Second Act Stories

Second Act Stories has officially defied the odds. We've been nominated for a Webby Award! But our category is stacked with stiff competition: Michelle Obama, Sarah Silverman, TED Audio, Lemonada, ...

Rachel Humphrey was a trial attorney who was certain she would spend her entire career in front of judges and juries and eventually retire in a courtroom. After relocating from Virginia to Atlanta...

Mike Drak worked as a banker in Toronto for his entire professional career. When he was laid off at the age of 59, he  received a sizeable severance from his employer. Telling his spouse "Contessa,...

Stuckey’s is a legendary and iconic thread in the fabric of Americana. Founded in Eastman, Georgia in 1937 by WS “Sylvester” Stuckey, Sr., Stuckey’s grew into a roadside empire by the 1970s,...

Second Act Stories annual “Best of” episodes give us an opportunity to re-share remarkable stories, and welcome new listeners by giving them a good taste of what we do here: profile people who...

Second Act Stories annual, “best of” episode gives us an opportunity to re-share a remarkable story, and welcome new listeners by giving them a good taste of what we do here: profile people who...

Donald Loftus had a difficult upbringing in Cleveland, Ohio. His father left him and his two sisters at a young age. His mother worked at Sears and struggled to make ends meet. From grades 1-8, he...

The moment Patty Forehand opens her mouth, you know she’s from the deep south. And with that comes a certain set of preconceived notions. If she opens her mouth in front of a microphone on a comedy...

Robert Markowitz was a criminal defense attorney in Palo Alto, California. But the work caused him a great deal of stress and he started developing all sorts of physical ailments. So he quit and...

After growing up in what he describes as the ghettos of Daytona Beach, Royce James spent a decade working as a financial advisor, ultimately reaching the elite level of working with high-net-worth...

Sergio Raynal was at the top of his game. With a staff of 25+, he was responsible for KPMG’s real estate and hospitality consulting for Pacific Asia and the West Coast of the United States....

We hope you enjoy this ‘From the Vault’ episode, which reintroduces one of our favorite guests: Noa Shaw. Noa Shaw has led a hard life. Drugs and alcohol took hold of him at an early age. And he...

We hope you enjoy this 'From the Vault' episode, which reintroduces one of our favorite early guests: Cathy Heying. While working as the Director of Social Justice at St. Stephen’s Church in...

Jonathan Bahlatzis spent 15 years in corporate America,  11 of which were spent working as an engineer for GE. He rose through the ranks and took on leadership roles that gave him all the trappings...

Tracy Bonham built a reputation as a "badass rocker" with "Mother, Mother," a powerful anthem that made it to #1 on Billboard's "Alternative Rock" charts. The song and her "The Burdens of Being...

In 2009, Janie Deegan returned home from college with a serious alcohol and drug problem. Eventually, she found herself homeless and living on the streets of New York City. Fast forward to...

Ed Calderon is surprised he didn’t die by the age of 30. That’s the fate that many Mexican law enforcement officers face. But Ed wasn’t just a cop; he worked for a special paramilitary police...

After graduation from high school, Carolyn Curtin enrolled at the Wilfred Academy and received a degree in cosmetology. For years, she worked as a hairstylist. But her path changed in 2002 when she...

Rick Beato is one of the most successful YouTube stars in the world. His channel, Everything Music, has 3.5 million subscribers and is approaching 600 million views. Among the different types of...

Ted Bahr's career in magazine publishing and trade show management spans 35+ years. He held senior management positions at publishing giants Ziff-Davis and Miller-Freeman before launching his own...