Ignite your heart and soul with Sara Troy and her guest Amy Dempster, on air from February 23rd
Amy Dempster helps in understanding the healing power of the earth. What began as openly sharing her spiritual journey on her popular blog Following Hawks, has become a resource for others wanting to learn how to communicate with nature and share their own unique healing gifts with the earth.
Together with the Spirits of the Land in the mountains of northwest Montana, she tends seven portals on the land where she lives, along with any grid keeping work she is assigned. She also leads the Earth Tenders Academy, an immersive online journey to help others re-establish their connection with their ancient ancestors, learn to communicate with the seen and unseen forces in their environment and respectfully offer their healing energy to places in need.
“for the LOVE of Music with Sara Troy with her guest Michael Michael Mesey, on air from February 23rd
As the go-to special show and traveling drummer for Chuck Berry for many years, Michael Mesey had a blast creating explosive moments on stage with the legendary musical pioneer all over the country. Yet one of his most cherished memories is a moment on a tour bus, when Berry was listening to a blues tune, turned to him and said, “This is how I want us to play the blues – because when it’s time to rock, you rock me. No, I mean, you REALLY rock me!”
While transcendent, pinch me moments like these have happened throughout the St. Louis native’s multi-faceted 40 years as a writing, recording and touring musician, Mesey also knows a little something about the darker side of the life he chose – spending long stretches on the road, spending weeks at a time and holidays apart from beloved family members (including his daughter as she was growing up) while blazing away in the service of rock and roll. A few years ago, when he wrote “Together” for his hard rockin’ band American Greed, he never dreamed that the poignant powerhouse of a song – reflecting the personal heartache and longing of the road warrior musician – would become a universal anthem perfectly meeting our anxious collective moment during the age of COVID-19.
Over a propulsive, mid-tempo groove created by Mesey, Matt Arana’s sizzling electric guitar energy, lead vocalist Dave Farver’s searing, emotional vocals speak eloquently for all those apart from their loved ones due to the pandemic, from family and friends who must Zoom to communicate to relatives of those suffering in the hospital and front liner workers spending hours away from home: “Sorry for the tears you cried/I wasn’t by your side when you needed me. . .all I ever wanted was to be by your side/In this jaded heart of mine, you know I really tried/How can I find a way/To heal our soul of sorrows for the time I was away…I just wanna hear you say, we’ll be together, We will be together.”
In addition to nearly 200,000 streams on Spotify, “Together” –featuring the searing emotional lead vocals of the four-piece band, American greed – is a hit on two influential international charts, reaching #9 on the World Indie Music Chart and hitting #14 on the DRT Global Top 50 Rock Airplay Chart during a week when AC/DC’s “Shot in the Dark” was #1. Its impactful video, which opens with the words “We Are In This Together,” has over 400,000 views on YouTube.
The clip, created by Mesey, intersperses hard-edged live performance clips of American Greed with compelling images of healthcare workers, military personnel reuniting with family members, eerily empty city streets, medical ships, a busy ICU and crowds of masked people – images which are now familiar to us but only a year ago would have seemed like a new sci-fi movie.
“Together” is the title track from American Greed’s 2020 full length debut album, which was produced and engineered by Malcolm Springer, who has worked with Matchbox 20, Collective Soul, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Isaac Hayes. The track has received an impressive array of critical accolades from prominent indie music outlets. Garth Thomas of Hollywood Digest writes, “Carried out with a thrilling rock ballad music bed, this understated track is one of exceptional musicianship. ‘Together’ ties the binds that glues the best of the best rock tracks together – a band that rocks together can also release heartfelt songs. The song is inspiring and hits close to home for many. , .American Greed captures the hurt and balances it out very well with the pining for forgiveness . . .a way to say thank you for the selflessness.”
Michael Rand of Mobangeles.com adds, “Packed tightly with a near symphonic rock guitar and a percolating percussion, American Greed spoils the listener with the right amount of heart, rock and power pop. ‘Together’ feels like the culmination of hard work, exceptional talent and wearing one’s heart on the sleeve.”
“The song had some promotional stops and starts in the past,” Mesey says, “but it turns out that this year was the perfect time to release it, because the message is that much more meaningful in light of everything that’s happening. Every line I wrote literally fits what we’re witnessing – people going into the hospital alone, the first responders spending hours away from loved ones. I originally wrote it because I was often on the road for Thanksgiving, and I regretted missing so many moments in my family’s life and wondered how I could make things right. I thought maybe the concept would touch the lives of military personnel who are away for months or years at a time, but now it’s an experience almost everyone is going through.
“The truth is, we all have someone that we miss, that is all alone, that is on the front lines working to keep us safe and healthy, and some loved ones we have lost,” the drummer adds. “Whether it’s the pandemic, the protests due to racial injustice or everyday life, the truth is that despite our differences, we are in this together. Everything in the world and in America is about being ‘Together.’ I truly believe that we need to come together, rise together, heal together and then we will be together. I hope the song and the video helps everyone in some way or another to feel like they’re not alone, that so many others are dealing with the same challenges and frustrations.”
Prior to their breakthrough with “Together,” American Greed scored some major indie success winning a total of six Los Angeles Music Awards – including Music Video of the Year and Live Video Producer of the Year – and nominated for such honors as Rock Single of the Year, Rock Artist of the Year and Hard Rock Band of the Year. In addition to performing extensively in and around their home base of St. Louis, they’ve opened the LA Music Awards and the Phoenix Music Awards in Arizona and played the legendary Whisky a Go Go on Sunset Blvd.
Mesey split his time for many years between high profile gigs with Chuck Berry and recording and touring with famed St. Louis based Classic Rock Band Head East, including performances with Sammy Hagar, Boston, ZZ Top, REO Speedwagon, Heart, Cheap Trick and many others. His time with Berry includes shows at legendary venues like The Fox Theatre in St. Louis, The Show Boat in Atlantic City, Bayside in Miami for the Super Bowl, in front of 66,000 at Busch Stadium and performing “Johnny B. Goode” for a live worldwide broadcast from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena CA for The Voyager project.
The drummer also produced and performed on an all-star version of “Johnny B. Goode” featuring one of the last studio performances by legendary pianist Johnnie Johnson, in addition to Michael McDonald (who sang lead vocals) and saxophone legend David Sanborn. Also interesting to note, Mesey owns the only Chopper drum set in the World and has been featured in many articles around the world including Drum Magazine, Music Connection, Motorcycle USA and Thunder Roads Magazine.
“All of these incredible experiences have led me and American Greed to this moment where we are sharing ‘Together’ with the world,” says Mesey. “In my heart, this is the rock song for the moment we’re living in. I hope that when people hear it, they forget about left and right and can relate to it no matter what they’re dealing with personally in their lives. It’s not a political statement, it’s a song about the current realities of what’s happening in families everywhere around the world, written straight from the heart. If they feel when they listen the way I felt when I wrote it, maybe they can let all the other things, the differences between us and the issues that divide us, drift out of their head. I would love for everyone to think about “Time can seem very long, remember me when you hear this song, and close your eyes with a little smile”, because it’s truer than it’s ever been, we are all in this together.”
Our Global Veterans Story with Sara Troy and her guest Nicole Gebhardt, on air from February 23rd.
CEO and Founder of Spiritual Lighthouse Healing and Guidance
Ms. Gebhardt graduated from the University of Alabama with an MS Degree in Human Development and Family Studies with an emphasis in Child Life. Her BS Degree is in Business Communications from Florida State University. Additionally, she is a CCLS- Certified Life Specialist and Sacred Usui Reiki Master Holy Fire III®?Karuna 2®?Reiki Master.
Nicole Gebhardt is, in fact, a lighthouse; A bright beacon of light-a voice for all women especially military spouses who are broken, grieving alone in the dark. She is a strong leader, guide and healer. Nicole’s passionate message is, “you are never alone, you are enough just as you are…be unapologetically you! You can get through the grief and pain to move forward into the peace within.”
Nicole is the proud mother of six children, a military wife who has had to manage her young family on her own, when her husband was deployed several different times in seven years. She is a pillar of strength in her community of military families, as well as for her own family, friends, acquaintances and beyond.
Nicole truly has the heart of a warrior, to champion those hurting in pain, grieving in need of hope, inspiration and reassurance on life’s sometimes difficult path. She, herself, has sustained molestation, abuse, rape and loss of a child. She leads to show, you are no longer a victim but a true survivor.
Her education, life experiences and business enable her to coach, guide and heal those who have had similar traumatic events. She leans into her hard earned knowledge and natural compassion to spread her words of encouragement to all in need on an international level. Nicole does this through her speaking, writing, one-on-one counseling, classes, seminars and retreats, where she also incorporates her Reiki Master training.
Nicole Gebhardt, CEO & Founder of Spiritual Lighthouse Healing and Guidance is passionate about sharing her story of survival and hope gleaned from a tumultuous grief and pain-filled past.
As a former victim Nicole, is now truly a survivor having worked her way through molestation, rape, alcohol, and drug addiction, marital abuse, divorce, and loss of a child. As a warrior of and for all women, she brings beautiful angelic healing, enlightenment, and guidance through her one-on-one counseling, Reiki, support groups, speaking engagements, retreats, and social media platforms.
Nicole is considered to be a gifted healer and a beloved friend to those in need. She uses her business to weave together her life experiences and knowledge, to uplift and help women, especially military spouses, to not only change lives but save lives. Nicole further assures these women they are not alone and that they are good enough to be loved for exactly who they are. She gently and lovingly directs them to shed past or current resentments, disappointments, fear, and mistrust. She assists them through the grieving process, to discover and relish in their own special talents and wake up every day in love and bliss.
It’s Nicole’s mission and greatest desire to breathe new life into the women she serves, to be that bright light leading them through the darkest times. She proposes to all that it’s okay and healthy to ask for help. She teaches others how to let go of insecurities, fully embrace their unique qualities, and nurture their soul’s passion. She also facilitates the release of past or current pain through the forgiveness of self and others.
Nicole’s personal calling is to love, be love, and spread love, along with joy and laughter, to all women. With a strong conviction as a woman of faith, Nicole has found her purpose in service to others. Seeing women come through their personal storms to find happiness again is her greatest fulfillment.
Your health is your choice with Sara Troy and her guest Nicki Steinberger, Ph.D. on air from February 16th
“The new wave in health care is here. Intuitive-Driven Health Care invites you to take the leap beyond industry-driven BS, exhaustion from information overload, and seeking permission to heal yourself.”
Nicki Steinberger, Ph.D. is a health psychology coach, author, and speaker. She eats, lives, and breathes everything “holistic health,” and loves teaching, speaking, and writing. She’s the author of Wave Goodbye to Type 2 Diabetes: 16 Holistic Practices to Prevent & Reverse Diabetes & Reclaim Joy, Vitality, & Plenty, endorsed by Dr. Christiane Northrup. Dr. Nicki helps The Uncontrolled Carboholic end the madness with food and sugar addiction and develop healthy lifestyle habits using The Shadow & Light Framework. Dr. Nicki is the creator of Ditch the Sugar! Academy, an interactive membership, and blogs.
Choose Positive Living with Sara Troy and her guest THORN CASTILLO, on air from February 16th
In 2019, just as his multi-faceted career was taking off, Thorn Castillo heard Robert Downey Jr. offer a sage bit of advice during an interview on photographer/director Sam Jones’ acclaimed multi-platform series “Off Camera.” The two-time Oscar nominee said something to the effect of “any type of work you can put on your resume is good.”
This perfectly aligns with Thorn’s growing list of credits over the past year and a half plus, as the Northern Virginia based actor became a featured background performer as a mischievous ice throwing teen in Patty Jenkins’ upcoming film Wonder Woman 1984 (pretty cool stuff for a guy in his mid-20s!) and became SAG-eligible with his first regional commercial for Toyota.
These appearances coincide with Thorn’s major breakthrough as the face of a new international brand campaign for Schick Stylist, an all-in-one grooming tool by the famous razor company that allows users to shave, trim and edge facial hair to customize their look. Thorn’s youthful, hipster look was perfect for a campaign featuring numerous photo advertisements and videos showing how to use the product. In addition to continuing to pursue his television and film ambitions, his success in this role primes him for more high level, GQ level modeling work in the future.
He launched his career with a busy slate of projects in 2018 – including featured extra parts on the TV series “Bride Killa” and “Copycat Killers,” advertisement projects for Georgetown University Hospital and the local watch brand Eone Watches and a live casino photo shoot in Maryland.
Thorn attributes his comfort and confidence in front of a camera and his developing skills as an actor to his ongoing studies under the guidance of master on-camera acting coach John Palotta in NYC and Philadelphia. Connecting with Palotta on the professional networking community DragonukConnects, Thorn audited two classes in Philly in December 2018 and signed up to be a full-time student shortly thereafter, taking classes in Philadelphia and Baltimore. Palotta helped Thorn create a professional reel and a website for his acting and modeling endeavors. Thorn considers his ongoing mentor-student relationship with Palotta essential.
Prior to his work with Palotta, Thorn took several acting classes at Northern Virginia Community College and studied improvisation, intermediate acting and acting for the camera with veteran actor, author and teacher Brenna McDonough Wolfe at Theatre Lab in Washington DC and the Shakespeare Theatre Company.
Born in Upstate New York (Mt. Kisco), Thorn grew up the only child of parents who owned horses and traveled for horse shows throughout the U.S. and Mexico. He turned a year old in Mexico and also lived in Florida, Tennessee and other parts of New York State before the family settled in Northern Virginia. Living most of his life there with a single mom after his dad left, Thorn has fond memories of being a little kid at a store in Middleburg, goofing off in front of the security camera and pretending he was the star of an action movie. He was a shy loner type, immersing in comic books and video games while always wishing he could be more social and part of the crowd.
While he admired comic actors like Kevin Hart and Jim Parsons and identified with his favorite superheroes Batman and Spiderman, one of his top role models was singer/songwriter Taylor Swift, who overcame being a bullied loner to become an international superstar. To try to fit in, Thorn went through a goth punk, metal and rock phase in his mid-teens before embracing his truer self later on, moving from a mohawk and spike bracelets to dressing more preppy.
“I started acting because I was fascinated with TV and film, and always liked playing roles and pretending to make different worlds come to life since I was a little kid,” he says. “But for years I never thought I was good enough, so I drifted away frompursuing that career. But later, I learned to have more confidence in myself. It helped that family and friends told me I do have talent, especially my mom, who has always encouraged me.
“So finally, I went for what I really love doing and now my goals as an actor and model are making a living out of what I always really liked doing, including creating and bringing fictional characters to life,” Thorn adds. “I really enjoy those experiences where I get up at 5:00 am to be on set and get ready to go film all day, then get home at 9:30 have dinner and go to bed by 10:30 and do it all over again for 3 weeks. It’s also been a blast traveling to places I had never been for shoots. I know it’s often a difficult industry to make it in, and I’m grateful for any success I have achieved so far and am able to in the future. The work I’ve done so far has given me some of the most fulfilling moments of my life.”
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