Nurse & Author Caron Grossman: Heart Attack Survivor, Addiction Recovery & Healing Through Story

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series, featuring registered nurse, storyteller, TEDx speaker, breathwork facilitator, and heart attack survivor Caron Grossman.

Caron has a remarkable ability to turn lived truth into life-giving stories. With honesty, humor, and heart, she explores the difficult experiences that shape us, from grief and addiction to recovery, resilience, and personal transformation.

In her memoir, Listen to Your Heart Song: Navigating the Unexpected, Caron invites readers into her deeply personal journey of healing. After losing her mother at just 13 years old and surviving a heart attack at 58, she has learned firsthand how life's unexpected turns can challenge us, change us, and open the door to a deeper understanding of ourselves.

Whether she's speaking on stage, writing, sharing stories behind a microphone, or connecting with someone one-on-one, Caron is willing to say the things many people think but rarely express aloud. Her openness helps others feel seen, understood, inspired, and a little more whole.

In this conversation, we explore grief, food and alcohol addiction, recovery, the healing power of storytelling, and what it means to keep moving forward when life doesn't go according to plan.

It's an honest, moving, and inspiring story about finding your voice, listening to yourself, and discovering strength in the unexpected.

MORE CARON GROSSMAN:
🌐 Website: http://www.carongrossman.com/

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Musician & Club Owner Doc Watkins on Jazz, Entrepreneurship & Bringing Live Music Back

Welcome to a special crossover edition of Neon Jazz and Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino, featuring jazz musician, pianist, singer, bandleader, club owner, tech founder, and CEO Doc Watkins.

Doc Watkins is on a mission to bring live music, hospitality, and human connection back into modern life. He founded Jazz, TX in San Antonio and Doc’s Jazz Club in Houston, co-founded and leads TurnTable, a ticketing and marketing software company designed specifically for jazz clubs, and authored Jazz, TX: A Love Letter to Live Music, Community, and the Little Club That Could.

A pianist, vocalist, bandleader, and self-described wannabe cowboy, Doc has released ten albums and performs nearly 100 shows a year with his eleven-piece orchestra. His work brings together jazz, entrepreneurship, hospitality, technology, and community.

In this conversation, we explore the future of live jazz, what it takes to build and sustain a successful jazz club, the challenges facing independent venues, and how technology can support the live music experience. At the heart of it all is one powerful question: How do we get people off their screens and back into rooms where they can feel something real?

From the bandstand to the boardroom, Doc Watkins shares his perspective on music, business, and the enduring power of gathering together for a live performance.

Dig into this special Neon Jazz and Famous Interviews conversation with Doc Watkins!

MORE DOC WATKINS:
🌐 Jazz, TX: https://jazztx.com/

🌐 Official Website: https://docwatkins.com/ 

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NYC Rising Jazz Vocalist Ekep Nkwelle on Caged Bird, Maya Angelou & Her Jazz Journey

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with NYC-based rising jazz vocalist, composer, and bandleader Ekep Nkwelle. Dig into the story behind Caged Bird, her powerful debut album of 2026, and discover the personal journey, musical roots, and artistic vision shaping one of jazz’s exciting emerging voices.

Inspired by Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Caged Bird explores the journey from sorrow toward inspiration. Its themes of human suffering, resilience, freedom, and the pursuit of a better future give this project a deeply meaningful emotional foundation.

Ekep’s ability to move and inspire audiences began early. At just 12 years old, she was already leading worship, developing the expressive power that would become central to her artistry. Her love of jazz grew while attending Washington, D.C.’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts, where classical vocal training helped shape her musicianship and distinctive approach to performance.

In this conversation, we explore her early influences, the road from gospel and classical training into jazz, the inspiration behind Caged Bird, and the experiences that have shaped her growing career as a singer, composer, and bandleader.

This is a conversation about music with meaning, the courage to find your voice, and the transformative power of jazz.

🎙️ Learn more about Ekep Nkwelle:
https://www.ekepnkwelle.com/

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Saxophonist & Bandleader Victor Solano on Sundate, Jazz Messengers & Brooklyn Jazz

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Brooklyn-based jazz tenor saxophonist and bandleader Victor Solano. Dig this conversation as we explore Victor’s 2026 album, Sundate, his journey through the world of jazz, and his emergence as a bandleader with a sound and vision all his own.

Born and raised in the Marcy Houses in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, Victor brings his roots, musical instincts, and deep appreciation for jazz tradition to the forefront. Sundate marks his debut as a bandleader, adding a fresh voice to today’s evolving jazz landscape.

Leading a dynamic sextet inspired by Art Blakey’s 1981 Jazz Messengers, Victor pairs catchy, memorable horn lines with an adventurous, step-up-and-show-out approach to improvisation. The result is a group built for bold solos, tight ensemble playing, and the kind of energy that keeps jazz moving forward.

Victor Solano’s sextet features: Victor Solano — tenor saxophone | Alfredo Colon — alto saxophone | Carter Yasutake — trumpet | Jonathan Paik — piano | Steve Williams — bass | Justin Henry — drums

We talk about his Brooklyn upbringing, his musical development, the making of Sundate, the influence of jazz legends, and what it means to build a career in today’s jazz world.

If you love hard bop, swinging sextets, powerhouse horn lines, and the next generation of jazz artists, this is an interview to dig into.

🎷 Get the music and follow Victor Solano:

Website and album information: https://victorsolanomusic.com/new-page

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vic_escobar_/

Listen to the music: https://orcd.co/zayin

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Olya Prohorova of Fugu Dugu Interview | Bucky Wanko and The Legend of Baba Yaga (2026)

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Chicago-based jazz violinist Olya Prohorova of Fugu Dugu! We catch up with one of the leaders of Chicago’s Wild East Punk band to explore their 2026 album, Bucky Wanko and The Legend of Baba Yaga, the band’s history, and the wild musical universe they’ve created.

Set against the shadows of the Soviet occupation of East Germany, this album spins a bizarre, darkly imaginative tale: Siberian Cowboy Bucky Wanko becomes ensnared by the cannibalistic sorceress Baba Yaga before finding a questionable salvation through the “Romanov Dame,” Madame Broshkina.

Fugu Dugu brings this story to life with explosive violin, electric guitar, old-world melodies, American roots, and punk-rock energy. Moving between Romanian, Ukrainian, Russian, and English, the band creates a sound that defies easy categorization—unpredictable, theatrical, and full of Eastern European spirit.

We dig into the story behind the album, the band’s evolution, their genre-bending musical identity, and the inspiration behind this extraordinary project. Get ready for a conversation that takes jazz, folk, and punk somewhere wonderfully unexpected!

🎧 Get the album, Bucky Wanko and The Legend of Baba Yaga:
https://fugudugu.bandcamp.com/album/bucky-wanko-and-the-legend-of-baba-yaga?from=discover_page&ui_context=results_grid

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Adoptee, Author, Podcast Host & Community Founder Anna Jinja on Identity & Finding Your Self-Worth

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series. On this episode, we talk with Anna Jinja — adoptee, author, podcast host, and community founder — about adoption, identity, healing, self-discovery, and learning to embrace our inherent worth.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, raised in Iowa, and now based in Ohio, Anna’s journey as an international adoptee has shaped her lifelong exploration of identity, belonging, home, and human connection. Having experienced the pain of rejection and the peace that can come with self-acceptance, she shares a deeply personal perspective on what it means to find your place in the world.

Anna is the author of Adopting Grace and host of The Anna Jinja Show. Through stories, music, poetry, and community, she creates spaces that remind people they are worthy, loved, and welcome. Her years of community involvement and nonprofit advocacy, alongside personal and professional challenges, have helped shape her belief that healing begins when we choose ourselves and recognize our own inherent value.

This is a conversation about the complicated journey toward self-acceptance, the search for identity and belonging, and the power of sharing our stories to help others feel less alone. Anna is an incredible guest with a story worth hearing.

More Anna Jinja:
🌐 Website: https://www.annajinja.com/ 

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Do Something: David Lengyel on Risk, Wisdom, and Building Venture Up

You don’t need every answer to take your next step. David Lengyel joins Joe Dimino to reflect on the journey behind Venture Up, from a passion for climbing to building a company that has worked with hundreds of thousands of people. They explore risk, challenges, lessons learned in hindsight, and advice for young people finding their direction. David’s guiding belief is simple: do something. When things go wrong, gain wisdom; when they go well, find happiness. Ask what matters to you, make a decision, and stay flexible as you move forward.

More David Lengyel:
🌐 Venture Up: https://ventureup.com/

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