Stories from the Center of the Universe

Episode 33: My Sailor Dad

Ross H Mackenzie is a helicopter pilot, published author and a retired Navy man. He also happens to be Paul's brother-in-law. During his 20 year US Navy career, he interdicted drug shipments in the Caribbean and cruised in the Persian Gulf as a Seahawk (SH-60) helicopter pilot. His published works include Brief Points: An Almanac for Parents and Friends of U.S. Navy Midshipmen, My Sailor Dad, and My Soldier Dad. My Sailor Dad and My Soldier Dad are part of the Patriot Kids book series and the Hero Kids Project aimed at helping service-member families understand military service and all that comes with it. To learn more, please visit: herokidsbookproject.org. He is married to his wife of 25 years, Elizabeth (Buffy) Gilman Mackenzie. They have two wonderful teenage sons, Stuart (19) and Cameron (16). 

Pictured (from L-R) are Buffy, Cameron, Stuart and Ross along with their puppy, Mira.

Episode 32: 44 Holes

Al Lester and Kevin Flippen met through a mutual friend, but they deeply connected through their love of all things golf, which they discovered on a very rainy day a few years ago. While we plan to have both Al and Kevin on individually to hear their personal stories, We want to release their shared story because it includes their desire to start a golf-oriented podcast. We thought we could help.

Episode 31: Fades for Faith

Kody Miller has lived the kind of challenging life most can't imagine. Kody was born to parents that struggled with heroin addictions, and became a mother and wife at the age of 16. She divorced at age 19, and went on to develop an addiction of her own. She ended up using for the next 14 years, which sadly resulted in the loss of custody of her son during his high school years. She has been clean for the last 3 years, is working the steps and involved with NA, and her son is now back in her life. Now a Master Barber, Kody has turned her attention to those in need with her non-profit, Fades for Faith. Fades for Faith provides haircuts and scholarships for disadvantaged young men in the foster care system. You can read more and donate at https://fadesforfaith.org.

Episode 30: The C Stands for Calvin, Christian and Champion

Calvin Duncan has lived an awesome and blessed life. From humble beginnings in Linden, NJ to basketball stardom at Oak Hill Academy and Virginia Commonwealth University to becoming a youth minister and eventually the Pastor and founder of Faith and Family Church in Richmond, VA, Calvin has positively impacted a lot of people. Join us to hear his inspirational story, why he walked away from a second-round NBA draft pick, and his thoughts on our country's history and what we can do to get to a better place.

Episode 28: Surfing in Morocco

This week we have my (Daniel's) dear sister Ariel Lantz on the show. A lover of travel & adventure, Ariel spent two years in Casablanca, Morocco as a Fulbright Scholar, then returned to the United States for a master's in Montessori Education. She now teaches middle school out in Seattle. In our conversation, Ariel shares her perspectives on Moroccan / Middle-Eastern culture, and how it compares to the rest of the world. We also get into the Montessori method and its history, and how she's had to adapt as an educator to the COVID-induced new normal. Finally, I'd like to wish Ariel a BIG happy early birthday (July 14th).

Episode 27: Old Time Religion

Aaron Albrecht is an activist, thinker, and accomplished Old Time Missouri Fiddler. This episode, Aaron gives us the lowdown on his love for the deep tradition of old time music, an appropriately named precursor to bluegrass, folk, and country that goes back centuries. Ever the activist, Aaron also tells us how he led a forum on drone warfare while in college that culminated with a Keynote speech by Colin Powell's former Chief of Staff, COL (R) Lawrence Wilkerson, a prominent critic of the Iraq war and drone programs. Finally, if you are a purchaser of Amazon products, you'll be interested to hear about the year he spent working at an Amazon warehouse. 

 

Intro/Outro Song: "Down in Little Egypt" - Aaron Albrecht (fiddle), Sean Barth (banjo), Calvin Woodring (harmonica), Blake Korte (guitar)

Episode 26: Joe Carroll

This week we had on the accomplished restaurateur, Joe Carroll, the mind behind several Williamsburg Brooklyn mainstays, including BBQ joint Fette Sau, and the St Anselm Steakhouse. In this conversation (featuring guest host Katy De Koning), we hear from Joe on his pivot from a music career to the restaurant world, and on the creativity with which he approached restaurant concepts, which has resulted in an impressive empire that now spans cities and states. Joe also reflected on how he handles setbacks and failures, discussed the new normal with COVID-19 in the restaurant industry, and even had some thoughts on the future of meat.

Episode 25: Percentages

This week we had Craig Grimes (who should probably be a stand up comedian) come on to reminisce with Paul on their 'Salt and Pepper' basketball games, share his experiences growing up as the 12th of 13 grandchildren, and explain how life can fit into Winnie the Pooh characters. We recorded our conversation with Craig before the death of George Floyd, so we had him come back on to give us his follow up thoughts on America's relationship with race toward the end.

Episode 24: Living the Dream, Surviving the Reality

This week we have Chris Young on to talk about growing up in small town Mississippi, and the string of accolades he has since collected, including being the 3x winner of the 'Yes Mississippi' Award, the third-ranked high school football player in the state of Mississippi, and the highest ever rated athlete to sign with Vanderbilt, where he played with Jay Cutler, among others. The first part of this episode was recorded before the death of George Floyd, so we had Chris come back on along with his wife Lauren for an addendum to share their thoughts on the current moment.

Episode 23: COVID Warrior

Mia Blansett is an ER Nurse who transferred to a hospital in Northern New Jersey to work 12 hour days on the COVID front lines. She's a self-described spitfire with plenty of opinions on the pandemic situation, and has great takes on what it's like on the ground.