John Hampsey Interview – Award-Winning Professor on Soda Lake (2025) & Kaufman’s Hill | Famous Interviews

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series. On this episode, we talk with award-winning professor and distinguished author John Hampsey.

Dr. Hampsey is a Professor of Romantic and Classical Literature at California Polytechnic State University, where he received the University Distinguished Teaching Award. Earlier in his career, he taught at Boston University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

His acclaimed memoir Kaufman's Hill was called the “best book written on American boyhood in decades” by historian Howard Zinn. In 2025, he completed an international book tour for his latest release, Soda Lake, further cementing his reputation as a powerful literary voice.

Over the course of his career, Hampsey has published more than thirty stories and essays in prestigious literary journals and magazines. Born in Pittsburgh, his life story and literary journey are as compelling as the works he writes.

In this conversation, we explore literature, teaching, memoir writing, American identity, and the creative process behind his celebrated books.

All Things John Hampsey:

https://www.johnchampsey.com/ 

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Naomi Asher Interview – Burnout Prevention & Healthy Workplace Culture | Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series. On this episode, we talk with leadership expert, burnout-prevention strategist, and the force behind Maven Consulting, Naomi Asher.

Naomi works with organizations ready to stop bleeding talent and start building sustainable, healthy workplace cultures. She helps executives communicate clearly without spiraling into chaos, understand their teams instead of managing by guesswork, and retain top performers in competitive markets.

Blending research, humor, and bold candor, Naomi challenges leaders to get real, get strategic, and get measurable results—without sacrificing their wellbeing in the process. Her work focuses on leadership communication, employee retention, culture strategy, burnout prevention, and executive clarity.

If you're a CEO, founder, HR leader, or manager looking to improve company culture, reduce turnover, and build high-performing teams without burnout, this conversation is packed with practical insight.

More Naomi Asher:
https://naomithemaven.com/

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Warren Williams Interview – Energetic Alchemy® & ADHD Leadership Strategy | Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series. On this episode, we talk with UK-based performance strategist Warren Williams, creator of Energetic Alchemy®.

Warren’s work bridges cognitive performance and energetic regulation, helping high-performing and neurodivergent leaders transform scattered focus into structured flow. Through Energetic Alchemy®, he reframes ADHD as a strategic advantage—unlocking intuition-led decision-making, creative expansion, and scalable leadership.

His framework integrates nervous system regulation, energetic coherence, and Tier 1–5 leadership diagnostics to support executives—particularly those with ADHD or heightened sensitivity—in building sustainable success without sacrificing fulfillment or wellbeing.

From his base in the UK, we dive into leadership performance, neurodiversity in business, executive function, nervous system mastery, and how to turn cognitive intensity into clarity and scale.

If you’re an entrepreneur, executive, coach, or creative leader navigating ADHD or high sensitivity, this conversation delivers powerful insights into building sustainable, high-level success.

More Warren Williams:
https://warrenwilliamscoaching.com/

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Glenn Makos Interview – Arrowsic (2025) | NYC Jazz Trumpeter on Stop Time Records | Neon Jazz

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series with NYC-based jazz trumpeter and composer Glenn Makos. We caught up with this seasoned New York player to talk about his new 2025 CD Arrowsic, released on Stop Time Records, and his lifelong journey through the world of jazz.

Inspired by Glenn’s passion for coffee roasting, Arrowsic reflects the distinctive flavors of beans sourced from around the globe. As he explored the unique regional characteristics of different coffees, those nuances found their way into his compositions—resulting in a richly textured album where aroma, rhythm, and melody intersect.

Over the years, Glenn has performed at many of New York City’s premier jazz venues, building a reputation as a thoughtful composer and dynamic trumpeter deeply rooted in the tradition while pushing forward creatively. In this in-depth conversation, we dive into the inspiration behind the record, the intersection of art and everyday ritual, and a life dedicated to jazz.

🎺 If you love modern jazz, trumpet masters, behind-the-scenes album stories, and artist interviews — this one is for you.

More on Glenn Makos:
https://www.glennmakos.com/ 

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Cultural Historian, Educator & Author of The Jazz Barn John Gennari

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz Interview Series featuring cultural historian, educator, and author John Gennari.

We dive into his 2025 book The Jazz Barn: Music Inn, the Berkshires, and the Place of Jazz in American Life.

Dr. Gennari is a Professor of English and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at the University of Vermont and an American Studies–trained U.S. cultural historian specializing in jazz and popular music, race and ethnicity, Italian American culture, food, sports, and cultural criticism. He is also the author of the 2017 book Flavor and Soul: Italian America at Its African American Edge.

In this conversation, we explore how a small New England town — Lenox, Massachusetts — became an unlikely home for jazz in the 1950s. The Jazz Barn chronicles the story of the Music Inn in the Berkshire Hills, where a barn, icehouse, and greenhouse were transformed into a groundbreaking cultural hub for performances, seminars, and cross-cultural exchange.

Set against the backdrop of McCarthyism, the civil rights movement, the Afro-Caribbean diaspora, and postwar tourism, this story challenges assumptions about race and place, art and geography, and the relationship between rural landscapes and urban jazz culture.

This is an essential conversation for anyone interested in jazz history, American cultural studies, race and music, and the evolution of jazz in America.

📚 Get John Gennari’s books here:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/John-Gennari/author/B001HD13RS?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=ccd9f68d-c8af-4cc6-8fd6-2eb7952af8ca

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Author, Longtime Small Business Owner, Marketing Guru & Exceptional Dreamer Rick Tracell

Welcome to a new edition of Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino. On this episode, we talk with author, longtime small business owner, marketing mind, and exceptional dreamer Rick Tracewell.

Rick has spent years in that familiar place where you're working hard, staying busy, and still wondering why nothing is truly moving forward. In his short but powerful book, The Uncomfortable Comfort Zone, he explores why “busy” often replaces real progress — and how small, realistic shifts can create meaningful momentum without guilt, pressure, or pretending everything is fine.

Rick doesn’t position himself as a guru or psychologist — just someone who has lived this cycle more than once and discovered the value of clarity over hustle. In this honest and insightful conversation, we dive into entrepreneurship, small business challenges, mindset shifts, marketing realities, and the emotional weight of staying comfortable while feeling stuck.

If you’re an entrepreneur, creative, small business owner, or anyone questioning whether “busy” equals growth, this episode will resonate deeply.

Learn more about Rick Tracewell and The Uncomfortable Comfort Zone:
https://uczbook.com/

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Mental Gym for Leaders | Cory Chadwick of Lyceum on Proactive Mental Health & High Performance

Welcome to a new edition of Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino. On this episode, we talk with Founder & CEO of The Mental Gym Lyceum, Cory Chadwick.

Cory is a proud dad, husband, long-suffering Maple Leafs fan, and visionary leader building something powerful: a mental gym for high-performers. Just like we train our bodies, Lyceum trains the mind. It’s a live-online, coach-led, group-based experience designed for smart, growth-driven leaders who want to consistently show up as their best selves.

Based in Toronto, Cory is on a mission to help individuals proactively manage their mental health—not reactively. Through structured mental “workouts,” community, and leadership development, Lyceum creates a ripple effect of resilience, clarity, and positive change.

In this conversation, we dive into leadership mindset, mental fitness, personal growth, high-performance habits, proactive mental health, emotional resilience, and what it really takes to lead well in today’s fast-moving world.

If you're a founder, executive, entrepreneur, coach, or growth-driven professional looking to level up your mindset and leadership, this episode is for you.

Learn more about Cory and Lyceum:
https://www.yourlyceum.com/

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