Dream Chasers and Eccentrics

Nathan Visage lives in California and is on a mission to surf big waves. We talk about surfing The Wedge, Mavericks, what makes a wave heavy, injuries, safety, paddling out at Mavericks, sharks, training for big-wave surfing, wipeouts, double-wave hold-downs, fear, getting washed into the rocks, big-wave surfboards, tow-surfing and paddle surfing, the community of big-wave surfers, localism, gaining the respect of the pople in the lineup, describing a favorite wave, his bucket-list surf trip, advice to prospective big-wave surfers, and more.  Photos and links are on the shownotes page  Support the show through Patreon

Anthony Horowitz is a best-selling author of over 50 books, including the recent "Marble Hall Murders," which I read and loved. His teen spy series Alex Rider has sold over 21 million copies. His books have been made into TV and film series, and he's been commissioned to write Sherlock Holmes and James Bond novels. He is one of the UK's most successful and prolific authors, and is a master of writing novels.  We talk about making a films from his books, writing a book within a book, writing a murder mystery, hiding anagrams in books, his writing process and schedule, the disipline to write (or to not write), Dickens' Great Expectations, his school years, learning to write, research for books, creating characters, writing spy novels, technique, cultivating creativity, and much more. Links are on the podcast shownotes page. Support the show through Patreon.

John Brink was born in Nazi-occupied Holland at the beginning of the Second World War. His early chilhood consisted of foraging for food with his brother and sister. His mother was left to raise the three kids alone when their father was drafted into the Dutch Army. They wouldn't know if he was alive until the liberation of their village, by Canadian soldiers, on April 12, 1945. This was the exact moment John determined he would make his life in Canada … the land of his heroes.  He moved to Canada with with only $25.47 in his pocket. Ten years later, in 1975, he realized another lifelong ambition by founding Brink Forest Products. Over the decades, his company grew to become North America's leading secondary manufacturer of value-added wood products. Today, at 84 years old, John continues to thrive as the President and CEO of the Brink Group of Companies, overseeing more than 10 additional enterprises. Beyond his business accomplishments, John is a passionate advocate for raising awareness about ADHD, a condition he has lived with his entire life. He is also a prolific author of four books and the host of the ON THE BRINK podcast, where he shares stories of resilience, innovation, and leadership. We talk about growing up during WWII in Nazi-occupied Holland, childhood memories, living with PTSD and ADHD, moving to Canada with only $24, starting a lumber business, living a healthy and active life into old age, pills and whether or not to take them, communication skills, how ADHD can be beneficial, and much more. Links can be found on the shownotes page Support the show through Patreon

Katie Chambers owns and runs the editing agency Beacon Point, is an organizational expert, and is a former English teacher. In addition to editing and leading a team of editors, she teaches the craft of writing.  We talk about teaching, starting an editing business, training and education, proofreading, what's to love about grammar, copy editing and line editing, writing techniques, character interiority, free indirect speech, info-dumping, craft-writing book recommendations, spelling, artificial intelligence and Grammarly, why AI won't replace writers or editors, what makes a great book, writing good endings, common mistakes writers make, and more. links are on the shownotes page here Support the show through Patreon

Mark Synnott is a climber best known for pioneering big-wall first-ascents. His expeditions have taken him to places like Alaska, Baffin Island, Greenland, Iceland, Newfoundland, Patagonia, Guyana, Venezuela, Pakistan, Nepal, India, China, Tibet, Uzbekistan, Russia, Cameroon, Chad, Borneo, Oman and Pitcairn Island. Closer to home, Mark has climbed Yosemite's El Capitan 24 times, including several one-day ascents. He is also the author of the book "Into the Ice," about his 2022 Northwest Passage adventure.  We talk about climbing, his book "Into the Ice," the Northwest Passage, living nomadically on a boat, the paralels between mountaineering and climbing, climbing in the arctic, close calls, spending 29 nights on a porta-ledge, serendipity and synchronicity with the Inuit, and more! Photos and links are on the podcast show notes page Support the show through Patreon

Anonymous Andrew is the host of the podcasts Cultimatum, the Culture of Cults; Digital Dating with Anonymous Andrew; and The Weekend Rant.  We talk about cults, what they are and how they attract members, how they maintain power over their members, how they abuse their members (some of this might be disturbing), narcissism, escaping from cults, how to avoid cults, how to recognize cults, and more. We also talk about online dating, dating apps, scams, how to use dating apps, what to avoid, etc.  And we talk about sobriety, drugs, alcoholism, AA, vaping, and more. Links can be found on the shownotes page Support the show through Patreon

Stacey Harper was a cocaine dealer in the 1980's in Los Angeles. He built the business into an small empire, but got arrested. In prison, he studied everything he could and bettered himself. When he got out, he stayed clean and started his own legitimate businesses. He is the author of "The Cocaine Chef: The Story of the Mix Master," and other books. He also coaches people in Financial Empowerment, Personal Growth, Career Development, and Life Transformation.  We talk about growing up in Los Angeles, Nation of Islam, getting into the drug-dealing business, taking over his boss' operation, the differences between powder cocaine and crack cocaine, the cocaine epidemic, where the word "crack" came from, the connection with the Medellin Cartel, getting arrested, the racist drug laws regarding cocaine, cooking crack, spending ten years in prison, maintaining hope in prison, stae vs federal prison, how to survive in prison, writing, history, the moors, algebra, the dark ages, Mansa Musa, the Olmec statues, the origin of the separation of the races, writing the book, helping others, and more.  Find Stacey's book and links on the shownotes page Support the show through Patreon

What happens when you catch thieves in the act, trying to steal your outboard motor? What do you do with the bodies? No, I haven't caught thieves in the act, or had to dispose of bodies, and I hope I never do, but I did write a short story about it.  To subscribe to my free newsletter and get a short story every month, go to https://paultrammell.substack.com/ To supprt the show, go to Patreon here

Brian Hite, Ph.D., is known as "The High-Stakes Performance Whisperer," blending over 30 years as a professional stuntman with advanced expertise in performance psychology. With a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology and a Master's in Sport Psychology, Brian helps leaders, athletes, first responders, and creatives see through the illusions of stress and pressure to unlock clarity and achieve extraordinary results. Brian's career includes over 100 film and television credits, a Screen Actors Guild Award for 24, and a decade coaching soldiers as a Master Resilience Trainer for the U.S. Army. Today, he shares his expertise through programs like PressureX, PhaseX, and FACTs; his podcast Flow Under Fire; and keynotes that inspire audiences to rethink their potential. We talk about goals, creating our futures, recognizing opportunity, overcoming fear and anxiety, being a stuntman, avoiding injury, getting hit by cars, stretching and flexibility, seeing the good in the bad, finding motivation for self-employed people, eliminating pressure, visualization, focusing on the moment to maximize success, and more. "Nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." Links are on the shownotes page here. Support the show through Patreon.

Alan Katz is a writer and producer of film and TV. Over the course of his career, he has written movies and TV shows like HBO's iconic Tales From The Crypt and Showtime's Outer Limits. He now produces four podcasts. Entertainment Weekly called the first season of his "The How NOT To Make A Movie Podcast" the "Best Film Podcast of 2022." We talk about making film and TV shows, writing scripts, HBO, difficult camera shots, creating the Crypt Keeper on Tales from the Crypt, improvisation, Whoopi Goldberg, how a bad movie can turn your career, podcasting, being traumatized as a child, letting the secret out, becoming a storyteller, Dads from the Crypt, getting into podcasting, a sperm-donor story, the downfall of American Government, the cultural value of creative people, and more. Links are on the podcast shownotes page here Support the show through Patreon

Brian Hathaway is a documentary filmmaker and a sailor, currently circumnavigating. He is also a recovering addict. We talk about sailing, the community of cruising sailors, rehab, being diagnosed bipolar, lithium, self-medicating, burning his house down while on meth, living with the social consequences of sobriety, lightning, solo sailing, and more. Links are on the shownotes page here. Support the show here.

Dr. Mort Orman, M.D. is an internal medicine physician and a 40-year anger elimination and stress elimination expert. He has written 23 books on how to eliminate anger and stress without using drugs, relaxation exercises, or other traditional management techniques. He is the creator of the 10-session Angry No More anger elimination program, the Anger Internal Causes Framework, and The Ultimate Anger Elimination System. Dr. Orman has led more than 100 anger and stress elimination workshops for doctors, nurses, lawyers, business owners, entrepreneurs, other professionals, the clergy, and even the F.B.I. He has also been the official sponsor of National Stress Awareness Month in the U.S. every April since 1992. His newest book is “Dr. Orman's Life-Changing Anger Cure.” We talk about the effects of anger on the body, mind, and emotions, his past anger issue (which he compares to John McEnroe), how the brain deals with anger, how we interpret situations that lead to our anger, how to get past this and eliminate anger, the difference between anger management and anger elimination, how the media makes us angry, his book, his anger elimination course, the two truths (whenever we are angry, we are either wrong about something - or we have an incorrect life philosophy), meditation, and more. Find links on the shownotes page here. Support the show through Patreon here.

Heather O'Neill is a novelist, short-story writer, and essayist. Her work includes When We Lost Our Heads, a #1 national bestseller and a finalist for the Grand Prix du Livre de Montréal, The Lonely Hearts Hotel, which won the Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction and was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction and CBC's Canada Reads, and Lullabies for Little Criminals, The Girl Who Was Saturday Night, and Daydreams of Angels, which were shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction, the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Scotiabank Giller Prize two years in a row. O'Neill has also won CBC's Canada Reads and the Danuta Gleed Award. The Capital of Dreams is her most recent novel. Born and raised in Montreal, O'Neill lives there today. We talk about her childhood, reading and writing, books, The Capital of Dreams, breaking into traditional publishing, the craft of writing a novel, cultivating creativity, poetry and prose, simile and metaphor and more. I also read passages I highlighted from the book and we discuss them. Links and show notes are here  Support the show through Patreon here

Miriam Schulman is the author of "Artpreneur," a book about making a living off our creativity. After witnessing 9/11, she left a lucrative hedge fund job to focus full-time on her art. Since then, her story and art have been featured in major publications including Forbes, The New York Times, What Women Create, Art of Man, Professional Artist magazine, and Art Journaling magazine. Her artwork has also been featured on NBC's “Parenthood” and the Amazon series “Hunters” with Al Pacino.  We talk about getting past the starving artist mindset, pricing our art, limiting beliefs that inhibit artists, the value of taking risks, building confidence, beating procrastination, cultivating creativity, the value of email marketing over social media, embracing your weirdness, why we shouldn't let AI write for us, failure and having haters, advice for self-published authors, the future of marketing, and more. Podcast shownotes are here  Support the show through Patreon

As a Manhattan book editor, strategic planner, and corporate marketing VP, Marcia Heath seemed to have it all figured out. But after a series of major setbacks, she headed to Aruba to reset and relax. There, she stumbled upon a story that would change everything: a tiny surf shop owned by two friends who were blazing an entirely different path to success. It was a moment that would transform her life and inspire her first book, "Little Giant," a story about defying conventional wisdom and seeking success on your own terms. We talk about her book, her previous career and why she changed it, working as an editor, business values, creating a brand, starting a surf shop, surfing, transient global amnesia, finding happiness, facing our fears, writing books, changing careers, distilling one million words of interviews into a book, writing nonfiction, books, using accountability, and more. Shownotes and links are here Support through Patreon

Annie Korzen is the author of "The Book of Annie: Humor Heart and Chutzpah from an Accidental Influencer." She played Doris Klompus on Seinfeld, has written humorous essays for The NY Times, LA Times, and many more. Annie has performed her solo shows on three continents. She is a Moth Mainstage storyteller, and can be heard on www.TheMoth.org. Annie has been interviewed by Oprah Winfrey, Tavis Smiley, and Dr. Phil. We talk about living in Los Angeles vs living in New York City, finding what suits you, figuring out what makes you happy, learning from our mistakes, the hard work that it takes to succeed in the arts, dating, comedy and humor, improvisation, acting, writing, phobias, the benefits of traveling, cultivating creativity, and much more. Shownotes are here Support the show here

Matt Drago is an actor living in Los Angeles, starring in the current motion picture "Somewhere in Montana." We talk about the fires in Los Angeles, becoming an actor, the importance of being a hustler to succeed in any art, backstory and preparing for a role, what goes on behind the scenes, screenplays, making Somewhere in Montana, calling up emotions, working with the crew, advice for aspiring actors, and more. Shownotes and links are here Support the show through Patreon here

Scott Grace is a forty year veteran teacher of transformation. He is the author of four books, including his latest "Mindful Masculinity." He has been a stand up comedian and opened up for Robin Williams and Dana Carvey, and a singer-songwriter who produced nine CD's of original songs. He has shared the stage with Deepak Chopra, Dr. John Gray, Marianne Williamson, Bernie Siegel, Ram Dass, Louise Hay, and many other famous authors and personal growth celebrities. His alter ego is the Spiritual Dr. Seuss, where he is funny and profound at the same time.  We talk about living in Mexico, his book Mindful Masculinity, observing and becoming aware, the good side of masculinity, the importance of service to others, improvisation, creativity, his song portraits, LSD, joy, right brain and left brain, grief, relationships, meditation... He freestyles about Mexico in Dr. Seuss style, and makes up a song on the spot about our conversation. Podcast shownotes are here  Support the show through Patreon here

Peter Gooch is is an author, painter, and former art professor. He is the winner of the Bosque Publishing Prize for Fiction, and his short fiction has appeared in numerous literary magazines and online. He holds an MFA from Western Michigan University. His short fiction has been published in The New Guard, Bosque Publishing, Etched Onyx, and Light and Dark Literary Magazine, among other publications. His first novel, Seren, is published by Apprentice House Press, will be available in April.  We talk about his novel Seren, creative writing, books and reading, favorite authors, searching for a muse, creativity and the price we pay for it, finding moments of ecstasy, writing advice, poets, the importance of following the oblique tangent of thought, overcoming the fear to take risk, highlights from his book, what makes for good endings, what makes books great, and much more; enjoy! Podcast show notes, including links to all the authors mentioned in the interview, are here Support the show through Patreon here

Bert Terhart crossed the entire country of Canada from west to east in a canoe in one season, and he did it alone. He is one of only two people to have done this, and the only to have done it without a dog.  We talk about growing up in Canada, finding adventure as a child, his adventure crossing Canada in a canoe, the gear he used, finding thousand-year-old portages cut in the rock, the misery and the enjoyment, the necessity of living in the moment, dealing with boredom, foul-weather gear, wildlife encounters, bears, a mountain lion, killer whales, sharks, badgers, and more. Shownotes and links are here Support the show here

Susan Hensley is a transformational coach, speaker, and author dedicated to helping people navigate life's transitions with joy, creativity, and resilience. She is the author of "Art for Your Sanity," a book to help people deal with uncertainty and tap into their innate wisdom and creativity. Susan's mission is to empower people to unlock their inner wisdom, creativity, and sense of play during times of uncertainty and change. Through workshops, speaking engagements, and one-on-one coaching, she guides clients to rediscover their authentic selves and infuse their lives with more color, meaning, and joy. We talk about finding joy, designing a life that does not require a coping mechanism, the importance of creativity and curiosity, art journaling, paying attention to the things in life that spark joy, curating social media feeds, cultivating creativity, and much more! Shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support the show through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Bob was a mob lawyer until he discovered the I Ching. He is now is a professor at Elon University, teaching Business Law and Meditation (two separate courses).  We talk about growing up selling hot dogs and cotton candy, becoming a lawyer in Miami in working for Janet Reno as a prosecutor; hitting the mob for $72 million; being recruited by the mafia; discovering the I Ching and Taoism; cultivating wisdon compassion, kindness, and generosity; creating happiness in our lives; the importance of cultivating sympathetic joy; meditation; freeing up your intuitive mind to work on the problems in your life in a non-verbal way; Bob reads Desiderata; Jesus and Budhism; and more. Shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support the show through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Daniel Brown, aka @mullet_lord, is a former hard partier who nearly died from drug and alcohol abuse. He now lives and surfs in Australia, owns a coffee shop, and leads a healthy life, however, at 24 years old, he needed a drink to avoid seizure, and was also into marijuana and extasy. During a short coma, he had a near-death experience in which he spent, as he describes it, a lifetime in Heaven, where he formed deep relationships with spirits in a dimension outside of time. This was followed by a lifetime in Hell, walking through a firey desert for an eternity, at the end of which he purged himself of his old self. He chose to come back to his body, and now has a new sober life. We also talk about surfing and staying physically fit, yoga, meditation, and much more! Shownotes can be found here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics  

In this episode, I read aloud a short story I wrote about one of my favorite places, Isla Escudo de Veraguas. If you like short stories, sign un for me free newsletter at paultrammell.substack.com, and get a story in your email at the begining of each month, as well as occasional poems, essays, and book reviews.

Sung J. Woo is the author of "Lines," a novel I recently read and loved. His short stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times, PEN/Guernica, Financial Times, and Vox. He has written five novels, Lines (2024), Deep Roots (2023), Skin Deep (2020), Love Love (2015), and Everything Asian (2009), which won the 2010 Asian Pacific American Librarians Association Literature Award. In 2022, his Modern Love essay from The New York Times was adapted by Amazon Studios for episodic television. A graduate of Cornell University with an MFA from New York University, he lives in Washington, New Jersey. We talk about New York City (where Lines takes place), how he got started writing, Stephen King's books, other books we love, his inspiration for the novel, developing characters, creativity, writing technique, his muse, the novel, the ending, his MFA, and more. Podcast shownotes can be found here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support the show here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Erden is one of two people to have circumnavigated under human power, and Erden is the only to have done it solo, and he did it by rowing, cycling, kayaking, and hiking. He holds an amazing 18 Guiness World Records.  We talk about rowing across oceans, bicycling across continenets, hiking across Papua New Guinea, his route around the world, training, dealing with difficult situations, eating coffe grounds, sharks, whales, tuna, sea turtles, birds, recording whale sounds along the way, the benefits of unplugging from society and spending time at sea, entering the 2026 Golden Globe Race, and more. We talk about the Golden Globe Race on my other podcast Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell Podcast shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Enzo Dal Verme is an Italian portrait photographer drawing on over three decades of experience in meditation. He approaches photography as a path of self-discovery and personal growth. His portraits have been published in Vanity Fair, l'Uomo Vogue, The Times, GQ, Madame Figarò, Elle, Glamour, Vogue Sport, Marie Claire and many other magazines. Enzo has been leading his acclaimed photography retreats in Tuscany since 2011. We talk about developing creativity, becoming a photographer, getting out of your comfort zone, exposing yourself to inspiration, meditation, creating a fantasy in photography, publishing inspiring stories in stupid magazines, making the world a better place through photography, marketing for artists, teaching photography, dealing with fear, beautiful places, finding friendly people, and more. Shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support the show here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Elijah Nisenboim is founder of Effiji Breathwork and has been helping people with suffering and trauma for 33 years. He is the author of 3 books including “The Trauma Code: Unlocking the Hidden Map to Your Life's True Purpose.”  He has traveled to China more than 20 times, learning Sacred Taoist energy practice and Internal Martial Arts which he incorporates in his healing methods for trauma release. Elijah helps people release trauma and understand and use trauma as a valuable tool for fulfilling one's life purpose. Shownotes are here Support through Patreon here

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett is an author, creative-writing teacher, and host of my favorite podcast, "Writers on Writing." She is also a lecturer at Chapman University's Dodge Film School, an adjunct professor of Advanced Creative Writing at Saddleback College Emeritus Institute, and instructor at  Gotham Writers Workshop (online). She also holds two private workshops.  Barbara was recognized with a Distinguished Instructor Award at UC-Irvine and awarded Literary Magnet #1 in Orange Coast Magazine's Best of Orange County. She is founder of the Pen on Fire Speakers Writers Salon in Corona del Mar, California and in the summer of 2013, began holding writers retreats in Palm Springs. She's the former president of Sisters in Crime, Orange County chapter, and was the editor of The ASJA Monthly, (the official publication of the American Society of Journalists and Authors), from 2002 to 2014. ASJA awarded her with the Extraordinary Service Award in 2015. We talk about how she became a writer (insteasd of going to clown school or starting a beauty salon), writing short stories, her writing habits and techniques, writing in longhand, stationary sickness, her book "Palm Springs Noir," lessons and insights gleaned from the hundreds of authors she has interviewed on her podcast, the importance of improvisation, cultivating creativity, self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, book covers, artificial intelligence, favorite books and authors, and more.   Shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support the show through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Brad Chandler is a successful entrepreneur who built a thriving real estate investment company, but is now dedicating his life to his true passion: helping others break free from their past, overcome limiting beliefs, and create the life and relationships they desire and deserve. Through mastering self-love and reprogramming the mind, Brad has transformed his own life, and he's here to share his powerful insights with you. If you're ready to unlock your potential and live a life of true fulfillment, this episode is for you! We talk about the connection between happiness and success, how unhappiness is detrimental to our health, avoiding mental pollution, television and movies we avoid, marijuana and alcohol, why we do drugs, how childhood trauma leads to negative behavior, rewriting neural pathways to overcome negative emotions and behaviors, why perscriptions for depression and anxiety don't work, the self-love quiz, finding true happiness, responding in love to yourself and to others, limitlessyou, meditation, and more. Links and show notes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Jeff Patterson, from Portland, OR, USA, has over 36 years of experience, practicing and teaching the meditative and martial arts. As the founder of Northwest Fighting Arts/Portland Tai Chi Academy and The Yielding Warrior, he emphasizes the transformative power of meditative and martial arts practices, particularly the yielding concept. He has published two books and hundreds of instructional videos, is the founder of The Yielding Warrior online program and has worked with thousands of students from around the world. We talk about various martial arts, meditation, the relationship of meditation and martial arts, yeilding, his books, using the meditative arts, specific benefits of meditation, core foundations of a meditative practice, yin and yang breathing, creativity, quigong, fighting, the benefits of combat sports, facing fear, diet, intuition, getting started in meditation - first steps, and more. Show notes are at https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Matt O'Neill is a happiness expert whose work has positively impacted the lives of over 100,000 people worldwide. He's the author of the "Good Mood Revolution" book, and host of the "Good Mood Revolution" podcast. Matt teaches us that happiness is a choice, even when life gets tough. His teaching isn't just theory, it's tested in the real world too. Matt has 4 young children and runs two successful businesses with over 80 employees. We talk about gaurdian angels, near-death experiences, nature as a cure for depression, memories, drugs and addiction, true joy, love, the highest level of happiness, the 8 positive and 8 negative emotions, the importance of gratitude, the present moment, meditation, yoga, prayers, intuition, stopping negative thought patterns, forgiveness, humility - the foundation of all good moods, and more. Shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Ronika is an award-winning screenwriter. She also directs, and runs the Wicklow Stories Film Festival. Having placed highly in both the Academy Nicholl Fellowship as well as the Austin Film Festival in 2019, she has since expanded her slate to contain more than 22 feature-length scripts. She has lectured at Griffith College in Dublin, Ireland and has given multiple workshops in Ireland and the UK. Her latest work, Matriarchy is a film and TV adaptation of Mary Mackey's best-selling novel series “Earthsong,” which is being produced by Chainsaw Europe. She is also the artistic director of the Wicklow Stories Film Festival, which was launched in 2022 and was funded and supported by Creative Ireland. Her textbook for Irish Screenwriters "The Hustle" is now available on Amazon or can be purchased directly from her. An addition and expansion to this work, titled “Navigating Hollywood” can be purchased through the New York Script Awards. Her poetry collections “I Love You, Dave Taylor” and “Joy Clings” are available on amazon.com, with her new book “She,” coming out in April 2024. She has consulted on projects in the US, UK, South Africa and Australia. We talk about Ireland, growing up in a tribal community in India, the importance of community, religion, screenwriting, writing nonfiction, trying to write  novel, creativity and where it comes from, creative burnout and how to deal with it, defining your own success as an artist, cultivating creativity, writing poetry, empathy, an much more. Ronika also reads her poem "Nobody's Daughter."  Shownotes and relevant links are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support the show here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics  

Lion Goodman is founder of the Clear Beliefs Institute. He is a professional certified therapeutic coach with 40 years' experience as an executive coach, teacher, healer, and Subconscious Pattern Detective. He is the creator of the Clear Beliefs Method for deleting limiting beliefs, healing childhood wounds and resolving traumas from the past. We talk about wanting to fit in as kids, practicing telepathy, studying consciousness, near-death experiences, getting shot in the head and surviving, shamanic studies, the difference between real and fake shamanic retreats, psychadelic drugs and the danger of their recreational use, shadows, connecting with the aliveness of the Earth, exploring other worlds and bringing back gifts for this life, existing as multideminsional beings, original sin, religion, addiction, and more. Shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

David Buck is the author of “The Time-Optimized Life.” He has over 35 years of organizational and time-management experience, which led him to start Kairos Management Solutions, and the Infinity Lifestyle design program. David empowers business professionals to overcome the struggles of a lack of flexibility in life. He helps his clients craft a strategy to optimize their time that defines a lifestyle focused on meaning, purpose, and joy. We talk about all sorts of ways to optimize our time so we can be more productive, waste less time, set better goals, be more happy, and make more money. Shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

In 2018, while sailing in The Bahamas, I had a terrifying encounter with an oceanic whitetip shark, a known maneater, and one of the most feared sharks in the ocean. I described the encounter in my book Journey to the Ragged Islands. In this episode is a chapter in the audiobook, where I read from the book about my time at Cat Island. I encountered the shark while on a paddleboard at the north end of the island. In the following days, I sailed south to New Bight and hiked up Mt. Alvernia to the Hermitage of Father Jerome.  Shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

A short story about a magical island, based on a real place - Isla Escudo de Veraguas, read by the author.   Support the podcast through Patreon here  http://patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Martina is the author of the book Hello Flower: A real life story of narcissistic love and invisible abuse. We talk about living in Italy, learning foreign languages, teaching and building schools in Nicaragua, selling coffee, falling in love with a covert narcissist and suffering narcissistic abuse, defining a narcissist, avoiding them, the importance of seeking your own happiness, and more. Shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

This episode features the first two chapters of the audiobook Journey to the Ragged Islands, by Paul Trammell, as read by the author (and the host of this podcast). Shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support the podcast through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Brodie Farber was a professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter from 2002 to 2018.  We talk all about fighting, various martial arts and which ones work, training, injuries, preventing injuries, what it's like to be knocked out, the benefits of learning a martial art, travelling, and much more. Show notes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support through patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Aiden Gabor was recruited into the mafia at a young age, led a life of crime, and became an enforcer. He was later coerced into being an informant for the Department of Justice, who convinced him to become a police officer in order to bring down corrupt cops. He wrote a book about his life, Conflicting Loyalties, which I read in three days since I didn't want to put it down. * If you are offended by violence, you might want to skip this one. Podcast shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support the podcast through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Frank Healy is one of 100 people in the entire world who has hyperthymesia. He remembers every day of his life, starting at six years old. He is now 64. He is also an author and a therapist, and we talk about memory, his obsession with weather, school, social life, how to control and minimize bad memories, astrology, OCD, controling emotions, reliving fond memories, emotional intelligence, forgiveness, meditation, his therapy practice, and much more. Podcast show notes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Clouds, thunderstorms, cool rain, surfing, life and death, strolling through the jungle. My poems are influenced by the natural world around me, as I live on my sailboat in Bocas del Toro, Panama. In this episode, the inner working of my mind are on dislpay for all to hear as I read my original poetry. Shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Shebana Coelho is an award-winning writer, performance artist and facilitator of workshops. Her work is about expressing our creativity to liberate us from fear and other colonizations and to celebrate our passion. She received a Fiction Fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts, and a Fulbright grant to Mongolia. We talk about travel, and how it rchanges the way we think and act, overcoming fear, solitude, Tierra del Fuego and Ushuaia, designing a new life, planning to have no regrets in the afterlife, solo traveling, the artic and polar bears, cultivating creativity, and much more. Shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support the podcast via Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

John Guiver is the author of the book "To Play the Game," the story of the aeronautical disaster of flight 571, which crashed in the Andes in 1972, and involved cannibalism in order to survive. John Guiver's lifetime interest in the 1972 Andes Flight Disaster led him to travel to the site of the accident in January 2013 in the company of one of the sixteen survivors, Eduardo Strauch. Through him, he met many others connected to the story, including survivors Pedro Algorta and Coche Inciarte, whose memoirs he translated. Over the years, he conducted numerous interviews within the close-knit passenger community, and delved deeply into various archives, including that of Piers Paul Read who wrote the best-selling 1974 account of the tragedy, Alive. The detailed information he amassed persuaded him to write a comprehensive history of this iconic event. "To Play the Game" retells the story both on and off the mountain, giving an in-depth look at the world from which the passengers came, and an analysis of the possible causes of the accident. The account is enriched by the stories of those who didn't return from the mountain, related through the eyes of their families, bringing much-needed balance to a history which has largely focused on the survivors. Shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support the show through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Kamoka Pearl Farm produces pearls from oysters grown in the nutrient-rich lagoon of Ahe Atoll, 300 miles northeast of Tahiti. They are known for adhering to the strictest levels of sustainable farming in the pearl world and have pioneered many eco-farming techniques that not only help the environment, but also improve the quality of their pearls. We talk about living in French Polynesia, sailing there in a ferocement sailboat, Bernard Moitessier, starting the pearl farm, learning from the Japanese pearl farmers, how pearls are cultured, working with the local ecosystem and letting the local fish clean the oysters, living off-grid on an atoll, storms, making jewelry with the pearls, and more. Podcast shownotes are at https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support the show through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Jennie Milton, aka Adrena-Jen, is an Australian kitesurfing and snow kiting champion, and all-around hardcore adventurer. We talk about getting chased by a polar bear, Alaska, kitesurfing, kiteskiing, generation X, the Red Bull Ragnarok kiteski race, staying in shape and combating the aging process, fear, and courage. We also discuss the relationship between the desire to use recreational drugs and the desire to do extreme sports, and why sobriety is better.  Shownotes are at https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support the show with Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Following a thirteen-week hospitalization for schizophrenia, after being “extracted” from Dartmouth College, Dale Walsh was in a private psychiatric program where he was hospitalized nine times over five years. He then moved into his own unsupervised apartment and returned to college at Fairleigh Dickinson University, from where he graduated magna cum laude in English Literature. Diagnosed 45 years ago, Dale has been episode-free for the past 29. His mental health journey has evolved from total psychosis to a miraculous recovery. He has lived independently for forty years. Dale Walsh is a coach for the families of those diagnosed with schizophrenia. He has been coaching these families for three years and is the creator of the LIVELOVE method to help his clients. He is guided by the mantra “Recovery is Always an Option.” We talk about the paradox of beliving one is God and all of us being a part of God, living in a reality that wasn't conceived on earth and trying to integrate his vision with that of general culture, spreading a message of hope and recovery, the role of drug use in becoming schizophrenic, psychadelic drugs, an obsession with Emmylou Lou Harris, divine insights, recovery, the inability for schizophrenics to understand that there is anything wrong with their mind, an alter-ego, using love patience and faith to deal with schizophrenic friends or loved ones, medications, homelessness and mental illness, quitting smoking marijuana, keeping hope alive, and more. Shownotes can be found at https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Support through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Britton Kelley is a personal trainer living in Medellin Colombia. We  talk about travelling, living in Medellin Colombia, being a gringo, doing your own thing, Costa Rica, lifestyle change, Thialand, fitness, personal training, not having children, OMAD (one meal a day), MRSA, pain, Covid, not watching television, and more. Shownotes can be found at https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics

Jeremiah Beck is the author of the new novel Recollection, which I read and enjoyed enough to invite Jeremiah onto the show.  We talk about finding the inspiration to read and write, authors we love, learning to write, finding an editor, cultivating a creative mindest, talking to your characters, rituals, begging for the muse, marketing a book, guilt, forgiveness, being tormented by our own mind. I also read highlights I took while reading Recollection and Jeremiah comments on them. Jeremiah also reads from a new novel he is working on.  Support the show through Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics Podcast shownotes, and links to Jeremiah's book and other books we mentioned, are here https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics

Amelia Huckel-Bauer is a Bronx based actor and teaching artist, currently producing and acting in an on-going production of John Ford Noonan's, "All She Cares About is the Yankees," coming soon to the Bronx. She is a company member with Emit Theatre, bringing immersive Shakespeare to schools, roles ranging from Gertrude in Hamlet, to Malvolio in Twelfth Night. Other theater credits: Hunter in Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, Chick in Crimes of the Heart; Red Monkey Theater Group, Sally in Tally's Folly; Bagaduce Theater, and Flannery in Mrs. Schrodinger's Cat; NYC Fringe Festival. She holds a BFA in Acting from Tisch, NYU and a MA Educational Theater from Steinhardt, NYU. We talk about her one-woman show, becoming an actor, method acting, calling up emotions on stage, agoraphobia, the mechanics of putting on a play and the people involved, cultivating a creative mind, living in New York City, and Amelia recites a scene from the play, which is HILLARIOUS!  Find the podcast shownotes at https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics Amelia's website is http://www.ameliahuckel-bauer.com/ If you'd like to support the podcast, you can do so through Patreon at http://patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics