Arash's World Podcast

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with Darlene Madott who describes herself with distinct precision: “a writer” and “a reluctant lawyer who had to find a way of being in the world.”

In this wide-ranging conversation, Darlene talks about her latest book, Closing Ceremonies and Dying Times, a paired collection that explores heartbreak, grief, death, and love with a rare blend of tenderness and dark humor. Closing Ceremonies follows characters through “the aftermath of love,” moving from abandonment and betrayal toward reconciliation, while Dying Times is more about how to live than how to die.

We dig into the personal and creative forces behind the book, including a later-life heartbreak after a 21-year relationship that led her to write “Parsing His Goodbyes.” What began as a reluctant confrontation with pain then became a seven-year creative journey through grief, humour, revenge, empathy, and ultimately love. Darlene also reflects on the boundary between fiction and memoir, drawing on her legal background and her years of listening closely to clients’ stories, family memories, and lived experience, all the raw material she reshapes into fiction.

Moreover, we also trace Darlene’s lifelong calling as a storyteller, from childhood puppet shows and a Grade 2 pirate novel to her decision during COVID to leave law behind and commit fully to writing. She shares the unusual publishing journey of Dying Times, its republication alongside Closing Ceremonies, and its Italian translation, which became a deeply meaningful return to her ancestral roots. At its heart, this podcast is about transformation: heartbreak into art, endings into ceremonies, death into wisdom, and writing into a way of loving the world.

 

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with Dr. Ron Stotts, a transformational guide, bestselling author, and executive coach about mindfulness, inner transformation, and the process of creating an inspired life. Ron explains that his work is less about solving isolated problems and more about helping high-performing leaders expand their internal capacity, become more self-aware, and lead with clarity under pressure. We then explore how lasting change begins by addressing deeper patterns rather than repeatedly managing surface-level challenges.

A central theme here is the difference between achievement and wholeness. Ron describes how many successful people build confidence through external accomplishments while still struggling with self-acceptance, emotional backlog, and the pressure to maintain a persona. He emphasizes that true leadership and personal fulfillment come from integrating all parts of oneself, developing emotional intelligence, and learning to respond consciously rather than react from fear or old conditioning.

Furthermore, we highlight mindfulness as a practical way of living rather than a rigid spiritual exercise. Ron encourages a simple process of stopping, breathing, observing, and proceeding with the next best step. Through presence, curiosity, and breath, individuals can recognize emotional indicators, uncover unconscious patterns, and use pressure as an opportunity for growth. Ron connects neuroscience, ancient wisdom, spirituality, and everyday life, presenting transformation as an ongoing process of becoming more authentic, capable, and present.

We then close with reflections on reinvention, destiny, and choice. Ron shares a formative moment from his youth that led him to question inherited beliefs and begin carving his own path. He frames life as a continuing adventure in which each conscious choice opens or limits future possibilities. Overall, this podcast offers a thoughtful exploration of mindfulness, self-leadership, emotional healing, and the courage to live from a place of wholeness rather than performance alone.

 

In this powerful and inspiring episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with rapper, writer, and filmmaker T Savage about her upcoming biopic, Thru the Eyes of the Hustler’s Daughter, a deeply personal film rooted in her Baltimore upbringing, childhood trauma, mental health journey, and determination to transform pain into purpose. Joined by her mother, Shontel Greene, and actor/former NFL player Terrance West, T Savage explains how music, writing, and filmmaking became vehicles for telling her story honestly and for reminding young women with similar experiences that they are not alone.

The conversation also explores the emotional cost of revisiting trauma on screen. Shontel reflects on how acting in the film reopened painful memories from her own past, including survival, family addiction, illness, and the hidden depression beneath material success. Together, she and T Savage push back against the glamorization of hustling, violence, and street life, emphasizing that “everything that glitters isn’t gold” and that what is often portrayed as power or luxury can actually be grief, fear, and survival in disguise.

At its heart, the episode is about post-traumatic growth, family, artistic courage, and reinvention. Terrance West shares how acting helped him find a new path after football, while T Savage describes the film set as a space where cast and crew became family through the vulnerability of the story they were carrying. With plans for a theatrical screening, soundtrack, future music projects, and even the possibility of a book, this podcast is not only about the biopic Thru the Eyes of the Hustler’s Daughter but it is also a clear statement of resilience, healing, and hope.

 

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with Les Carroll, Air Force and Air National Guard veteran, documentary filmmaker, author as well as novelist. Les reflects on his 28-year military career, his deployments to Afghanistan, and his powerful and humbling experience of serving at the Air Force Mortuary at Dover Air Force Base.

We also discuss his documentary Bringing the Fallen Home, his autobiographical book This Troubled Ground, and his latest novel, Last Day on the Blue Wonder, a story inspired by military courage, love, loss, mental health challenges, and the healing power of storytelling. This is a moving conversation about service, memory, sacrifice, writing, and the importance of honoring the people and families behind every headline and beyond partisanship and political agendas.

I have the great pleasure of speaking with filmmaker Casey Carter about his award-winning documentary “To Use a Mountain.” The film begins with the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act, when the U.S. government searched for a permanent deep geological repository for nuclear waste, turning six rural communities into candidates for a “competition” none of them wanted to win.

Casey explains how the documentary travels through these places, treating each community as its own character while exploring memory, resistance, environmental concerns, and the long shadow of America’s nuclear program.

We also look at the human and political dimensions of nuclear waste, from public hearings where residents felt unheard to the continuing consequences of nuclear testing and contamination at sites such as Hanford and the Nevada National Security Site.

Moreover, Casey reflects on the challenge of managing radioactive waste for at least 10,000 years, and the way the film connects questions of energy, militarism, public health, and environmental responsibility. At its heart, To Use a Mountain becomes a story of rural communities coming together around shared concerns for land, history, safety, and future generations.

 

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with author and lecturer Perry Atwal about his book Wisdom for Life: Timeless Insights for Cultivating Joy and Growing Your World. We explore the difference between information and wisdom, the importance of meaning over money, and how joy grows through health, relationships, learning, and practical honest self-reflection.

Perry argues that while knowledge is everywhere, wisdom lies in knowing what matters, when to act, and how to apply insight with context. Moreover, Perry shares how leaving investment banking for teaching has given him a deeper sense of purpose, and he encourages listeners to pursue meaningful work, cultivate perspective, and stop measuring success by other people’s lives and standards. Finally, we observe that joy is cultivated both directly and indirectly by strengthening various parts of life, including health, spirituality, personal relationships, and simply doing what we enjoy on a regular basis.

 

Dr. Tiffanie Tate joins me here on Arash’s World as a true “multi-hyphenate” i.e. physician, author, playwright, veteran officer of the US Navy, ordained minister, soccer Mom referee, radio personality, and much more to discuss her children’s book Perfectly Perfect and the deeper message behind it. At the heart of our conversation is a powerful idea: children do not have to earn their worth. Dr. Tiffanie explains that self-image struggles can begin alarmingly early, and in today’s world of social media, video games, and constant comparison, those pressures have only intensified. Her book aims to remind children that they are already valuable and loved exactly as they are.

Our discussion expands beyond children to parents and adults, who often unknowingly model harmful beliefs about appearance, achievement, and perfection. Then, we explore how seemingly casual comments can shape a child’s inner voice, and why perfectionism has become a trap for all ages. One of the book’s most meaningful lessons is that friendship, apology, and repair matter: children (and adults!) need to learn how to take ownership when words hurt, rebuild trust, and keep growing rather than chasing impossible ideals.

Dr. Tiffanie also speaks about her broader mission as an author: using stories to open difficult but necessary conversations. From teaching financial literacy in Money Matters to addressing abuse disclosure and bullying in other books, she sees children’s literature as a tool for raising healthier, more confident, and more compassionate young people. Throughout, she emphasizes the importance of community, face-to-face interaction, and intentional parenting in a technology-heavy age. The result is a thoughtful, uplifting conversation about self-worth, responsibility, and helping children become healthy adults.

 

What happens when a successful engineer with patents, promotions, and all the outward signs of achievement realizes he’s still deeply unhappy? In this episode, licensed experiential therapist, contemplative teacher, and founder of Unbreakable Inc., Joe DeNicholas, shares the powerful story of how a panic-inducing moment in the tech world became the catalyst for a complete transformation. His journey from electrical engineering and corporate management into mental health work is both deeply personal and universally relatable for anyone who has ever tied their worth to performance, perfection, or control.

Drawing from his book Seeking Sanity: How to Cultivate Peace, Happiness, and Wellbeing in a World Gone Mad, Joe explores why so many people feel anxious, distracted, and emotionally exhausted even when life looks “fine” on paper. He explains how meditation, contemplative traditions, and modern neuroscience can work together to help us understand suffering, loosen destructive mental patterns, and reconnect with a deeper sense of peace. Our conversation moves beyond surface-level self-help and asks a bigger question: what if thriving not just coping is actually possible?

From attention spans and social media to flow states, gut feelings, and the neuroscience of perception, this episode is full of insight for anyone seeking greater clarity, stability, and freedom in their inner life. Joe offers a grounded, practical, and hopeful perspective: the problem is often not the thing itself, but our relationship to it. If you’re interested in mental health, mindfulness, consciousness, or the search for real wellbeing in a chaotic world, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

 

Bestselling author and former Canadian Army reserve medic Brent van Staalduinen joins me here on Arash’s World to discuss The Peace Thieves, his novel about a peacekeeping mission in Croatia and the personal fallout that follows. He explains the book’s dual narrative between Francis, a reserve medic deployed in 1993, and Viva, the daughter he never knew and how that structure helps reveal the gap between first impressions and deeper truths. Brent also shares why he chose present tense: to make the story feel immediate, urgent, and alive.

Our conversation digs into the brutal contradictions of peacekeeping in active war zones, where soldiers were sent to “keep peace” in places that had none. Brent reflects on the chaos, trauma, and impossible expectations placed on Canadian soldiers, especially reservists who often returned home without the support they needed. His insights make clear that The Peace Thieves is not just about war abroad, but about what happens to people long after the mission ends.

We also explore the emotional core of the novel: empathy, fractured family ties, camaraderie under pressure, and the haunting meaning behind the title, drawn from poetry. Brent speaks candidly about writing from personal connection without making the story autobiographical, and he closes by teasing his next historical fiction project, inspired by his family’s ties to the Dutch resistance in World War II. It’s a moving and thoughtful conversation about war, memory, and the power of fiction to humanize the unseen.

 

In this episode of Arash's World Podcast, I have the great pleasure of speaking with the amazing Leslie Lee Sanders regarding the personal and cultural forces that inspired her memoir, Ready to Listen?: A Spiritual Self-Help Memoir.

Leslie reflects on finding her voice as a Black woman in publishing, moving beyond silence and people-pleasing, and using spirituality as a path toward empowerment and self-discovery. Moreover, we explore intuition, synchronicity, Tarot, astrology, destiny, free will, and the idea that life’s setbacks and mistakes are part of a deeper process of growth.

Overall, join us for this reflective, thoughtful and inspiring discussion about courage, identity, belief, and learning to trust both one’s inner voice and the deeper path unfolding within and around us while also considering the broader meaning behind life’s different challenges.