Stories from the Center of the Universe

Episode 73: Caroline Slaughter

Caroline Slaughter is a voiceover actor, filmmaker, and podcaster. You have probably heard her before as the voice for brands like Subway, Ford, and Holiday Inn. She just launched a podcast on iHeartRadio called Astray, an exploration into how far people go for enlightenment. Caroline joined us to tell us about her story and how she got into podcasting, and even to graciously offer us some podcasting advice. 

You can find more about Caroline's extensive body of work at https://www.carolineslaughter.com.

Episode 72: Wali Rainer

Wali Rainer is a former NFL linebacker who played for the Cleveland Browns, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Detroit Lions. In our conversation, Wali told us about growing up in the inner city of West Charlotte, and how football was like therapy for him to vent his anger and pain. We talk about his college recruitment and playing at UVA - which he attended on condition that his older brother also be granted a scholarship and play with him. 

He teaches us about the dynamics and psychology of the linebacker position, and talks about things like why he couldn't go straight home after games. We hear about players that disrespected him and how he responded, coaches that he admired, those that he didn't, and how hard it is for players to both earn respect and stay in the NFL for an extended period.

Now, he focuses heavily on his family and mentorship of young men - teaching them things like how to be men, or how to build a healthy identity that is not completely dependent on sports.

Episode 71: Coach Rolando Lamb

Rolando Lamb is a VCU Hall of Fame basketball player, Coach, pastor, and motivational speaker. In our conversation we discuss Rolando's upbringing in Portsmouth VA, the attention he received in high school as a result of being an athletic phenom, his career at VCU, getting drafted to the NBA, and how he has kept basketball in his life ever since.

 

We hear about some of the characters he interacted with on and off the court, including teammate and former podcast guest Calvin Duncan. Calvin and Rolando were named one of the top 5 backcourts in the nation during their prime, and they remain loyal friends to this day. Finally, Rolando tells us about his work with Faith and Family church in Richmond, and his work as a motivational speaker. 

Episode 70: Dr Brandon Nunnally

Brandon Nunnally is an Emergency Room Doctor. 

In our conversation we discuss Brandon's med school experience -  the insane amount of work required,  the misconceptions that people have, and the type of people that succeed. He went to Randolph-Macon college for undergrad, then UVA for med school, and University of Pittsburgh for residency. He also tells us about his role as an ER Doc, including the physically intensive 12-hour shifts, how crucial it is to stay professional and calm in chaotic and emotional environments, and all the awesome supporting staff roles that keep the ER running like a well oiled machine. Finally, we talk about what COVID has changed in the ER setting, and Brandon addresses a question he gets a lot - whether he has ever been pressured to list COVID as a cause of death for his patients. 

Episode 69: Tim Clark

Tim Clark is the Chief Digital Officer at NASCAR. He is a Mechanicsville native, US Army veteran, and a great lover of sports. 

This episode, Tim talks to us about growing up on a farm, what it's like to drive a tank, how his first job out of college was to spearhead Circuit City's ecommerce efforts, and about his work at NASCAR. NASCAR had a big year in 2020 which involved a COVID-inspired pivot into e-sports and a high-profile ban of the Confederate flag, and Tim shares some of his thoughts on navigating it all. 

Episode 68: Thoughts on Myanmar with Pete Silvester

Pete Silvester is a social scientist, entrepreneur, and proud Territorian who has traveled the world by virtue of a career in International Aid and Development. He has spent many years in SE Asia, and came on to give us his take on the events in Myanmar. 

Myanmar, formerly Burma, was under military rule for 50 years before it began its experiment with democracy in the early 2010s. As it reopened to the outside world, the international community looked on with enthusiasm, and financial aid and investments began to flow into the country. Pete jumped right into the mix, moving to Yangon to establish a company that served as both a startup incubator and a consultancy to help build an inclusive private sector in Myanmar. He and his family now live in Thailand. 

In our conversation, Pete tells us about the Territorian upbringing, his travel, the wanderlust that is shared by many in the international aid scene, and his perspective on Myanmar, the Rohingya, Aung San Suu Kyi, and of course the military coup that happened one week ago on February first.

Episode 67: Amanda Ripley

Amanda Ripley is a journalist and author whose work has been featured in Time Magazine, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and others. She has written three books on psychological and cultural themes varying from how we respond to disaster to how we get addicted to conflict.

Amanda talked with us about growing up in central NJ, the public vs private school experience, what it's like to be a journalist, and some of her extensive work, including her recent article entitled "The Mystery of Trust."  In it she explores why the US Military is currently the only institution that seems to hold American's trust, and how other institutions (like our beloved Congress) can learn from them on this. 

Amanda Ripley: https://www.amandaripley.com/

The Mystery of Trust:
https://www.cardus.ca/comment/article/the-mystery-of-trust/

Episode 66: Dan Crain

Dan Crain is the director of groups and mobilization at OneRace, an organization dedicated to addressing racism and racial division through faith, in Atlanta and beyond.

 

In our conversation Dan tells us about his life, the path of his faith, his inspirations, and the work he is doing with OneRace. To find out more and to support Dan and OneRace, head to OneRaceMovement.com. 

Episode 65: Garrison Coward

Garrison Coward is a proud Virginian and a former Republican candidate for the 2019 Virginia House of Delegates, a race which he lost narrowly.  He is currently a Managing Director working in the investment banking space.

In our conversation we talked about whether running a political campaign is actually like House of Cards, how to deal with political division,  why local politics are undervalued and underemphasized, and Garrison's plans for the future. To quote an article he wrote, "I’m not a black Republican — I’m a commonsense conservative who happens to be black. No political party owns me." 

Episode 64: Vincent Hill

Vincent Hill is a veteran, former police officer, author, and now a news anchor serving Tulsa, OK. He was born in Germany to a military family, grew up moving around a lot, then joined the military himself. He spent four years in the Nashville Police Department, and later spoke out in criticism of the police's narrative in Tennessee Titan quarterback Steve McNair's homicide. He ended up writing a book about it called Playbook to a Murder.  In our conversation Vincent tells us about his upbringing, his police experience, his reaction to the social upheaval of 2020 from the perspective of a black former police officer, his unique and varied career path, and everything else.