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Awakened Nation

A Deep Dive Into The Extraordinary. Now in the TOP 10% OF VIDEO PODCASTS ON SPOTIFY! Award-winning author Brad Szollose is dedicated to deeper conversations with today's cutting edge entrepreneurs and outliers, idea makers and disruptors, bestselling authors, activists, healers, spiritual leaders, professional athletes, celebrities and rock stars...conversations that WILL make you think.
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Episodes

Could YOU walk from NYC to California, an interview with The Wandering Monk, Jeremy Schulz

What would you do if you lost everything—your marriage, career, and drive? Professional drummer Jeremy Schulz decided to do something for charity: walk 3100 miles from NYC to Redding, CA, with a detour to Niagara Falls. "I found God on the road...and a deep understand of the phrase 'the road always provides.'" Jeremy shares his journey and the blessings along the way, and meeting Kaitlyn, the love of his life...thinking he lost her forever, only to have her reconnect through Social Media. This i...

Dec 19, 20231 hr 27 minSeason 6Ep. 141

Life After Football, an interview with Marques Ogden

What happens when you've reached the heights of your NFL Football Career, only to have it all come crashing down years later? Marques Ogden gets real with Brad Szollose as he shares his business failures, addiction to pain killers and lost relationships. Life after football is a testament to Marques' tenacity, resilience and raw authenticity. If you are a fan of comeback stories, this is it. About Marques Ogden: Marques Ogden is a former American football offensive tackle and center. He was draf...

Dec 12, 202349 minSeason 6Ep. 140

Enough! Time To Cancel "Cancel Culture:" the return of Chris Widener

What happens when you discover you've been cancelled simply because of your political views? Having lost MILLIONS in speaking and consulting fees over the past year, NYTimes and WSJ bestseller Chris returns to share clear examples of The Radical Left in USA and their attempts to financially destroy anyone who is a Conservative. As a result, Chris took a tactic out of the Radical Left's playbook and started his own Conservative Network, where Conservatives and Libertarians can hire each other and...

Dec 05, 202346 minSeason 6Ep. 139

From Baseball to Learning & Development, an interview with Damon Lembi

If you are in HR or Learning & Development, this is an extraordinary episode with the author of The Learn-It All Leader, Damon Lembi. "Great leaders aren't born. They're not made, either. They're in the making. They're constantly creating and re-creating themselves, their companies, and their leadership." Brad and Damon discuss what makes a great leader in this day and age, along with adjusting to generational differences, and how Damon won his biggest account, The Gap. This is a masterclass...

Nov 28, 20231 hr 5 minSeason 6Ep. 138

Saving Unborn Jewish Children: an interview with Cecilly Routman, President of the Jewish Pro-Life Foundation

When Cecilly Routman discovered that most of her Jewish kinswomen supported abortion, she was shocked...and became an advocate for the unborn. She quotes Moses ben Maimon... “It is important to not believe everything you think. People idolize their intellect. Especially intelligent people…educated people, people who spent a lot of time in higher education. Or come out of families where that is important…look at how we think and question what our views are...we are very wedded to them…unfortunate...

Nov 21, 202350 minSeason 6Ep. 137

Can Leadership Do Better? an interview with Dov Baron

Dov Baron is back, and what a powerful show. Dov shares the story of how he helped a former Neo Nazi give up his ways, and even start a foundation to end hate. How did he do it? They bonded over Monty Python. Dov breaks down how humans are Tribal, and what each tribe's emotional Source Code is, and how to transform it. This is a fascinating discussion between 2 friends on getting authentic, and what it really takes to change. About Dov Baron: Dov Baron is the founder and CEO of Dov Baron Interna...

Nov 14, 202357 minSeason 6Ep. 136

Can Nuclear Power Solve The Green Energy Dilemma? with Richard McPherson

Richard McPherson is on the forefront of nuclear power and Green Energy movement. Richard shares with Brad his 50 year career (20 of which was in the Navy), the safety and power output of the Molten Salt Nuclear Battery, his involvement in the Hydrogen Car at Mercedes Benz, what's been learned from Chernobyl, and his own trepidation on E-Vehicles under their current state. So far, Green Energy appears to be unsustainable under current conditions, but Richard has a few solutions. This is a fascin...

Nov 07, 20231 hr 15 minSeason 6Ep. 135

Inventor of The MP3 Player, Nathan Schulhof, predicts The Future

Nathan Schulhof doesn't seem to sit on his laurels. The inventor of the MP3 Player shares his journey from inventor, business man, and visionary, and how he raised money to turn his inventions into a business. A fascinating discussion, Nathan shares his love of E-Vehicles, working with Apple, and the future of Green Energy...and a vision for our planet. About Nathan Schulhof: Nathan Schulhof has been a visionary from the beginning of the Technology Era bringing new and innovative devises and tec...

Oct 31, 20231 hr 11 minSeason 6Ep. 134

The Power in Putting Yourself First, an interview with Deana Brown Mitchell

Suicide Survivor Deana Brown Mitchell shares with Brad on Awakened Nation, the moments that lead up to her attempted suicide, and the 20 years it took to finally deal with it all. This is a touching episode as Deana shares her story of a loving and balanced childhood, outgoing and athletic, yet, a crushing blow to her during high school change her life. A multi-book published author, Deana came to the realization that to serve others, we have to PYF: put yourself first. Deana is a crusader when ...

Oct 20, 202356 minSeason 6Ep. 133

Going Beyond Joseph Campell and The Hero's Journey with Peter Merrick

In his 20s, Peter J. Merrick was just like any other young person to start their career: brash, cocky, and full of himself. It didn't take long for him to become disillusioned. One book changed his life: Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. Within the pages he discovered that all men live through phases in life...from proving yourself, to giving back, Peter learned what each of us must do at each stage in our lives. Peter has been on a mission to share with the next generation of men the simple, timeless...

Oct 10, 202347 minSeason 6Ep. 132

Tales from The Story Merchant, with Ken Atchity

Ken Atchity, producer of the movie The Meg, staring Jason Statham, joins us for a fascinating discussion on becoming a Hollywood producer of such movies as "Life, or Something Like It," "The Expatriate" "Joe Somebody," and the HBO movie series "Shades of Love." ...but our time together was much more than talking about his international blockbusters. Ken is a Story Merchant...and he opens up about his roots, studying in French, Latin, Greek and conversational Japanese, along with enlightening sto...

Oct 04, 20231 hr 3 minSeason 6Ep. 131

The Billion-Dollar Brand Maker, Linda Johansen-James

How do you grow a business from scratch to create a global presence in 3 countries, 600 staffed locations, 1800 employees and 1000 automated stores throughout North America, Australia and New Zealand? You go like Hell, and figure out what you did wrong later! Linda Johansen-James shares her extraordinary story of meeting Max James, the founder of North American Kiosk, their massive hyper-growth strategy, and Linda's emerging company, International Retail Group. You're going to love this episode ...

Sep 26, 202353 minSeason 6Ep. 130

Welcome to The Dugout, with Serial Entrepreneur and Executive Coach, Casey Cavell

How does a Type A personality learn to relax? Casey Cavell shares his journey of building several successful small businesses, yet faced burn out...until a wiser, older investor offered another way. "He taught me to value other people's contribution...before that, I pushed people the way I pushed myself: to the brink of exhaustion." Casey is honest about his journey, his family, and his podcast, The Dugout CEO. This is a great episode for baseball enthusiasts and C-level executives alike. About ...

Sep 19, 202350 minSeason 6Ep. 129

Free Yourself From The Debt Slave Matrix with Brandon-Joe Williams

What if I told you that shortly after the Civil War in 1871 the United States became a corporation, making The United States Constitution null and void? Brandon-Joe Williams breaks down the entire system of contracts, trust law and documents you signed unknowingly, only to wonder why you can NEVER get ahead. Brandon exposes the legal definitions that capture us, the webs of contracts and documents like birth certificates, social security cards (the number on the back is the secret to your birthr...

Sep 12, 20231 hr 38 minSeason 6Ep. 128

When Hollywood Calls, an interview with the Hardest Working Actor in Show Business, Joshua Schubart

If you've ever watched the Amazon Prime series The Tick, or Seven Seconds on Netflix, or High Maintenance on HBO, or After on the IFT Network, then you will recognize Joshua Schubart. A big man with an even bigger heart, Josh sits down with Brad to open up about being homeless, growing up in foster care, and how acting and his foster parents, saved his life. "Acting helped me to escape my situation at the time..." Josh shares his emotional journey of landing the part of Frank on The Tick, the hi...

Sep 05, 20231 hr 27 minSeason 6Ep. 127

Beyond The Secret, an interview with Dr. Joe Vitale

Breakout star of the movie The Secret, Dr. Joe Vitale shares his story of being homeless, and hopeless...yet discovering gratitude with a simple pencil. This is a powerful episode as Dr. Vitale gives the secrets beyond The Secret— practical actions to create the world you want, clearing up what holds us back, and the magic behind the 4 statements of Ho'oponopono...with an extra bonus: Joe reveals the 5th statement on Awakened Nation!!! If you enjoyed The Secret, along with Dr. Joe Vitale's work,...

Aug 29, 20231 hr 3 minSeason 6Ep. 126

Are Your Ready For The Ascension? Part 2: an interview with Jennie Byers

Jennie Byers returns in Part 2, to move past her ability to talk to your dead relatives who have passed on, and now connect you to the higher worlds of God. Jennie opens up to Brad about The Source Field where creation began, reconnecting to God, the false timeline we are living under, and the return of human race to their true divine destiny. This is a mind-blowing episode as Jennie unpacks the future of humanity. About Jennie Byers: Jennie Byers is a multi-dimensional, Living Light Language tr...

Aug 22, 20231 hr 1 minSeason 6Ep. 125

Can We Talk To The Dead? Part 1: an interview with Jennie Byers

What if you grew up with the ability to talk to the dead? Pretty scary for a child... Jennie Byers takes us on her journey from a "visitor" in childhood, who assisted in activating her spiritual gifts of intuition and the ability to talk to the dead...her brother and sister having the same gifts, and finally, working with her mother, Kitti, after she passed away. This is art 1 of the 2 part interview. In the second interview, Jennie shows us how she helps with the Ascension. About Jennie Byers: ...

Aug 15, 20231 hr 5 minSeason 6Ep. 124

From NASA to Boss Women Rock, an interview with Jen DeVore Richter

How do you go from head of marketing and advertising at NASA to becoming one of the top women entrepreneur's in the marketing industry? Jen DeVore Richter sits down with Brad to share her extraordinary journey of working at NASA's Kennedy Space Center—working with Buzz Aldrin and the original Apollo Astronauts—to setting out on her own as a marketing guru and becoming the "Queen of Magazine Marketing." This is a great conversation between friends covering mindset, tactics, Jen's conversion to Ch...

Aug 08, 20231 hr 10 minSeason 6Ep. 123

A Man On A Mission, an interview with NYTimes Bestelling Author, Chris Widener

One to the top 10 best speakers in the world, Chris Widener sits down on Awakened Nation to share his story of being a troubled youth, then dedicating his live to Jesus Christ, and turning his life around. This is a man of faith who has been a pastor, ghostwriter for John Maxwell, co-wrote with Jim Rohn, worked with Zig Ziglar, and created the course, Jesus, Master of Influence. "The greatest leadership principle Jesus taught us, I believe is compassion." Chris also shares his journey of meeting...

Aug 01, 20231 hr 13 minSeason 6Ep. 122

Flying in the Face of Fear, an interview with Fighter Pilot Colonel Kim "KC" Campbell

What's it like to be a real Top Gun? Well colonel Kim KC Campbell tells her harrowing tale of surviving almost being shot down over Baghdad during Operation Freedom. From being inspired to be an Air Force Academy graduate after watching the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, to being deployed to Kuwait shortly after 911, to her miraculous landing, Kim opens up about overcoming fear, and focusing on getting her A-10 Warthog back to base. "When I landed I couldn't see the damage. But I climbed dow...

Jul 25, 202350 minSeason 6Ep. 121

Confessions of a Legend Maker, an interview with Rock & Roll Music Promoter Tony Michaelides

What's it like to work with David Bowie, U2, The Police and Peter Gabriel?Legendary promoter Tony Michaelides sits down with Brad to discuss his extraordinary career, the genuine care that David Bowie expressed for all new artists, and how he survived the Music Business all these years.This is an epic interview on Awakened Nation from a legend in the Rock & Roll Industry. About Tony Michaelides: Tony Michaelides has an irrefutable reputation achieved over thirty years working with a stellar ...

Jul 18, 20231 hr 26 minSeason 6Ep. 120

Igniting The Fire and Soul Within, an interview with Michelle Sorro

What if everything you thought you wanted to accomplish was shattered into a million pieces? Michelle Sorro joins us to share her spiritual awakening, her Ayahuasca journey and the profound healing that came from grandmother medicine, then creating her number one ranked podcast Fire and Soul. Michelle shares the wonderful people she has met along the way, including Jack Canfield, Dave Asprey and Panache Desai. "I had no drive to do anything for 6 months. I laid on the couch trying to put the pie...

Jul 11, 20231 hr 12 minSeason 6Ep. 119

Wrongly Accused, an interview with Kirstyn Niemela

On January 6th, 2021, Kirstyn Niemela went to the United States Capitol in Washington, DC to hang out with friends, hear President Donald Trump speak, and to go on a guided tour inside the Capitol Building. To her surprise, one year later, after a former friend and a relative reported her to FBI investigators, without warning, Kirstyn was tackled to the ground and arrested in front of her place of work. Despite being a lesbian activist, she has been labeled a "Proud Boy," and false charges levie...

Jul 04, 20231 hr 15 minSeason 6Ep. 118

An American Patriot, an interview with John Di Lemme, creator of the Conservative Business Journal

John Di Lemme, returns to kick off Season 6, and man does he bring the thunder! Starting out in life as the son of Italian immigrants, john was diagnosed as a stutterer at an early age, and spent decades working on himself, becoming an internationally known motivational speaker, author and business coach. John shares with us how he was making over $400,000 a year on YouTube (over a decade ao mind you), yet was kicked off and demonetized for spreading the word about Conservative values, American ...

Jul 04, 20231 hr 13 minSeason 6Ep. 117

How to Live Life in Crescendo, an interview with Cynthia Covey Haller, daughter of Stephen R Covey

Cynthia Covey Haller, daughter of the late Stephen R Covey joins us on Awakened Nation to discuss her father's last book: Live Life In Crescendo: Your Most Important Work Is Always Ahead of You. A capstone to his international bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and The 8th Habit, Crescendo shares key insights for people who feel they have peaked in life. "There are all these retirement myths that people carry around, and they just didn't work for my father." Life is meant to be...

Jun 27, 20231 hr 9 minSeason 5Ep. 116

In The Shadow of Chester Bennington, an interview with Grey Daze bandmates Sean Dowdell and Cris Hodges

Before iconic singer Chester Bennington rose to international stardom as the lead singer for Linkin Park, he started out in Phoenix, Arizona with his first band Grey Daze. Grey Daze drummer and best friend to Chester, Sean Dowdell, along with their new lead singer Cris Hodges joins Brad Szollose on Awakened Nation to discuss what it was like to rerecord the tracks Chester and Sean were working on before he died in 2017, going on tour for the first time in 20 years, and Sean's heartwarming storie...

Jun 20, 20231 hr 1 minSeason 5Ep. 115

Leadership Lessons from The Frontline, an interview with Fred Glick

How do you reinvent the restaurant industry? Especially during the past 3 years? Fred Glick, president of operations at OMG Hospitality Group and former VP of Operations Phil’s BBQ shares his "Love, Service & Care" model to Awakened Nation, and Ken Blanchard's idea of a Triple Bottom Line! After being in the hospitality industry for almost 3 decades, Fred explains his customer/employee-centric approach to organizational change, his personal mission statement, and how the 7 Habits of Highly E...

Jun 13, 202336 minSeason 5Ep. 114

You Don't Know Dog The Bounty Hunter, an interview with Duane "Dog" Chapman and his wife Francie Chapman

Duane Chapman also known as Dog The Bounty Hunter and his wife Francie Chapman sit down with Brad Szollose to talk about his rough and tumble life, the spiritual side of faith and how it seemed to be divine intervention that brought them together. Convicted of a crime he didn't commit, Dog shares his journey from outlaw biker, to his hit television show, and losing his wife Beth to cancer...Dog and Francie share how they met, Francie's friends who saw a vision, and the God Winks that brought the...

Jun 06, 20231 hr 30 minSeason 5Ep. 113

The Next Level in Networking, an interview with ARG founder Bruce Libman

What if I were to tell you that networking is dead? Bruce Libman has reinvented the networking group with ARG: Accountants Resource Group. Bruce opens up about warm invitations, using Zoom to keep going through COVID, and expanding across the country. His network is not a business card exchange club, this is about serving each member, along with ongoing training and development. This is a fun episode as Brad catches up with long time friend and fellow NYer...chatting about fatherhood, the Boston...

May 23, 202347 minSeason 5Ep. 112
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