from over. In the dark tunnels beneath the palace, betrayal, pursuit, sacrifice, and one final deadly confrontation decide the fate of Mars.
This bonus subscriber-only collection brings together some of the serial’s biggest twists yet: stolen spacecraft, strange lost science, narrow escapes, heroic risk, and the apparent fall of Marston himself. It’s classic old-time sci-fi adventure with cliffhangers, cosmic stakes, and just enough menace to keep the danger alive for what comes next.
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow 

Bonus 4: Episodes 7–9: Dantro, the Planet Man — Kidnapping Order, Mindless Men, and the Martian Jungle

In Episodes 7–9 of Dantro, the Planet Man, Marston tightens his grip as his scheme to conquer Earth grows even darker. With Dantro and Pat trapped on Mars and danger closing in from every side, Marston gives a ruthless new order: kidnap Billy and Jane and use them to break Professor Darrow’s resistance.
As the crisis spreads, the adventure plunges deeper into the wildest corners of Mars—through secret plots, desperate escapes, and the deadly Martian jungle, where strange beasts and the terrifying mindless men make survival uncertain at every turn. With friends separated, loyalties under pressure, and Earth still hanging in the balance, these chapters raise the stakes and the suspense in true old-time serial fashion.
This bonus subscriber-only collection delivers cliffhangers, cosmic danger, jungle terror, and vintage sci-fi fun as Dantro, the Planet Man races into even darker territory.
 
 
 
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow 

S6-EP16: Adam Brownlie on Understanding Happiness

What if happiness isn’t something we force or choose on command, but something that slowly emerges as we come to understand ourselves more deeply?
In this thoughtful episode of Spirit Talk Show: Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups, Doyle sits down with Australian author and philosopher Adam Brownlie to explore happiness through the lenses of neuroscience, philosophy, and lived experience.
Drawing from his book Happypedia, Adam shares a science-informed perspective on how our brains shape emotions, decisions, and behavior. Together, Doyle and Adam explore forgiveness not as excusing the past, but as a way of easing emotional burden, and discuss how compassion and understanding can help create a steadier, more meaningful life.
This conversation explores:
How neuroscience helps explain emotional patterns
The difference between blame and understanding
Why forgiveness can be a deeply personal inner process
Practical foundations for a balanced and meaningful life
This is not a conversation about quick fixes or forced positivity. It is an invitation to slow down, reflect, and consider how patience, clarity, and understanding can quietly transform the way we experience the world.
To learn more about Adam Brownlie and his work, visit his website:  https://adambrownlie.com.au/ 
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow 

Bonus 3: Episodes 4-6: Dantro, the Planet Man — Mars, Betrayal, and the Jungle of Doom

In this bonus subscriber-only installment of Spirit Talk Show, Doyle brings the adventure roaring back with a thrilling stretch of Dantro, the Planet Man—packed with asteroid fields, political deception, Martian power plays, betrayal, dungeon escapes, and a desperate fight to save Earth.
As Dantro races the Earth crew to safety, the larger threat becomes clear: Marston of Mars is not seeking peace, but conquest. While the League of Planets debates Earth’s future, secret armadas gather, loyalties are tested, and the mission shifts from diplomacy to survival. When Dantro and Pat head to Mars to aid the underground resistance, they fall straight into Marston’s hands—and into one of the serial’s most suspenseful runs yet.
This extended bonus episode has everything that makes classic space serial storytelling so addictive: cliffhangers, strange creatures, sinister rulers, hidden allies, impossible escapes, and that wonderfully pulpy sense that the fate of the solar system could turn on one brave choice.
Subscriber bonus episodes like this one are for listeners who love vintage sci-fi, old-time radio energy, and the joy of getting lost in a larger adventure one chapter at a time.
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow 

S6-EP15: Finding Her Voice: Jean Burgess, Retro Fiction, and the Stories That Shape Us

Some stories take a lifetime to find their voice.
In this engaging and heartfelt episode of Spirit Talk Show: Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups, Doyle sits down with author Jean Burgess for a conversation that spans decades of storytelling—from childhood performances in the living room to a late-in-life journey into fiction writing.
With over 40 years in theater as a performer, director, and educator, Jean brings a rich and deeply human perspective to storytelling. Her work blends personal experience with imagination, creating what she calls “retro fiction”—stories set in the 1970s and 80s that explore identity, courage, and the search for one’s authentic voice.
Her newly released novel, That Summer She Found Her Voice, captures the journey of a young woman coming into her own during a time of cultural change, music, and self-discovery. In this episode, Jean shares the inspiration behind her writing, the real-life experiences that shape her characters, and the powerful themes woven throughout her work—including feminism, stigma, and the courage to choose your own path.
The conversation moves between laughter and reflection, touching on theater, teaching, creativity later in life, and the evolving role of storytelling in a changing world. Along the way, Jean reminds us that it’s never too late to begin again—and that every voice matters.
Whether you’re a writer, a dreamer, or someone still searching for your place in the story, this episode offers something real, thoughtful, and deeply human.
Explore Jean’s work and connect with her at:https://jeanburgessauthor.com
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow 

Bonus 2: Episodes 1–3: Dantro, the Planet Man — Moon Crash, First Contact, and the Race to Planaria Rex

In Episodes 1–3 of Dantro, the Planet Man, Earth’s first space expedition goes wrong almost immediately when a fuel problem—and two unexpected stowaways—send the mission hurtling toward disaster. Just as Professor Darrow, Pat, Slats, Billy, and Jane appear doomed to crash on the moon, they are rescued by the mysterious Dantro, a spacefaring hero from the League of Planets.
What follows is classic serial sci-fi at full speed: first contact with a larger galactic civilization, a glimpse of the powerful world of Planaria Rex, and the first signs that Mars may be hiding a far more dangerous agenda. As Dantro races the Earth crew to safety, enemies close in and the stakes begin to stretch far beyond one ship or one world.
This bonus subscriber-only collection launches the saga with everything that makes Dantro, the Planet Man so fun: vintage radio energy, cliffhanger pacing, cosmic intrigue, strange technology, and the thrill of discovering that Earth is only one small part of a much larger universe.
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow 

S6-EP14: Simone Knego and the Courage to Believe You’re Already Enough

What if confidence isn’t something you earn—but something you remember?
In this inspiring, funny, and deeply affirming episode of Spirit Talk Show: Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups, Doyle and producer Howie welcome Simone Knego—international speaker, two-time TEDx presenter, bestselling author, podcast host, and the voice behind The Extraordinary Unordinary You and the upcoming book Real Confidence.
Simone’s story doesn’t begin on a stage. It begins at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro—far from home, far outside her comfort zone, and face-to-face with a question many of us carry quietly for years: Am I enough? With six kids waiting back home, a full life already in motion, and a long history of self-doubt, Simone chose to climb—not to prove anything to the world, but to finally believe herself.
From summiting Africa’s tallest mountain to navigating international adoption, parenting neurodiverse children, building a global speaking career, and learning how to silence the “what-if whisperer” in her own head, Simone shares her journey with humor, honesty, and zero pretense.
In this conversation, we explore:
Why confidence is a skill—not a personality trait
The moment her daughter stopped her mid-self-criticism—and changed everything
How discomfort builds belief from the inside out
The messy middle between doubt and self-trust
Her REAL Method: Respect yourself, Embrace failure, Ask what you want, Live without limits
Why leadership often happens around the kitchen table, not the boardroom
Along the way, Simone reads from her work—sharing stories that move effortlessly between laugh-out-loud moments and quiet revelations. As always, Spirit Talk Show weaves in a tribute poem and story, honoring not just Simone’s achievements, but the courage it takes to meet yourself honestly and choose differently.
This episode is a reminder that you don’t need to become someone new.You need to stop being cruel to the person you already are.
Settle in. You might recognize yourself in this one.
Spirit Talk Show: now go tell a story worth telling.
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow 

Bonus 1: Dice, Dragons, and Storytelling: A Conversation About Tabletop RPGs

What happens when storytelling leaves the page and moves to the tabletop? Listen to this bonus episode.
In this unique episode of Spirit Talk Show: Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups, Doyle sits down with longtime tabletop gamer Russ to explore the fascinating world of tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) — collaborative storytelling adventures where imagination, strategy, and community come together around the table.
Most people know the iconic name Dungeons & Dragons, but that’s only the beginning. From heroic fantasy quests to science-fiction adventures and narrative-driven games, tabletop role-playing has grown into a creative space where players build characters, solve problems, and create stories together in real time.
In this conversation, Doyle and Russ discuss:
• What tabletop role-playing games actually are• Why Dungeons & Dragons became the “Kleenex” name for the hobby• How these games combine storytelling, strategy, and social interaction• Why finding the right group matters more than mastering the rules• How beginners and younger players can get started today
They also talk about how the hobby has evolved over the last forty years — from living-room game tables to online communities where players from around the world gather to build stories together.
Whether you’re a lifelong gamer, a curious beginner, or simply someone who loves storytelling in all its forms, this episode offers a glimpse into a hobby where imagination is the only real limit.
Pull up a chair, roll the dice, and join the adventure.
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow 

S6-EP13: Cinda Gault and the Courage Women Carried into the Wilderness

History tells us who mattered.Stories tell us who lived.
In this sweeping and deeply illuminating episode of Spirit Talk Show: Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups, Doyle and producer Howie welcome Cinda Gault, an acclaimed novelist whose work resurrects the lives of women history barely paused to record—women who crossed oceans, paddled into wilderness, defied expectation, and claimed meaning on their own terms.
Cinda is the author of Everything I Hope For, A Small Compass, and This Godforsaken Place—historical novels set across the Orkney Islands, Quebec, the Canadian frontier, and Toronto in the 1970s. Her characters are not symbols or slogans. They are complicated, determined women navigating constraint, risk, love, disappointment, and self-knowledge in eras that offered them very little room to maneuver.
Drawing from a lifetime of work in psychology, criminology, prison systems, women’s crisis advocacy, and academia—including a PhD analyzing Canadian women’s literature—Cinda brings extraordinary insight to the lives she reimagines. Yet she resists activism on the page. Her goal is not to lecture history, but to listen for the women hidden in its margins and let them speak again.
In this conversation, we explore:
How forgotten women reveal themselves through footnotes and silence
Why courage is not a modern invention
Freedom, risk, and responsibility across generations of women
What the 1970s taught us about identity, marriage, and autonomy
Why meaningful lives are built through choice, not permission
Throughout the episode, Cinda reads extended passages from Everything I Hope For, offering listeners moments of intimacy, tension, and recognition that linger long after the final sentence. As always, Spirit Talk Show weaves in a tribute story—honoring not just Cinda’s work, but the women whose lives she carries forward.
This episode is an invitation to slow down and remember:History is not a parade of great men.It is a long corridor filled with women who moved anyway.
Settle in.
Spirit Talk Show: now go tell a story worth telling.
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow 

S6-EP12: Kirsten Rudberg on Wonder, Wit, and a World That Talks Back

Some people search for miracles.Others trip over them daily—and laugh while doing it.
In this joyful, funny, and deeply thoughtful episode of Spirit Talk Show: Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups, Doyle and producer Howie sit down with Kirsten Rudberg—author, screenwriter, podcaster, spiritual explorer, and self-described panentheist who believes the divine is not somewhere else, but everywhere, all at once, including squirrels, spilled coffee, and awkward public moments.
Kirsten grew up across continents—from Guyana to Pakistan—immersed in a childhood where cultures, languages, and faiths coexisted naturally. That global upbringing shaped a worldview rooted in curiosity, compassion, humor, and sacred wonder. Whether she’s walking the Camino alone through brutal weather, caring for family through life’s hardest transitions, or hosting her podcast Bite-Sized Blessings, Kirsten brings the same question to everything: What if nothing is ordinary?
In this conversation, we explore:
Why miracles might be constant—and we’re just distracted
Panentheism explained without incense, robes, or gatekeeping
Creativity as a nagging muse that refuses to be ignored
Walking the Camino without training (and trusting anyway)
Boundaries, kindness, and why small gestures matter more than grand ones
Why humor might be one of the most spiritual tools we have
Along the way, the episode unfolds into playful radio-style scenes, improvised scripts, laughter, deep reflections, and a powerful spoken-word monologue about “small lights” that quietly stitch the world back together.
This is an episode that doesn’t just talk about magic—it models it. Through wit, warmth, and radical attentiveness, Kirsten reminds us that blessings aren’t rare. They’re bite-sized, persistent, and waiting to be noticed.
Settle in.Laugh a little.And keep your eyes open.
Spirit Talk Show: now go tell a story worth telling.
 
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow 

S6-EP11: Joseph Bolton: Listening to the Wisdom Beneath the World

Some people don’t speak loudly.They speak deeply.
In this reflective and quietly powerful episode of Spirit Talk Show: Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups, Doyle and producer Howie welcome Joseph Bolton—a former Army officer, folklorist, and creator of the richly imagined Old Grandmother’s Tree series, a body of work rooted in ancestry, myth, and the enduring wisdom of story.
Joseph spent 25 years in the U.S. Army, including time at West Point and a deployment to Afghanistan—experiences that shaped his understanding of mortality, meaning, and what it truly means to live with intention. After loss, grief, and retirement, he turned inward—and then outward—toward storytelling as a way of honoring those who came before him.
At the heart of his work is Marie-Mette Owaugwe, a 17th-century Algonquin ancestor whose life, loss, dignity, and resilience became the living trunk from which an entire story-world grew. Through folklore-styled narratives, trickster figures, creation myths, and hundreds of hand-illustrated pages, Joseph tells stories that feel ancient and strangely familiar—like something you almost remember.
In this conversation, we explore:
How ancestry can become a living presence, not just history
Why folklore speaks truths modern language can’t
Storytelling as a sacred act of remembrance
Loss, brotherhood, and carrying family forward
Why some stories are meant to be grown, not written
Joseph reads from Dance of Creation, the latest volume in the series, offering listeners a creation story that feels both cosmic and intimate—one that reminds us that every life begins with a unique dance, and every person carries gifts meant to be seen.
This episode unfolds like sitting beside a fire under old stars—slow, grounding, and full of wonder. It is a conversation about roots, memory, imagination, and the quiet courage of listening long enough for meaning to rise.
Settle in.Some stories don’t ask to be consumed.They ask to be remembered.
Spirit Talk Show: now go tell a story worth telling.
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow 

S6-EP10: The Dyslexic Professor: How Russell Van Brocklin Is Rewiring Education

What if dyslexia isn’t a learning disability — but a differently wired brain that’s been taught the wrong way?
In this powerful and thought-provoking episode of Spirit Talk Show: Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups, Doyle sits down with Russell Van Brocklin — known as “The Dyslexic Professor” — whose journey from a first-grade reading level to law school sparked a mission to transform how we teach reading and writing.
After being failed despite excelling in a New York State Assembly internship, Russell refused to accept the limits placed on him. What followed was groundbreaking dyslexia research, a state-funded intervention program, and a structured writing method that has helped students move from the lowest percentiles to grade level — and beyond — often in a matter of months.
In this conversation, Russell explains:
• Why dyslexia is not simply a reading problem• What brain scans reveal about how dyslexic minds process language• How specialization unlocks confidence and rapid growth• The simple sentence framework that begins organizing chaotic thinking• Why traditional remediation often fails• How advanced writing tools like “warrants” can elevate students to college-level work• Why this approach may even prepare students for the AI-driven future
This episode is bold, technical, and deeply hopeful. If you’re a parent, educator, student, or someone who has ever been told you “just can’t learn,” this conversation offers a new lens — and real possibility.
Learn more and download Russell’s free guide at:https://dyslexiaclasses.com
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow 

S6-EP9: Doug Crowe on Stories That Do More Than Sit on a Shelf

Why do so many books disappear—while a few quietly change lives?
In this candid and thought-provoking episode of Spirit Talk Show: Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups, Doyle and producer Howie sit down with Doug Crowe, founder of Author Your Brand and a strategist who has helped hundreds of leaders become bestselling authors—often without writing a single word themselves.
Doug isn’t interested in vanity metrics, viral hype, or chasing attention. He’s interested in what lasts.
Together, they explore the uncomfortable truths most authors avoid:
Why nobody actually wants a book—and what they want instead
The difference between being a writer and being an author
Why most memoirs fall flat (and how story becomes useful, not just interesting)
How legacy is built through service, not self-promotion
Why attention is overrated—and giving attention changes everything
From losing everything in the 2008 crash to rebuilding a business rooted in story, strategy, and human insight, Doug breaks down how books can become tools for influence, partnership, speaking, and long-term impact—far beyond sales rankings or bestseller badges.
The conversation moves effortlessly between storytelling, business, philosophy, and truth-telling, touching on ghostwriting, AI, authorship, ego, confidence, and the quiet power of being genuinely useful in a noisy world.
This episode isn’t about writing faster.It’s about writing smarter—and understanding why stories matter long after the algorithm moves on.
Spirit Talk Show: now go tell a story worth telling.
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow 

S6-EP8: Advancing Others with Dom Brightmon, the Positive Thought Catalyst

What does it mean to leave something behind that truly lasts?
In this deeply uplifting episode of Spirit Talk Show: Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups, Doyle and producer Howie welcome author, speaker, and podcaster Dom Brightmon, a self-described Positive Thought Catalyst whose life’s work centers on one powerful idea: advance others so they can advance themselves.
From becoming the youngest Area Director in Toastmasters at just 23, to writing bestselling books like Going North and Stay the Course, to hosting over 1,000 conversations with authors and leaders on the Going North Podcast, Dom’s journey is a masterclass in intentional growth, mentorship, and joyful leadership.
This episode drifts effortlessly between laughter, insight, and imagination. Together, the trio explores:
How mentorship can accelerate a life
Why libraries are sacred community spaces in a digital world
What it means to create your own “piece of immortality” through words and ideas
How humor, hydration, and preparation can quietly transform your days
And why acknowledging strangers might be one of the most powerful acts we have
As always, Spirit Talk Show weaves in a signature tribute story, a spoken-word poem, and an original narrative—turning conversation into something closer to a shared fireside moment. What emerges is not just an interview, but a reminder that leadership doesn’t have to be loud, success doesn’t have to be lonely, and positivity—when practiced daily—can ripple farther than we ever expect.
Settle in. Listen closely.This is a story about connection, courage, and the quiet work of lighting the way for others.
Spirit Talk Show: now go tell a story worth telling.
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow 

S6-EP7: Publishing Myths, Persistence, and the Quiet Work of a Writing Life with Terry Whalin

What if success as a writer isn’t measured in bestseller lists—but in persistence, purpose, and showing up anyway?
In this deeply grounding episode of Spirit Talk Show: Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups, Doyle is joined by Terry Whalin—editor, author, acquisitions professional, and publishing mentor whose decades-long career has helped thousands of writers navigate the often confusing, myth-filled world of publishing.
With more than 60 books written, contributions to over 50 magazines, and years spent on both sides of the editorial desk, Terry brings rare clarity to questions writers quietly struggle with:Why isn’t my book selling?What am I doing wrong?Is it even worth continuing?
The conversation centers around Terry’s acclaimed book 10 Publishing Myths: Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed, unpacking the beliefs that most often derail writers—like expecting publishers to do all the marketing, assuming books are instant income machines, or believing you’re not a “real writer” until a book is published.
But this episode goes beyond advice.
Terry shares:
Why most books don’t fail—expectations do
How rejection becomes survivable (and even useful)
The overlooked power of magazine writing and steady visibility
What it really means to take 100% responsibility for your creative life
Why consistency beats talent more often than we want to admit
He also reflects on the moment that changed his life entirely: a single book read in college that redirected his future, leading him through years of global work, service, and eventually back to writing—with deeper purpose.
As always on Spirit Talk Show, the conversation blends practical wisdom with reflective storytelling. A short tribute story and poem honor Terry’s role not as a gatekeeper, but as a steady guide—someone who holds the mirror for writers when doubt creeps in and reminds them that the work still matters.
This episode is a quiet reassurance for anyone who’s ever stared at a blank page, a rejection email, or an unfinished manuscript and wondered if they should stop.
You shouldn’t.And Terry Whalin explains why.
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow 

S6-EP6: Fantasy, Trauma, and Storytelling as Survival with Richard Spiegel

Some stories entertain.Others quietly keep us alive.
In this powerful and deeply human episode of Spirit Talk Show: Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups, Doyle is joined by Richard Spiegel, a prolific fantasy and dark speculative fiction author whose work lives at the intersection of imagination, trauma, love, and resilience.
Richard is the author of five published novels—with many more already written—and the creator of expansive story worlds including the Wolves and Ravens trilogy and the ongoing Eternal Nights saga. His writing blends fantasy, paranormal elements, romance, and psychological realism, not as escape, but as a way to understand what it means to survive.
This conversation moves far beyond craft talk.
Richard speaks candidly about:
Writing as a form of emotional containment and release
Living so deeply inside fictional worlds that they rival reality
Military service, medical retirement, and the unseen cost of sacrifice
Why fantasy isn’t the opposite of truth—but one of its most honest languages
Creating characters who endure trauma, break, recover, and keep going
He describes himself less as an author and more as a correspondent—someone recording events as they unfold in worlds that feel fully real to him. That intensity allows him to write full novels in weeks, but it also carries a cost, requiring constant grounding, support from his wife, and an ongoing negotiation between imagination and everyday life.
The episode includes:
A moving tribute story honoring Richard’s work and its emotional impact
A poem inspired by his fiction and the spaces it creates for readers
A live excerpt from Broken Angel, the harrowing conclusion to Wolves and Ravens, exploring sacrifice, love, and irreversible choice
Together, the hosts and Richard reflect on why readers binge his books, why he avoids filler and spectacle, and why he believes the most important stories leave room for the reader’s own imagination to do part of the work.
At its heart, this episode is about storytelling as resilience—about how imagined worlds help us process real pain, how darkness can be approached with care instead of fear, and how fiction can become rehearsal for being human.
These are not stories that distract you from life.They sit beside you in it.
Spirit Talk Show – Bedtime Stories for Grown-UpsHosted by Doyle Follow Spirit Talk Show on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spirittalkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doylespirittalkshow/X: https://x.com/doylespirittalk Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spirittalkshow www.spirittalkshow.info  If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it.Sponsored by Incogni — they remove your personal data from broker sites automatically so strangers cannot buy your information. Get protected: https://deal.incogni.io/spirittalkshow