Authentically American

In this episode, host, Dean Wegner, is joined by his new friend and great American, Jason Johnson.  Jason is the President and CEO of K-9 Solutions International and the founder of Project K-9 Hero.  Jason is a former police and military K-9 trainer and handler and has worked with over 2000 K-9 hero’s. Now he has dedicated his life to giving retired K-9 heroes the life they deserve when their service is over.  Jason has a tremendous story of service to some of America’s often overlooked heroes. To learn more, visit https://projectk9hero.org.

Host, Dean Wegner, is joined by his good friend, personal mentor, and great American, Bob McDonald. Bob is the former CEO of Procter and Gamble. He also served as the 8th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He is also a fellow West Point grad who served his country in the US Army for 5 years. Bob's story is an inspiring one that you won’t want to miss.

In this episode, host, Dean Wegner, is joined by a good friend and a great American, PGA Tour Pro, Ben Crane.Ben turned pro all the way back in 1999, and has since won 8 professional tournaments. Ben is a man of strong faith and commitment to family. I really enjoyed hearing his story of hard work and dedication to his craft, but even more so the story of his time as an international music video sensation. 

In this episode, host, Dean Wegner is joined by his good friend, and great American, Butch Spyridon.Butch has served as president and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation (NCVC) since 1991. In his almost 30 years of leadership, Butch has helped elevate Nashville to one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the world. Butch is a visionary leader and a master of branding and sales. You'll be inspired by his story of success and decades of dedication to growing the city of Nashville.

In this episode, host, Dean Wegner, is joined by MadeInAmerica.com Founder & CEO, Don Buckner. After building a highly successful manufacturing business, Don dedicated his professional life to serving the American worker. Don recently launched the first ever Made In America trade show, featuring the largest collection of U.S. made machines and products ever in one place.Find out more at https://www.madeinamerica.com/

In this episode, host, Dean Wegner, is joined by the 80th Attorney General of the United States, former Counsel to the President, and current Dean and Distinguished Professor of Law at Belmont University College of Law, Alberto Gonzales. From his humble roots in Humble, TX, to his rise to highest ranking Hispanic in the Executive Branch of the federal government, Judge Gonzales has dedicated his life to service to our country. It was a real honor to be able to sit with him today and hear stories about his childhood, his partnership with George W. Bush, and his lifelong love of baseball.

In this episode, host, Dean Wegner, is joined by legendary NFL kicker, David Akers.David is a former six-time pro bowler and an inspiring story of hard work and perseverance. We had a great time talking today and you're going to enjoy hearing about his journey from cut multiple times as a rookie to breaking the NFL single-season records for field goals made, field goals attempted, and points scored without a touchdown.

Host, Dean Wegner, sits down with Claire Tucker, Founder and CEO Emerita of Capstar Financial Holdings. Tucker has become one of Nashville's most tenured bank chiefs, taking CapStar public in September 2016 and growing its assets to more than $2 billion. She also serves on the Nashville chapter of the Atlanta Federal Reserve.

Host, Dean Wegner, sits down with two-time National Champion and two-time National Coach of the Year, Tim Corbin. Corbin has now coached the Vanderbilt Commodores to 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, nine appearances in the super regional round of the national championship tournament and four College World Series berths. He has amassed a 740-354-1 record at Vanderbilt.

Host, Dean Wegner, sits down with Daryl Mackin, founder of A Soldier's Child Foundation. Daryl is a former executive chef, turned school teacher. In 2008 he founded A Soldier's Child to serve the Gold Star Children of military personnel who have lost their lives on active duty, while defending the United States of America. You can learn more about Daryl and A Soldier's Child by visiting https://www.asoldierschild.org/

Host, Dean Wegner, sits down with Manny Ohonme, a philanthropist, social entrepreneur, businessman, author, and speaker. Manny is founder, president, and CEO of Samaritan’s Feet, a nonprofit organization established in 2003 that has provided more than 6.5 million pairs of shoes to individuals in need across 88 countries around the world and in hundreds of cities across the United States of America. Learn more about Manny and Samaritan's Feet at https://www.samaritansfeet.org/

In this episode, host Dean Wegner sits down with Lieutenant General (Retired) Keith M. Huber for an inspiring discussion of leadership, authenticity, and service to country. Huber’s 38 years of service in the U.S. Army included most recently command of the Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435 in Afghanistan. He also served as a company commander, battalion operations officer, brigade and division operations officer, battalion commander and director of civil-military affairs with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell. He earned the Combat Infantryman, Expert Infantryman, Master Parachutist, Combat Diver, Special Operations Diving Supervisor, Air Assault and Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification badges and was Special Forces and Ranger qualified. Huber is now MTSU’s senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives. He helped create The Charlie and Hazel Daniels' Veterans and Military Family Center.

Host, Dean Wegner sits down on location at Bridgestone Arena in Downtown Nashville with another great American, Sean Henry, the CEO of the Nashville Predators. Sean has been instrumental in building one great sports franchises, and one of the great live experiences in all of American sports and entertainment.

In this episode, host Dean Wegner sits down with one of the top chefs in the United States military, Chef Andre Rush. Chef Rush has cooked for four Presidents and many high ranking military officials. He is known worldwide for his advocacy for military service and suicide prevention, doing 2,222 push ups every day to raise awareness for the cause. You can follow Chef Rush on Twitter at https://twitter.com/realchefrush and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/realchefrush/. Hear all the episodes of the Authentically American Podcast at https://www.authenticallyamerican.us/

Former Navy Seal and Founder of Stonewall Solutions, Jason Kuhn talks with host, Dean Wegner about his journey overcoming crippling performance anxiety that derailed his professional baseball career aspirations. Jason now trains sports teams and business leaders on mental toughness through Stonewall Solutions. You can learn more at https://www.stonewall-solutions.com/

Host, Dean Wegner, interviews special guest, U.S. Congressman, Dr. Mark Green. Congressman Green graduated from West Point before becoming an Army Ranger, a decorated combat veteran, an ER doctor, a successful business leader, and United States Congressman. You can follow Congressman Green on twitter at https://twitter.com/repmarkgreen. To hear all episodes, visit https://www.authenticallyamerican.us/.

Host, Dean Wegner, sits down with world renowned golf course architect, Todd Jester to discuss design, entrepreneurship, and the future of golf. Jester learned the ropes of course design with Jack Nicklaus himself, and has designed some of the world's top courses, including Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. You can see more of his work at http://www.jesterdesign.com/ and his home course http://cheekwoodgolfclub.com/.

Country Music Hall-of-Famer and five time Grammy Award Winner, Duane Allen, sits down with Dean to discuss his 50+ years as a member of the Oak Ridge Boys. Duane shares his keys to longevity in music, business, marriage, and friendship. Find out the latest updates from The Oak Ridge Boys at https://oakridgeboys.com/ and follow Duane on Twitter @DUANEALLEN.

Dr. Carol Swain is a conservative television analyst and a former professor of political law for Princeton and Vanderbilt Universities. Dr. Swain is an esteemed author and her work has been cited by the Supreme Court of the United States. You can learn more about Dr. Swain by visiting https://carolmswain.com/ or following her on Twitter @CarolMSwain.

3 time NASCAR Cup Champ and Winner of 84 Cup Races, Darrell Waltrip joins dean for episode three of the Authentically American Podcast. Darrell shares his story from humble beginnings to NASCAR champion, and how faith and family got him there.

Host, Dean Wegner, sits down with accomplished eye surgeon, research scientist, and molecular biologist, Dr. Ming Wang. They discuss his difficult childhood in China during the "Cultural Revolution," his fresh start in America, and his journey to success in the medical field. You can learn more about Dr. Wang, and find his book, From Darkness To Sight: A Journey From Hardship To Healing, at http://drmingwang.com.

Host Dean Wegner sits down with Olympic gold medalist figure skater, Scott Hamilton, to discuss overcoming adversity, finding your life's calling, and achieving true success. Find all episodes here: https://www.authenticallyamerican.us/ Get Scott's new book, Finish First, here: http://scotthamilton.com/