Podcast Episodes

Awakening after experiencing trauma and a mental breakdown to help others - Guest: Shirley Buck

9/11 first responder's awakening, and how he overcame illness (cancer), abuse and addiction

Awakening to discover that when you take action on a coincidence it can lead to a miracle

Awakening to use her intuition to find people’s Superpower - Guest Mary Beth Robinson

Awakening after the loss of his son to help others who are grieving - Guest Stephen Panus

Awakening - transforming adversity and poverty into purpose - Guest Jan Allen Ackley

Iran: Inside the IRGC — How One American’s Defiance in the 1990s Echoes Amid Today’s Iran Tensions. Awakening when he refused to stomp on the American and Israeli flags in Iran- with Sherman Niamehr.

Franke James' latest book, which represents her biggest awakening, is Freeing Teresa: A True Story about My Sister and Me. The memoir is about choosing her sister’s freedom over her family. Franke helped her younger sister with Down syndrome get out of a nursing home after being improperly admitted. Then all hell broke loose. The two sisters had to stand together—against their siblings, the medical system, and the police—to defend the right to be free. Franke and her husband, Billiam James, helped Teresa regain her decision-making rights and get a public apology from the Ontario Minister of Health. The memoir has won thirty-four book awards.

Awakening after a Near Death Experience when he broke his neck skydiving - Guest Gary Pacelli

Artist fights for his First Amendment rights when the Smithsonian refuses to display his painting of President Trump.

Father’s Awakening when he connects with his son with Autism - Guest John Goralski

Awakening from trauma - Guest Koya Bakare

Robert Don’s memoir explores what he knows of his mother’s teenage life as a Schindler’s List survivor. The book also confronts Intergenerational Trauma (“Second Generation) and holocaust survivor trauma, manifested in hatred as a form of racism—how it can begin, what it can do to us and how we can reconcile even amidst the reach of darkness. Rob had a second awakening when his mother made Shimmas (meaning peace in Yiddish) with his German stepmother whom she hated, when his stepmom became his M...

Glenn Nicholson has had the pleasure of working with adults with disabilities for 12 years and from them, he has learned gratitude and immeasurable resilience and what it means to be authentically happy despite personal challenges, both mental and physical. This has opened his eyes in an awakening of understanding of the gifts he has been given and an immense desire to share them with the world. Each of us is on a hero’s journey. Glenn’s current book, Mindful Illumination explores stillness, min...

Podcast Host Dan Cohen and his brother Dr. Ken Cohen discuss their Dad Herbie’s Awakening from late stage Dementia to closely resemble the man he was. He went from barely recognizing his family to being lucid and sharing the love he had for his wife, children and grandchildren. Remarkably, he remembered things that happened during his dementia when he had little awareness. He also shared a profound message that he still appreciates and wants to love life, giving hope to caregivers and family mem...

Bryan Lee, known worldwide as Bullseye The Clown, has transformed his personal trauma of being bullied into a global mission of compassion. At age 47, he saw the movie Patch Adams and decided to join the real Patch Adams on a 14 day mission to Russia to hospitals, orphanages and more. There Bullseye had two other awakenings when he made an old lady be seen and brought laughter to a woman in hospice. He went from trying to be invisible when he was bullied to being as visible as possible as a clow...

After the passing of her father in 2015, Liz Entin delved in to see if there was science based evidence of an afterlife, something as an atheist she never thought possible. She was stunned to discover there is a large amount of valid scientific evidence of an afterlife that does not require faith or belief. It was a long process that combined delving into the science and meeting the people behind the research, but she ended believing that consciousness continues after death. She has two books -B...

Holocaust survivor Sami Steigmann's awakening to educate about the holocaust. Sami Steigmann awakened later in life, after being inspired by a 6th grader, to make his life’s mission to educate children and society about the horrors of the holocaust and the dangers of Jew hatred today. Sami's life story is remarkable. From 1941 -1944, he and his parents were in Ukraine at Mogilev-Podolsky, a labor camp in Transnistria. Being too young to work, per his parents, Sami was subjected to Nazi medical experimentation but has no recollection of it. However, he still feels the side effects every day. He believes knowledge about the holocaust without action and bringing in the media can accomplish very little to stop jew hatred.

Get to know the “Awakenings In Real Life” podcast which tells inspiring stories of transformation, meaning and hope.  The premiere episode features his Dad’s awakening from his dementia and the message he sends that he still appreciates and lives life.  While we typically think of an Awakening as a “Getting Up” or “Spiritual” or “Religious” in nature, an “Awakening” is also an awareness, recognition or realization of something.  Dan will share stories of people triumphing over bullying, addiction, disability, illness, trauma, loss, near death experiences and more. He’s also written a companion book, and he hopes you will also find that, so you can hear awakenings from his family that involve stories of enlightenment, lessons learned, deep understandings, and personal growth. Dan is also a speaker and screenwriter.