The truths about leadership training and being a caregiver

This episode has some great lessons to share. To open, Jonathan Kroll has taken his 20 years’ experience as a leadership trainer and provided the best lessons in his new book, “Preparing Leadership Educators.” In this book, Kroll helps leadership educators who want to refresh their pedagogical knowledge and revitalize strategies. We talk about what makes a strong leader, elements of leadership from the past that need to change in 2023 and what the book provides that sets it apart from the many others on this topic.



Following this, Suzanne Marriott and I talk about her soon-to-be released book, “Watching for Dragonflies: A Caregiver’s Transformative Journey.” The book follows Suzanne as she becomes her husband Michael’s caregiver after he’s diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. We talk about how she took on the role and the changes it created for their relationship, both good and challenging. We also look at the resources she had access to, how it helped her, and how she’s transformed from the experience.

Author Joseph Falank's new novel, “Renewal” (Sept. 13 through BHC Press) is a powerfully written and incredibly honest story of a family coming to grips with the reality that their patriarch is afflicted with Alzheimer's. Here's the synopsis of the story:


It's been two years since aspiring novelist and English teacher Malcolm Aton has had any contact with his family. Ever since his divorce and the loss of his mother to cancer, his relationship with his father has been strained.

When he receives an urgent text from his brother, he learns the devastating news that their father's memory issues have progressed. He's now violent and at the end stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Although confrontation with his father is imminent, Malcolm reluctantly agrees to return home for the weekend and take on the mantle of caregiver while they contend with the difficult decision of how to care for their father. As is the case with everything involving his family, nothing goes as expected.


Joseph and I talk about the relationship that Malcolm and his father has and what it is like to reconnect after two years. He sheds light on how Malcolm adjusts to being his father's caregiver and the impact of their roles being reversed. We also talk about the affect Alzheimer's can have on the patient's loved ones and the new challenges they will have to overcome.

This is Joseph's fifth book and we discuss the subjects of “The Painted Lady,” “Disconnected,” and others and the inspirations which led to them. Personally, I cannot wait to read “Disconnected.” He also shares some of his ideas for future works.

Glenn Rockowitz's book shares he and his father's cancer journey

Diagnosed with an aggressive, terminal cancer in 1998, Glenn Rockowitz was told he had three months to live. After the diagnosis, his father prayed to take his cancer from him. So, when Glenn’s father received his own terminal diagnosis less than a week later, the two faced their final moments of life alone, and together. That journey is captured in Rockowitz's new book, “Cotton Teeth.”



In this interview, Glenn talks about the day he received the diagnosis, his conversations with his father, and how their relationship changed during their treatment. Glenn shares the writing process and how he approached sharing such a personal time of his life with the world. Included in the book is a letter that Glenn wrote to his son when he thought his diagnosis would prove terminal.

Matt Jatkola talks about tying music into his health journey

Boston singer-songwriter Matt Jatkola returns to talk about his newest singles—“When Tomorrow Comes” and “Japanese Butterfly.” Both were written at different stages of Matt's battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. “When Tomorrow Comes” was written shortly after he received the diagnosis in early 2020, and “Japanese Butterfly” was penned as his treatment was nearing its end. Matt's been cancer-free for nearly a year now.

We talk about Matt's mindset when he began writing the songs and why he wanted to share the story through his music. Matt shares his feelings when he was diagnosed and how it feels to have a clean bill of health. We also look at Matt's interest in professional wrestling and how it helped him to get through both his treatment and the pandemic itself.

Keep listening after this interview, because I've got both songs for your listening enjoyment. They have very different sounds, both of which I really liked.