💄 What happens when a former CNN entertainment producer trades celebrity interviews for contour palettes and a tour buse? Meet JD Cargill — or as Palm Springs now knows her, Anita Doll.
In this wildly fun, deeply moving, and at times jaw-droppingly honest conversation, Jason Ball interviews JD during his full transformation into Anita Doll — lashes, foundation, and all. Together they unpack how JD went from chasing fame to creating joy, and how drag didn’t just change his career — it saved his life.
🔥 Highlights from the Episode
•From KTLA to CNN: JD reflects on how entertainment news once felt like salvation — until it became spiritual suffocation.
•Drag as a Spiritual Awakening: The pandemic forced JD into stillness… and into drag. In his Pasadena basement, Anita Doll was born.
•Birth of Drag and Fly: JD combines news production chops with queer creativity to create Drag and Fly Tours, a drag queen–hosted, mobile theater experience through Palm Springs.
•The Power of AI + Imagination: How JD used artificial intelligence to design a custom tour vehicle with stadium seating and panoramic views.
•Faith and Fabulousness: JD opens up about reconciling his queer identity with his religious upbringing.
•Anita as Armor: The difference between JD and Anita isn’t just wardrobe. Anita is a superhero — bold, fearless, and full of self-love.
•The Business of Joy: From viral videos to word-of-mouth buzz, JD shares the real talk of building a brand rooted in community, inclusivity, and sparkle.
•Dreaming Big: With ambitions to make Palm Springs the drag capital of the world, JD reveals plans for The Dollhouse, The Tea Garden, The Flight Club, and beyond.
🐉 About Drag and Fly Tours
Drag and Fly Tours is a one-of-a-kind sightseeing experience hosted by drag queens aboard a custom-built, stadium-seated tour vehicle. The show combines comedy, storytelling, music, and video — all produced with a TV producer’s precision and a queen’s flair.
📍 Location: Palm Springs, California
🔗 More info: dragandflytours.com
✨ Quotes to Remember
“Drag didn’t save me from dying — it saved me from disappearing.”
— JD Cargill
“Anita is everything I need to be — fearless, fabulous, and free.”
— JD Cargill
📬 More from Life After News
•🌵 Desert Dispatch — Our Palm Springs newsletter: https://desertdispatch.beehiiv.com/
•🏨 Old Ranch Inn — Stay with us in the heart of Palm Springs: https://oldranchinn.com/
🔗 Stay Connected to Life After News
•🎧 Subscribe: Spotify, Apple Podcasts & more
•📺 Watch: YouTube.com/@LifeAfterNews
•📱 Follow: @MrJasonBall & @LifeAfterNewsPod
•💼 LinkedIn: Jason Ball
•🏨 Stay: Old Ranch Inn
•🗞️ Read: Desert Dispatch – the newsletter on storytelling & reinvention
•📅 New Episodes: Every Tuesday
•💌 Love the show? Share it with a friend!
And don’t forget to share this episode with someone who needs a little sparkle.

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

📺 In this special bonus episode of Life After News, Jason reflects on the powerful new documentary Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything (🎬 stream it on Hulu), Barbara’s 2008 memoir Audition, and her complex, groundbreaking legacy in the news business.

🔍 Topics covered in this episode:

· 🛫 Barbara’s rise from “Today Girl” to Today co-host—over Frank McGee’s dead body (literally)

· 💰 Becoming the first million-dollar anchor at ABC—and the sexist backlash

· 🎤 How she redefined interviews, disarmed world leaders, and helped shape global headlines

· 📚 Jason’s reflections on Audition and why he still recommends it to young journalists (especially women)

· 🎭 The intense behind-the-scenes rivalry with Diane Sawyer

· 🎥 The record-breaking Monica Lewinsky interview—and how she outmaneuvered Oprah for the exclusive

· 🧠 How Barbara’s childhood trauma and complicated family life fueled her drive and perfectionism

· ❤️ Personal takeaways: what Barbara sacrificed, what she modeled, and the importance of balance

💬 Favorite quote:

“Mostly I just worked and didn’t whine.” – Barbara Walters

🧠 Jason's takeaway: “She wasn’t just the role model—she created the role and the model.”

🎁 Want Jason’s copy of Audition? Follow him on Instagram and DM your interest! First come, first mailed.
📸 https://www.instagram.com/mrjasonball
📸 @lifeafternewspod

🎧 Referenced Media:

· 📺 Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything on Hulu

· 📖 Audition: A Memoir by Barbara Walters → Find on Amazon

· 📹 2008 20/20 Special with Charles Gibson → Watch on YouTube (insert correct link if different)

🗨️ Have you seen the doc or read Audition? Let Jason know your thoughts—DM or tag him!

⭐️ If you enjoy Life After News, leave a 5-star review and share it with someone who grew up watching Barbara (or interviewing like her). Until next time…

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

🎙️ God, Gossip, and Getting Real: Dorothy Lucey on Life After Morning TV

🎧 Episode Summary

In this wide-ranging conversation, Jason Ball sits down with Good Day LA alum Dorothy Lucey to talk about fame, faith, fire—and finding purpose after live TV. Best known for her role in the iconic morning trio with Steve Edwards and Jillian Barberie, Dorothy gets candid about the real dynamics behind the scenes, how it all came crashing down, and the unexpected gifts of life after news.

From being told her voice made someone’s “eyes bleed” to saying goodbye to the show, Dorothy shares it all with her signature humor and honesty. She opens up about volunteering with Mending Kids, her journey of teaching journalism, navigating faith in Hollywood, and surviving the devastating Palisades fire that nearly destroyed her Malibu home.

Jason and Dorothy reminisce about their late friend Sam Rubin, swap newsroom war stories, and imagine a new kind of media—one rooted in meaning, spirituality, and real connection.

🔑 Key Topics

• Behind the scenes of Good Day LA: chaos, chemistry, and candid moments
• Getting fired and finding identity after a long TV career
• The “gift wrapped in sh!t”: parenting after leaving morning news
• Global medical missions with Mending Kids
• Teaching the next generation of journalists at Chapman and Pepperdine
• Balancing gossip and grace: Dorothy’s faith blog and spiritual life
• Surviving the Palisades fire and the trauma of natural disaster
• Remembering Sam Rubin: legacy, friendship, and laughter
• Reimagining purpose: from gossip reporting to soul work

🧭 Notable Quotes

“We were the housewives of morning TV—minus the booze.” – Dorothy Lucey
“I always say it was a gift wrapped in sh!t.” – Dorothy on being home with her son post-firing
“We can all be more than one thing.” – On faith, gossip, and being a whole person
“My faith has made me a slightly better person—I hope.”

🔗 Links & Mentions

• Mending Kids – global nonprofit Dorothy volunteers with
• Chapman University – where Dorothy teaches journalism
• Follow Dorothy’s faith reflections: @DorothyLucey on Instagram

🙏 Gratitude

Thank you to Dorothy for sharing so openly—and reminding us that life after news isn’t just about what comes next, but who we become along the way.

🎙️ Next Up

Sometimes, life after news can be a drag. Former TV news producer J.D. Cargill now performs as drag queen, Anita Doll. J.D. owns and operates Drag and Fly Tours in Palm Springs. It’s one of the best lives after news so far.

🔗 Stay Connected to Life After News

· 🎧 Subscribe: Spotify, Apple Podcasts & more

· 📺 Watch: YouTube.com/@LifeAfterNews

· 📱 Follow: @MrJasonBall & @LifeAfterNewsPod

· 💼 LinkedIn: Jason Ball

· 🏨 Stay: Old Ranch Inn

· 🗞️ Read: Desert Dispatch – the newsletter on storytelling & reinvention

· 📅 New Episodes: Every Tuesday

· 💌 Love the show? Share it with a friend!

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Guest: Carlos Amezcua
Host: Jason Ball
Run Time: ~43 min
Watch on YouTube: Life After News YouTube Channel
Website: lifeafternews.com

🧭 Episode Summary

Carlos Amezcua was there at the beginning of the KTLA 5 Morning News — a show that changed not just local TV, but the entire morning news landscape. In this candid, never-before-shared conversation, he opens up to Jason Ball about why he really left KTLA after 17 years, the heartbreak behind that departure, and why he wishes he’d stayed.

Carlos also shares the fascinating journey of building BEOND TV, a digital platform he co-founded with his daughter Amy. From a spelling bee mishap that inspired the name to a vision of uplifting, inclusive content, BEOND is Carlos’s answer to the future of media — content created for and by the people, not just big media gatekeepers.

🔥 Highlights

• KTLA Morning News Origin Story
  “It was lightning in a bottle.” Carlos recounts the early chemistry of the original team and how the 1992 Ventura floods cemented their role in LA TV.
• Why He Really Left KTLA
  After three years without a contract and no clear future, Carlos made a gut-wrenching decision to protect his family — a decision he still questions.
• The Hal Fishman Question
  Did Carlos want to take over the 10pm news? He explains why his strengths were in the morning, and why serious news didn’t quite fit his DNA.
• Building BEOND TV from Scratch
  Carlos and Amy created BEOND to uplift, educate, and entertain — focusing on creators, not gatekeepers. With 10M+ viewers and growing, it’s a platform with heart and hustle.
• The Real Story Behind the BEOND Name
  Spoiler: It involves a fourth-grade spelling bee loss. And yes, it’s hilarious.
• What Content Gets Greenlit?
  Thoughtful storytelling, high production value, and impact. “Big media says no. We’re designed to say yes.”
• Legacy Media’s Future
  Carlos predicts local TV’s survival — but only one dominant station per market. “The economics have changed. So must the model.”
• Remembering Sam Rubin
  Carlos reflects on Sam’s audition, his genius, and the energy he brought to the morning news family.

🎧 Listen If You’re:

• A media professional rethinking your next chapter
• A content creator looking for your own “seat at the table”
• Curious about how the KTLA Morning News became a cultural force
• Wondering how to turn media heartbreak into entrepreneurial fire

📌 Links & Mentions

• BEOND TV
• Follow Jason on Instagram: @MrJasonBall
• Follow the show: @LifeAfterNewsPod
• Subscribe on YouTube: Life After News Channel

🌟 Up Next

Dorothy Lucey joins Jason for another wide-open conversation. From outrageous news director comments to parenting revelations, you won’t want to miss this one.

🔗 Stay Connected to Life After News

· 🎧 Subscribe: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your shows

· 📺 Watch: YouTube.com/@LifeAfterNews

· 📱 Follow: @MrJasonBall & @LifeAfterNewsPod

· 💼 LinkedIn:

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

🎙️ Life After News – Christina Pascucci: From Anchor Desk to Fire Zones, Senate Runs, and Global Impact

Buckle up. Christina Pascucci doesn’t play small. 💥

In this episode of Life After News, former Los Angeles anchor and reporter Christina Pascucci returns with a vengeance—and a mission. Less than two years after leaving TV news, she…

⚡ Ran for U.S. Senate while 5 months pregnant
⚡ Gave birth, then joined the California State Guard
⚡ Reported from the fire zone WHILE serving in uniform
⚡ Traveled to Yemen
⚡ Launched her own consultancy firm (🧭 Atlas)
⚡ Became a leading voice in foster care reform
⚡ Is now expecting baby #2—and maybe planning her next big move 👀

This is what happens when a journalist refuses to play by the old rules.

💬 She speaks truth on:

• The broken foster care system and how to fix it
• Why traveling with a baby changes everything
• The news assignment that finally broke her
• What journalists do BETTER than most politicians

📌 Featured nonprofit: The Change Reaction
📱 Follow Christina: @ChristinaPascucci

📣 🔗 Stay Connected to Life After News

• 🎧 Subscribe: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform
• 📺 Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@LifeAfterNews
• 📱 Instagram: @MrJasonBall & @LifeAfterNewsPod
• 💼 LinkedIn: Jason Ball
• 🏨 Visit: Old Ranch Inn – A boutique retreat in Palm Springs
• 🗞️ Subscribe & Read: Desert Dispatch – our newsletter on storytelling and reinvention
• 📅 New episodes every Tuesday
• 🙌 Love the show? Share it with a friend
• 🔗 Subscribe, share, and give us that ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ if you're feeling it.

#LifeAfterNews #ChristinaPascucci #TVNewsExit #CareerPivot #RunForOffice #CaliforniaPolitics #FosterCareReform #WomenInMedia #JasonBall #MilitaryService #FemaleEntrepreneurs #NewsToImpact #StateGuard #PodcastEpisode #DesertDispatch #NewsroomExit #ChangeReaction #JournalistsInPolitics #SenateRun #KTLAAlumni #LifeAfterTV #InspiredAF

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

📺 In this special bonus episode, Jason Ball returns to KTLA, not as the news director, but as a guest. He sits down to share the inspiration behind Life After News, his personal journey away from the newsroom.

💬 In this episode:

• What it felt like to return to KTLA as a guest
• The moment Jason knew it was time to leave TV news
• The idea that sparked Life After News
• How the podcast is helping others redefine success after the newsroom

🎙 Whether you're a longtime friend from the industry or new to the Life After News community, this candid conversation is a powerful introduction to the mission behind the podcast.

🔗 Links & Resources

• Watch the full KTLA interview: KTLA Interview with Jason Ball
• Follow Jason on Instagram: @lifeafternewspod and @mrjasonball

📌Back to regularly schedule programming tomorrow with KTLA alum Christina Pascucci and her life after news.

🎧 If this is your first time here—welcome.
Hit follow, dig into previous episodes, and stick around for what's coming next.

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

🎙️ How To Pivot Out Of Journalism Before You Burn Out with Aundrea Cline-Thomas 🛑🔥

Are you a journalist wondering what’s next?
Feeling stuck? Exhausted? Invisible?

🎯 This episode is your step-by-step playbook for making a bold career move without losing your identity—or your paycheck.

🚨 Aundrea Cline-Thomas did it. So can you.

She left WCBS. She launched her own agency.
She replaced her income.
And now she’s helping YOU do the same.

🎧 In This Episode:

🧠 Clarity Before the Resume - Don’t start with job boards. Start with you. Aundrea reveals the single exercise that changed her life.

💰 How to Buy Yourself Time - “Money buys time.” Aundrea shares how she planned her exit like a contract, not a fantasy.

📢 Rebrand or Be Forgotten - Why journalists fail in other industries—and how to fix it quickly.

💼 Turn Your Skills Into a Business - Aundrea said yes to everything at first. But then she got focused. Find out what made her first dollar—and her first client.

🧰 Toolkit for the Pivot:

• Transferable Skills Guide (FREE!)
• Personal brand audit
• Real-life job language decoded (no more “MMJ” and “OTS” nonsense)
• The one mindset shift that opened every door

💥 You Need This Episode If:

✅ You say “I could do anything” but don’t know what that is
✅ You’ve been laid off—or see it coming
✅ You’re afraid to leave, but more afraid to stay
✅ You miss your family, your freedom, and yourself

“You’re not starting over. You’re starting from experience.” – Aundrea Cline-Thomas

🎯 Next step:
🎧 LISTEN NOW. Then go to StartYourRewrite.com and download the guide that’s helped hundreds of journalists take control of their next chapter.

📲 Tag us when you listen:
@lifeafternewspod | @aundreact
Use #LifeAfterNews and #RewriteYourCareer — we might share your story.

📣 🔗 Stay Connected to Life After News

• 🎧 Subscribe: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform
• 📺 Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@LifeAfterNews
• 📱 Instagram: @MrJasonBall & @LifeAfterNewsPod
• 💼 LinkedIn: Jason Ball
• 🏨 Visit: Old Ranch Inn – A boutique retreat in Palm Springs
• 🗞️ Subscribe & Read: Desert Dispatch – our newsletter on storytelling and reinvention
• 📅 New episodes every Tuesday
• 🙌 Love the show? Share it with a friend

#CareerPivot #HowToQuitNews #JournalismExitPlan #RewriteYourCareer #LifeAfterNews #MediaBurnout #StartYourRewrite #NewsEscapePlan #FromNewsToNext #TransferableSkills #PersonalBranding #PivotWithPurpose #BlackWomenInMedia #NextBestThing

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

🎙️ Life After News with Tamsen Fadal: Redefining Midlife, Menopause & Media 🎥📚

In this episode of Life After News, veteran journalist and advocate Tamsen Fadal joins Jason Ball to talk about leaving behind a 30-year broadcast career to champion a long-overdue conversation: menopause, midlife, and women's health.

🔔 Tamsen opens up about her on-air health scare in 2019, how it became the catalyst for a seismic personal and professional shift, and why she chose to tackle one of society’s biggest taboos. Now an award-winning documentary producer, author of How to Menopause, and host of her own podcast, Tamsen is rewriting the narrative of what it means to thrive at midlife.

🔑 In This Episode:

• 📉 Why menopause has been misrepresented—and misunderstood—for decades
• 🎬 Behind the scenes of her PBS documentary The M Factor
• 📖 What went into researching and writing How to Menopause, featuring 42 experts
• 🧠 The neuroscience of menopause: brain fog, anxiety, and hormone shifts
• 🩺 The truth about hormone therapy, testosterone, and medical bias
• 💪 Building confidence to advocate for your health—and your worth
• 🗣️ Why this movement needs men too: partners, coworkers, and allies
• 🚀 Tips for anyone considering a career pivot or second act
• 📱 Building influence and community on social media—without filters or fear

🌟 Key Quotes:

“If you have ovaries, you are going through menopause. That’s 50% of the population.”

“I didn’t want women to think they were going crazy. I wanted them to have answers.”

“This is the most important story I’ve ever told—and the most personal.”

🔗 Stay Connected with Tamsen:

• Instagram: @tamsenfadal📲
• Website: https://www.tamsenfadal.com/🌐
• Podcast: The Tamsen Fadal Show🎧

💬 Join the Conversation:

Have you or someone you love struggled to find clarity around menopause? This episode is for you—and everyone who wants to understand, support, and advocate.

📣 Stay Connected

• 🎧 Subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
• 📺 Watch the video version on YouTube: youtube.com/@LifeAfterNews
• 📱 Follow on Instagram: @MrJasonBall and @LifeAfterNewsPod
• 💼 Connect on LinkedIn: Jason Ball
• 🏨 Visit us at the Old Ranch Inn: oldranchinn.com – our boutique escape in the heart of Palm Springs
• 🗞️ Subscribe to Desert Dispatch: desertdispatch.beehiiv.com – reflections on storytelling, second careers, and desert life
• 📅 Launch Date: The first three episodes drop Tuesday, May 20, with new episodes every Tuesday after that
• 🙌 Enjoying the show? Share Life After News with a friend, colleague, or fellow journalist ready for their next chapter

#LifeAfterNews #TamsenFadal #MenopauseAwareness #HowToMenopause #MidlifeRevolution #WomenInMedia #HormoneHealth #BrainFog #Perimenopause #MenopauseSupport #HealthAdvocacy #WomenSupportingWomen #SecondActSuccess #JasonBallPodcast #PodcastLife #AgeBoldly #BreakTheTaboo 💥

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.