Although we have featured this wonderful guest and journalist on the Rick Flynn Presents podcast before we have made the decision to rewind this episode so even more audience members can experience this brilliant and highly gifted writer and journalist CLAUDIA ROWE.

Longlisted for the 2025 National Book Awards in Nonfiction

“An immersive, devastating look at foster children’s lives.” (Seattle Times)
A compelling exploration of the broken American foster care system, told through the stories of six former foster youth. This powerful narrative nonfiction book delves into the systemic failures that lead many foster children into the criminal justice system, highlighting the urgent need for reform.
​This book is a must-read for anyone interested in child welfare, social justice, and the transformative power of the best narrative nonfiction.
In Wards of the State, award-winning journalist Claudia Rowe's storytelling is both vivid and unflinching, offering readers a deep understanding of the foster care-to-prison pipeline. Through interviews with psychologists, advocates, judges, and the former foster children themselves, Rowe paints a heartbreaking picture of the lives shaped by this broken system.

Contact Claudia at www.ClaudiaRowe.com

This week on the Rick Flynn Presents Confessions of a Show Biz Kid podcast we welcome Road Manager to the Stars CARL MILLER.

Carl Miller was Cat Stevens' road manager and worked in various roles with a who's-who of other big names from Iron Maiden to the Kirov Ballet. He sat down to compile stories narrated by his contemporaries from the world of rock n roll -- and got more than he bargained for.

Review:

I have been in the rock business for over fifty years. In that time I've seen and heard many funny and crazy things. Here are but a few.

Ian Hill, Judas Priest

Boy this book wherever books are sold including Amazon.

Note: Listeners are encouraged to listen to Rick Flynn Presents (Episode 244) which originally aired on August 6, 2025 to hear this guest speak on his very first appearance on the Rick Flynn Presents worldwide podcast.

Back by popular demand and making his second visit to the Rick Flynn Presents worldwide podcast is author and Theoretical Linguist SAMUEL JAY KEYSER in promotion of his new book "Play It Again, Sam: Repetition in the Arts." In the book Play It Again, Sam Samuel Jay Keyser explores in detail the way repetition works in poetry, music, and painting. He argues, for example, that the same cognitive function underlies both how poets write rhyme in metrical verse and the way songwriters like Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn (“Satin Doll”) and Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (“My Funny Valentine”) construct their iconic melodies. Furthermore, the repetition found in these tunes can also be found in such classical compositions as Mozart's Rondo alla Turca and his German Dances, as well as in galant music in general.

Contact the author at Facebook as Samuel Jay Keyser and purchase the books wherever books are sold or ordered including Amazon.

Kim Cantin is a powerful symbol of resilience, having survived the devastating Montecito mudslides of 2018 that claimed 23 lives, including her husband and son, and left her daughter buried alive. Through unimaginable loss, Kim has fought to rebuild her life, driven by a fierce commitment to hope. She courageously shares her experience and new-found wisdom through her first book, Where Yellow Flowers Bloom. It is an honor to have her as part of our ongoing "Strong Women Series" on this very special edition of the Rick Flynn Presents worldwide podcast. Buy her book wherever books are sold or ordered.

Contact Kim at: www.KimCantin.com

Rick Flynn Presents proudly welcomes DR. LAUREL MELLIN to our worldwide podcast this week. What an honor indeed to have her on our show! So far, Dr. Mellin has authored twelve books.

Laurel Mellin, Ph.D. is the founder of emotional brain training (EBT), which she developed during her 40 years as a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. She is also a health psychologist and a New York Times bestselling author. You have seen Dr. Mellin not once, but three times, on Oprah Winfrey's television show. Dr. Mellin lectures extensively to health professionals and self-help groups and, in addition to OPRAH, has appeared on the TODAY show, GOOD MORNING AMERICA, and the CBS Evening News. Her work has been featured in Time, Life, Newsweek, Fortune, Health, Shape, and U.S. News & World Report.

Contact Dr. Mellin via email at: lauel@ebt.org

or via her website at:

www.EBT.org

Today on the Rick Flynn Presents worldwide podcast we welcome a Board-Certified Psychiatrist from the Cleveland, Ohio area DR. JIMMY MOLEY. Dr. Moley completed his educational and medical training at the University of Notre Dame and The Ohio State University. and is Board-Certified in psychiatry and licensed to practice in both Ohio and Florida, treating illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and ADHD. On this show we will discuss topics related to mental health, performance, sports psychiatry and more! Join us!

Contact Dr. Moley at www.JimmieMoleyMD.com

This week on Rick Flynn Presents worldwide podcast we gladly welcome in from Louisville, Kentucky, DONNA SIMMONS.

Donna Simmons is a wife, mother, author, and avid advocate for breaking cycles of generational trauma and mental health recovery. As a Governor appointed member of the Kentucky Juvenile Justice Advisory Board, she works with public servants and providers across the nation and state.

Ashes to Flame is a breathtaking memoir that is as raw as it is redemptive. Donna Simmons shares her harrowing yet inspiring journey with extraordinary vulnerability, transforming the deepest wounds of childhood abuse, exploitation, and betrayal into a story of healing, purpose, and power. Her voice is not only courageous, it ignites change! Through vivid storytelling and soul-baring truth, she brings light to the darkest of experiences while offering a roadmap for breaking generational cycles and reclaiming one’s voice. Simmons doesn’t just survive, she rises, creating space for others to do the same. This is more than a memoir; it’s a movement. Every page is a testament to the strength of the human spirit, the power of speaking out, and the possibility of turning pain into purpose. A must-read for survivors, advocates, and anyone seeking a story of true transformation. Her journey through the trauma of child marriage and exploitation can also be accessed through interviews and articles in Good Housekeeping, Glamour, NPR, Stateline, Fox News, US News and World Report, PBS, the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, and the Louisville Courier-Journal, among many other outlets. She is a frequent panelist, speaker, and trainer, and has given keynote speeches at both national and international conferences as well as testimony before legislative committees.

Donna accepts invitations to participate in speaking engagements and panel discussions that advance the reach of her life's purpose.

Contact Donna at: www.TraumaToPurpose.com

Direct From Seattle on this edition of the worldwide podcast, Rick Flynn Presents, is award-winning author CLAUDIA ROWE appearing in promotion of her new book "Wards of the State: The Long Shadow of American Foster Care."

“An immersive, devastating look at foster children’s lives.” (Seattle Times)

A compelling exploration of the broken American foster care system, told through the stories of six former foster youth. This powerful narrative nonfiction book delves into the systemic failures that lead many foster children into the criminal justice system, highlighting the urgent need for reform.

​This book is a must-read for anyone interested in child welfare, social justice, and the transformative power of the best narrative nonfiction.
In Wards of the State, award-winning journalist Claudia Rowe's storytelling is both vivid and unflinching, offering readers a deep understanding of the foster care-to-prison pipeline. Through interviews with psychologists, advocates, judges, and the former foster children themselves, Rowe paints a heartbreaking picture of the lives shaped by this broken system.
Rowe brings her extensive experience and investigative prowess to this eye-opening work. With a career spanning over 25 years, Rowe has written for publications such as The New York Times and Mother Jones, and her reporting has influenced policy changes in Washington State. Her previous book, The Spider and the Fly, was a gripping true-crime memoir that showcased her ability to blend personal narrative with broader social issues.

Claudia Rowe is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Mother Jones, and the Huffington Post. The author of the crime memoir The Spider and the Fly: A Reporter, a Serial Killer, and the Meaning of Murder, Rowe lives in Seattle.

Contact her at: www.ClaudiaRoweJournalist.com

Purchase this book wherever books are sold.