He applied for 13 straight years. He got rejected every single time. And then, out of 10,000 applicants, Dr. John Bell was one of 16 umpires selected to work the Little League World Series in Williamsport. In Part 1, Port Jervis superintendent and lifelong umpire John Bell talks about what it means to chase a dream the slow way — laying groundwork, climbing ladders, and never mailing it in — and why growing up in a town like Port Jervis gave him the toughness to keep going when it would have been easier to quit.

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The career is impressive. The person behind it is even more so. In Part 2, Tony Perkins gets personal — sharing his prostate cancer diagnosis, why he decided to go public with it, and how that decision led to countless men getting tested who otherwise wouldn't have. He also talks about the future of media, the reboot of his comedy podcast You Gotta Be Kidding Me with longtime producer Gary Stein, and the screenplay he's currently trying to sell. Plus his advice for anyone trying to break in today: forget the traditional mold and lead with your passion.

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He grabbed a hairbrush as a kid and pretended it was a microphone. Decades later, Tony Perkins has anchored major newscasts, co-hosted Good Morning America alongside Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts, and made audiences laugh from comedy club stages to the NBC4 anchor desk. In Part 1, Tony talks with Rob and Jess about what stand-up comedy taught him about reading a room, the phone call that changed everything, and why it took him two full months at a network show to remember: they hired me because of me. Plus — the moment he stood in a corner trying to collect himself after hugging a Beatle.

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Airtight compartments, Belgian beer in Brussels, and a 9 p.m. bedtime — Andrew Marotta's approach to avoiding burnout is as practical as it is intentional. In Part 2, Andrew breaks down the leadership formulas from his latest book, including the five SWs and E+R=O, shares how he handled a rash of knives in school without a single parent complaint, and drops the one piece of advice he wishes he'd had early in his career: enjoy the journey. Plus, the Port Jervis Alumni Association is launching — and they want to hear from you.

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What happens when a Staten Island kid chasing small-town living lands in Port Jervis on the day of the flood — and never leaves? Andrew Marotta, educator, author, and the driving force behind Port Jervis City School District's communications renaissance, joins Rob and Jess for a conversation about what drew him to teaching, what's kept him there for nearly three decades, and why looking for the positive isn't naive — it's a leadership strategy. Plus: the veteran teacher who stormed into his office angry and left with the wind back in her sails.

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What does it feel like to be standing on the field when Dan Marino hits a touchdown pass in front of 80,000 screaming fans — and think the whole stadium is cheering for you? That's the kind of moment that turns a young broadcaster into a lifer.

Steve Overmyer has spent decades telling sports stories at the highest levels — from CNN to CBS News New York — and in Part 2 of our conversation, he breaks down what makes sports the last great unifier in a divided culture, why the best broadcasters learn to get out of the story's way, and what a dancing crossing guard has to do with the most important lesson in journalism.

Plus: Patriots fans in New Jersey, Buffalo Bills loyalists who don't think the Jets count as New York, and the moment Steve accidentally became part of a college football game.

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A rejection letter that said your tape was so bad they didn't want it "infecting their other tape stock." A joke that landed wrong in front of a six-foot-ten Randy Johnson. A tip from David Wright to stop treating every loss like a funeral.

Steve Overmyer gets real about the mistakes that shaped him — and the lessons that stuck. From his first job in Fort Myers to the Jets post-game show to the locker rooms of New York, he breaks down the art of asking the hard question without torching the relationship, why you stop watching yourself in the mirror at a certain point, and what Satchel Paige pitching at 63 years old tells us about heart over measurables.

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In Part 2 of our conversation with 19-year-old singer-songwriter Taylor Mackenzie Mieszkuc, Jessica Curtis and Rob Sermerano go deeper into the story behind the songs — and the lessons Taylor has learned along the way.

Taylor opens up about the hardest chapter of her musical journey so far: a senior year of high school marked by a friendship that unraveled, targeted mind games, and the panic attacks that came with it. She shares how that experience triggered her anxiety disorder, how she worked through it with the help of family, and how it ultimately led her to the best friend she still talks to almost every day — plus the song "Glimmering Gold," which she recorded as part of her current release.

Rob offers a ballplayer's take on being targeted ("the louder you get booed on the road, the more of a threat you are"), Jessica reflects on her own journey of shedding other people's perceptions, and Taylor talks about finally finding her people in college — five roommates who show up to every open mic, know the words to songs that haven't even come out yet, and post her music on TikTok.

For anyone sitting on a creative project they're afraid isn't "perfect" enough to share, Taylor has simple advice: just do it. (Yes, even if the cover art came from ChatGPT in the car with your mom.) She also gives us a peek at what's next, including a song called "Calendar Years" built around her college friends' birthdays.

Whether you're a young artist hesitant to hit publish, someone working through anxiety, or anyone who's ever felt targeted for simply being on your own path — this one's for you.

🎵 Find Taylor on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music as Taylor Mackenzie Mieszkuc (M-I-E-S-Z-K-U-C) 📱 Instagram: @taymackenziemieszkuc | TikTok: @taylormackenziemieszkuc

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