EPISODE 733 - Joel Steele - Life Switch - How to Experience the Power of Living ON by Discovering Your Potential, Passion, and Purpose

Joel Steele joins the conversation to explore the journey behind his book Life Switch—a project rooted in the idea that anyone can learn to “flip the switch” from living an ordinary life to an extraordinary one. Speaking from his home in southern New Jersey, Joel blends real-life stories, raw honesty, and practical lessons that challenge listeners to rethink how they approach success, failure, and personal growth.

Joel’s message begins with a simple but crucial insight for aspiring authors: a great book alone isn’t enough. Without an audience or a network, even a life-changing message risks being unheard. He reflects on his own experience of releasing a well-received book without first building a following, encouraging new writers to spend just as much time creating relationships as they do crafting their manuscripts.

From there, Joel dives deep into the personal transformation that birthed Life Switch. Once describing himself as “average to below average in everything,” he shares the moment he decided to redefine his limitations. Asking the question “Why can’t I?” became the catalyst for achieving one goal after another. He calls this awakening the moment he turned his life switch “on.” By visualizing his goals, writing them down, and pursuing them with commitment, he proved that seeing is believing—and believing is achieving.

At the heart of his philosophy are the “Three P’s”: Potential, Passion, and Purpose. Potential reminds us that our capability is limitless, expanding each time we push past old boundaries. Passion fuels that drive, offering the excitement and energy that makes hard work feel meaningful. And Purpose serves as our personal GPS—without it, Joel says, we’re simply driving in circles. Together, these principles form the backbone of the Life Switch mindset.

Joel shares compelling personal stories, including the cautionary lessons from a risky real estate partnership that turned into a test of responsibility and resilience. He reflects on how taking ownership—rather than placing blame—was the difference between financial ruin and recovery. These lessons reinforce his core belief that setbacks are not dead ends but raw material for future success.

Throughout the discussion, Joel speaks directly to anyone at a crossroads: graduates, career changers, or those rebuilding after loss. He invites listeners to visualize their lives like a puzzle—every piece is already within reach; it just needs to be arranged with clarity and persistence. And he reminds us that fulfillment doesn’t come from perfection but from progress and self-honesty.

Joel’s Life Switch mission extends beyond personal empowerment. With a pledge to donate one million dollars to charity when the book reaches one million sales, he demonstrates his belief that success means more when it serves others. Each purchase, he notes, becomes part of that larger purpose.

Key Takeaway: Life doesn’t change by accident—it changes when you decide to live “on.” By embracing your potential, fueling it with passion, defining your purpose, and acting with accountability, you can turn every struggle into a stepping stone toward the extraordinary life you were meant to live.

https://bookjoelsteele.com/

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Episode 592 - Joe McClean - Screenwriter, Author and Director - Putting Yourself Out There and Into Your Story, That is Where the Opportunity Lies

Joe made a bunch of short films and one feature length movie with friends and no money. To this day, I enjoy watching those early attempts to craft a story, but essentially this era of on-the-job-training was my film school. Now it was time to take my first big swing.

I wrote a script I felt I could raise enough money to shoot myself, a found-footage film, and I spent a year begging for cash and favors. The star of a hit TV show, who had gone to the same high school as me, graciously agreed to act in it. An NBA player made a small investment. Actor, comedian, and Late Show with David Letterman regular, Jay Thomas agreed to make a cameo. The snowball was growing and eventually I scraped together enough cash to direct Life Tracker. The movie played over 20 science fiction conventions and got a digital distribution deal with Charter Communications (now Spectrum) and streamed into millions of American homes.

Life Tracker

Great! Now I needed a follow up to prove that my work ethic couldn't be mistaken for beginner's luck.​ Taking advantage of a group of talented actor friends and another who owned property outside of Fresno, I wrote and directed a super-low-budget homage to The Big Chill called The Drama Club which can currently be seen on Tubi.

The Drama Club

Looking back from that point, I could see the years of work I'd put in. Meeting people. Working with casts and crews. Going on adventures together. taking risks and building trust. Jobs started to fall into place. I signed my first manager. I joined the Writers Guild of America. I pitched big shot producers at legacy studios and powerhouse production companies. Always searching for that next opportunity. That's when I met Blair Underwood. A business lunch turned into an attachment (and a friendship), and soon I was hitting up everyone I'd ever done business with to see who wanted to join the team.

Viral was written and produced by me, it's directed by and stars Blair, and he shares the screen with Sarah Silverman, Jeanine Mason, and the incomparable Alfre Woodard! The movie is finished and we're actively working with our sales team to bring it to audiences.

In the mean time, I’m working with Amistad (an imprint of HarperCollins Publishing) on a two-book deal titled Sins of Survivors about the plight of a family who lived in the once vital African American neighborhood of Black Bottom in 1930s and 40s Detroit. The first book is currently available everywhere books are sold, and the second hits shelves in the summer of 2026... So, go to your local bookstore's website get your copy!

Why "Ginger Beard," you ask? My wife's maiden name is "Beard," and when our son was born he had a reddish tint to his hair. So, my company is named after my son, my "Ginger Beard"... It's only a bonus that I have red facial hair.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-mcclean-6668b018

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0565697/

https://www.gingerbeardfilms.com/

Wednesday, September 17, 2025

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Episode 525 - Richard DeVeau - Light's Out - We Paint a Picture of a special forces veteran, CIA officer, and leader of Boston's Homeland Security team

About the author

After majoring in marketing at Bentley University, Richard spent a career as a copywriter and creative director serving such clients as Red Lobster, Ducati Motorcycles, Marriott Hotels, and Clorox. He also brought his writing skills to bear for communications agencies that serve nonprofit organizations, including American Red Cross, Wounded Warrior Project, Toys for Tots, CARE, Special Olympics and many others. And he was a frequent editorial contributor to Fundraising Success Magazine.

In 2000, he helped launch acclaimed author Stephen King’s internet publishing debut and the world’s first mass- marketed e-book, Riding the Bullet. Richard wrote the online ad campaign that prompted more than 400,000 people to purchase and download the novella.

His screenplay, Graven Image, placed in the top twenty percent of the Academy of Motion Pictures’ Nicholl Fellowships international screenwriting competition in 2014.

Richard is also an accomplished fine art painter. Over the past thirty years, he has exhibited work in numerous solo and group shows. His work was represented by two commercial art galleries in his native Boston and is now represented by a gallery in Chicago, where he currently resides.

Richard and his wife have four adult children and two grandchildren.

Book: Light's Out

A retired couple are murdered in their Wisconsin home - art and other valuables are stolen. A Lake Michigan oil tanker explodes and sinks that same night.

Eve Taunt - special forces veteran, CIA officer, and leader of Boston's Homeland Security team - believes there is a connection between these two events.

She and her team quickly find themselves in pursuit of a domestic terrorist - an M.I.T. educated, military trained missile genius with Ted Bundy-like psychopathy - to stop him before he carries out his next devastating attack. This one is even more lethal than the overhwelming inferno he just unleashed on Boston.

As Eve closes in, she discovers these attacks are orchestrated by a US senator and a powerful cabal of highly placed leaders and lawmakers with a hidden agenda.

https://a.co/d/2yD92bj

Episode Date - Monday, April 14, 2025

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podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/

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