Seeking the Extraordinary

The Dream Is Alive: Martin Luther King III

Martin Luther KIng III is an historic icon, though his own story still has many more chapters to be written. He was born in 1957, the oldest son of two African-American civil rights activists. Sadly at the age of only 10, he and his three siblings lost their father, when he was murdered in cold blood. His father was only 39 years old when he was killed, and he had known at the time that others wanted him dead. Only the day before his death, our guest's father specifically addressed the growing threats against his life saying, "I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop and I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And he's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as people, will get to the promised land. So I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."MLK III was forced to endure the loss of his father. And was raised by his mother in Atlanta. He eventually attended Morehouse College where his father also went. And from there, he went on to make his own contributions to the legacy that his parents sought. He never feared standing up for justice, equity, fairness, and civil rights. He led countless movements, rallies and protests, including when he was arrested in the South African embassy in Washington, DC, is part of a civil disobedience protest against Apartheid and for the release of Nelson Mandela. But his passions are as broad as they are deep. He has led protests against bias in the field of technology. And it's spoken to the United Nations on behalf of individuals living with AIDS. He became the first of his family to attain political office, getting elected to the Fulton County commission. He became the fourth president of the Southern Christian leadership conference. And he founded the nonprofit, Realizing The Dream Inc, where he spearheaded nonviolence education workshops and programs in Bosnia, Herzegovina, India, Israel, and Palestine, Kenya, Sri Lanka, and the United States. He earned the honor of speaking for Barack Obama at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, and also spoke at Michael Jackson's funeral in 2009. Our guest served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Martin Luther king Jr. Center in Atlanta. And he co-founded Bounce TV, the first ever independently owned and operated TV network featuring African Americans. He's also served on the board of advisors of Let America Vote, an organization that fights against voter suppression. He's received numerous honorary degrees and awards, including the prestigious Ramakrishna Bajaj Memorial global award for the outstanding contributions he's made to the promotion of human rights and the humanitarian award by the Montreal Black Film Festival. He was even given the honor of presenting the ceremonial coin at Superbowl 40 and throwing out the first pitch at the major league baseball civil rights game. His father famously said, "I have a dream. That my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today." Today we have the privilege and opportunity to hear from one of those children about his father's dream and much more.

Matt Ruff: Power of the Pen

Matt Ruff is a New York Times bestselling author whose work is so compelling that HBO turned it into a highly successful TV series, 'Lovecraft Country.' He wrote the best-selling book of the same name on which that show is based. In fact, he's the author of multiple books, including Fool on the Hill, Sewer Gas and Electric: The Public Works trilogy. Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls, Bad Monkeys The Mirage, Lovecraft Country and 88 Names. He's written other books as well though they are not published, at least not yet. He's been described as an author of thriller, science fiction and comic novels, but he has said that he doesn't actually write in the same genre more than once. More on Matt: http://www.bymattruff.com/

Mark Buoniconti: Still Undefeated

Marc Buoniconti, author of 'Undefeated: From Tragedy To Triumph' is the son of a Hall Of Fame NFL legend. Like his father and brother he was a feared linebacker whose presence on the field was felt not only by his opponents, but also by his own team. He went to college at the Citadel where he, again, excelled at football and even managed to exceed the success he had as a player in high school. Things were going well for our guest who was voted the Citadel's most valuable player, but on October 26th, 1985 in a play against East Tennessee State, he dislocated his neck.And at the young age of 19 was instantly paralyzed from the shoulders down. In fact, his life was now in grave danger. But that's the only the tragedy side of the story. The triumph started around seven months after his injury. When he got himself weaned off the ventilator that was keeping him alive. Despite the longest odds against him, he obviously survived. He is now president of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, co-founded by his famous father and the very doctor who saved his life.

Lisa Poff: Woman of Courage

Lisa Poff has collaborated extensively with many allies in her quest to develop new programs designed to empower women with financial knowledge and confidence.She also attended culinary school and cooked in professional kitchens in Los Angeles and Washington DC, authoring a cookbook of her most successful recipes. She is the chief marketing officer of The Colony Group.About a year ago Lisa was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She joins the show to tell her story, one of heartbreak and fear on the one hand, but one of hope, courage, faith and an indomitable spirit on the other.

William Cohan: Wall Street Watchdog

Bill Cohan is the New York Times bestselling author of three non-fiction books about Wall Street money and power, How Goldman Sachs Came to Rule the World, House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street and The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Frères & Co., which also won the financial times Goldman Sachs business book of the year.His book, The Price of Silence, about the Duke lacrosse scandal was yet another New York Times bestseller. And he's also the author of the books Why Wall Street Matters and Four Friends' Promising Lives Cut Short. One of America's most respected financial journalists, Bill is a special correspondent at and a founding partner of Puck, a new digital publication owned and operated by journalists.More on Bill at https://williamcohan.com/

Heal the World: Dr. Craig Sable

Today's guest, Dr. Craig Sable, is the first medical doctor on the show. He's also a researcher and global health advocate, Sable is the associate division chief of cardiology at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., where he also serves as director of echocardiography, a professor of pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.Dr. Sable has made and lives a relentless commitment to global health. That includes extensive clinical outreach, practicing worldwide telemedicine and multiple research publications in the area of rheumatic heart disease. One of his greatest areas of interest, RHD remains the most common cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in children and young adults in the world today. Despite being preventable, it's also the fifth deadliest infectious disease in the world, but Sable is doing something about it.Actually, he's doing a lot about it.He's collaborated extensively with the medical team at a hospital in Uganda. In fact, he's personally led over 20 medical and surgical missions since 2003.More on Dr. Sable: https://childrensnational.org/visit/find-a-provider/craig-sableSeeking the Extraordinary is sponsored by The Colony Group. For more information and to contact Michael Nathanson visit www.thecolonygroup.com

The ’Fred and Ginger’ Of Diversity

In this edition of Seeking the Extraordinary, we're interviewing the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of Diversity & Inclusion- Gloria Cotton and Greg Jenkins. Greg is a dedicated and passionate leader, facilitator, coach, and mentor dedicated to helping people and teams achieve higher levels of performance. Greg helps leaders understand the value of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion to enhance team & organizational outcomes. Gloria is an expert HR and organizational development professional. Gloria has more than 25 years of experience working with corporate, non-profit, union, non-union, and government entities. She is committed to helping individuals, teams, and organizations create and sustain environments where all people can be and do their best. Diversity and inclusion are more important than ever for both employers and job seekers. Join us as they share their journey's thoughts and answer questions on Diversity and inclusion.More on Gloria Cotton at https://inquestconsulting.com/More on Greg Jenkins at https://www.gregjenkinsconsulting.com/Seeking the Extraordinary is sponsored by The Colony Group. For more information and to contact Michael Nathanson visit www.thecolonygroup.com

Gunnar Esiason Breathes It In

Gunnar Esiason is a cystic fibrosis and rare disease patient leader, who is passionate about early-stage drug development, patient empowerment and health policy. Professionally, he developed a patient engagement platform for a medical nutrition company, built a venture philanthropy practice at the Boomer Esiason Foundation and was the head coach of his high school alma mater’s varsity hockey team. He has consulted on clinical trial development, a real-world evidence population health study, and a cystic fibrosis-specific mental health and wellness screening tool. Gunnar has been the face of fundraising efforts for the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which has yielded more than $160 million for the fight against cystic fibrosis since he was diagnosed with the condition in 1993. His blog has amassed nearly 1 million page views since 2015.Gunnar co-hosted the podcast, Breathe In: A Cystic Fibrosis Podcast, which climbed into the iTunes top 200 health podcasts at the end of 2018. He currently hosts the podcast, The State of Health with Gunnar Esiason, which is available on all streaming services.More on Gunnar at https://www.gunnaresiason.com/The Breathe In Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breathe-in-a-cystic-fibrosis-podcast/id1299822342The State of Health with Gunnar Esiason Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-state-of-health-with-gunnar-esiason/id1566190374Seeking the Extraordinary is sponsored by The Colony Group. For more information and to contact Michael Nathanson visit www.thecolonygroup.com

The Drive of Joseph Bramlett

Joseph Bramlett was the youngest golfer ever to qualify for the US amateur at the age of 14. In 2002, he was recruited by all the major collegiate golf programs, but being from Northern California, decided to stay home and play for Stanford. He went on to be an All-American and a member of the 2007 NCAA championship team.

The Unsinkable Mary Margaret Revell

Mary Margaret Revell is someone whose life has been a story the likes of which you've never heard before. Disney wanted to make a movie about her, and with good reason. She swam across the nine-mile Strait of Gibraltar finishing in seven hours, 13 minutes, and becoming only the second woman to accomplish this feat. She made several attempts to swim across the English Channel before swimming across the 14 mile Sea of Galilee in Israel.She was the first woman to swim the 16 mile Straits of Mackinac in upper Michigan, and the first woman, and first American, to swim the double crossing of the Straits of Messina.She also worked for the Pentagon as special assistant for the environment and help direct the Navy's first environmental and conservation office. She wrote children's books and newspaper articles; raised sea otters; founded a company that made swimwear and sporting gear; became an acclaimed historian; and took the lead in establishing her great passion, the Maryland Museum of Women's History.Seeking the Extraordinary is sponsored by The Colony Group. For more information and to contact Michael Nathanson visit www.thecolonygroup.com