Alison Arngrim

Today’s question is an easy one and probably will get the most “yes, that's me!” answers. How many of our listeners used to watch the TV show Little House on The Prairie? Well if you did, then I am sure that during the nine year run you knew the charming Nellie Oleson. Actually Nellie was the scheming, selfish, lying, manipulative brat that viewers hated along with her evil antics. Did you ever think about what it must have been like playing that sort of character on an extremely popular TV show? Think the character sticks with you for a long time? Every time we saw Gary Coleman we thought of Webster. Carol O’Connor we would think of Archie Bunker. The character follows you and many people start to believe it was so easy to play the role because you were actually like the character. Well this was not the case for our next guest. She grew to love her character…mostly because it gave her the freedom and confidence Nellie inspired in her. Today we will talk about the fantastic book, “Confessions of a Prairie Bitch”. The book was written by actress, stand-up comedienne and star of the one-woman show by the same title which has become a worldwide phenomenon. She has done extensive advocacy work on behalf of HIV awareness and for abused children. It is our honor to welcome to Your Life Matters, Alison Arngrim.

Minister Mike Bartlett & Bill Bean

The end is near…The end is near. As a former NYer I can remember a man, we thought was crazy, standing on a street corner with that sign trying to, hoping to get your attention. But are you now concerned with everything that is happening that you read or hear in the news that this IS the end of the world? We have had the devastating attacks on this country on 9/11, the Earthquake and Tsunami at Sumatra, Hurricane Katrina's catastrophic flooding of the city of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast states, Global warming, birds falling out of the skies, fishes washing up on shore dead, this past week we had an earthquake in China which few heard about and of course the one we all are still reading about the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. I have not even started to touch on the events that should be causing us alarm. You have heard numerous authors speak about the December 21, 2012 and the end of the Mayan calendar and what that might mean for us right here on this show. Well today, I want to quote the infamous British comedy troupe Monty Python…”And now for something completely different…” We are not going to be talking about a book that an author wrote. Actually we are going to be talking about a book, written by a number of authors. One book. One book that explains what is happening in our world today. The one book, everyone needs to turn to before it is too late. That book is the Bible. If you have not read it, you need to do so now. More important than any other book we have spoken about on this show. More important for inspiration and education than any book we have discussed so far on this show. It is so important not to turn this show off without listening with an open mind if you are not a baptized believer. Today, we are blessed to have 2 very special guests, both of which have been on our show a few times before. In our studio is our religious consultant, friend, minister and teacher Mike Bartlett. Also joining us today by telephone, another great friend, author, teacher, musician, public speaker and a firm believer in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior…please welcome Bill Bean back to our show.

Barry Boschelli

Let me take you back to the 1950s on the North side of Chicago. 2 childhood friends. They were Boy Scouts together, sang Christmas Carols together, played practical jokes on neighbors, basically did everything together. What if your friend grew to become one of America’s most gruesome serial killers by the name of John Wayne Gacy? What if you almost became victim #34? Well our next guest was this other childhood friend. Author Barry Boschelli joins us today to talk about his book, “JOHNNY AND ME: THE TRUE STORY OF JOHN WAYNE GACY”. 

Helias Doundoulakis

Our next guest was an American born boy who grew up in a small village on the Greek island of Crete. In his last year in high school, he witnessed the German invasion of Crete, in May of 1941, during the early days of WW II. At the age of eighteen, he joined a resistance group headed by his brother, and supplied crucial information to the SOE, which is an arm of the English Intelligence Service. This resistance group is uncovered, resulting in their hasty evacuation by the SOE, to Cairo, Egypt. In Cairo, this author and his brother were asked to join the English Intelligence Service, but rather, pursued the American OSS, which is the Office of Strategic Services, the newly formed American intelligence counterpart. They were enlisted into the US Army, and attached to the OSS, where he was trained in the SI, or Secret Intelligence sector, which included parachute jumping, wireless/Morse code training, commando/defense training, locks/safe-cracking techniques, escape methods, and environment assimilation techniques.  After being transformed into a skilled “spy”, he was sent back to Greece undercover, and along with a Greek naval intelligence officer, set up a communications cell in Salonica, Greece’s second largest city, whereby daily coded messages to OSS Headquarters in Cairo were sent. One such message describes the course of events surrounding the bombing of the main railroad yard in Salonica, and the loss of thousands of German troops, as well as recalling the near-capture encounters with the German Gestapo and the Greek police. In his book, “I Was Trained To Be A Spy”, he also recounts his personal experiences of his escape from Crete through the mountains, the evacuations by an English torpedo boat, his OSS training, the return mission to Greece, and his final return to the United States. It is our honor to welcome a truly dedicated and decorated veteran of the US Army to Your Life Matters Show

Noor Ellias

Lebanon, the smallest yet one of the most strikingly beautiful countries in the Middle East, has been the center of political turmoil throughout human history; and our guest today  would live through one of those harrowing times that spanned fifteen years as Lebanon became the playground of international and homespun warlords. You will discover how she survived when everything around her was crumbling. This is an engaging true story of discovery. The name of the book we will be discussing is called “In the Hands of the Refiner: A Story from Lebanon”  it takes the reader through the author’s moving and thrilling wartime journey, as well as her battle with numbing personal loss and pain, years before the war began. Surrounded by death and uncertainty, Ellias refused to give up until she recovered her peace and freedom.  We are honored to have as our guest today, the author Noor Ellias.

Ivan Gabor

Our guest today didn't have a fascinating life; he had many. Constantly changing names and circumstances, he lived through war, famine, persecution and bitter loneliness to taste artistic and romantic fulfillment even while dealing with the worst imaginable trauma. With help from writer Jeff Beal, his true story is never predictable and always fascinating. It is a breathtaking true account of a life so extraordinary, it reads like fiction. It's an inspiring journey of transformation, from harrowing holocaust survival to triumph in foreign lands, and the conquest of a passionate love that spans four continents and as many distinct identities. Taking us on this odyssey and marvel is a remarkable human spirit. When we finish this interview I want you to ask yourself, would you survive? How would you live with the memories of desperation and destruction? Our guest today is Ivan Gabor and the book we will be talking about today is called “Echoes of My Footsteps: An Autobiography”

Bob Hamer

For a quarter of a century, our next guest was an undercover street agent for the FBI, pretending to be drug dealers, killers, burglars, gamblers, and weapons dealers. The culmination of his most interesting career was his infiltration of NAMBLA, a secret organization of pedophiles; it was also one of his toughest assignments, due to the potential psychological damage that could be incurred when posing as someone so loathsome. Bob Hamer’s book “The Last Undercover-The True Story of an FBI Agent’s Dangerous Dance with Evil” takes us through Hamer’s professional life, from his first undercover assignment in 1980 to the NAMBLA case, which exposed this hidden club to public scrutiny and condemnation. The stories he tells are compelling, dramatic, and often surprising. We will also be talking this morning about his latest book “Enemies Among Us”

Judika Illes

Before we first watched the Wizard of Oz, many of us never heard the term witch. These days many are learning about witches through the Harry Potter book series. But here is today’s question, “How much do you really know about witches?” For the most part, I would probably get many conflicting answers. Many immediately think back to the Salem Witch trials we learned about in history class or on the Discovery Channel. Many others would immediately think of a witch’s broom or a hot cauldron. But for centuries they have cast a spell over our collective imaginations, luring children into ovens and kings to their doom. Heck, go to any greeting card rack and you will find more than a few cards with witches on them. Today we are going to talk about witches. The book is called “The Weiser Guide to Witches: From Hexes to Hermione Granger, from Salem to the Land of Oz”. The book explores who and what a witch really is. The author of the book will take us through the full, fearsome and fabulous range of witches throughout history. She has been a student of the magical arts since childhood. Her interests include tarot, runes and other forms of divination, astrology, spell-casting, traditional healing and spirituality, folklore, fairy tales and more. She has written 4 other books on the subject as well. Please welcome to Your Life Matters Judika Illes.

Doug Jack

I am sure that many of you would not know the name Doug Jack. But I bet you have seen his phenomenal work! Let me give you a short list…Director and choreographer for the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics in 1992 in Barcelona, 1996 in Atlanta, 2000 in Sydney, 2002 in Salt Lake City, 2004 in Athens, 2006 in Torino. How about the Choreographer for seven Super Bowl Halftime Shows? Miami 1999, San Diego 1998, New Orleans 1997, Phoenix 1996, Minneapolis 1992, Tampa 1991 and Pasadena 1987. OK, how about Three World Cups Ceremonies? 2006 World Cup Soccer in Berlin, 2005 World Cup Rugby in Sydney, and 1994 World Cup Soccer, Orlando & Los Angeles? Oh and I forgot, he won an Emmy also. When you look at his amazing work from high above his work is truly breathtaking and larger than life. But from the ground level, all of the individual performers feel his simple role elevated to something larger and even great than himself. Well today Doug is going to take us backstage as he will recount for you a few of these extraordinary and ordinary, marvelous and miserable moments that have made up the dance of his life. As you know nothing always goes as you hope or plans and sometimes you have to sneak away from angry mobs or get kissed by David Hasselhoff! The book we will be talking about is titled, “The Back Side of Wonderful.” It is our honor to welcome to our show, Doug Jack.

Bradford Keeney, Ph.D.

Today we are going to talk about the Kalahari Bushmen of southern Africa. I do not need to ask today’s question as I am sure that most of you are already asking who these people are. I will let our guest tell you but I will say that they are the keepers of the world’s oldest living culture. They have survived for over 100,000 years with joy and peace—yet their spiritual teachings, the source of their enduring wisdom, have never been fully presented. The show today is about religion though you may not think so from what I have presented so far. I want you to site back as we go on a journey…a journey for total bliss. The book we will be discussing is called “The Bushman Way of Tracking God.” Our guest today is an author, professor, psychotherapist, a systems theorist, a healer and called “the Mojo Doctor”. Please welcome to Your Life Matters Dr. Bradford Keeney.

Josephine Liberati

Picture yourself a naïve 18 year old about to deliver your baby prematurely. Next picture told that the baby you just delivered had died. You were not going to get a chance to even see the baby. It has to be devastating. Now today’s question is “How much do you believe in and trust a mother’s intuition?” Our guest today was that 18 year old over 47 years ago. Only thing is that things just did not seem right. What happens when you find out there were no records of your hospital stay? No birth or death certificate? Did the doctor kidnap your baby and tell you the baby died? It has to be tough looking for answers. Today we are going to discuss the book, “Where’s My Baby” and joining us is author Josephine Liberati. Jospehine thank you for joining us today on Your Life Matters.

David Sleppy

Here is today’s question, How would you exist if you felt no one saw you? Now, I am not talking about anything paranormal. I am talking about real people. People, many of us pass everyday on the streets of the big cities. You see them there, but do we? Have we learned to block them out? Make believe they do not exist? Keep walking or sometimes speed up just to get by them? The people I am talking about is the homeless people in America. I lived in NYC…I saw them every day. I even saw people do anything they could to avoid them. They were afraid these people were crazy, would rob them, spit on them and more. But who are these people? How did they get there? Our next guest asks that same question. Using his eloquent use of photography, he has compiled a powerful depiction of our overlooked brothers and sisters, living on the streets…alone, hungry, sometimes freezing. Most did not choose to be there. With today’s economy it can happen fast. And it is happening to people, even families every day. The name of the book is “No One Sees Me” and it is our honor to have a fellow Hoosier businessman join us today on Your Life Matters
David Sleppy.

Chip St. Clare

As children do we really know who our parents really are? I am sure in 99% of the cases, the answer is yes. Everything you have learned about your parents through the years, from family and friends, make up the people they are and are intertwined as part of the person you have become. But what about that other 1%? How do they know who their parents really are? Today we are going to take you to one of those homes. I do not want to give away the story line in my introduction, but you WILL want to listen to today’s interview. It is a story of hope, triumph and discovery of the true measure of strength each one of us has when we simply gain the courage to look within. This story has been featured nationally on Dateline and Good Morning America. The book we will be discussing today is called, “The Butterfly Garden”. Universities and schools across the country have now incorporated this book into their curriculum. The author is the founder and executive director of the St. Clair Butterfly Foundation. He fights relentlessly for tough legislation aimed at combating identity theft and protecting children from abuse. There is so much more I can say about him, but I will let him tell you about himself, please welcome to our show Chip St. Clair.

Dr. Michael Stone

The crimes of Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Dennis Rader, and other high-profile killers are so breathtakingly awful that most people would not hesitate to label them "evil." In this groundbreaking book, renowned psychiatrist Michael H. Stone-host of Discovery Channel's former series Most Evil-uses this common emotional reaction to horrifying acts as his starting point to explore the concept and reality of evil from a new perspective. In an in-depth discussion of the personality traits and behavior that constitute evil across a wide spectrum, Dr. Stone takes a clarifying scientific approach to a topic that for centuries has been inadequately explained by religious doctrines.

Wanda Blayhut Wierzbicki

I guess I need to begin today’s interview, as I have a few times in the past stating how much we truly respect and honor our men and women serving our country in the Armed Forces. They risk their lives to defend our freedoms each and every day and we nothing but the utmost respect for them. Today we are going to talk about one soldier. There are so many stories out there of brave, heroic men and women who have given all of their lives for our great country. Hopefully we can continue to find and share these great stories with you. Today’s story is about a brother, a Sgt, who served in Iraq until he was diagnosed with brain cancer. He was a member of the New Jersey National Guard. He was deployed in Iraq in 2004. The book is titled “Without Surrender: A Tribute To A Soldier.” The book is about this brave soldier, his life, his family. It is full of personal photos which gives us an insight into his life. The book was written by his sister. And she is our guest today. Please welcome to Your Life Matters Wanda Blahut Wierzbicki.