Award-winning journalist Jill Lawrence is an opinion writer and the author of "The Art of the Political Deal: How Congress Beat the Odds and Broke Through Gridlock." A former columnist, commentary editor and editorial board member at USA Today, her previous positions also include national political correspondent for USA Today, managing editor for politics at National Journal and national political writer at The Associated Press. Her writing on politics, policy and culture has also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Bulwark, NBC News Think, The Daily Beast, Politico Magazine, The Week, Al Jazeera America Opinion, The Atlantic, AOL's Politics Daily, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Lawrence is a contributor to The Surge: 2014's Big GOP Win and What It Means for the Next Presidential Race and co-author of Governors and the Presidency: How They Campaign, How They Govern, for the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers, and Phoning It In and Failing to Show: The Story of the 2014 House Primaries, for the Brookings Institution.

Among Lawrence's national awards and honors are the 2021 National Society of Newspaper Columnists award for online columns, the National Press Club's 2016 Lee Walczak Award for Political Analysis, a 2010 Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists for her Politics Daily columns, and a 1995 National Headliner Award for her AP columns. Columbia Journalism Review named her one of the top 10 campaign reporters in the country in 2004. Washingtonian magazine included her on its list of 50 "best and most influential journalists" in 2005.

A highlight of her tenure at USA Today was "One Nation, Divided," a series which she proposed after the stalemated 2000 election and which ran in 2002. The stories were based on research and reporting throughout 2001, both before and after the 9/11 attacks, in the archetypal blue and red towns of Montclair, N.J., and Franklin, Tenn. In 2003, the IRE Journal published an article Lawrence wrote about how and why the towns were chosen and the tools she used to find the information she needed.

A thoughtful analyst as well as a social-media aficionado, Lawrence has discussed political and policy developments on MSNBC, C-SPAN, Sirius-XM, public radio and many other media outlets. She was an adjunct professorial lecturer at American University in 2014, teaching on the relationship between politics and the media.

Music may have saved his life.  After surviving cancer at age 16, music became his helpmate in processing the ‘big questions’ that came to him at an early age.  At 18, he took his newly found passion for life and music to traveling the country in a van with a group of wacky Catholic ‘hippies’ giving spiritual retreats to young people.

College found him criss-crossing through Europe with his guitar.  It was through hanging with monks deep in desert monasteries and, later, living in the Vatican as a seminarian in his 20’s on the way to becoming a priest, that he discovered his true calling was that of a songwriter.  He left the seminary and landed in his native Southern California, beginning his quest to re-invent himself as an artist.  Years later, he is now a seasoned performer and award-winning songwriter.  What would a person with such a story have to say about life? Plenty, especially when magnified through the prism of a song.

Meet Michael Tiernan.  Through the experiences of what could be ten lifetimes, Michael is an artist who has plunged into and explored the deep spaces of personal and worldly conflict, the beauty of love and nature, as well as the meaning of suffering and the pervasive unhappiness that threatens our human experience on all sides.  In his music, he resurfaces from these depths with a positive yet real outlook for all of us, while taking us on a sonic joy ride through the many genres he straddles in his music.

Michael is set to release his 8th album, “For Others” in the summer of 2024, and performs regularly in the Southern California region and beyond, as well as engaging corporate audiences with creativity and songwriting workshops.  His music has been featured on several TV shows over the years and he was won several songwriting awards, in addition to being named a two-time Los Angeles Music Awards winner, and most recently, the 2023 San Diego Music Awards winner for Best Acoustic Song.  Michael is the proud dad of 2 teenagers and resides in Vista, CA, with his wife, Tracy.

Maetreyii Ma Nolan, Ph.D., is an award-winning author, spiritual teacher, and psychologist, expert in consciousness and holistic healing. With a rich background in psychology and spirituality, her work has positively influenced many people's lives. Maetreyii Ma Nolan's wisdom and teachings garner recognition worldwide, making her a respected voice for inner transformation.

She is also a spiritual mentor, providing Baba Talks, teaching classes, and guiding students. She hosts webinars, retreats, and seminars, creating spaces where individuals can explore and experience the Divine. 

More about Maetreyii Ma;

In my life activities, I am a writer, a licensed Transpersonal Psychologist, and an Acharya, or ordained yogic minister/spiritual teacher. I teach mysticism, traditional yogic meditation, philosophy, and the ancient wisdom teachings of yoga. I also am an ERYT 500 yoga teacher and a yogic therapist. This is the dream of "me."

I am a mother of two grown sons, a partner to a yogi in a marriage of many years, someone who loves their friends and family deeply and rejoices in those relationships, and a lover of the Divine. I love a good book, a good movie, a hike in nature and just being with those I love, but most of all I love my Baba, my Divine guide, Guru, and lifelong friend. I love the stars, the trees, and all living beings.
​ 
I began my spiritual yoga journey in 1969 when I took Diksha, or initiation into yogic meditation practices. From those practices unfolded deep mystical experiences of divine presence  From that presence has come the guidance to share with others, as best I am able. This incredible love and guidance that I have found awaits in the mystic heart of yoga.

From the depths of these beautiful experiences of Divine presence and inner guidance from my Guide, I have begun to teach trainings, webinars, and classes. I have authored a number of books on spiritual life, sharing the depth of teachings I receive.  I also hold periodic meditation retreats for those who want to go deeper and support people in cultivating direct mystical experiences through meditation practices and other approaches in my Mysticism and Yoga Mentoring Program.

Currently, I spend my time doing this spiritual work in service to the Divine, as well as working as a psychologist in private practice and writing books. I reside with my family in our ashram community in the northern San Francisco Bay Area.

My guest Tim Tactics is a governance expert from Europe. For almost a decade, he worked as a tactical advisor within the covert governance sector in Europe, which aims, among other things, to understand the missions and strategies of non-human intelligences on our planet and beyond. He was in experiments with so-called "exotic lifeforms," beings not from this Earth. Tim also reports on his numerous experiences with advanced technologies behind closed doors and shares his insider knowledge from ten years of work in undisclosed projects, especially on the topic of the current disclosure. His deep understanding of the mysteries of the universe comes from his extensive contacts.

Rob Rudewicz retired at the rank of Captain from the Hartford Police Department after a successful 20 year career. He held a variety of traditional and non traditional positions including acting chief of police. His early experiences growing up in the city combined with his police career contributed to a long term battle with addiction to alcohol, depression and anxiety. He shares his struggles over the years as well as his ultimate success in finding true recovery, honestly and openly in this podcast. 

Chris Moore is a Captain with the Chesapeake Virginia Fire Department with over 30 years as a first responder and he is also a national touring speaker. Chris Moore is the son of a Norfolk, Virginia Police Officer and began his own public safety career in Virginia Beach, Virginia as a Volunteer Firefighter/EMT in 1993. As a volunteer, he put in as many hours as possible, picking the brains of the career members and soaking it all in, in hope of one day becoming a career firefighter. In 2000 Chris' dream became a reality as he was offered a job with the Chesapeake Virginia Fire Department as a firefighter paramedic. Chris has served in a variety of assignments including Firefighter Paramedic, Field Training Officer, Recruit School Instructor, MDA Fill the Boot coordinator, Foam Team, PPE Team, Fire Lieutenant and he currently serves as a Captain and a key member of his Departments Behavioral Health and Peer Support Team. Chris has served all over the diverse city of Chesapeake, by providing responsive and caring service to protect and improve the quality of life of others. He has also deployed on various task forces for aid in his home state of Virginia and deployed to Louisiana after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Chris has received numerous awards and commendations for his selflessness, bravery, commitment and dedication to the fire service. He most recently received the Fire Chiefs Medal of Commendation for his personal work and vulnerability in the field of first responder mental health and wellness. Chris was formally diagnosed with post-traumatic stress related to his years of service in 2018. In 2020 he decided that helping other first responders by sharing his journey in a completely open, honest and transparent format was another way of giving back and he started speaking at conferences and symposiums across the country. This let other first responders know that there is help out there as well as hope. He received his PTSD service dog, Lewis, in the summer of 2020. He is also a published writer in Fire Engineering Magazine, has been on numerous podcasts and news stories and is in the renowned documentary PTSD 911. Chris is also an alumnus of Save a Warrior. Chris is a dedicated advocate for awareness, prevention, education, training on Post Traumatic Stress and First Responder Suicide Prevention. Chris continues to candidly share his journey with PTS and speak to, not just fire but all public safety agencies across the United States, with the hope of ending the stigma behind mental health in the public safety community.

Since the opening of Advanced Health of Naperville (AHN) in 1999, Dr. Cathy has helped patients of all ages and types of symptoms reach their optimal health. She is a graduate of the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa and one of the first doctors in the U.S. trained in cranio fascial dynamics and cranial treatment.

Her appreciation for and interest in chiropractic care came from being a patient herself. Following a springboard diving injury at age 17, she struggled to do daily activities without pain and sometimes couldn’t get out of bed. Traditional treatments were ineffective and by chance, someone asked if she had ever seen a chiropractor. After a few adjustments, her back issues were 95% better and her daily headaches, which she had since she was 13, were gone. Making chiropractic care a career choice was an easy decision.

After 24 years as a practitioner, Dr. Cathy transitioned to overseeing the practice in spring of 2022. Her focus is on ensuring AHN’s team of doctors, therapists and staff maintain the practice’s reputation of being a welcoming and happy place where patients receive the care they need to heal.

She’ll also be devoting more time to running The Branch and Socket. The Branch is a moms’ community with more than 55,000 members. It offers online connections, local events, networking groups, information sharing, opportunities to volunteer, and a place to call home. Socket is a weekly podcast hosted by Dr. Cathy on which she and her guests cover a variety of life and self-care topics that invite listeners to plug into gratitude, confidence, and happiness and unplug from the people and things that no longer serve them.