In this episode of The Book Club with Ruth Klein, Ruth Klein sits down with Erica Brown, a Santa Barbara–based personal stylist and founder of Dylan Delivered, to explore her entrepreneurial journey, the evolution of her business, and the transformative power of personal style. What began at just seven years old, when Erica told her grandfather she wanted to dress him, grew into a lifelong passion for helping people feel confident, beautiful, and authentically themselves. After nearly a decade running Dylan Star® Boutique, Erica embraced a new chapter with Dylan Delivered, expanding her vision for personalized styling and meaningful client experiences. She also shares her creative journey as she works on a dream book, offering a glimpse into the ideas and aspirations shaping her next chapter. Through her story, Erica highlights the courage it takes to evolve as an entrepreneur, follow your creative instincts, and build a business that reflects who you are and what you value.

In this episode of The Book Club with Ruth Klein, Ruth Klein sits down with LeeAnn Taylor, spiritual leader, healer, and author of The Fragile Face of God, for a heartfelt conversation about faith, spiritual awakening, motherhood, and finding hope through life’s most difficult experiences.

As a mother of five children, including three born with autism and Fragile X syndrome, LeeAnn’s journey has been shaped by profound challenges, personal tragedy, and extraordinary moments of transformation. Through these experiences, she shares a message of hope, encouraging others to discover deeper meaning, spiritual connection, and the presence of the Divine in their lives.

LeeAnn discusses her ability to connect with what she describes as the spiritual realm and her mission to inspire leaders, teachers, healers, and seekers of enlightenment. Through her writing and teachings, including her publication The Sacred Letter and her online community, she brings spiritual insights and sacred dialogues to a wider audience.

Her story invites listeners to explore the power of faith, the possibility of miracles, and the enduring connection between love, purpose, and the Divine. Through her work, LeeAnn offers encouragement to those navigating adversity and seeking greater understanding, healing, and hope.

In this episode of The Book Club with Ruth Klein, Ruth sits down with guests Dolores Cantu and Marc Clark, who bring together extraordinary stories of trailblazing achievement, creative storytelling, and a lifelong commitment to making a difference.
Dolores Cantu made history as one of the first Latinas to break barriers in the entertainment and aviation industries, becoming the first Latina stewardess and ambassador for Eastern Airlines in 1970. From modeling and acting in New York to voiceover work and building successful businesses, Dolores has continually transformed dreams into reality. In 1983, she launched Flowers by Dolores, becoming a pioneer in Los Angeles television floristry, and later founded Candu Management to help others pursue their ambitions. Beyond her professional accomplishments, she has spent 25 years supporting a low-income Los Angeles school and changing children's lives.
Joining her is Marc Clark, a writer and producer whose work spans stage, television, and film. Having worked with HBO, Cinemax, and Food Network, Marc now shares fairytales, legends, and myths with children in schools and hospitals worldwide, having connected with more than 15,000 young people.
Together, Dolores and Marc explore the power of creativity, perseverance, and using their talents to inspire and empower future generations.

In this episode of The Book Club with Ruth Klein, Ruth sits down with An Phan and Ben Olbon for an inspiring conversation about mental health, leadership, resilience, mindset, and the power of helping others feel seen.

An Phan is a Ph.D. candidate, TEDx speaker, and founder of AAPI Artists for Mental Initiative, a national nonprofit using art to break the silence around mental health in the AAPI community. As the daughter of Fall of Saigon refugees and a former frontline COVID caregiver, An has transformed a lifetime of quiet resilience into a mission centered on visibility, connection, and advocacy. She also hosts and produces a talk show that has reached more than 90,000 viewers.

Ben Olbon, also known as Robert Benson Olbon, is an author, leadership and mindset coach, and former Marine Corps officer. Originally from Durham, North Carolina, Ben attended the University of North Carolina before moving to California to serve at Camp Pendleton. His military experience continues to influence his approach to leadership, personal growth, and overcoming limiting beliefs.

As the founder of Outcome Elite, Ben provides life coaching focused on leadership and mindset for young student athletes and adults. He also authored the children’s book Daddy, Can I Be a Marine?, inspired by his desire to share the values and lessons of his military experience with his family.

Together, An and Ben offer two distinct perspectives on resilience, purpose, leadership, and creating spaces where people can feel understood, supported, and empowered to move forward.

In this episode of The Book Club with Ruth Klein, Ruth sits down with Michael E. Gerber, renowned author, entrepreneur, and small business development expert, for an inspiring conversation about entrepreneurship, innovation, lifelong learning, and building businesses that can grow beyond the individual.

Best known for creating The E-Myth series, Michael shares insights from decades of helping small business owners move beyond simply working in their businesses and learn how to work on them. He explores why technical expertise alone is not enough to build a successful company and explains the importance of developing systems, structure, and an entrepreneurial mindset.

Michael reflects on founding his first consulting firm in 1977 and publishing 37 books focused on helping technicians transition into true entrepreneurs. He discusses the different roles within a business and why entrepreneurs must learn to step back from daily tasks to focus on vision, leadership, systems, and long term growth.

The conversation also explores Michael’s continued commitment to innovation and lifelong learning. Today, he is embracing artificial intelligence and using Claude to expand his methodologies on a global scale. He shares how he wrote his 11 chapter book, The E-Myth New Startup Entrepreneur, in just two days and discusses his plans to develop hundreds of additional books tailored to specific industries and markets.

Throughout the episode, Michael emphasizes the importance of adaptability, thoughtful business design, and creating systems that allow companies to thrive beyond the owner’s individual efforts.

This episode explores entrepreneurship, business systems, innovation, artificial intelligence, and the power of lifelong learning while highlighting what it takes to build a business designed for sustainable growth and lasting impact.

In this episode of The Book Club, Ruth Klein sits down with author Sevan Minaskanian to explore storytelling, family, identity, and the deeply personal experiences that inspired her journey as a writer.
Sevan moved to the United States from Armenia when she was eight years old without speaking English. Growing up speaking Armenian and French, she experienced bullying because of the language barrier, but those early experiences became part of the story that shaped who she would eventually become.
A lifelong storyteller and natural daydreamer, Sevan always had a gift for creating detailed, emotional, and visual stories. She recalls how people would naturally gather around her at parties simply to listen to her tell stories, long before she ever considered becoming a published author.
Sevan credits her father, an unpublished writer, for inspiring her love of writing, while her mother influenced the outgoing and friendly personality she carries today. Her path to becoming an author took a deeply personal turn during an anniversary trip to Vail, Colorado, where an emotional experience involving her late father sparked the beginning of her writing journey.
After her father appeared to her in a dream and encouraged her to write, her husband gave her the tools to begin, including a journal and laptop. That experience eventually led to her debut young adult romance novel, Wintertime.
Published through Incline Publishing, Wintertime draws heavily from Sevan’s own life. From the bridge inspired by Vail to characters and details connected to her family, the novel blends personal memories with fiction to create an emotionally driven story.
Sevan shares what it means to turn real experiences into storytelling, honor the people who shaped you, and find the courage to finally put your stories on the page. She also discusses the upcoming books in her trilogy, Winter Love and Winter Dream.

In this episode of The Book Club, Ruth Klein sits down with Billie Miles, founder and CEO of Miles Financial Group, to explore wealth, retirement, family, faith, and building a meaningful legacy.
With more than 20 years of experience in financial services, Billie specializes in holistic integrated fiduciary planning, helping families transition from building wealth to confidently living off their wealth in retirement.
Billie shares insights from his professional journey and discusses the philosophy behind his book, Peace of Mind for the Miles Ahead. He explains why financial planning should go beyond numbers and investments to consider a person's goals, values, family, and vision for the future.
The conversation also explores the three values that have guided Billie throughout his life and career: faith, family, and education. Raised in a deeply faith centered family, Billie discusses how his upbringing shaped his approach to leadership, service, and business.
Ruth and Billie also discuss building a family business and working alongside multiple generations of family members at Miles Financial Group. From his siblings to his nephews, family plays an important role in the company's culture and long term vision.
Billie also reflects on fatherhood, legacy, and the lessons passed down to him by his parents, including the importance of education, responsibility, and creating opportunities for the next generation.
This episode offers a thoughtful conversation about financial freedom, purposeful living, family legacy, and finding peace not only through financial preparation, but through the values that shape how we live.

In this episode of The Book Club with Ruth Klein, Ruth welcomes Dr. Suze Q and LeeAnn Taylor for a deeply personal conversation about relationships, resilience, caregiving, spirituality, and the transformative power of telling your story.
Dr. Suze Q, a recently retired clinical psychologist, shares the fascinating story behind her online persona, “Suze Q,” which began more than 20 years ago while playing poker online. What started as an avatar and personal diary eventually became a 500 page memoir exploring online dating after 50, relationships, and the psychology of the people she encountered along the way.
Her book, Cyber Frogs and Princes: A Sex Manual of Online Dating After Age 50, combines personal experience with psychological insight and chronicles her journey toward eventually finding her own “prince charming.”
LeeAnn Taylor brings a very different but equally powerful story. An author, intuitive mentor, and spiritual teacher, LeeAnn shares her journey as a mother of five and caregiver to children affected by Fragile X syndrome.
Her book, The Fragile Face of God, grew from hundreds of pages of personal journals documenting years of caregiving, trauma, grief, guilt, and ultimately healing.
LeeAnn also reflects on the spiritual experiences that shaped her understanding of purpose and faith, including the profound loss of her mother during childhood and the spiritual awakening that followed years later.
Together, Ruth, Suze Q, and LeeAnn explore how life's most difficult experiences can become sources of wisdom, connection, and transformation. Their stories demonstrate how writing can help us process the past, understand ourselves more deeply, and turn personal experiences into meaningful messages for others.