Stories from the Center of the Universe

Episode 330: COL Bryan Kirk

Bryan Kirk is a very good friend of Brett McCreight (Episode 323) and he joins Paul on the podcast. Bryan and Paul first talked about his wife Kristin, their three kids and about being a grandfather. He told Paul he grew up outside of Charlotte and that his parents had two sets of twins. They all attended a small Christian school which was a part of their church and he and his twin sister made up half of their graduating class of four! He then attended Campbell University which is where he met Brett. Bryan commissioned at Campbell and spent over twenty-seven years of active duty in the United States Army. They discussed his U.S. Army career including going through Ranger school, becoming a Green Beret and retiring at the rank of Colonel. Bryan had several different assignments throughout his career including multiple tours overseas. They also discussed his current position at the University of North Georgia as the Associate Vice President and Chief of Staff for the Cadet Leadership Academy at UNG.

Episode 329: Barry Todd

Barry Todd grew up in a military family and he spoke about his mom’s military service, her time working for the FBI and the fact that she spoke five languages. Barry grew up in many different places and enlisted in the United States Army in 1980. They discussed how he was very blessed during his twenty-one years in the U.S. Army, attending Ranger school and he told Paul about a very important lesson he learned about from his Ranger brothers. Barry and Paul then spoke about an experience he had that changed his life and one that has led to him writing a book. In 2014, Barry was arrested after an incident that took place where he was defending himself. His book is about the legal battle that he faced as well as some of the flaws and inner workings of the United States Justice System. He told Paul that the book’s purpose is to bring this subject matter into the light and help everyday Americans understand a little more about the U.S. Justice system through his experience. All proceeds will be going to a foundation he helped establish that will assist people that have been wrongly accused. They finished by talking about his wife, Cisi, their three kids and four grandkids.

 

Barry’s book is called Stand Your Ground: One Man’s Self Defense Nightmare and it can be found where you purchase books or at standyourgroundbook.com

Episode 328: Amber Lancaster

Amber Lancaster comes to the podcast through recent guest Brett McCreight. Amber grew up in an idyllic setting in Ohio and she and Paul had a quick chat about parenting and some of the differences between GenX and GenZ and how they raise their kids. Amber had a life changing experience when she went with her parents to visit some friends in Europe and she told Paul that she caught the travel bug. She followed up on that goal when she went to the University of Delaware and studied abroad all four years. After college, she became a U.S. Government contractor for two agencies - one allowed her to travel around the U.S.A. and the other to different parts of the world. She moved to Virginia and met her husband through an unexpected source and they started a family. In 2021, Amber founded Start1Spark, a non-profit that brings communities together through helping disadvantaged youth. They provide athletic equipment, musical instruments, etc. that give young people the resources they need to participate in extra curricular activities. You can find their website at Start1Spark.org - please consider volunteering for or donating to this great organization!

Episode 327: John Streitmatter

John Streitmatter and Paul worked together a while back and they have reconnected to have a chat. They first discussed leadership, the journey of making changes to improve the workplace and the relationships between management and their employees. They discussed John growing up in Illinois, playing sports and becoming an Eagle Scout. John attended Indiana University, played a lot of pick up basketball and they talked about the culture of basketball in Indiana and what it means to the state and the people that live there. John had an incredible mentor after college and he told Paul how the man literally changed the course of his life. John talked about some of his professional experiences and how he got his Masters Degree (MBA) from Harvard. They discussed John finding what he was meant to do and some of the advice that he gives to his clients and folks he meets through his profession. They finished by John telling Paul about his wife, Michelle, and their three sons.

Episode 326: Kerri Cobb Harrison

It’s couples week on Stories as Kerri Cobb Harrison joins the podcast. Her husband Tommy Harrison just talked to Paul the other day and Paul started by commenting that he has not met a couple so compatible as Kerri and Tommy. Kerri grew up in New Kent, Virginia and told Paul that she had a great childhood playing sports and spending time on the James River with her grandparents. Kerri was a two sport athlete in college where she played basketball and softball at Lynchburg University and Christopher Newport University. Kerri had been teaching softball since her senior year in high school, but after graduating from CNU, she turned it into a real business. She has been teaching and/or coaching softball for 34 years and 2025 will mark the 24th year of her All American Fastpitch Softball camp. They discussed Kerri’s teaching philosophy and how she teaches life lessons along with softball fundamentals. Kerri is also a competitive body builder and they had a great discussion about what they entails on a daily basis and overall. They finished by talking about her family including her parents who have had a huge influence on Kerri. 

 

Info on the 2025 All American Fastpitch Camp can be found at https://www.allamericanfastpitch.org/camp-landing-page

Episode 324: Gary Marx

Gary Marx joins Paul through a connection with recent guest and friend Bret McCreight. Even though he has family ties to Germany from the 1800s, he told Paul he was no relation to Karl! Gary grew up in a military family and married his wife whom he met while they were in high school in Germany. After high school, his family moved back to the states and Gary went to James Madison and majored in Political Science. His work is in Public Policy/Public Affairs and he told Paul how he has worked on six presidential campaigns and has been to several conventions. They had a lengthy conversation about the Ukraine-Russia war and touched on Israel, NATO and current politics.  Gary has his own podcast which we encourage you to check out … Peace and Power Ukraine.

Episode 325: Tommy Harrison

In this episode, Paul talks to Tommy Harrison who is from Ohio and had a ten year career in professional baseball. The first thing they discussed is how Tommy is an Ohio State fan and how he lives in a “house divided” because he married a fan of their rival school. They talked about growing up in an area that Tommy described as the country, but they still lived in a neighborhood. It was a whole lot of sports for Tommy growing up as he played football and wrestled, but it was baseball that became his favorite. Tommy became a pitcher and they discussed the mental and mechanical parts of baseball especially for the position of pitcher. Tommy told Paul of the places he got to play, the players he played with and the people that he got to meet during his baseball journey and he said he would not change a thing. He then told Paul about his career as a teacher, coach and mentor to countless kids. They finished by talking about his golf game (he’s really good) and his favorite baseball team being the Cincinnati Reds (even though he played for the Braves).

Episode 323: Brett McCreight

Brett McCreight and Paul know each other from their time in the Virginia Army National Guard. Brett’s Dad was in the military as well and Brett told Paul he has lived in eighteen different houses throughout his life. They talked about his time on active duty and in the national guard. They discussed his many experiences throughout and they discussed the differences between the two as well as some of his fondest memories in each. They discussed many bases they know and talked about the best and their least favorite. Brett was stationed in Korea when 9/11 happened and he and Paul talked about how he found out and what happened thereafter. They finished talking about his wife Amy who is from Richmond and how they have moved ten times together. They have two sons, one (Douglas) who works for the state of Virginia and one who is in college (Alex) at Charleston Southern where Brett and Amy love to go visit. Lastly, Brett mentioned a couple of non-profits that he works with and how they benefit many different people.

Episode 322: Gray Lane

Gray Lane (Episode 41) returns to Stories and to say he has had some dramatic changes in his life since the last time he and Paul spoke is an understatement. Gray discussed with Paul his beginnings with consuming alcohol. He soon recognized that he was different from most in that he drank more and longer than most of his friends. He told Paul how his drinking continued at VMI and how it surprisingly fostered his habits. He discussed moving on to narcotics and that started with prescription stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin. Gray always knew there would be a breaking point and after developing a cocaine addiction, his wife of sixteen years left him. He found a recovery program and he immediately questioned how he would live without drugs or alcohol. Less than two weeks in the program, Gray’s life turned around when God spoke to him and he now lives his life through his spirituality and his relationships with God and Jesus. They finished by talking about his progression through the 12 step program, a typical day in his life, where he is now and where he is headed.

Episode 321: Tom Saunders

Tom Saunders and Paul used to work together at the “Bakery.” Tom was already there when Paul arrived and Paul recalled getting two pieces of sage advice from Tom about working in “Corporate America.” They reminisced and talked a lot about the people they worked with and how some were real characters! Tom has great memories of growing up in South Hill, Virginia where his dad was a doctor and he told Paul how he used to go on house calls with him. His dad had gone to the University of Richmond and Tom followed in his footsteps where he majored in political science. Paul and Tom talked about his love for sports, being a big Yankees fan and an equally as big fan of UofR Football. They discussed Tom’s passion for cycling, how he has biked over 100,000 miles and he then also told him about two major cycling accidents he has had. They finished by Tom telling Paul about his wife (they’re celebrating their 50 year anniversary this year), two kids and three grandkids.