The topic is the focus of Dr. Metzl’s most recent, What We’ve Become: Living and Dying in a Country of Arms, a book that, by looking at a racially-charged mass shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, reexamines how we as a nation should address gun violence.

Jonathan M. Metzl MD, PhD, is the Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology and Psychiatry, and the director of the Department of Medicine, Health, and Society, at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He received his MD from the University of Missouri, MA in humanities/poetics and psychiatric internship/residency from Stanford University, and PhD in American culture from University of Michigan. Winner of the 2020 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Book Award, the 2020 APA Benjamin Rush Award for Scholarship, and a 2010 Guggenheim fellowship, Dr. Metzl has written extensively about the relationships between guns, mass shootings, and mental illness. His books include The Protest Psychosis, Prozac on the Couch, Against Health: How Health Became the New Morality, Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment is Killing America’s Heartland, and What We’ve Become: Living and Dying in a Country of Arms. 

Michael Jerome Irvin was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and is the 15th of 17 siblings. He attended Piper High School and became a football celebrity when he played at St. Aquinas High School.
He was recruited by the University of Miami which offered one of the top collegiate football programs in the country. Under coach Jimmy Johnson, he set several school records for career receptions, receiving yards and touchdown receptions. He made a legendary performance in Miami’s 1987 National Championship Team which propelled them into the National Championship Game. After leaving the university, he remains a supporter of the football program, giving tutorials to receivers and acting as a mentor off the field for younger players. He was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.

Pro-Football

Film, TV and Radio
Michael joined the NFL Network broadcast team in 2009 and he can be seen on NFL Sundays and NFL GameDay Morning. He has also been featured in various commercials for the NFL Network.

He was a co-star in the 2005 remake of the The Longest Yard starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. He also starred in Jack & Jill in 2011. On TV, he played one of the “Pros” in an episode of Pros vs Joes.

Michael also hosted 4th and Long, a football-themed reality series on Spike TV. He appeared in an episode of Burn Notice in 2009 titled “Hot Spot”. He also hosted a radio show on Miami’s WQAM with Kevin Kiley which aired until 2012.

Family and Fatherhood
Michael married Sandy Harrell in June 1990 and he has four children.

When not working, Michael usually spends his days making fun memories with his family. He is enjoying fatherhood and has been gaining new insights about life and living in general, just from interacting with his kids and family.

Being an exuberant personality, he is always eager to share the lessons he has learned from his experiences and the values that helped him succeed in his career and his life in general. The drive to help his team win in his professional footballs days has not left him and he is still as enthusiastic to help out in any way he can.

Giving Back
With so many things that he wants to share about success and life in general, he has chosen to focus on sharing his insights about fatherhood. He is also giving back to the community by creating and participating in activities that give a portion of their proceeds to important charities and help support their cause.

Michael is also educating and inspiring people to change themselves for the better and live their life to the fullest through his training camps and speaking engagements.

For more news about Michael’s initiatives, activities and speaking events, or just stuff about what he’s been up to, you can also check out his blog where he shares what he’s been up to and where he’s been regularly.

She is called the “Georgia Gypsy” back home. Up-and-coming country artist Ashley Brooks, hailing from the North Georgia mountains, has been making waves with her distinctive country sound, powerful lyrics, and high-energy performances filled with attitude. Known as a the wild, barefoot, and fishing songwriter from North Georgia, Ashley Brooks is set to captivate audiences with her authentic charm. 

In the past year, Ashley Brooks has demonstrated her talent in over 60 performances in the South and has had the privilege of opening for acclaimed Nashville artists such as Confederate Rail Road, Billy Droze, Gary Nichols, The Oak Ridge Boys and Aaron Tippin. Ashley frequently travels from the Bible Belt of Georgia back to Nashville to collaborate with fellow songwriters and artists, showcasing her dedication to her craft and passion for music.

Cindy began hearing the Collective in early 2009, when she sat down with her laptop to write a magazine article. Those conversations continue daily, although they did not name themselves ‘Josef’ until 2017.

Beginning in 2014, they revealed themselves as ‘Abraham’, channeled by Esther Hicks.  They explained, together, they would be part of the continuation of the expansion of the Abraham message.

In early 2017, during a session with Paul Selig, Cindy was relaying to Paul what she was experiencing with Abraham. He said, “I don’t think that’s how it works, but let’s go to the Guides.” They quickly responded, “There is a group who is trying to teach through her. She must ask for a name.”

Later that evening, during her daily conversation with them, asking for clarity of the session with Paul, Esther’s face appeared suddenly and clearly, in front of her, and as she was saying, to herself, “why am I seeing Esther?” They replied, “You are seeing the lovely Esther because we don’t have a face yet. We will reveal our name at the right time. We are Abraham.”

Two days later, she saw in front of her, a succession of towing planes like you see at the beach, towing advertising banners behind them. As she focused, she saw the first banner that read, “Seth”; the second banner read, “Abraham” and the third was blank. In that moment, they said,’That’s Us.” She understood then that this group was part of the evolving consciousness of Seth and Abraham and the name would come when they were ready, and it did. Later that year, they sent her to write the first book of the Allow Your Soul to Lead series, and when they signed the Welcome letter, she wrote, “We are Josef.”

Prior to 2009, Cindy spent 35 years in creative advertising and marketing. She was raised Catholic in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York and currently lives outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

Having never even seen Waikiki, Jim “Kimo” West came right to the tiny village of Hana, Maui in 1985 and spent much of his time there for many years. It was in Hana where he first heard the music of Gabby Pahinui, Sons of Hawaii, Sonny Chillingworth, and Atta Isaacs. Already familiar with alternate tunings, the sound of ki ho’alu became rooted deep in his musical landscape.

Kimo is regarded as one of the world’s foremost “ki ho’alu” or Hawaiian “slack key” guitar artists and his music has garnered over seventy-five million spins on streaming services. He is a 2021 Grammy Winner for his recent CD, “More Guitar Stories” and a 2019 Grammy nominee for “Moku Maluhia-Peaceful Island”. He is also a 2008 winner of the Hawaii Music Awards and four-time Na Hoku Hanohano (the Hawaiian ‘Grammy’) nominee. He is also a two-time winner of the LA Treasures Award for his efforts in keeping this important acoustic guitar tradition alive. This warm and engaging fingerpicked guitar style has its roots in 1840’s Hawaii, when Mexican vaqueros first brought guitars to the Big Island of Hawaii. If you saw the Oscar-winning film, “The Decendants” you have experienced this great acoustic guitar tradition.
Kimo is a veteran of Hawaii’s famed slack key festivals as well as the So Cal Slack Key Festival every year from 2008 through 2018. He has shared the stage with almost all the world’s top slack key players at one time or another.

His numerous CDs feature many original compositions as well as inventive arrangements of the genres’ classic repertoire. His seventh CD, “Guitar Stories” goes beyond slack key, exploring other genres like West African guitar, Middle Eastern Music, and Americana. “Slackers In Paradise” features duets with slack and steel guitar legend, Ken Emerson, and his latest CD, “Moku Maluhia-Peaceful Island” is a mix of “nahenahe” or very relaxing compositions.

For his work as long-time guitarist with “Weird Al,” he has earned four Grammy’s and a Billboard #1 CD debut for 2015’s “Mandatory Fun.”

Kimo has also worked as a composer for film and TV for many years and maintains a sophisticated private studio in Los Angeles. He has composed music for features films, network TV shows and specials and cable shows. His slack key compositions have been used in many feature films, TV spots, and documentaries.

GREGORY and GAIL HOAG

Gregory Hoag, The Sacred Geometry Divine Toolmaker

Gregory Hoag, scientist, best selling author and artist, has researched Sacred Geometry and consciousness for 47 years. Following a major spiritual awakening (Kundalini) in 1982, he started creating energetic tools through Metaforms, that provide transformative tools to foster spiritual evolution and the expansion of Source. His land in the Colorado Rockies has numerous energy vortexes and strategically placed geometric forms for the purpose of activating the planetary grids and energizing some of the tools produced by Metaforms.

He is recognized as one of the leading experts on Sacred Geometric technologies for improving health, raising consciousness, reducing stress, manifesting intent and clearing emotional and electromagnetic interference.

Gail Hoag, Spiritual Steward

Gail Hoag is a health consultant, accomplished artist, spiritual advisor and businesswoman. Her study of light, color and energy in motion in her paintings, launched a deep understanding for creating transformative fields to expand consciousness. Developing her intuitive gifts as an artist, healer and spiritual counselor, she has assisted many people to embrace life more fully. Gail has also served as a business consultant and team building trainer in corporations.

Gail was an avid student of R. Buckminster Fuller and knew the intrinsic value of sacred geometry when she and Gregory met in 1985 and founded Metaforms, realizing their life’s mission to bring sacred geometric energy tools to the world.

Dan grew up in the Midwest and has coped with SAD every winter since he was a child. However, that has not stopped him from achieving his goals. He received his bachelor of special education from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He received his master's degree in early childhood education from Northern Arizona University. He is a certified reading specialist. He was a former teacher with fifteen years of experience teaching students from preschool through high school. In addition, he even tutored college freshmen.

Teaching is in his blood and it even comes out in his writing.

He has lived in the Arizona sun, but today he lives in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Go Packers!”

My guest, Phil Gruber, is featured in the critically-acclaimed film "The Indigo Evolution.  His passion, wit, and intelligence has made him a much-loved, and in-demand speaker internationally.  Phil is acknowledged world-wide as one of the foremost teachers of Advanced Healing Systems, Light Language, Sacred Geometry, The Magdalene Mysteries, The Indigos, The Structure of Space-Time, ET Contact, The Art and Science of Dimensional Ascension, and The Evolutionary Path of Human Consciousness. Phil has spoken at the United Nations and is co-author, along with James F. Twyman, of the bestselling "The Kaballah Code." His CD "The Song of Indra" has earned iconic status in the genre of New Age Music.  

The Dream Team...Bridging Science and Spirituality!

Featured on A&E, E!, VH1,  SiriusXM, Coast 2 Coast AM and countless others...

Co-Founders of "Divine Guidance Institute and Wellness Center Inc.," a Modern-Day Mystery School, and “The Dream Team – Celebrity Life Coaching” and Creators of the “Trust Yourself System” and “Trust Yourself Therapy”

Visionaries, Rev. Dr. Nicole and Michael Sebastian aka “The Dream Team” are Celebrity Therapists, Expert Decision Coaches, Authors, Celebrity Dream Experts, Celebrity Life Coaches, and Relationship Experts. Innovators of "1-Step Solution" and "1-Step Therapy."

Known as Modern-Day Oracles, they deliver Wise-Counsel using Traditional Methods coupled with the Unique Tools of Dreams, Sound, Synchronicity, Intuition, and Quantum Physics for Guidance and Direction. This is what "Trust Yourself" is all about.

Authors of: "TRUST YOURSELF: Master Your Dreams, Master Your Destiny...A Personal Road Map for KNOWING," “The Ancient Way of Knowing...TRUST YOURSELF SYSTEM: The Ultimate Guide to Making Any Decision, Avoiding Adversity and Never Getting Blind-Sided Again, "TRUST YOURSELF THERAPY: 9 Steps to a Quantum Transformation,”  "SOCIOLOGY OF SOUL: A Spiritual Wake-up Call," and “1 Step Therapy...JUST SAY HU: The Universal Panacea for All That Ails You.”

The Sebastians are co-founders of "Soul Mates R Us." A Relationship-Dating Service specializing in Spiritual Connections. Their tools and techniques provide a methodology for opening a window to personal transformation and spiritual unfoldment.

The Dream Team is available for Workshops, Business Seminars, Private Consultations, Parties, Charity Events, Media and Guest appearances.

Scott Bertrand, chiropractor and the inventor of the AllCore360° System, has endured two separate core injuries that required intensive rehabilitation. His first accident occurred as a member of the 101st Airborne when a skydiving accident resulted in a fractured lower back. Scott found physical therapy to be so excruciatingly painful that he chose to discontinue the treatments and was labeled as a noncompliant patient. Twenty years later, Scott suffered a second debilitating injury; this time the fracture was to his neck. He found the physical therapy regimen to be the same and still excruciatingly painful. That’s when he made a decision to develop a better way to train and rehabilitate the core. The AllCore360° Core Therapy and Training System is the culmination of that journey. With over three years of refinement and documented results from thousands of client treatments, we are bringing the AllCore360° Core Therapy and Training System to the masses.

Bubar runs a litigation, business and communications law practice. Jim previously worked at Kaye Scholer (now Arnold & Porter) and was Special Assistant US Attorney. He is admitted to practice law in California, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Bubar served five terms as co-chair and was a member of the Steering Committee of the DC Bar Affairs Community. The DC Bar awarded him "Lawyer of the Year" in 2024. Jim currently serves on the Communities Committee of the DC Bar and is a member of the Federal Communications Bar Association. He served on the Board of Governors of University of California Hastings College of Law (now UC Law) Alumni where the Democratic Nominee also attended.

He is a triathlete and coaches triathlon at the Anthony Bowen YMCA. He was also a DC Babe Ruth baseball commissioner. Websites for Community Access TV in the United States 

Patrice, a creative activist and thought leader, established The Project Foundation in 2012. In 2014, Malyneath joined forces to further the foundation's mission. Together, their approach encompasses education, arts, media, and community involvement. Over the last 12 years, they've forged successful partnerships with faith groups, businesses, educational institutions, parents, and youth leaders to combat grave social issues. They are committed to empowering victims, aiding survivors, and safeguarding future generations from sexual exploitation, to halt trafficking altogether.

We are a non-profit organization, passionate about ending this heinous crime. Our primary focus is prevention and finding solutions in order to eradicate sex trafficking and exploitation of women and children.

We work to educate parents, minors, and others to bring awareness that trafficking and exploitation exists everywhere.  We collaborate with local faith communities, businesses, schools, and youth leaders for the main purposes of ending this social injustice.

My guest, Daniel Kaiya Fuson is a psychic medium, holistic healer, and spiritual teacher with over 14 years of experience communicating with Thoth (Hermes) and other Divine Guides, including Michael, Shiva, Mary Magdalene, and Gaia. Guided by Thoth, Daniel’s unique spiritual practice, focuses on activating the 12 chakras within the body, and employs a harmonic approach called the ‘Key Ring’ cycle, which balances energy flow across the chakras. Through his Wildflowerfire Community, Daniel offers a space for sharing insights on deep energetic transformation. In collaboration with Ascended Masters, Daniel teaches the Sacred Knowledge of Elemental Spiritual Fire, providing transformational medicine for both humanity and the planet. Daniel offers private sessions, weekly classes, and semester-long courses. He is also the author of “The Chakra Keys: The Holistic Art of Wildflowerfire” and shares his wisdom through a popular YouTube channel. 

Josh Horwitz is currently a Distinguished Professor of the Practice at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Horwitz works to reduce gun violence by utilizing public health research and health equity analysis to build advocacy campaigns that meet critical opportunities in the policy development process.
 

The team at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions includes highly experienced researchers and public health-trained advocates to address gun violence as an epidemic-level public health emergency. Because gun violence disproportionately impacts communities of color, they ground their work in equity and seek insights from those most impacted on appropriate solutions. This approach combines evidence-based solutions and effective advocacy to save lives.

Josh earned a BA at the University of Michigan in 1985 and a JD at the George Washington University in 1988.

"We don’t have to live with gun violence as a normal part of American life."

Emile “Joe” Henwood the oldest of nine children from Southwest Philadelphia. His business career included the founding, development, and successful sale of six diverse companies providing industrial equipment rebuilding services and sales, equipment leasing, property management, software development and fundraising services. He served in the U.S. military as a naval aviator, lieutenant, achieving Pilot In Command designations in several multi-engine anti-submarine warfare and transportation aircraft. He was certified as a cryptology/top secret control officer and programmer/analyst at the Naval Command Systems Support Activity in Washington, D.C. He holds an FAA Commercial Pilot license with single, multi-engine and instrument ratings.

While a member of the crew team at West Philadelphia Catholic Boys High School, he rowed a single scull winning two high school national championships, and as a member of Vesper Boat Club, he repeatedly earned seats on four United States’ National Rowing Team boats representing our country in Canada and Europe, winning two gold and two silver medals in international competition. The recipient of a full scholarship for rowing, he captained the crew team at St. Joseph’s University where he earned a B.S. in Marketing / Management and was inducted into the St. Joe’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. He and his wife, Penny, are now “empty-nesters” with two grown sons and four grandchildren. They reside in Upper Providence Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania where he served as Judge of Elections for 10 years.

As the founder of Francis Development Inc., Mitch developed shopping centers, office buildings and condominium projects. He continues to own and manage commercial properties throughout the US. He was a Real Estate major at the University of Colorado and has a California Real Estate Broker license he doesn’t use, (like everyone in California).

Mitch was the founder, Chairman and CEO of a small publicly-traded company for nearly 30 years. The company was initially involved in creating and operating 3-D motion simulator attractions in the US and Canada, utilizing the most advanced technologies of the day. Subsequently, the company became the largest ticket broker in Las Vegas, selling more than $1 billion in show tickets, attractions and dining.

Mitch is an innovative business leader whose inventions have yielded four United States patents, with another three inventions currently patent-pending. All of these inventions have contributed to the successes of his unique businesses. Mitch believes that the two most important ingredients for success as a serial entrepreneur are superior skills in problem-solving and unshakable tenacity.

Mitch has been a founding director of two charitable organizations and remains on those boards. Though important, neither organization deals with the twenty topics addressed in Bad-Ass Solutions.

Mitch grew up in Denver, Colorado and of course had a love affair with skiing. He was on the Vail ski team specializing in downhill racing. He taught skiing on weekends and holidays while at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Picture him studying on the chairlifts….

Mitch lives in Los Angeles with his amazing wife Sandy. He found her lost, skiing in a white-out. She says he saved her life, so she was obligated to marry him. It’s working out – 41 years!

The Heart of the Community Engagement & Opportunity Council
CEOC Founder and CEO Scott Turner has always had a heart for helping people, as shown by his long history of serving others. He and his wife Robin created their family foundation in 2021 with the mission to help those living in impoverished communities by providing life-giving, sustainable resources and opportunities.

Immediate effect & long term sustainability
The formation of CEOC came shortly after Scott returned from his role as Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC). Here, he initiated the revitalization process in areas that have been deeply affected by poverty and hopelessness for generations. Under his leadership, private entities invested more than $75 billion in under-resourced communities located in Federally designated Opportunity Zones. The results of his efforts have been life-changing, showing both immediate effects and long-term sustainability for so many people.
Prior to his work in the White House, Scott served two terms in the Texas House of Representatives and most recently, he held the longstanding title of Chief Inspiration Officer for nearly 17 years at Systemware, Inc.

Scott currently operates as Chief Visionary Officer at JPI and CEO of Scott Turner Consulting Group. He is also a Senior Advisor to the EVP of Football Operations at the National Football League (NFL) and serves as an associate pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church.

Additionally, Scott is a nationally recognized motivational speaker and serves on numerous boards including:
America First Policy Institute's Center for Education Opportunity
America Cornerstone Institute
Baylor Scott & White
Dallas Baptist University
The Master Cares Foundation

Christopher Ruddy, is CEO of Newsmax Media, Inc., the parent company of NEWSMAX, America’s fastest-growing cable news channel. He is a noted journalist and entrepreneur, is CEO and president of Newsmax Media Inc., one of the nation's leading news media companies. 
In 1998, Ruddy founded Newsmax, a multimedia publishing company that publishes online and offline content in the fields of news, politics, health and finance. Newsmax.com ranks consistently as one of the country's most trafficked news Web sites.

As a journalist, Ruddy previously worked at the New York Post and the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.

A Newsweek cover story named him as one of America's top 20 most influential news media personalities. He also studied as a Media Fellow at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford University.

Ruddy sits on the Board of Directors of the Financial Publishers Association, the industry organization representing investment publications that reach 25 million Americans monthly.

He holds a B.A. summa cum laude in history from St. John's University in New York and a master's in Public Policy from the London School of Economics.