We are rolling out the red carpet once again for a distinguished professor and author, this time from the University of Central Florida, and welcoming him to the Rick Flynn Presents worldwide podcast.
The Paradox of Passion: How Rewards Covertly Control Motivation challenges conventional wisdom about motivation. It reveals why legacy research findings are often misinterpreted and overgeneralized, leading to unrealistic beliefs about the self and others that foster ineffective strategy use impeding optimal learning and performance. The book provides cross-disciplinary evidence emphasizing the essential role of rewards as a biological and behavioral driver of motivation. It challenges the clichéd idea of intrinsic motivation, pointing out the flaws in pursuing passion and purpose without considering how the brain regulates motivation through personalized rewards. Evidence reveals that a singular focus on passion is an unattainable ideal, akin to a mythical "motivation unicorn." Instead of hopes and dreams, the book offers practical insights and research-based strategies for enhancing learning and performance by effectively leveraging how the brain uses innate reward pathways to get what we want and sometimes obtain what we need. This book is availableright now, wherever books are sold, and it was a delight to have Dr. Bobby Hoffman on our show indeed!
Although it has been way too long since our last visit with the son of legendary CREAM drummer GINGER BAKER, our guest today on the Rick Flynn Presents podcast is one of the best drummers on the music scene today.
KOFI BAKER has impeccable credentials. He certainly is the son of legendary drummer and musician, Ginger Baker, which is evident the moment you hear or see Kofi play. The DNA is unmistakable.
But Kofi has his own unique approach to playing and, with his uncompromising daily practicing regime, no wonder he has forged his own long and distinguished career working with many other legendary musicians such as Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Roger Waters, Nile Rogers, Tom Jones, Jack Bruce, Steve Marriott, Uli Jon Roth and many more. Join us today, at your own schedule, on any major podcast carrier and listen right now to this historic edition of Rick Flynn Presents worldwide podcast. Will we be discussing his legendary Dad, drummer Ginger Baker? The odds are extremely good but first let's get to the kitchen and make some healthy smoothies as we get the show started. Kofi is also performing in concert worldwide so check all of your local listings, as well as www.KofiBaker.com to get tickets in your respective city or town.
Joining us this week on the Rick Flynn Presents worldwide podcast are both authors of a remarkable new book.The Parenthood Advantage reveals how becoming a parent isn’t a setback to a thriving career but a catalyst for developing the resilience, emotional intelligence, and leadership skills today’s organizations need most. Drawing on research, interviews, and real-world examples, authors Mason Donovan and Mark Kaplan show how companies that genuinely support working parents don’t just do the right thing — they gain a strategic edge. This book reframes parental leave, caregiving, and work-life balance as business imperatives, offering a roadmap for building corporate cultures that value, retain, and grow talent by seeing parenthood for what it truly is: an advantage. Buy this book wherever books are sold including Amazon.
Rick Flynn Presents - The Worldwide Podcast Episode 255 (Show 3 of 3)
with RONALD "ROCK" LASTER
"The Master Music Blaster"
Reflections of Ron's 26-Year career with one of the finest entertainers in the world JAMES BROWN.Currently Ron (Rock) Laster is considered one of the top Funk guitarists in the USA. He continues to write and produce music as well as tour with his own band. We are proud to have him, once again, on this very special and extremely historical set of three enlightening shows which can, and will, go down in Funk history for the word to hear and remember. This show was recorded on August 27, 2025.
Rick Flynn Presents worldwide podcast Episode 254 "Funk History in the making"
"This is exactly like a weight being lifted off my shoulders" Podcast Show Host RICK FLYNN (As told to 26-year James Brown Guitarist RONALD "ROCK" LASTER "The Master Music Blaster"). This funk music historical show was recorded on August 27, 2025 and isn't it about time we did so? This show is not able to be told by anyone else unless you have lived the exact same life yourself. Listen to history in the making and answer this important question for yourself! Could it ever be duplicated by anyone else? We sincerely doubt it. This show contains the 100% true tales, that no one else on earth can tell, about RICK FLYNN, ZAPP FEATURING ROGER, and the man so nice they named him twice BOOTSY COLLINS. For those interested in Rick Flynn's 1994 published article on the history of "The Godfather of Soul" JAMES BROWN and how his career was given a much needed "Shot in the Arm" which completely turned James Brown's life around, and gave him his first new hit record in fifteen years, you are able to read the true story for free at: www.DanHartman.com/Memories of Dan/ Rick Flynn.
Copyright © 2025 RICK FLYNN PRODUCTIONS - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Funk history in the making! The Rick Flynn Presents worldwide podcast welcomes back our friend and brother RONALD "ROCK" LASTER - "The Master Music Blaster". This is a show and a great guest you absolutely do not want to miss! After 26 very good years, with James Brown, it seems there are more stories and tales from the stage than what could fit in a typical hour-long show. Here is Show #1 of 3 in which we will learn even more about this Soul and Funk icon than we did the last time he appeared on the Rick Flynn Presents podcast. Show #2 of 3 (Episode 254) will largely contain stories from the far reaching and legendary history of podcast show host RICK FLYNN along with his years with ZAPP featuring ROGER and the legendary BOOTSY COLLINS. Finally, Show #3 of 3 (Episode 255) will wrap up a complete hour as we close out this historical presentation of the crazy, but true, funky tales and history about what is now considered to be one of the finest guitarists in the history of Funk music RONALD "ROCK" LASTER "The Master Music Blaster".
Although we have featured this wonderful guest and journalist on the Rick Flynn Presents podcast before we have made the decision to rewind this episode so even more audience members can experience this brilliant and highly gifted writer and journalist CLAUDIA ROWE.
Longlisted for the 2025 National Book Awards in Nonfiction
“An immersive, devastating look at foster children’s lives.” (Seattle Times)
A compelling exploration of the broken American foster care system, told through the stories of six former foster youth. This powerful narrative nonfiction book delves into the systemic failures that lead many foster children into the criminal justice system, highlighting the urgent need for reform.
This book is a must-read for anyone interested in child welfare, social justice, and the transformative power of the best narrative nonfiction.
In Wards of the State, award-winning journalist Claudia Rowe's storytelling is both vivid and unflinching, offering readers a deep understanding of the foster care-to-prison pipeline. Through interviews with psychologists, advocates, judges, and the former foster children themselves, Rowe paints a heartbreaking picture of the lives shaped by this broken system.
Contact Claudia at www.ClaudiaRowe.com
This week on the Rick Flynn Presents Confessions of a Show Biz Kid podcast we welcome Road Manager to the Stars CARL MILLER.
Carl Miller was Cat Stevens' road manager and worked in various roles with a who's-who of other big names from Iron Maiden to the Kirov Ballet. He sat down to compile stories narrated by his contemporaries from the world of rock n roll -- and got more than he bargained for.
Review:
I have been in the rock business for over fifty years. In that time I've seen and heard many funny and crazy things. Here are but a few.
Ian Hill, Judas Priest
Boy this book wherever books are sold including Amazon.
Note: Listeners are encouraged to listen to Rick Flynn Presents (Episode 244) which originally aired on August 6, 2025 to hear this guest speak on his very first appearance on the Rick Flynn Presents worldwide podcast.
Back by popular demand and making his second visit to the Rick Flynn Presents worldwide podcast is author and Theoretical Linguist SAMUEL JAY KEYSER in promotion of his new book "Play It Again, Sam: Repetition in the Arts." In the book Play It Again, Sam Samuel Jay Keyser explores in detail the way repetition works in poetry, music, and painting. He argues, for example, that the same cognitive function underlies both how poets write rhyme in metrical verse and the way songwriters like Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn (“Satin Doll”) and Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (“My Funny Valentine”) construct their iconic melodies. Furthermore, the repetition found in these tunes can also be found in such classical compositions as Mozart's Rondo alla Turca and his German Dances, as well as in galant music in general.
Contact the author at Facebook as Samuel Jay Keyser and purchase the books wherever books are sold or ordered including Amazon.
Kim Cantin is a powerful symbol of resilience, having survived the devastating Montecito mudslides of 2018 that claimed 23 lives, including her husband and son, and left her daughter buried alive. Through unimaginable loss, Kim has fought to rebuild her life, driven by a fierce commitment to hope. She courageously shares her experience and new-found wisdom through her first book, Where Yellow Flowers Bloom. It is an honor to have her as part of our ongoing "Strong Women Series" on this very special edition of the Rick Flynn Presents worldwide podcast. Buy her book wherever books are sold or ordered.
Contact Kim at: www.KimCantin.com
Rick Flynn Presents proudly welcomes DR. LAUREL MELLIN to our worldwide podcast this week. What an honor indeed to have her on our show! So far, Dr. Mellin has authored twelve books.
Laurel Mellin, Ph.D. is the founder of emotional brain training (EBT), which she developed during her 40 years as a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. She is also a health psychologist and a New York Times bestselling author. You have seen Dr. Mellin not once, but three times, on Oprah Winfrey's television show. Dr. Mellin lectures extensively to health professionals and self-help groups and, in addition to OPRAH, has appeared on the TODAY show, GOOD MORNING AMERICA, and the CBS Evening News. Her work has been featured in Time, Life, Newsweek, Fortune, Health, Shape, and U.S. News & World Report.
Contact Dr. Mellin via email at: lauel@ebt.org
or via her website at:
www.EBT.org
Today on the Rick Flynn Presents worldwide podcast we welcome a Board-Certified Psychiatrist from the Cleveland, Ohio area DR. JIMMY MOLEY. Dr. Moley completed his educational and medical training at the University of Notre Dame and The Ohio State University. and is Board-Certified in psychiatry and licensed to practice in both Ohio and Florida, treating illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and ADHD. On this show we will discuss topics related to mental health, performance, sports psychiatry and more! Join us!
Contact Dr. Moley at www.JimmieMoleyMD.com
This week on Rick Flynn Presents worldwide podcast we gladly welcome in from Louisville, Kentucky, DONNA SIMMONS.
Donna Simmons is a wife, mother, author, and avid advocate for breaking cycles of generational trauma and mental health recovery. As a Governor appointed member of the Kentucky Juvenile Justice Advisory Board, she works with public servants and providers across the nation and state.
Ashes to Flame is a breathtaking memoir that is as raw as it is redemptive. Donna Simmons shares her harrowing yet inspiring journey with extraordinary vulnerability, transforming the deepest wounds of childhood abuse, exploitation, and betrayal into a story of healing, purpose, and power. Her voice is not only courageous, it ignites change! Through vivid storytelling and soul-baring truth, she brings light to the darkest of experiences while offering a roadmap for breaking generational cycles and reclaiming one’s voice. Simmons doesn’t just survive, she rises, creating space for others to do the same. This is more than a memoir; it’s a movement. Every page is a testament to the strength of the human spirit, the power of speaking out, and the possibility of turning pain into purpose. A must-read for survivors, advocates, and anyone seeking a story of true transformation. Her journey through the trauma of child marriage and exploitation can also be accessed through interviews and articles in Good Housekeeping, Glamour, NPR, Stateline, Fox News, US News and World Report, PBS, the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, and the Louisville Courier-Journal, among many other outlets. She is a frequent panelist, speaker, and trainer, and has given keynote speeches at both national and international conferences as well as testimony before legislative committees.
Donna accepts invitations to participate in speaking engagements and panel discussions that advance the reach of her life's purpose.
Contact Donna at: www.TraumaToPurpose.com
Direct From Seattle on this edition of the worldwide podcast, Rick Flynn Presents, is award-winning author CLAUDIA ROWE appearing in promotion of her new book "Wards of the State: The Long Shadow of American Foster Care."
“An immersive, devastating look at foster children’s lives.” (Seattle Times)
A compelling exploration of the broken American foster care system, told through the stories of six former foster youth. This powerful narrative nonfiction book delves into the systemic failures that lead many foster children into the criminal justice system, highlighting the urgent need for reform.
This book is a must-read for anyone interested in child welfare, social justice, and the transformative power of the best narrative nonfiction.
In Wards of the State, award-winning journalist Claudia Rowe's storytelling is both vivid and unflinching, offering readers a deep understanding of the foster care-to-prison pipeline. Through interviews with psychologists, advocates, judges, and the former foster children themselves, Rowe paints a heartbreaking picture of the lives shaped by this broken system.
Rowe brings her extensive experience and investigative prowess to this eye-opening work. With a career spanning over 25 years, Rowe has written for publications such as The New York Times and Mother Jones, and her reporting has influenced policy changes in Washington State. Her previous book, The Spider and the Fly, was a gripping true-crime memoir that showcased her ability to blend personal narrative with broader social issues.
Claudia Rowe is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Mother Jones, and the Huffington Post. The author of the crime memoir The Spider and the Fly: A Reporter, a Serial Killer, and the Meaning of Murder, Rowe lives in Seattle.
Contact her at: www.ClaudiaRoweJournalist.com
Purchase this book wherever books are sold.
Rick Flynn Presents, the worldwide podcast, rolls out the red carpet for an amazing author writing on an amazing topic in his brand-new book "Play It Again, Sam: Repetition in the Arts".
Samuel Jay Keyser explores in detail the way repetition works in poetry, music, and painting. He argues, for example, that the same cognitive function underlies both how poets write rhyme in metrical verse and the way songwriters like Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn (“Satin Doll”) and Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (“My Funny Valentine”) construct their iconic melodies. Furthermore, the repetition found in these tunes can also be found in such classical compositions as Mozart's Rondo alla Turca and his German Dances, as well as in galant music in general.
Artists have exploited repetition throughout the ages. The reason why is straightforward: the brain finds the detection of repetition innately pleasurable. Play It Again, Sam offers experimental evidence to support this claim.
Samuel Jay Keyser was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 7, 1935. He grew up in Washington, DC and attended George Washington, Oxford and Yale University, where he received his PhD in linguistics in 1962. Keyser has taught at Brandeis University, University College, London, the University of Massachusetts and MIT where he joined the faculty in July of 1977 and from which he retired in 1998. He is currently Special Assistant to the Chancellor at MIT, a position he has held since his retirement. Contact him through his Facebook page "Samuel Jay Keyser." and buy the book wherever books are sold.
This week on RICK FLYNN PRESENTS, the worldwide podcast, we welcome author, attorney and advocate STEVEN SCOTT EICHENBLATT.
Pretend They Are Dead is a gripping memoir of survival, trauma, and resilience-told with raw honesty, filmic detail, and defiant humor. Steven grew up rejected: Two men claimed to be his father but neither proved to be a dad. Determined not to repeat the past, he becomes an unwavering presence in the lives of his own five children. His story will both shock and inspire.
Steven Scott Eichenblatt is a graduate of Florida State University and the University of Florida College of Law. A practicing attorney with Page and Eichenblatt, and father of five, he has spent over thirty years advocating for children as a pro bono guardian ad litem and representing families of first responders killed on 9/11. He lives with his wife, Melissa Ross, in Orlando, Florida.
We gladly welcome in this week, to the RICK FLYNN PRESENTS podcast, debut novelist NOEL STARK.
A scrappy TV director lands her big break only to go head-to-head with the surly yet sexy director of photography, in this page-turning romance perfect for fans of Ava Wilder and Tessa Bailey.
Up-and-coming TV director Cali Daniels knows sex. Well, okay, she knows how to shoot sex scenes, and she’s been hired to direct a highly anticipated steamy episode of the popular series The Demon. This job is her chance at a big-time career in the film and television industry—all she has to do is deliver an unparalleled show using her hard-knock know-how and ample creativity.
If only the director of photography—effortlessly sexy Jory Blair—would stop shutting her ideas down at every turn. Jory has spent years cultivating his career as an A-list director of photography, but a recent health scare has him rethinking his life and craving the director spot. Now this creative newbie, who he can’t get out of his mind, wants to change the look of his show. Even worse, the friction between them is sparking into blistering chemistry.
As collaborating takes on a whole new meaning, and the show’s producer not-so-subtly suggests that Jory sabotage Cali in order to achieve his own goals, they’ll have to decide if chasing their dream jobs is worth losing the dream of a future together.
Fans of How to Fake It in Hollywood and Plot Twist will devour this steamy, enemies to lovers, workplace, debut romance.
www.NoelStark.com
Announcing: on Rick Flynn Presents podcast:
Making her very first appearance on Rick Flynn's podcast is author and teacher HELEN SHEEHY who is the author of two New York Times notable books of the year. "Just Willa is just perfect. It is a vivid, sprawling family chronicle with an indomitable character at its center. Just Willa is destined to be an American classic because of its luminous prose and its sense of adventure."Andre Bishop, Producing Artistic Director, Lincoln Center Theater. Purchase this book at your local bookstore or at Amazon or Barnes and Noble or wherever books are sold. We are proud to announce that this book is now widely available anywhere so pick up your copy now!
www.HelenSheehy.Org
Rick Flynn Presents, now on our 240th Episode, proudly rolls out the red carpet for our distinguished friend from the UK MICHAEL ARMSTRONG. Appearing in promotion of his brand-new album entitled "10" and his brand-new Lennon/McCartney composed single "Getting Better" now available for all on his website www.MichaelArmstrongMusic.co.uk for a limited number of signed copies and available unsigned wherever records and music is sold.
Michael has had 2 USA Top 3 hits, including a 4-week run at No. 1 in the autumn of 2021 with his self-penned song 'Each Others Eyes'. In addition, the late great Terry Wogan on BBC Radio 2 was the first to champion his music on radio and a whole host of other radio stations have since and continue to support him. In the genre of podcasting, Rick Flynn Presents has been promoting Michael for years and is proud to continue to do so. Michael has performed on global stages and worked alongside many of his musical heroes including Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Cliff Richard, Chris de Burgh, Glenn Fry (Eagles), Russell Watson, Suzi Quatro and he has even met Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the now King Charles and Queen Camilla!
This week on Rick Flynn Presents:
No, ladies and gentlemen, this gal ain't shy!
Alia Dastagir is an award-winning journalist and former reporter for USA Today who frequently covers gender and mental health.
Dastagir was one of eight U.S. recipients of the prestigious Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism. She won a first-place National Headliner Award for a series on suicide and was awarded the American Association of Suicidology’s Public Service Journalism Award. Her book on women and online abuse, “To Those Who Have Confused You to Be a Person: Words as Violence and Stories of Women’s Resistance Online,” was published by Crown in February 2025.
She is currently pursuing an MFA in creative writing at NYU, where she is an Axinn fellow.
Buy her brand-new book wherever books are sold or simply go to www.AliaDastagir.com