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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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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Episode 525 - Richard DeVeau - Light's Out - We Paint a Picture of a special forces veteran, CIA officer, and leader of Boston's Homeland Security team

About the author

After majoring in marketing at Bentley University, Richard spent a career as a copywriter and creative director serving such clients as Red Lobster, Ducati Motorcycles, Marriott Hotels, and Clorox. He also brought his writing skills to bear for communications agencies that serve nonprofit organizations, including American Red Cross, Wounded Warrior Project, Toys for Tots, CARE, Special Olympics and many others. And he was a frequent editorial contributor to Fundraising Success Magazine.

In 2000, he helped launch acclaimed author Stephen King’s internet publishing debut and the world’s first mass- marketed e-book, Riding the Bullet. Richard wrote the online ad campaign that prompted more than 400,000 people to purchase and download the novella.

His screenplay, Graven Image, placed in the top twenty percent of the Academy of Motion Pictures’ Nicholl Fellowships international screenwriting competition in 2014.

Richard is also an accomplished fine art painter. Over the past thirty years, he has exhibited work in numerous solo and group shows. His work was represented by two commercial art galleries in his native Boston and is now represented by a gallery in Chicago, where he currently resides.

Richard and his wife have four adult children and two grandchildren.

Book: Light's Out

A retired couple are murdered in their Wisconsin home - art and other valuables are stolen. A Lake Michigan oil tanker explodes and sinks that same night.

Eve Taunt - special forces veteran, CIA officer, and leader of Boston's Homeland Security team - believes there is a connection between these two events.

She and her team quickly find themselves in pursuit of a domestic terrorist - an M.I.T. educated, military trained missile genius with Ted Bundy-like psychopathy - to stop him before he carries out his next devastating attack. This one is even more lethal than the overhwelming inferno he just unleashed on Boston.

As Eve closes in, she discovers these attacks are orchestrated by a US senator and a powerful cabal of highly placed leaders and lawmakers with a hidden agenda.

https://a.co/d/2yD92bj

Episode Date - Monday, April 14, 2025

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BONUS - Share Your Story, Poem and Writings Here on Living The Next Chapter

Thanks for supporting this podcast! I am putting in place a new way to support authors, writers and poets in their writing journey!

I want to feature your writings here on Living The Next Chapter. Share your poem, a portion of your chapter, something that you are working on - and do so right here on the podcast. The opportunity to share your work in progress with the world!

Go to my website, click on the "Speak Pipe" link right there on the website and record up to 5 minutes of audio (use it multiple times if need be) and read us your poem, snipit or portion of your work in progress for listeners of this show to hear.

If you want to avoid recording audio, then siimply email me what you want to have read and shared on a podcast episode featuring your work and don't forget to include how a fellow listener can connect with you - social media link, website, email - you never know who might hear your work in progress, your poem etc.

I will make an episode just about you, sharing your writings right here!

Looking forward to putting the spotlight on you!

https://poets.org/anthology/poems-your-poetry-project-public-domain

Original Date: Tuesday, December 10, 2024

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Episode 360 - Bob Young - True Golf - the story of Moe Norman and a new song with Bob's brother Neil Young

Our Guest - Bob Young was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1942. He was a member of the Canadian Professional Golfers’ Association for nearly three decades and first met Moe Norman in the early 1960s.

Like Norman, Young has always been intrigued by metaphysics and has had access to the leading trance mediums.

Young’s brother is Neil Young, the internationally recognized singer-songwriter.
Book: Mind Golf: The Troubled Genius of Moe Norman - At one of a series of clinics that former USPGA teacher of the year Craig Shankland staged, he asked Moe Norman in front of about 300 people, “What’s it like to hit perfect shots, Moe?” Moe paused and looked at the audience. Then, in jest, said, “You will never know.”

Mind Golf assembles and ignites the mental energy of the image of the shot-to-be. Moe “Pipeline Moe” Norman was a Canadian professional golfer and the best ball-striker the world has ever known. Author Bob Young met the eccentric golfer and traveled between Canada and Florida from the early 1960s to 2004, where he was able to observe Pipeline Moe for decades.

At the heart of the episode is Bob’s long relationship with legendary Canadian golfer Moe Norman. Drawing from decades spent practicing and playing alongside him, Bob offers rare insight into Moe’s extraordinary ability as a ball striker and his unique mental approach to the game. Moe’s concept of a “quiet mind” becomes a central theme, not as a mystical idea, but as a disciplined way of filtering out distractions and staying fully aligned with intention.

Bob explains how this mindset translates into a practical method for improving performance. By visualizing the full flight of the ball, from launch to apex to landing, and “feeling” the shot before executing it, golfers can create consistency and precision. He connects this process to a broader idea of energy, suggesting that the same creative force behind music, visualization, and peak performance is accessible when focus and awareness align.

The conversation also touches on Bob’s book, his experiences within golf culture, and the evolving ways he is sharing this knowledge through audio, video, and upcoming projects. Along the way, he reflects on Moe Norman’s life, his challenges, and the recognition he eventually received, painting a portrait of a misunderstood genius who stayed true to his path.

This episode ultimately explores the intersection of discipline, creativity, and awareness, showing how mastery in any field often comes from learning how to see clearly, think simply, and trust what you feel.

Key takeaway: Peak performance comes from aligning a clear mental image with a quiet, focused mind, allowing your body to execute naturally without interference.

https://bobyounggolf.com/

Published:

May. 01, 2024

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Episode 352 - Tammy J Cohen - Text Messages to My Sons - How to Connect Deeply with Your Kids in a Digital World

In this episode, Dave sits down with author Tammy J Cohen to explore a deeply relevant question in modern parenting: how do we truly connect with our kids in a world dominated by devices?

Tammy shares the unexpected origin of her book Text Messages to My Sons: Connecting Deeply in a World of Devices. What began as a simple desire to reach her three sons evolved into a powerful daily practice of intentional communication. Living in Manhattan and observing how deeply people are absorbed in their phones, she realized that traditional forms of connection were no longer effective. Instead of resisting technology, she chose to meet her children where they already were by sending meaningful, consistent text messages.

The conversation reveals how this small shift created a profound impact. Tammy’s messages moved away from reminders and discipline and toward encouragement, love, and shared wisdom. Without expecting responses, she focused on expressing what mattered most, reinforcing her sons’ worth, resilience, and value. Over time, this consistency helped reduce tension, strengthen their relationship, and create a lasting emotional connection.

Tammy also emphasizes the importance of accountability as a parent. By acknowledging her own struggles, past reactions, and personal growth, she allowed her children to see her as human. This honesty deepened trust and opened the door for more authentic connection. Her approach models a key shift in modern fatherhood and parenting as a whole: moving from authority alone to vulnerability, presence, and emotional awareness.

The episode also highlights how these messages extend beyond the immediate moment. Tammy reflects on the lasting legacy of words, suggesting that long after we are gone, it is these expressions of love and encouragement that remain. Her sons’ decision to write the foreword of her book speaks to the real impact of her efforts.

For parents listening, Tammy offers a simple but powerful invitation. Start where you are. Keep it natural. Be consistent. Whether it takes ten minutes or less, the act of showing up daily with intention can reshape your relationship over time. The goal is not perfection, but connection.

This conversation ultimately reframes what it means to be a good parent today. It is not about control or constant correction, but about creating a steady, meaningful presence in your child’s life, even through something as simple as a text message.

Key Takeaway:
Consistent, intentional communication rooted in love and honesty can transform your relationship with your children, proving that even small daily actions can leave a lasting emotional legacy.

@textmessagestomysons

FB text messages to my sons

The Book: Text Messages To My Sons - At the start of 2020, I began to immerse myself in a learning journey incorporating good health, spiritual and emotional intelligence, and personal growth. I needed to share this with my three sons, who are everything to me.

https://tammyjcohen.com/

Published: Apr. 12, 2024

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Episode 536 - Julie Riga - Stay on Course The Life and Legacy of Ennio Riga, Chef to the Stars

When Ennio Riga passed away in February 2016, he left behind an incredible legacy. To his many admirers who enjoyed his delicious culinary creations, he was a world-renowned chef.

To Julie Riga, he was a loving father who taught her the importance of leadership, perseverance, and determination.

About the Author

Julie Riga, Ennio’s daughter, continues his legacy as a leadership coach, trainer, speaker, and author. In compiling the stories for the book, Julie carries on Ennio’s tradition by helping others reflect, and then decisively act on, their own calls to greatness.

https://www.stayoncourse.io/
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