John and Jay Explore the Grey

We sit down with 12 year veteran Rob McCarthy to discuss his unique military career in both the Navy and Army. He details his experience with seeing action in Afghanistan, acclimating back to civilian life and the struggles he sees his fellow veterans face. He voices some of this thoughts on the current conflicts in Ukraine and beyond as well as the work he has done to bring awareness to the Wounded Warrior organization. A truly unique perspective and exploration into the grey of this complex part of society.

Another great conversation with former law enforcement and current History, Civics, Psychology and Government teacher, James Carney. We get into topics such as mass shootings, arming teachers, CRT, classroom dynamics, the effects of the pandemic and so much more.A really awesome opportunity to speak to someone that started in law enforcement and transitioned to teaching to really gain perspective into the landscape our our classrooms and how our children can benefit the most moving forward.

John and Jay sit down with Dr. Chase Samsel, adolescent psychiatrist in Boston, MA. They discuss the landscape of the healthcare industry as it relates to his field, world events that affect the children of today and the ever changing landscape of gender, violence, technology, and stress that we all face and deal with in life after COVID.

Jay and John sit down with Horace Dodd, former top recruit in college football who played for Penn State and Boston College. He went on to work in the music industry and ultimately migrated to acting as a primary focus.Sharing the same acting coach as Will Smith and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dodd has had roles in Narcos: Mexico, Mayor of Kingstown and How to Get Away with Murder among others shows and indie films.Among the many topics discussed were, fitness, music catalogs, acting, television and its shows, the Penn State scandal, and more. The humbleness and humility was incredible and we're certain you'll enjoy this conversation.

We sit down and have a conversation with self-proclaimed failure, Ben Currier, as he discusses the origins of his own podcast, The Failure Guy, and how he embraces the failures of his life and how to learn from them."Fail it 'til you nail it!"The Failure Guy Podcast can be found here:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/failure-guy/id1533740606

John and Jay sat down with 3-time champion boxer, "Bad" Chad Dawson. He talks about the new Triad series that pins Boxers against MMA fighters is a triangle ring. The latest series, Triller Triad II consists of 8 boxers vs. 8 MMA fighters and looks to adopt rules from both sports, with the shape of the ring forcing less movement and more engagement.We discuss the politics of boxing, who the greatest pound for pound fighters were, some CT boxing history and talk about his 95 amateur fights and 43 professional fights. Chad discusses the "family business" of boxing, whether he'd support his children if they decided to pursue a career is boxing and his plans once he hangs up the gloves. Great conversation with a humble man.

John and Jay sit down with Gabriela Taveras, the Co-Founder and President of Equal Pay Group, an organization that provides compensation analysis for organizations to determine pay gaps and strategies to restructure compensation programs.In addition, she discusses growing up in Lawrence, MA, becoming the first black Miss Massachusetts and being a top 5 finisher of Miss America.She talks about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Black Lives Matter and Critical Race Theory, but also how those movements and curriculum have become very black and white and how important the grey is now more than ever. We had a really great time speaking with Gabby and getting her perspective on so many different topics and feel this was a fantastic way to end our first season.

John and Jay have the opportunity to speak with childhood friend Michael Rosenberg, who decided a year ago to make a leap of faith, quit his corporate job, and take to the road on his spiritual journey.He talks about his studies, experiences, and the power of Synchronicity. He also explains how he made the decision to finally follow his dream, claiming there are no coincidences and how he "burned the boat." Another great conversation with powerful words but also light-hearted laughs. Donate to Michael to help him continue his journey on PaypalFollow him on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook

John and Jay sit down and have an in-depth conversation with retired Sgt. Robert McCarthy of the MA State Police K-9 unit.  They tackle the tough topics of defunding the police, Black Lives Matter and the current landscape of the country and their views of law enforcement.Bob gives us a front row seat on how he became a police officer, getting into the K-9 unit and training his dogs to detect drugs. He shares his experiences during the BLM protests in Boston and thoughts on the actions committed on January 6th, 2021. He proposed some questions to us and our experiences and we all agreed more of this needs to happen in the world.

John and Jay speak with Rocky Graziano, a lifelong resident of Massachusetts and self-proclaimed former gay poster boy of New England.He talks about winning pageants since 1994, working on Miss Boston Scholarship Organization and being a current board member and treasurer for the Miss Massachusetts Scholarship Foundation.He gets into growing up in East Boston and attending Catholic school, when he knew he was gay, and tells a lot of hilarious stories.Follow him on Instagram @rockygraz23

John and Jay speak with former classmate and two-time Emmy award winning artist Eric Michael Schrader. Topics include inspiration for film and music, growing up in CT, the decision to move to L.A. and how Eric got his breaks in the Television and music video industry.He talks about his production company Interesting Human Media and the 2 documentaries he was involved with, discusses past bands and his current music project and how social media has created "keyboard warriors."  This was a real treat to be involved with such an accomplished person and how he sees himself continue to grow. Eric is a true inspiration and we truly enjoyed our time with him.

John and Jay speak with Mike Preston, who spent over two years dealing with melanoma (skin cancer). He talks about the ignored warning signs, the sudden sense of urgency, affects of the treatments he received and the differences between chemotherapy and immunotherapy. He also discusses the importance of a support system and how it was to deal with all of this during the global pandemic. According to Medical News Today, 1 in 2 women and 1 in 3 men in the US will develop cancer within their lifetime.

John and Jay have an extensive conversation about fitness and nutrition with Megan Mahoney, a registered dietitian from the Boston area and personal trainer Meg Sidorowicz.As former athletes, the "Megs" discuss their path to their respective professions, what they're passionate about and how anyone can reach their desired results by making the process enjoyable. We ask questions about workout routines, diet fads and we discuss how the pandemic affected the overall health of all of us.

John and Jay speak with Glenn T, who used drugs and alcohol for nearly 20 years until he hit bottom for the last time just a little over 11 years ago. Now he has dedicated his life in recovery to helping others and was gracious enough to tell his story and answer our questions.

John and Jay talk to Grammy nominated producer, songwriter and singer Pierre Medor about faith, religion, and what grounds us as we navigate through life. Pierre discusses how faith kept him on course during his 20 year music career and how it affects the decisions he makes as a father and husband.

John and Jay discuss their thoughts and stances on cannabis/marijuana and interview Joseph Raymond, a New England based drug policy advocate involved in state and federal cannabis policy and founder/director of the New England Craft Cannabis Alliance, a cannabis industry small business alliance and political action group.