EPISODE 729 - Melania Murphy - Bound by Love, Not Tradition - Empowering Women Through Married Name Choices

In this episode, Melania Murphy joins the show to explore how married name choices can be a powerful act of identity, equality, and intention in modern relationships. Based in Bradenton, Florida, Melania shares how her own family background—growing up in a household with multiple last names—helped spark her curiosity about why women so often drop their names when they marry. With a background in journalism and applied behavioral science, she digs into the history and social forces behind the tradition of women taking their husband’s surname, tracing it back to coverture laws in England and the way those norms spread through British colonies into the United States.

Melania explains how many people still default to the man’s name long after the legal restrictions that once enforced it have been dismantled, and she contrasts this with practices in other countries such as Canada, France, Greece, and Japan, where laws or cultural shifts either limit or reshape married‑name choices. She emphasizes that in the U.S., couples actually have far more options than tradition suggests, including keeping both names, hyphenating, creating a new family name, or even having the husband take the wife’s name. Using a framework she calls “SELF”—Significance, Empowerment, Legacy, and Freedom—she invites women to reflect on what their name means to them, how it connects to their ancestry, and how they want to model choice and equality for the next generation.

A key takeaway for listeners is that changing or keeping a name should not be an automatic gesture, but an intentional conversation between partners. Melania encourages couples to look beneath surface‑level expectations, examine why a particular name feels important, and consider how their choice will shape their children’s sense of identity. She also highlights that names are not permanent markers and that many people, including women after divorce, choose entirely new names to reflect who they have become. By normalizing a wider range of married‑name choices and inviting men to read her work as well, Melania hopes to move cultures toward a future where name decisions are grounded in equality, not inherited power structures.

The conversation around identity, marriage, and women’s autonomy is growing — and I’m honored to be part of it.

Through articles, podcast interviews, and media features, I’ve had the opportunity to share insights from Bound by Love, Not Tradition and discuss the deeper cultural and personal implications of married name choices.

What should you do with your last name at marriage? If you're unsure, you're not alone. In fact, 80% of American women still take their husband's name—even though the law no longer requires it.

Whether you're a first- or second-time bride, a relative of a bride, or simply curious, this book gives you a fresh, empowering take on a decision that's both deeply personal and culturally complex.

Author Melania Joy Murphy blends history, personal stories, and expert insight to help you explore all your options—keeping your name, changing it, hyphenating, blending, or asking him to take yours.

Through her SELF framework—Significance, Empowerment, Legacy, and Freedom—you’ll learn how to navigate your decision with confidence and compassion by exploring questions like:

What is the significance of your name in your life and personal story?
Do you feel empowered to put yourself first and ask for what you want?
What legacy do you wish to create with your name?
Can you enjoy the freedom to choose what feels right for you?
This isn't just about paperwork. It's about identity, relationships, and claiming the space you deserve in your marriage and in society. No shame. No judgment. Just support for choosing what’s right for you.

https://www.melaniajoy.com/

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podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/

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EPISODE 728 - Fran Hawthorne - Journalist and Author of the new novel Her Daughter

Author and journalist Fran Hawthorne joins the show to discuss her latest novel Her Daughter and the deeply personal and complex themes that run through her work. From snowy New York days to memories of her formative years in California, Fran brings warmth, humor, and candor to a conversation that spans decades of storytelling, from her childhood writing ambitions to her award‑nominated fiction today.

Fran shares how Her Daughter—a novel ten years in the making—grew from a spark into a nuanced exploration of parental alienation, a subtle yet devastating form of psychological manipulation within families. She describes how seemingly ordinary conversations can erode trust and self‑belief, showing how emotional control can exist without overt conflict. Her goal, she says, is not only to build empathy and awareness but to speak directly to readers living through similar experiences: “It’s not your fault. You’re not alone.”

Drawing from her background as a journalist, Fran also reflects on her career writing nonfiction about ethics, consumer activism, and the pharmaceutical industry. Her investigative rigor and commitment to getting the details right—right down to smelling the ferns for a forest scene—infuse her fiction with journalistic authenticity and emotional truth. She recounts flying across California for on‑site research, missing flights, and risking cliffside roads, all in pursuit of realism on the page.

Throughout the episode, Fran talks about the importance of editing ruthlessly, learning from critique, and being open to rewriting even the most beloved parts of a manuscript. She offers wisdom for writers about flexibility, persistence, and the courage to keep creating through rejection. As she puts it, she’s been writing since she was four—and never stopped believing that stories matter.

The discussion closes with a glimpse of her next project, a novel centered on sisters and the complicated bonds that shape a lifetime. Like all her work, it continues her fascination with family, ethics, and emotional truth set against vividly researched American backdrops.

Key takeaway:
Great writing demands both vulnerability and discipline. Fran Hawthorne reminds us that stories born of truth and persistence can open hearts, strengthen empathy, and help readers—and writers—see themselves more clearly.

https://www.hawthornewriter.com/

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Episode 592 - Joe McClean - Screenwriter, Author and Director - Putting Yourself Out There and Into Your Story, That is Where the Opportunity Lies

Joe made a bunch of short films and one feature length movie with friends and no money. To this day, I enjoy watching those early attempts to craft a story, but essentially this era of on-the-job-training was my film school. Now it was time to take my first big swing.

I wrote a script I felt I could raise enough money to shoot myself, a found-footage film, and I spent a year begging for cash and favors. The star of a hit TV show, who had gone to the same high school as me, graciously agreed to act in it. An NBA player made a small investment. Actor, comedian, and Late Show with David Letterman regular, Jay Thomas agreed to make a cameo. The snowball was growing and eventually I scraped together enough cash to direct Life Tracker. The movie played over 20 science fiction conventions and got a digital distribution deal with Charter Communications (now Spectrum) and streamed into millions of American homes.

Life Tracker

Great! Now I needed a follow up to prove that my work ethic couldn't be mistaken for beginner's luck.​ Taking advantage of a group of talented actor friends and another who owned property outside of Fresno, I wrote and directed a super-low-budget homage to The Big Chill called The Drama Club which can currently be seen on Tubi.

The Drama Club

Looking back from that point, I could see the years of work I'd put in. Meeting people. Working with casts and crews. Going on adventures together. taking risks and building trust. Jobs started to fall into place. I signed my first manager. I joined the Writers Guild of America. I pitched big shot producers at legacy studios and powerhouse production companies. Always searching for that next opportunity. That's when I met Blair Underwood. A business lunch turned into an attachment (and a friendship), and soon I was hitting up everyone I'd ever done business with to see who wanted to join the team.

Viral was written and produced by me, it's directed by and stars Blair, and he shares the screen with Sarah Silverman, Jeanine Mason, and the incomparable Alfre Woodard! The movie is finished and we're actively working with our sales team to bring it to audiences.

In the mean time, I’m working with Amistad (an imprint of HarperCollins Publishing) on a two-book deal titled Sins of Survivors about the plight of a family who lived in the once vital African American neighborhood of Black Bottom in 1930s and 40s Detroit. The first book is currently available everywhere books are sold, and the second hits shelves in the summer of 2026... So, go to your local bookstore's website get your copy!

Why "Ginger Beard," you ask? My wife's maiden name is "Beard," and when our son was born he had a reddish tint to his hair. So, my company is named after my son, my "Ginger Beard"... It's only a bonus that I have red facial hair.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-mcclean-6668b018

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0565697/

https://www.gingerbeardfilms.com/

Wednesday, September 17, 2025

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podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/

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