Previous Guests
Previous Guests & Stories
Click here to go to an archive of our previous shows!
STEPHEN J. WEISS is a highly decorated World War II veteran who landed on D-Day in Southern France. He holds two Masters degrees, one in Clinical Psychology and the other in War Studies. He was awarded his PhD. in War Studies from Kings College, London, in 1995. On the 9/15/12 show, Tim Carpenter talks to Stephen J. Weiss about his new book, Second Chance, where he breaks his 70-year silence to reveal the price of a soldier’s bravery. CLICK HERE to learn more about Dr. Weiss. Host Tim Carpenter talks with Stephen J. Weiss on the 9/15/12 show.
Artist, teacher and visionary Paul Heussenstamm is known worldwide for his mandalas which grace many homes and spiritual centers such as the Chopra Center in Carlsbad and the Agape International Spiritual Center in Culver City. His first painting of a mandala was commissioned by Barbara Streisand when he was in his 40s; ultimately Paul left a successful career in the surfing business for the path of artist and teacher — and spells artist as OURtist. Paul has painted thousands of mandalas and taught hundreds in his workshops called “ART AS A SPIRITUAL PATH.” He has written three books and produced six films, documentaries and instructional videos. Hear him talk about his work and the power of mandalas on the 9/1/12 show with Dr. Connie Corley. Learn more at www.mandalas.com.
Victoria GeVoian is the Executive Director of the Joshua Tree International Retreat Center and the Ding Le Mei Institute of Mentalphysics. Founder of the Alexandria Bookstores of Southern California, Victoria is also an artist and graphic designer, with an early career in the movie industry. She has been a lecturer, visionary, student and teacher of mysticism for over 25 years. She is also the author of God As Mother, and the soon to be released New Dimensional Thinking. Hear her talk with Dr. Connie Corley on the 9/1/12 show. Learn more at www.jtrcc.org and www.mentalphysics.net.
CAREGIVER CAFE featuring BRYAN GAINES, MSW; Caregiver Life Coach ANGELA MOZELLE; and MUNYUNGO JACKSON (pictured), a legendary percussionist who has performed with Stevie Wonder for the last 20 years and also has performed with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, George Duke, Dizzy Gillespie and many more. Munyungo facilitated the Drum Circle for the Caregiver Cafe. Drum Circles work to rid stress while promoting wellness all throughout the body and mind. Munyungo discusses why drum circles are so powerful. Bobbee Zeno hosted the 8/25/12 show which was followed by the Caregiver Cafe he coordinated at AC Bilbrew Library in Los Angeles.
JERRY LAWSON fronted the legendary a cappella group, The Persuasions, for nearly 40 years. He led the celebrated quintet and recorded and toured with numerous artists such as Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Liza Minnelli, Joni Mitchell and Frank Zappa. Lawson sang lead on about 90 percent of The Persuasions albums, one of which, “Chirpin’,” was hailed by Rolling Stone as one of the top 100 LPs of the 1970s. His broad, warm baritone is regarded by many as one of the better kept secrets in popular music; a cappella being such a niche market. As music writer Rip Rense put it, “By any fair measure, Lawson is really one of the best singers of the last 50 years—up there with Sam Cooke, Brook Benton, Jerry Butler & Nat King Cole.” Lawson is also responsible for the brilliant vocal arrangements on all 22 albums with The Persuasions. The last five of his highly original albums found acclaim from People Magazine to the Los Angeles Times. After a very brief retirement, in 2004 Lawson was introduced to the members of the San Francisco-based a cappella group, Talk of the Town. He joined them as their lead singer and in 2007 they independently released their album, Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town. While certainly reminiscent of the Persuasions, the sound of TOTT was noticeably different, with more focus on a single lead singer and a smoother, tighter group harmony backing Lawson’s gruff leads. CLICK HERE to learn more about Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town. Host John Semper Jr. talked with Jerry on the 8/18/12 Experience Talks Online show.
JOHN ALTMAN is an Emmy Award-winning British composer, arranger, orchestrator, and conductor. Born in London, Altman was introduced to the music of the 1930s and 1940s at an early age by an uncle who arranged and composed music for big bands and conducted for Judy Garland, the Marx Brothers, and Laurel and Hardy, among others. His only formal musical training was piano lessons as a child, but he had inherited the "music gene" and discovered that he could understand music and play multiple instruments easily. While enrolled at the University of Sussex he was involved in session work and gigs with Fleetwood Mac and Nico. He also played saxophone in rock bands and with blues and jazz groups with such artists as Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Little Richard, and Van Morrison. In the mid-1970s, Altman began arranging and conducting, and worked with Rod Stewart, George Michael, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Graham Parker, and Monty Python. For the latter, he arranged the music for their Rutles television special and later contributed to The Life of Brian, most notably as the co-writer and arranger of the song, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." Altman also frequently has been a guest conductor for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and is a prolific writer of music for commercials, having scored more than 4,000 international ads. The John Altman Big Band often performs in the US and UK. CLICK HERE to read more. Hear host John Semper Jr.'s two part interview with John Altman on the 7/7/12 and 8/4/12 shows.
JOSEPH STARK (at left with students) is the Principal of Burbank Adult School. The mission of Burbank Adult School is to meet the diverse educational needs of the community by empowering lifelong learners to reach their professional, personal, and family goals. The adult education program includes course offerings in basic and secondary education, including GED test preparation; career and technical education; English as a Second Language; parent education; and community interest classes including a variety of creative arts classes such as painting, memoir and short story writing, screenplay writing, dance, and acting. CLICK HERE to see the Fall 2012 schedule. Cynthia Friedlob hosted the Experience Talks Online show on 7/21/12.
RANDALL WILLIAMS knew that he wanted to be an artist ever since he attended weekly art classes in first grade in Jacksonville, Illinois. He went on to earn a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Fine Arts from Western Illinois University, then moved to Southern California in 1980 to pursue his art career. He landed a job at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, then worked as a stain-glass artist, an Art Director at two of L.A.’s largest photography labs, and a design consultant for a framing company. He’s now the owner of a gallery and studio in Burbank where he sells his original work and offers art-related services including portraits, murals, framing, photo retouching and restoration. Randall teaches classes in drawing, painting, sculpture, and Photoshop. He participates in art events within the local community and actively promotes art in the schools. He is a member of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce, Burbank Noon Kiwanis, the Burbank Arts Federation, Burbank Art Association, Sunland-Tujunga Art Association, and President of the Burbank Boulevard Merchants Association. Learn more at RANDALL'S WEBSITE. Cynthia Friedlob hosted the ET Online show on 7/21/12.
SUZANNE KNODE spent most of her life working to raise her kids as a single mom. A few years back, retired now, she moved to the Burbank Senior Artists Colony. Suzanne thought she’d like to try her hand at writing, so she attended an EngAGE writing class at the Artists Colony. She wrote a screenplay as a class assignment and her project, Bandida, was made into a short film by EngAGE. The making of her film, and her story of reinvention, was profiled on national television on the show This American Life on Showtime. She watched the premiere of her film along with an audience of hundreds on the big screen at the El Portal Theater in the NoHo Arts District as part of the Valley Film Festival. Suzanne is now working on several new film and stage projects and has taken up painting and mentoring at-risk teens. In 2010, Knode was selected as one of 11 subjects for a nationwide campaign and photo exhibit to help raise awareness of how people can keep their minds beautiful. The campaign, Beautiful Minds: Finding Your Lifelong Potential, is co-sponsored by the National Center for Creative Aging and Martek Biosciences, a company committed to Brain Health. Cynthia Friedlob hosted the ET Online show on 7/21/12.
From 1968 to 1983, LEONARD MANZELLA lived in Italy and worked as an actor in the Italian film industry. Manzella returned to the U.S. in 1983 and trained as a psychodramatist under the tutelage of renowned psychologist-criminologist, Dr. Lewis Yablonsky. Inspired by that work, he went on to earn a master’s degree in social work from USC in 1989 and has been a practicing psychotherapist ever since. In 1999, he designed and directed the AVERT project, an emotional intelligence program aimed at teaching correctional officers empathy to avert institutional violence. In 2003, he contracted with the California Department of Corrections and began working with mentally ill inmates at state prisons, where he gained a deeper understanding of the dynamics of violence within our correctional systems. Manzella’s latest endeavor, this time as an emerging playwright, is CAGES, based on his work treating mentally ill inmates held in Administrative Segregation at a California state prison. Learn more about Leonard Manzella HERE and HERE. CAGES is playing at The Matrix Theatre in Hollywood through July 15th. CLICK HERE for more information. Bobbee Zeno talked hosted the show on 7/14/12.
An impressively credentialed, Harvard-trained medical scientist and psychologist, DR. JOAN BORYSENKO is the author of 15 books and has long been known for her NY Times bestseller, MINDING THE BODY, MENDING THE MIND. Following her years at Harvard Medical School where she co-founded a mind-body clinic with Dr. Herbert Benson, Dr. Borysenko moved on as the Founding Partner of Mind/Body Health Sciences, LLC located in Boulder, Colorado, and the Director of The Claritas Institute Interspiritual Mentor Training Program. She has been featured on PBS programs and can be found weekly on Hay House Radio. Her latest book, published by Hay House, is FRIED: WHY YOU BURN OUT AND HOW TO REVIVE. Learn more HERE. Dr. Connie Corley hosted Dr. Borysenko on the 6/23/12 show.
TAMI SIMON is the founder of the inspirational organization called Sounds True, which for over 25 years has produced audio recordings, books, music, filmed events, multimedia packages and online educational programs from prominent leaders in spirituality, meditation, psychology, and holistic health. Learn more HERE about their new venture, the WAKE UP FESTIVAL, August 22-26, 2012, in Estes Park, Colorado. Dr. Connie Corley hosted Tami Simon on the 6/23/12 show.
SHELDON EPPS has been Artistic Director of the renowned Pasadena Playhouse since 1997. Sheldon also served as Associate Artistic Director of the Old Globe Theatre and was a co-founder of the off-Broadway theatre, The Production Company. He has directed both plays and musicals at many of the country’s major theatres including the Roundabout, Manhattan Theatre Club, the Guthrie, Arena Stage, and the Goodman Theatre. Sheldon has also had a busy career as a television director, and received the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award for his efforts and accomplishments at The Pasadena Playhouse. CLICK HERE to learn more about The Pasadena Playhouse. Tim Carpenter talked to Sheldon Epps about the next wave of theater in Pasadena on the 6/16/12 show.
MARTIN CASELLA's award-winning plays include "Scituate," "Mates," "Paydirt," "Desert Fire" and "George Bush Goes to Hell." He wrote the book for the musicals "Paper Moon," "Happy Holidays," and "Play It Cool." His plays have been seen across the country and around the world. In film and TV, Martin has written for Steven Spielberg, Rob Reiner, John Milius, and Francis Ford Coppola. His feature screenplay "One Night Stand" was directed by Talia Shire. Martin Casella's latest play, "The Irish Curse," opened at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles on July 7th. CLICK HERE to go to the Odyssey Theatre website and learn more about the play. Tim Carpenter hosted this show on 6/16/12.
VICTOR LUNDIN has appeared in numerous television shows including “Batman,” “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,” “Get Smart,” “The Time Tunnel,” “Babylon 5,” and as the first Klingon on the original “Star Trek.” But science fiction fans particularly appreciate Victor’s iconic co-starring role in the 1964 classic sci-fi film, “Robinson Crusoe On Mars,” in which he was the alien, Friday. More recently, Victor starred in the movie, “The Theory of Everything,” which made its television debut in November 2007. In addition to being an actor, Victor is also a singer/songwriter and has produced two albums: “Little Owl” and “The Storyteller.” CLICK HERE to get more information at his website. John Semper Jr. talks with Victor about his long career in a two-part interview on the 6/9/12 and 6/11/12 ET Online shows.
RONNI BENNETT: Dubbed the “dean of older bloggers” by AARP, Ronni Bennett has been writing her popular blog, “Time Goes By – What it’s really like to get older,” since 2004. Prior to that, for many years, Ronni wrote and produced for such television programs as Biography, The 20th Century, 20/20, and The Barbara Walters Specials. In the mid-nineties, when the commercial internet was new, she switched to the web as the first managing editor of CBSnews.com and later at various websites about restaurants, sports medicine, finance and business management. These days in addition to her blog, Ronni speaks at technology conferences and on radio and television to discuss seniors’ technology needs and “elderblogging,” which she promotes as a near-perfect pastime for seniors. In 2008, she received the Media Excellence Award for her blog from The National Association to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. Ronni lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon, with her Savannah cat, Oliver. CLICK HERE to see her blog. Cynthia Friedlob talks with Ronni on the 5/26/12 ET Online show.
STEVEN A. HELLER: Heller’s commercial and advertising work ranges from precise studio product and portraiture to editorial reportage and documentary. It has garnered numerous awards and has been published in Time, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, Metropolis and many other publications. Heller has exhibited at the Gallery for Contemporary Photography in Santa Monica, the Center for Exploratory and Perceptual Art in Buffalo, New York; Soho Triad Fine Art Gallery in New York; and both the Mendenhall Gallery and Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Heller provided all photographic material for the Art Center College of Design website , winner of the 1999 “Best Site” Award from Network Computing magazine. In 1991, Heller was named Photographer of the Year by The Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). He holds a BFA and MFA from Art Center College of Design. A partial list of Heller’s clients includes Virgin Records, Warner Bros. Records, Random House, Simon & Schuster, Knopf Publishing, Sun Microsystems, Samsung Electronics, Silicon Graphics, The Getty Trust, and Loyola Marymount University. See his portfolio HERE. Cynthia Friedlob talks with Steven on the 5/26/12 ET Online show.
LIA HIRTZ: Lia describes herself as someone who “finds life fascinating and enticing enough to continue re-inventing her story on a daily basis. Uneducated, but with an insatiable hunger to learn philosophy, language, history, science, and the mystery of the human mind. From a miniscule town in Mexico to the East Los Angeles projects. Grew up with a wonderful storytelling grandmother, a bohemian father and a strong and dedicated mother — a house full of love, music and food. Who at an early age decided that she would not allow discrimination, lack of beauty, gender, and now, age, to get in the way of her taking the next step forward. Who has now discovered that the process is more important than the goal and that success and achievement is really the satisfaction you find in the things you do and not in what others believe success is. Proud mother of three, loving granny of one, happy wife, daughter, sister, fast typist, yoga instructor, bad karaoke-singer, new writer, and passionate entrepreneur.” Lia’s current entrepreneurial venture, with one of her sons, is World Empanadas, a take-out only, specialty restaurant that opened in Burbank, CA, last week. CLICK HERE for more information. You can also find the restaurant’s Page HERE on Facebook. Cynthia Friedlob talks with Lia on the 5/26/12 ET Online show.
JOHN WALZ is a celebrated soloist and chamber music artist, known for his dazzling virtuosity and elegant musicianship. A student of the legendary French cellist, Pierre Fournier, he has appeared as soloist with more than 150 symphony orchestras on 4 continents. His performances of 25 different concertos include both standard showcases and rarities like Martinu’s Concerto #1 and William Schuman’s Song of Orfeus. In 1979, John, along with pianist Edith Orloff, founded the Pacific Trio. Now performing with violinist Roger Wilkie, this renowned ensemble has played more than 900 concerts throughout North America and Europe. In addition to his solo and chamber music duties, he is currently the principal cellist with the Los Angeles Opera, a position he previously held for 20 years with the Long Beach Symphony. John is on the faculty of the Idyllwild Arts summer program and Academy and has performed at Les Salon de Musique. CLICK HERE to learn more about John at his website. John Semper Jr talks with John Walz on the 5/19/12 ET Online show.
STEVEN VANHAUWAERT - Praised by the Los Angeles Times for his “impressive clarity, sense of structure and monster technique,” Steven Vanhauwaert studied piano in Brussels at the Royal Conservatory, and continued his musical development in Los Angeles at the USC Thornton School of Music. Over the years, Steven has garnered a wide array of accolades and has toured throughout Europe and the US, both solo and in chamber music groups. He has appeared in major venues with orchestras such as the Pacific Symphony, the Flemish Symphony, the Concord Jazz Ensemble, the Eastern Sierra Chamber Orchestra and Prima la Musica, amongst others. In 2010 he made his China solo debut. As a member of the Felici Piano Trio, Steven has given recitals and master classes all over the US, has been a frequent guest in festivals around the world, and has appeared in all the major concert halls of Europe. Steven’s performances are regularly broadcast on K-MZT, K-CSN, K-USC, WHKB, W-UOT, K-UAT and KLARA. He has also performed at Les Salon de Musique. CLICK HERE to learn more at his website. John Semper Jr. talks with Steven on the 5/19/12 ET Online show.