The Munn Avenue Muse Podcast Podcast Por Charles Levin arte de portada

The Munn Avenue Muse Podcast

The Munn Avenue Muse Podcast

De: Charles Levin
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Tips, Tricks, and Inspiration for Both Aspiring and Accomplished Authors from Munn Avenue Press

www.munnavenuemuse.comCharles Levin Arte Economía Historia y Crítica Literaria
Episodios
  • Why Your Next 3 Minutes Could Define Your Life: The 3:12 Rule with Sherry Levin

    Why Your Next 3 Minutes Could Define Your Life: The 3:12 Rule with Sherry Levin
    Mar 31 2026
    Charles LevinWe tend to believe that success is decided in the spotlight. But what if it’s actually decided in the quiet moments just before it, when no one is watching, and nothing has happened yet?In the latest episode of The Munn Avenue Muse, host Charlie Levin sits down with legendary basketball coach Sherry Levin to discuss her book Pregame: A Winning Mindset. While her stories come from the court, her lessons apply to authors facing blank pages, entrepreneurs staring down risky launches, and anyone standing on the edge of a life-changing moment.This isn’t really about sports.It’s about pressure and what you become when it arrives.Are You a Diamond or a Pencil?Under enough pressure, carbon can become either graphite or a diamond.Same substance. Different outcome.Sherry uses this metaphor to challenge her players and now her readers to rethink adversity. Pressure doesn’t destroy you; it reveals what you’re willing to become.When deadlines stack up, when rejection emails land, when life suddenly feels heavier than expected, you face a quiet choice:Will you wear down… or crystallize?“The choice is yours,” she tells her team.For writers, this might mean finishing the chapter you’re tempted to abandon. For leaders, it may mean making the decision you’d rather postpone. For anyone in pain, it could simply mean getting up tomorrow and trying again.Pressure is not the enemy. It’s the forge.The Power of “Next Play”One of Sherry’s former players, Leticia Rolle, carried a single lesson from the court into her life as an entrepreneur and model:Next play.Missed opportunity? Next play.Failed launch? Next play.Bad day at work or at home? Next play.In sports, hesitation costs possessions. In life, it costs years.Writers often stall because they keep rereading what didn’t work. Professionals replay conversations long after everyone else has moved on. Creators abandon projects because the first version wasn’t perfect.But progress belongs to those who refuse to freeze in the past.A setback isn’t a stop sign. It’s a transition.Momentum is built one forward motion at a time.The 3:12 MiracleSherry recounts a championship game where her team trailed by nine points with only 3 minutes and 12 seconds left.Most teams would mentally check out. The scoreboard looked final.Instead, she gave them a simple, calm directive:Three stops.Three scores.One play at a time.No speeches. No panic. No desperation.Just a plan small enough to execute under pressure.They followed it possession by possession and completed the comeback to win the championship.Years later, Sherry used the same mindset during her battle with breast cancer. She didn’t try to conquer the entire fight at once. She focused on the next appointment, the next treatment, the next day.Overwhelm shrinks when the horizon shrinks.Your life rarely turns on one massive heroic act. It turns on a series of composed responses when everything feels like it’s falling apart.Everyone eventually faces a personal “3:12” moment.Why This Matters NowWe live in a culture obsessed with outcomes and impatient with process. We celebrate the highlight reel while ignoring the preparation that made it possible.But every breakthrough is preceded by invisible minutes of doubt, fear, recalibration, and resolve.The email you almost didn’t send.The draft you almost deleted.The conversation you almost avoided.Those moments shape trajectories more than any grand plan ever could.And none of us does it alone.Behind every composed performance is a network of belief, teammates, editors, mentors, readers, family, and friends. Success is rarely solitary; it is communal strength expressed through individual action.Sherry’s guiding question cuts straight to the core:“In the eyes of someone else, would they be proud of you?”Not impressed. Proud.It’s a measure of character, not achievement.Is Your 3:12 Already Ticking?Maybe your moment looks like:Publishing the piece you’re afraid to share.Starting the book you keep outlining but never writing.Making the call you’ve been postponing.Showing up again after a quiet disappointment.You don’t need to solve everything today.You only need to win the next play.Because sometimes three minutes used well can echo across a lifetime.Read It Now🎧 Listen to the full episode of The Munn Avenue Muse featuring Sherry Levin on your favorite podcast platform.📘 PREGAME: A Winning Mindset is available now at:* Amazon* Barnes & Noble* Bookshop.org🌐 Connect with Sherry at SherryLevin.com✍️ If you are preparing for your own “game day” whether that means writing a book, launching a project, or stepping into a new chapter, Munn Avenue Press is here to help you turn preparation into publication. If you would like to publish your book or audiobook (or are just beginning to imagine it), visit MunnAvenuePress.com and let the team help you bring your vision to life.Happy Writing!Charlie Levin, Publisher & Founder👉 ...
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    30 m
  • Information informs. Stories transform.

    Information informs. Stories transform.
    Mar 17 2026
    Charlie Levin · Mar 17, 2026In the latest episode of The Munn Avenue Muse, host Charlie Levin speaks with HR leader, consultant, and researcher Dr. Roz Cohen, author of The Engagement Dilemma. The conversation pulls back the curtain on one of the most uncomfortable truths in modern leadership:Many workplace culture initiatives aren’t meant to solve problems. They’re meant to look like they are. Cohen calls this phenomenon engagement theater, and once you see it, you can’t unsee it.The Most Dangerous Culture Problem Is InvisibleEngagement theater resembles real effort.Town halls. Surveys. Retreats. Listening sessions. Carefully worded emails about values and belonging. On paper, everything appears positive.Employees, however, are remarkably good at sensing authenticity. When initiatives fail to produce meaningful change, trust erodes quietly—not through rebellion, but through withdrawal.People stop speaking up.Stop volunteering ideas.Stop believing honesty is safe.Over time, they stop bringing their full selves to work. Not out of laziness, but out of self-protection.Why Real Leaders Talk About Their MistakesWhat makes Cohen’s book unusual is that she doesn’t present herself as the flawless expert. Instead, she shares deeply uncomfortable moments from her own career.Including one that still makes her cringe.Early in her finance career, she casually referred to an employee as “my pet” and tapped them on the shoulder, a comment overheard by her boss and immediately recognized as inappropriate.Many professionals would erase that memory.Cohen chose to document it. Leaders who pretend they have never failed create cultures where everyone else feels pressure to pretend as well. Acknowledging mistakes does not diminish authority; it makes leadership more human.And humans follow humans, not perfection.Stories Change People More Than Data Ever WillCohen deliberately structured The Engagement Dilemma around narrative, not just research. Because information informs. Stories transform.A statistic might make you think. A story makes you remember. A personal story makes you feel.That emotional connection is what actually shifts behavior, whether in leadership, teaching, or writing. As Cohen notes, the fastest way to regain a drifting audience is simple: “Let me tell you a story.”Everyone leans in. Because stories are how humans make meaning.When Labels Replace CuriosityCohen also tackles one of the most charged topics in modern workplaces: diversity, equity, and inclusion.Her argument is both bold and disarming. At their core, these concepts aren’t political. They’re human. People want to be seen. Understood. Valued for who they are.The problem arises when labels become shortcuts for understanding. Instead of learning about the individual in front of us, we interact with assumptions.Cohen compares it to wearing tinted glasses: everything you see is pre-filtered before you even begin. Clear vision requires removing the tint.The Values Driving the MessageCohen traces her motivation to two Jewish principles that shaped her worldview:Tzedakah — the responsibility to give backTikkun Olam — the call to repair the worldWriting the book was, for her, an act of contribution. Knowledge that stays within elite circles helps no one.But if one leader reads the book and changes one behavior, if one employee feels more seen, more heard, more valued, that ripple matters. The Real Engagement DilemmaThe biggest threat to workplace culture is performative care.Employees don’t need more programs that appear supportive. What matters is leadership behavior that demonstrates support in everyday moments.A manager who listens without deflecting.A system that makes participation possible for more than just the loudest voices.A culture where mistakes can be discussed openly and learned from.Engagement is not something leaders announce. It is something people experience.When individuals feel genuinely seen, motivation follows naturally.If you lead people, this conversation serves less as a set of tips and more as a wake-up call. The future of work will not be defined by perks, policies, or slogans, but by whether employees believe their leaders genuinely mean what they say.For Writers: Stop Waiting for the Perfect ConditionsCohen’s advice to aspiring nonfiction authors is refreshingly grounded:Start small. Stay consistent. Lower the bar.Write for 30 minutes. Write three sentences. Organize notes. Free-write without editing. Progress beats perfection. She compares writing a book to eating an elephant: one bite at a time.Most unfinished manuscripts aren’t abandoned because of a lack of talent, they’re abandoned because the task feels too large to begin.🎧 Listen to the full episode of The Munn Avenue Muse featuring Dr. Roz Cohen on your favorite podcast platform.📘 The Engagement Dilemma is available now at:* Amazon* Barnes & Noble* Bookshop.org🌐 Connect with Roz at DrRozCohen.com✍️ If you are ready...
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    30 m
  • Writing to Stay Alive: The Memoir as a Survival Strategy

    Writing to Stay Alive: The Memoir as a Survival Strategy
    Mar 3 2026
    Charles Levin · Feb 4, 2026We often think of storytelling as an act of reflection. But what if it’s something deeper—something evolutionary? A survival mechanism.In the latest episode of The Munn Avenue Muse, host Charlie Levin sits down with Karen B. Gerson, author of the gripping memoir I Should Not Be Here. This isn’t just another trauma narrative. It’s a revelation.Karen’s story weaves through childhood trauma, OCD, PTSD, and depression—but instead of being crushed by these experiences, she used them as raw material for transformation. For readers, writers, and healers alike, this conversation is a masterclass in how to turn your most painful truths into powerful storytelling.When the Title Is the Story“I should not be here.”That was Karen’s internal refrain for years. Raised in a high-pressure school system where she felt she didn’t belong, she struggled academically and socially. Add to that undiagnosed mental health challenges, and the fact that she even made it through school, let alone wrote a bestselling book, is nothing short of remarkable.The title of her memoir isn’t dramatic, it’s accurate. And that’s what makes it land with such weight.“Memoirs aren’t about the extraordinary,” Charlie notes. “They’re about the impossibly personal.”Rethinking OCD: Not a Disorder, a DefenseOne of the most profound takeaways from the episode is Karen’s reframing of obsessive-compulsive disorder. For years, she viewed her compulsions as symptoms of something broken.But in writing her story, something shifted.She realized that her rituals lining up glass ducks just right, counting stairs before bed, were actually mechanisms of control in a world that felt terrifying. In that light, OCD became not a weakness, but a resource. A lifeline. A brilliant (if exhausting) tool for survival.“It wasn’t pathology,” she says. “It was my strategy.”Writing from the Wound, Not in the WoundKaren had tried to write the book before. Twice. But each time, it dragged her back into the pain.It wasn’t until she was far enough along in her healing that she could revisit the hardest moments without reliving them. She worked with ghostwriter Aaron to craft a safe container—one where she could pause, breathe, and return when ready.Some days, she simply had to say: “I’m done for the day.”And that was okay.This process led her to a fundamental insight:“If you’re writing from trauma, wait until you can touch it without bleeding.”Breaking the Mold: A Memoir Told by a VillageInstead of a singular voice, Karen’s memoir features interviews with eleven people in her life, family, friends, even her children.The result? A multidimensional portrait of pain and healing.One of the most gut-wrenching moments came from her oldest son, who admitted that during Karen’s mental health crises, he had to seek out “other villages” for support.That chapter alone changed how they talked as a family.The truth didn’t just set Karen free—it opened new conversations.From Publication to PurposeI Should Not Be Here was released on November 18th, a day that left Karen in tears. The outpouring of support was immediate:* Childhood friends who never knew her struggle reached out.* Therapists thanked her for helping them understand their patients.* Readers said the book gave them permission to begin their own healing.Now, Karen is using her platform to advocate for mental health awareness, partnering with Kansas City news outlets ahead of Mental Health Month in May.This story isn’t just published, it’s in motion.Is Your Story Waiting?If you’re sitting on a story that feels “too messy,” “too painful,” or “too unfinished,” Karen’s message is simple:Don’t wait for perfection. Wait for readiness. And when that arrives tell the story like your life depends on it. Because for someone else, it might.🎧 Listen to the full episode of The Munn Avenue Muse featuring Karen B. Gerson on your favorite podcast platform.📘 I Should Not Be Here is available now at:* Amazon* Barnes & Noble* Bookshop.org🌐 Connect with Karen at KarenBGerson.com✍️ If you are ready to share your own story, whether it is fiction, nonfiction, or a blend of both, Munn Avenue Press is here to help you bring it to life. If you would like to publish your book or your audiobook (or are just dreaming about it), let the MunnAvenuePress.com team help make your dream a reality.Happy Writing! Charlie Levin, Publisher & Founder👉 Want more unfiltered author journeys and publishing wisdom? Subscribe below for weekly insights from The Munn Avenue Muse.🗣 Ask Siri or Alexa to “Play The Munn Avenue Muse podcast!”This post is public. Feel free to share. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.munnavenuemuse.com
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    35 m
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