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Welcome to the Dare to Be Great, Dare to Be You Podcast. If you like honest, vulnerable, and real stories about what it takes to not only become great, but more self-confident and bold enough to be yourself, then this show is for you. Join me each week for inspiring, encouraging, and meaningful conversations with diverse people from all walks of life and industry. Each of my guests started as ordinary people like you and me but have accomplished extraordinary things in their lives to be considered great, masters, or experts at what they have been called to do. Leaders and brave individuals who offer unique insights into the fields of Arts, Entertainment, Business, Finance, Technology, Healthcare, Sports, Psychology, Recovery, Self-Improvement, Personal Growth, and so much more. Whether you are in the same fields as my guests or not, I guarantee you will walk away from each episode feeling better about yourself and inspired to take the next bold step toward your own goals and aspirations. Your life will improve if you, Dare to Be Great and Dare to Be You!
Episodes

3 hours ago
3 hours ago
If you are a woman, 35 years old + who's looking for permission to break free from some patterns that are keeping you stuck, you need to listen to this episode.
This is one of the most meaningful and helpful publisc conversations with a well-known coach and healer, Stephanie Saint Claire.
About my guest:
Stephanie Saint Claire
Stephanie St. Claire is a mom, entrepreneur, and coach specializing in Inner Child Healing for midlife women ready to reclaim their power. She helps women step into their authentic selves, trust their intuition, master their emotions, and take charge of their thoughts—so they can fully savor the life they’ve built and hold nothing back.
Trained in complex trauma recovery, clinical applications of internal family systems, and trauma informed meditation and breath work, Stephanie uses her training, as well as personal Healing Journey as an adult child of an alcoholic and narcissist, to help women all over the world come home to their own power, creativity, and spirit.
https://www.vantagelifedesign.com/first5breakthrough
Socials:
TIKTOK: @theinnerchildwhisperer/
INSTA: Stephanie Saint Claire
If you like this episode, please follow and share it with friends.
Unlike some stuffy podcasts, on the Dare to Be Great, Dare to Be You show, we get down to real conversations for the sole purpose of inspiring listeners to be better, bolder humans.
Learn more about my books, events, coaching, and more at: www.shawnlangwell.com
A special thank you to Stephanie who will be recommending my latest book, Morning Motivation, to her students.
Here are the details:
MORNING MOTIVATION: The Ultimate Workbook & Guided Journal. Practical Wisdom to Break Free From Self-Doubt & Start Living an Extraordinary Life.
It's available on Amazon and in bookstores everywhere in the spring of 2025.
Buy it here: https://a.co/d/id8bGk0

7 days ago
7 days ago
Jeff Burkhart knows how to connect with Marin's Movers & Shakers and everyone else who loves a good cocktail or story.
He is both an award-winning journalist and an award-winning bartender. His popular Barfly column in the Marin IJ was voted best column in California in both 2014 and 2021, and he himself has been voted “best bartender” eight times, by the readers of three different publications. His two books: Twenty Years Behind Bars: the spirited adventures of a real bartender, and its sequel, Twenty Years Behind Bars: parole denied are both best-sellers and he also hosts the popular Barfly Podcast on iTunes. All of which has led to him being voted “Best Media Personality: TV, Radio, Print,” five times by the readers of the Pacific Sun.
Join us as we dive into a real conversation about service, connection, and share entertaining stories from the front lines of customer service, writing, and life as sales and service pros in Marin
Here are all the ways to find and connect with Jeff:
Links: Twenty Years Behind Bars Parole Denied
www.facebook.com/MarinIJBarfly
If you like this episode, please follow and share it with friends.
Unlike some stuffy podcasts, we get down to real conversations for the sole purpose of trying to inspire listeners to be better and bolder humans. Bottom line for you to, Dare to Be Great, and Dare to Be You.
Learn more about my books, events, coaching, and more at: www.shawnlangwell.com

Thursday Mar 20, 2025
Hilary Young Ritter, Author Trusting Gus
Thursday Mar 20, 2025
Thursday Mar 20, 2025
Hilary Young is the author of Trusting Gus, a raw and inspiring memoir about resilience, addiction recovery, and the presence of a higher power she calls the "Great Universal Spirit" (Gus). Raised by an abusive, bipolar alcoholic, Hilary navigated a turbulent childhood, battled addiction, and ultimately found sobriety later in life. A near-death experience from liver failure at 58 motivated her to share her story, revealing the moments of grace that shaped her journey. Readers connect deeply with Trusting Gus, responding with their own stories of trauma, supernatural encounters, and personal awakenings. Hilary’s writing is heartfelt and unfiltered, aiming to inspire without preaching. She self-published her memoir to show that healing and transformation are always possible. Beyond writing, she works as a hairstylist, engaging in meaningful conversations with clients. She currently lives in California, where she continues to share her story of hope, survival, and spiritual discovery.
Hilary is a natural story teller who effectively uses scene, setting, and dialogue to tell a compelling and evocative story in Trusting Gus.
Join us as we have an honest, open, and vulnerable conversation about recovery, spirtuality, finding clarity, and so much more.
Find or follow here here:
Website: TrustingGus.com
Social Media links: https://www.instagram.com/hilaryyoungritter/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1545650302685941
Trusting Gus: True stories of a near death experience, angelic visits, recovery from alcoholism and everyday miracles.
You can find Trusting Gus here or your favorite local bookstore.
If you like this podcast, please leave a review and follow me.
You can find me at www.shawnlangwell.com
and purchase my memoir on recovery here: Beyond Recovery or bookstores everywhere.

Sunday Mar 16, 2025
Sunday Mar 16, 2025
One of the funnest things I get to do is have open conversations with wonderful people like Michelle.
Energetic, upbeat and in the midst of mastering her craft, Michelle shares inside tips for aspiring fantasy authors who have worlds and stories that must be shared.
MICHELLE MILES believes in fairy tales, true love, and magic. She writes fantasy (including Epic, Urban, and Other Worlds), Paranormal (including Time Travel, Historical, Shifters), and Young Adult (including Fantasy and Fairy Tales) all with an action/adventure twist. She is the author of numerous series that includes everything from angels and demons to fairies, dragons, and elves. She is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA). A native Texan, in her spare time she loves reading, listening to music, watching movies, hiking, and drinking wine.
Sign up for her newsletter and get Once Upon an Ancient Curse, a Red Riding Hood Fairy Tale Retelling, FREE. This isn’t the story you remember—it’s better!
https://viplist.michellemiles.net/enchanted
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Friday Jan 17, 2025
John Wallace, Founder/CEO Surviving The Odds Project- No Warning Shots Fired
Friday Jan 17, 2025
Friday Jan 17, 2025
"No Warning Shots Fired in This Unit"
This is the sign on the wall at San Quentin Prison where John served 8 years.
Since his release, John Wallace, aka Freedom, has made a complete 180-degree turn from a life of gangs and drugs to one of hope and service.
Leaders and youth from all walks of life can learn from this vulnerable and inspiring, unedited conversation I had with John on my Dare to be Great, Dare to Be You Podcast.
John embodies and lives up to his stage name—Freedom. He not only talks the talk, he walks the walk.
From head to heart to hands, John's mission and purpose to "pass it on", is freaking incredible!
Pull up a chair and listen to this raw, real, and open conversation about hope and freedom.
On a personal note, it has taken me 25 episodes to find my sea legs as a podcast host. I believe from the depth of my soul that THIS episode is what the universe was preparing me for.
I guarantee you will be inspired. After listening, some of you may want to even change the world.
To paraphrase John's wisdom:
Start small, be humble, and listen. We all want to belong.
My hope in this and all episodes of this show is for listeners to not only become inspired, but to become bold enough to trust your inner voice and DO SOMETHING that will make a difference in your life, the lives of others, and ultimately,the world.
This show is fast becoming a launching pad where dreams are reignited. I encourage you, wherever you are at this stage of your life, to dare to be great and dare to be yourself and see what happens.
Furthermore, there are many more stories like John's in differing arenas that you will hear in the weeks, months and years to come.
If you like this, subscribe.
Better yet, Pass it on. Please, SHARE IT!
About John:
John grew up in Marin City and found refuge in the arts as an escape from a troubled home life. Street life and drug use caught up to him, landing John in Marin County Jail numerous times and eventually to San Quentin State Prison for several years. Refusing to give up, John worked hard and earned his GED while in prison. John wrote over 75 songs about his lives experience while in prison. After he was released, John went on to attend classes at College of Marin, Santa Rosa Junior College and Butte College. He is currently a recognized musician, tattoo artist, and hairstylist who often provides his services at low or no cost to those in need. John believes in the importance of giving back and understands the therapeutic value of art and music
Articles:
from https://sanquentinnews.com/sq-parolee-helps-troubled-teens/
"By the time John Wallace was released from San Quentin, he had written 75 songs.
John Wallace, 39, who discharged in 2003, founded a project called STOP (Surviving the Odds Project) to help deter at-risk youth from falling into the school-to-prison-pipeline. Fifteen years after his release, he’s showing kids the creative outlet he wished he had at their age.
The former gang member now empowers at-risk youth through musical self-expression at Legion Beats in San Rafael, reported the Marin Independent Journal. His first class of 13 students will write, record and create a music video over the course of a few weeks. In May, they’ll have their first live performance.
“I wanted to give back to where a kid wouldn’t have to suffer any longer or blame others for what they’re going through and learn how to express themselves,” said Wallace, who grew up in Marin City.
https://sanquentinnews.com/program-helps-at-risk-youth-through-music/
https://www.marinij.com/2018/04/06/former-san-quentin-inmate-empowers-at-risk-youth-with-music/
"John had been sent to Marin County Jail 19 times for disorderly conduct before going to San Quentin State Prison in 1995, where he was incarcerated for eight years. While in prison, he discovered his love for making music.
“[San Quentin] was a dangerous reality to walk into,” John said. “While I was [in San Quentin State Prison], I wrote over 75 songs. I didn’t know that I was a musician at the time, but while I was in there, I didn’t want to feel alone anymore [and music helped me with that].'"
Find John here:
Please donate if you are so inclined.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-wallace-b47136161/
From the Host:
Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day all!
May each of us learn to become bolder and open our hearts to help those less fortunate than we are.
May the world be better because of our courage to dare to be great and bravery to be ourselves!
God bless,
Love, Shawn
Find me at:
Read my story here:
Beyond Recovery: A Journey of Grace, Love, and Forgiveness
#recovery
#Survivingtheodds
#Courage
#Forgiveness

Thursday Jan 09, 2025
Embracing Play- Anthony Amunategui
Thursday Jan 09, 2025
Thursday Jan 09, 2025
Anthony Amunategui is a freaking Unicorn!
He is the the Founder of CDO Group, a National Commercial Construction firm he started about 24 years ago with a small group. Today they have built over 1 million square feet of retail space, working with some of the world's largest brands. He has a true passion for finding out what makes people successful in business and in life.
Anthony loves diving into conversations about what the future holds for us personally and professionally, and the adventures that shape the journey.
Always a treat to have real, open, and honest conversations with my guests, Anthony hits it out of the park in the episode and pulls no punches.
As the co-owner of of a multimillion dollar construction firm he knows people, negotiation, project management, and more importantly, what matters most in life.
Newsflash, it's not more money!
Listen in as we talk about letting go of our attachment to chaos andhow we individually and collectively can learn to lighten up and enjoy the true values of life- family, friendship, community, and PLAY!
Here's how to reach Anthony:
Contact Info:
Owner of CDO Group / Host of Future Factory Podcast
Email: anthony@cdogroup.com
Website: CDO Group: https://cdogroup.com/
Future Factory Podcast: https://www.futurefactorypodcast.com/
Anthony’s Socials:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthonyamunategui/
FFP: https://www.instagram.com/futurefactorypodcast/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FutureFactoryPodcast
Find me at: https://shawnlangwell.com/
and buy my books wherever they are sold.

Wednesday Oct 16, 2024
Wednesday Oct 16, 2024
Jeff Goins is the best-selling author of five books, including The Art of Work and Real Artists Don’t Starve. His award-winning blog Goinswriter.com has been visited by tens of millions of people, and through his online courses and events, he's taught over 20,000 writers since 2012. Jeff lives outside of Nashville with his family, where they spend most of their free time listening to records and making homemade pasta.
Books:
You Are a Writer
Real Artists Don’t Starve
The Art of Work
What Is Writing?
Website: goinswriter.com
Substack: jeffgoins.substack.com
Jeff will be Keynote presenter at the 2024 Sonoma County Writers Conference on October 19, 2024 hosted by Redwood Writers Club.
Both Jeff's Keynote and Workshop will be avaialable for purchase and download after the conference.
If you are near Sonoma County and want to attend in person, learn more or register here: https://redwoodwriters.org/2024-conference/

Sunday Sep 15, 2024
Sunday Sep 15, 2024
Ray Engan: SESSION - Love to Write But Hate to Sell? Create Comfortable Conversations That Sell Your Book
Every Year, thousands become first time authors. Every year thousands of books sit in the garages of their authors, waiting for the orders to come through. Today you will walk away with concrete ways to move those books out and bring cash in. The Lean In Factor will guide you in how to use your voice to sell your writing.
About Ray:
Ray Engan was a shy little boy who avoided talking to strangers by walking inside the safety of his Mom’s wrap around skirts. He went on to a career in stand-up comedy, performing with and writing for some of America's best comedians. He created a skill of connecting through comedy in the business world and became the sales manager of America’s most award winning small business, Ray has testified before a presidential task force, and appeared on MSNBC, as a Voice of small business in America.
Today, Ray is an award winning motivational speaker, coach and Sales coach to entrepreneurs. He created the program, The Humor Algorithm, which demystifies the process of humor and can make anyone funnier. Currently the President and CEO of Leadership Through Laughter and has coached over 2 dozen National Speakers Association Hall of Fame speakers. His upcoming program, The Lean In Factor, is designed for entrepreneurs who present to make quicker connections, faster friendships and bigger sales, and is due out inthe fall of 2024.
- RayEngan.com
- LeadershipThroughLaughter.com
- medium.com/@ray_37327
- www.facebook.com/ray.engan/
- www.linkedin.com/in/leadershipthroughlaughter
If you are reading this before 10-18-2024 visit: https://redwoodwriters.org/2024-conference/ to learn more or to register. The Sonoma Coujty Writers Conference is held every other year (even years), in Sonoma County and is the Most Comprehensive Writers Conference in the North Bay.
Registration is $125-250 for California Writers Club Members; $150-175 for Non-Members.
Visit https://redwoodwriters.org/ to learn more about our events and opportunities to help you become a better writer and book marketer.
Visit: www.shawnlangwell.com for other upcoming writers workshops.

Shawn Langwell
My personal mission is to add value to people and businesses everywhere. More specifically: To encourage, inspire, and help people like you become brave and confident enough to believe you can accomplish your dreams and goals. This podcast is one of the ways I do that. I’m also an inspirational author, speaker, coach, and business consultant who is passionate about helping others dare to take a chance on themselves.
I’ve also authored four books —Beyond Recovery a memoir, Ten Seconds of Boldness and a companion workbook to overcome challenges and build self-confidence, and Today’s the Day, a pocket muse to inspire and encourage you to find joy and gratitude in all you do.
You can find me at www.shawnlangwell.com