I've been producing Story-Power for six years now and have dedided to include ads with the episodes to offset the costs of producing the content you've been consuming. I appeciate each of you who listen. I hope you will continue to enjoy the stories of my fabulous guests.

Over the years, I've used comedy, music, and film as ways to process life and connect with people in a real, unpolished way. My latest project, The Loneliest Boy on Earth, came out of that impulse — it's part experiment, part personal confession, and part attempt to make sense of love and identity in the modern world. What I've learned is that vulnerability, when shared honestly, can be both healing and entertaining (also provocative and dangerous) — and that's the kind of conversation I want to bring to your audience.

Across all mediums — whether film, music, or live conversation — my work is about pushing boundaries, experimenting with form, and ultimately creating something that is both meaningful and entertaining.

My most recent project, The Loneliest Boy on Earth, is a hybrid of documentary and narrative filmmaking that examines relationships, identity, and self-transformation in a deeply personal way. Right now, I am most interested in discussing this project; but am open to discussing art, creativity, philosophy, and other related topics.

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Hello Story-Power listeners. I wanted to let you know that after several years of producing Story-Power, I've started running ads through Libsyn to support the show. these are programmatic ads, in other words I don't pick each brand, but I have blocked catefories that don't align with my values. Your support of this show over the years has meant a lot to me. Running these ads will help me pay for producing all the great content I've been providing. I plan to continue to bring you stories of innovative creators that will helpfully inspire you. Thanks so much for following Story-Power.

Christine grew up in North Andover, MA with her parents Tony and Joyce and brothers Anthony and Eddie. She was very shy when she was young and spent a lot of time reading. Throughout her childhood Christine loved animals, especially elephants. People started to buy them for her as a collection. Her grandparents, Eddie and Ginger, as well as her parents would bring her back lucky elephants from their trips. Throughout her childhood Christine always enjoyed trips to the beach with her family and grandparents.

In 2006 Christine graduated from Merrimack College with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in Elementary Education. In 2008 she received her master's degree in Elementary Education from Merrimack College. Christine would then go on to teach elementary school for the next 13 years. Her favorite part of the day was reading to her students. It was during reading time that she connected with her students through books. They learned, laughed and felt a range of emotions together. Christine decided that she wanted to write her own book for students to engage with, while learning and laughing. Since elephants have always been her favorite animal, she found it fitting to include them in her story. In 2017 Christine traveled to Africa with her mother and husband where she was able to see elephants living in the wild, which was always a lifelong dream. Many of the elephants were playing in the water and seemed to be having fun as they appear to in her book. Christine and her husband John have 3 children- Joey, Nick and Adeline and a dog named Sophie with whom she loves to read. They laugh at her stories and enjoy trips to the beach together as a family.

Elephant Beach is her first published work.

Instagram - stined13, Website- Elephant Beach | Christine Devane

Lola & Sophie: ABC Adventures

Pet Safety with Lola & Sophie

Book an Author

I don't remember much about the education policies at the time I was at school. I do remember the classes and teachers that got me excited about learning, and those that created an environment for me to grow, thrive and be me.

This is so key. If this feeling could encompass a whole school you know great things would be possible for everyone involved. It is down to each of us to be that person - to show how and what is possible to those around us and to be a beacon for growth. This helps pupils, staff and parents believe anything is possible. The world is a wonderful place of opportunity so let's make it our focus to 'be the change we wish to see in the world', to quote Gandhi.

It is this bed of creativity that will give rise to the skills, understanding and knowledge that we will need in the future for a sustainable, happy and tolerant planet. Let's show our pupils what has been achieved, what is known and how this came about. Then set them free to explore, enquire and grow so they can become the person they were born to be. In that gift the world has a bright, happy and exciting future of wondrous possibilities.

Mark has been a professional percussionist for 25 years and has had the opportunity of performing with some the UK's finest orchestras and theatre companies. With 3 children and his experience of delivering whole class music workshops around the UK, Mark wanted to share the creative and inspiring learning he was witnessing in schools. This was the start of the Education on Fire podcast in 2016. Today the show has released over 350 episodes and has been downloaded in 147 countries.

Website, Facebook, (X), LinkedIn, Podcast, Education on Fire

Classic Cinema With the Sage Sisters

Through a Different Lens: Lessons from a Life in Education, Ger Graus

Neil Laird is an LGBTQ+, multiple Emmy and BAFTA nominated Executive Producer who has worked extensively on both the network and production side of non-fiction TV since 1997. I've developed, overseen and produced over 1,000 hours of factual programs and specials in nearly every genre, with a particular passion, expertise and professional contacts in history, mystery, science and adventure.

As a showrunner/producer for several highly-respected production companies in the US and UK, I traveled to over 70 countries, with a specialty in history programming in often difficult terrains. My shows have aired on Discovery, Science Channel, Netflix, HBO Max, A&E, History, PBS, BBC, Channel 4, Animal Planet and National Geographic Channel, where I helped launch several successful series, including Brain Games and Border Wars.

Over the years, I've built an extensive list of contacts across the globe in both the production world and with foreign organizations, including antiquities boards in the Middle East, Asia and the Americas, I am a member of scientific institutions such as the Archeological Institute of America and the Explorers Club, and write book reviews for World History Encyclopedia.

I published my first novel Prime Time Travelers in May 2024, with the follow-up, Prime Time Pompeii, following later in the year. Both are inspired by my years in the field making antiquity TV shows.

Website , Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, IMDb

Judith Starkston, Author, Story-Power Episode 114 aired 11/20/24

Gobeli Tepe, Turkey

Pompeii, UNESCO World Heritage site preserved Ancient Roman City

Troy, Ancient Ruins in Turkey (2004) Achilles, Briseis, and Patroclus

Lilith: A Novel Niki Marmery

Julia Felix (Praedia luliae Felicis), Wealthy businesswoman in Pompeii

Luxor, Thebes, Diro Medina, Saqqara Egyptian cities Saqqara where King Tut's Tomb was discovered is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) First Indiana Jones Movie

Star Trek, Doctor Who

The Space BetweenTime, author, Lucinda Sage-Midgorden

Barry Maughan, Author, Story-Power Episode 146, 2/11/26

The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe, Matthew Gabriele

Omm Sety (Dorothy Eady 1904 - 1981) Lived and worked in Abydos, Egypt

Ethiopia Jewish Community claimed to be the home of The Ark of the Covenant

The Odyssey, Homer

The Song of Achilles: A Novel, Madeline Miller

Circe, Madeline Miller

Peter O'Toole, British Actor played Priam in (2004) version of Troy

Disaster Movies of the 1970s, The Poseidon Adventure, Airport, Airplane (1980)

"Some places stay with you, not because you lived there long, but because something in you recognized them. I've always felt that landscapes hold memory, something older, deeper. That's the terrain I keep returning to."

I've moved across continents, carried languages, left and found homes again. Through all of it, I've learned that connection to place isn't about PERMANENCE, it's about RESONANCE. I'd love to share a conversation about what it means to feel rooted even when life moves you, how landscapes can reflect back who we are becoming, and how memory, belonging, and identity live in the spaces between.

There's this stretch of coastline in Parksville, not particularly grand or dramatic. It's quiet, mostly. The tide comes and goes without fuss. Driftwood rests where it lands. The sand holds the marks of birds, dogs, children. I walked there often, never with a plan. Just walking.

At first, I didn't think much of it. I was new to the area, still feeling like a visitor in my own life. I didn't speak the landscape's language yet. But little by little, I started noticing things. A crooked branch that looked like it was waving. A stone that never moved. Light that changed the shape of everything.

And then one day, I realized, without meaning to, that I had started to memorize the land. Like it was starting to memorize me back. I knew where the shadows would fall. I knew when the birds would come. I knew how the wind sounded just before it rained.

That was the moment I realized I was building a kind of home with familiarity, with presence, with noticing. I wasn't looking for roots. But they found me anyway.

It made me think of all the places I've been, all the ways I've tried to belong. Sometimes it's hard to say where "home" really is. But for me, it often begins with land, with walking, listening, paying attention.

I didn't know I was gathering home. But I was.

Website, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram

Federation of Canadian Artists

Art Vancouver, Vancouver Art Foundation at the end of May 2026

Diane is a second-time guest on Story-Power. Her first appearance was on December 6, 2023. Since then she's been busy creating new stories one of them is a mystery/thriller, a genre she's never written before. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Diane Merrill Wigginton, born in Riverside, California in 1963, grew up in the vibrant community of Mira Mesa, San Diego. From a young age, Diane developed a deep passion for storytelling, inspired by the adventures of her childhood in the 1970s and early 1980s. Spending summers on her grandparents' ranch in Idaho, Diane learned the value of animals, nature, and storytelling that would shape her future writing career. After marrying her husband, David, in 1998, Diane and her family lived in Encinitas before moving to Herald, California in 2001. They embraced a rural lifestyle on a 5 ½-acre ranch, raising six children. Diane's love for writing never waned, but raising a family and working full-time kept her literary ambitions on hold. However, in her 50s, Diane decided to pursue her dream of becoming a published author. It was then that she created Angelina's Secret, the first book in her critically acclaimed Jeweled Dagger Series.

Since then, Diane has published five novels, including her first children's book, The Secret of One-Eyed Cogburn, The Dreaded Pirate Captain. Diane's work spans multiple genres, from historical romance and suspense to children's fiction, and she has earned a prestigious collection of awards that reflect her remarkable storytelling ability. She has won accolades such as the Benjamin Franklin Digital Award, Reader's Favorite 1st Place Historical Fiction Award, and numerous awards for A Compromising Position. In 2017, after retiring from her "9 to 5" job, Diane and her husband moved to Kalispell, Montana, where they now enjoy a life filled with adventure, hiking, and exploration in the stunning wilderness around Glacier National Park. Diane continues to write full-time, bringing to life the rich characters and intricate stories that captivate her readers. Diane's creative spirit is fueled by her deep appreciation for family and her love for storytelling. Now a proud grandmother to eleven grandchildren, Diane is living her dream and continues to inspire readers with her heartfelt and adventurous tales.

Diane's social media: Website, LinkedIn, Facebook, Amazon

Diane's books published through her company: Jewel Dagger Publishing

A Compromising Position Awards: The Global Book Award, Bookfest, Firebird Books

Laura's Story

Angelina's Secret

Isabella's Heart

Olivia's Promise

The Secret of One Eyed Cogburn: The Dreaded Pirate Captain

Compromising Position

The Magician Killer

The Duke's Lady is a Spy (work in progress)

Meet Bob Martin, a guest with a story that is as extraordinary as entertaining and fun. From a high-powered mob lawyer during Miami's wild Cocaine Cowboy days to a Certified Meditation teacher with an MSW to go with his JD, he has helped hundreds redesign their thinking for the life they dream of. Bob's journey is anything but ordinary.

Now a two-time published author and Professor of Wellness at Elon University, Bob blends Taoist wisdom, brain science, psychology, and humor to tackle everything from breaking free of limiting beliefs to finding clarity and resilience in life's chaos.

With a knack for making big ideas relatable and plenty of stories to keep listeners hooked, Bob's the kind of guest who inspires, challenges, and keeps the conversation lively. Want to hear more? Check out his over 50 five-star reviews.

Facebook, LinkedIn, Website, Podcast (A Wise and Happy Life)

Bob's upcoming book, Martin's Corner

Bob's current books, I am the Way, Children of Abraham

Pratt Institute

I Ching, a Taoist practice

Tao of Pooh, Te of Piglet, Benjamin Hoff

Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu

PodMatch, a dating service for Podcasters

A Course in Miracles, Helen Schucman PhD

The Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck

Bob's blog, The Wise and Happy Life, on Substack