Second Act Stories

If you're of a certain age, you may not know the name Andy Lindberg. But you definitely know his most famous role. Andy played Lard Ass Hogan in the legendary Rob Reiner film "Stand By Me," one of the most beloved coming-of-age movies ever made. His scene, the unforgettable "barf-o-rama" at the pie-eating contest, remains one of the most memorable movie moments of the 1980s. It was gross. It was hilarious. It was impossible to forget. Andy was 14 years old when he filmed the scene in Oregon, a local kid doing local theater who suddenly found himself working on a major motion picture based on a Stephen King story and directed by a man who would go on to become one of the great filmmakers of his generation. And then life kept going. In this episode, Andy shares what it was like to be cast as Lard Ass, how he felt about the role as a teenager, what it was like to return to high school after the movie came out, and why he has had to rethink the shame he carried for years about being "the right fat kid in the right place at the right time." He also shares some wonderful behind-the-scenes stories from the set, including working with Rob Reiner, watching Kiefer Sutherland hold the boom mic, and putting his face into what he estimates were more than 250 pies over the course of filming. To this day, blueberry pie is not exactly his favorite dessert. But Andy's story doesn't end with "Stand By Me." Not even close. After years of acting, including a move to New York and stage work around the country, Andy eventually returned home to Oregon. Today, he is the executive director of Westwind, a remarkable camp and natural area on the Oregon coast that helps kids unplug, connect with nature, and experience something increasingly rare: being fully present in a beautiful place. For Andy, running a summer camp is not as different from theater as it might seem. Both involve creating a temporary world; both have a beginning, middle, and end; both can change people in ways they may not understand until years later. In this episode, Andy shares his journey from childhood movie fame to steward of nature, from the stage to the forest, and from one unforgettable movie scene to a life built around helping kids find wonder in the real world. As Andy says, life is long. You can change course entirely. And it's never too late to become the person you were meant to be. To learn more about Andy's work, visit Westwind.org. ******* If you enjoy Second Act Stories, please leave us a review here. We may read your review on a future episode! Subscribe to the Second Act stories Substack. Check out the Second Act Stories YouTube channel. Follow Second Act Stories on social media: Facebook LinkedIn Instagram Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes.

Wade Milyard worked as a police officer in Frederick, Maryland for nearly 20 years and planned to retire from the force in January 2025. As retirement approached, he had no idea what he was going to do next. In his final year as a police officer, he and his partner were called to a domestic dispute with a homeless couple living in a tent. "As we were leaving the campsite, God put it in my heart to ask a simple question: where do you do your laundry?" And that was where the idea of "Fresh Step Laundry" first began to take shape. Fresh Step Laundry provides free laundry service to Frederick's unhoused population via a mobile laundry vehicle that conveniently meets individuals wherever they are. The organization officially began serving the homeless community on September 4th, 2025 following the retrofitting of a donated, transport van with three, front-load washers and three, front-load dryers. The vehicle is affectionately named "Leaky Lucy." Interested in supporting Fresh Step Laundry? You can learn more at the organization's website at https://www.freshsteplaundry.com/.

If you know tech, you know David Pogue. His resume includes 13 years as the top personal technology columnist for THE New York Times, and prior to that, 13 years as a columnist for Macworld magazine. Today he's a full-time correspondent for the venerable weekly news program CBS Sunday Morning. His work there has earned him seven… SEVEN… Emmy Awards. He's also a five-time TED speaker, and he's hosted 20 NOVA science specials on PBS. David is also a prolific author. He's written or cowritten more than 120 books, including dozens in the Missing Manual tech series, which he created in 1999; six books in the For Dummies line; two novels; his three bestselling Pogue's Basics books of tips and shortcuts; his practical guide to the climate crisis, How to Prepare for Climate Change; and his newly released magnum opus, Apple: The First 50 Years. This is a man who doesn't sit still. But before he summited the tech world, David climbed to the top of the mountain on Broadway. He spent ten years conducting and arranging Broadway musicals. During that time he earned a reputation as the kid who could help people with tech. That reputation led him to the apartments of the Broadway elite, where he gave private lessons to the likes of Cy Coleman, Mia Farrow, Stephen Sondheim, and a host of others whose names you definitely know. In this episode David shares what prompted his love of technology, how it gave way to success on Broadway, and the unusual way it all came together to reveal the path that led directly to the pages of The New York Times and the airwaves of CBS News. How did the magic happen (pun intended; he's also an accomplished magician and has written a book on magic)? It's the advice he gives to everyone: "Say yes to everything." He didn't have a plan for his career, but he reached the peak in more than one industry. One of the most interesting things, however, is how his career in tech journalism started. Believe it or not, it had nothing to do with wanting to write. In this episode, David shares his journey from Shaker Heights, Ohio to the "Great White Way," to the pages of The New York Times, and beyond. He also dives deep on two of his legendary CBS Sunday Morning segments: his interview with Elon Musk that created worldwide headlines, and his experience as a passenger in the ill-fated OceanGate Titan submersible. Learn more about David by Googling his name or visiting his website. Buy David's new book, Apple: The First 50 Years anywhere books are sold. ******* If you enjoy Second Act Stories, please leave us a review here. We may read your review on a future episode! Subscribe to the Second Act stories Substack. Check out the Second Act Stories YouTube channel. Follow Second Act Stories on social media: Facebook LinkedIn Instagram Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes.

Some people change careers. These people rewrote the menu. This week on Second Act Stories we highlight an incredible group of entrepreneurs who traded in wildly different first acts for lives spent building bold, food-focused brands. What connects them isn't a straight line or a master plan, but the moment they realized it was time for a second serving: to take what they'd learned, trust their instincts, and build something deliciously their own. These are stories of reinvention, risk, and recipes. Proof that sometimes the most satisfying work comes after you decide to start over. Paul Giannone (known to all as "Paulie Gee") grew up in Brooklyn, NY but moved to New Jersey as an adult. For most of his professional career he worked with AT&T and their subsidiaries as an information technology staffer and eventually a consultant. And candidly he never liked the work – he never felt he was very good at it either. But he needed to support his family so he stuck it out. While he didn't love his work, he loved pizza — absolutely loved everything about it. And at the age of 56, he took an incredible leap of faith – returning to Brooklyn and opening up Paulie Gees — a pizza restaurant. He's been remarkably successful and "Paulie's Slice Shop" followed in Brooklyn as did Paulie Gees franchise restaurants in Chicago, Columbus and Baltimore. Paulie secured 15 different investors that helped him launch the restaurant. But he also took out a home equity loan and put his own "skin in the game" to pursue his dream. It was a big risk but it has all worked out. As Paulie told us, "This is beyond my wildest dreams, I had no idea how happy I could be…I am doing what I was born to do, what I am wired to do." ******* If you enjoy Second Act Stories, please leave us a review here. We may read your review on a future episode! Subscribe to the Second Act stories Substack. Check out the Second Act Stories YouTube channel. Follow Second Act Stories on social media: Facebook LinkedIn Instagram Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes.

Some people change careers. These people rewrote the menu. This week on Second Act Stories we highlight an incredible group of entrepreneurs who traded in wildly different first acts for lives spent building bold, food-focused brands. What connects them isn't a straight line or a master plan, but the moment they realized it was time for a second serving: to take what they'd learned, trust their instincts, and build something deliciously their own. These are stories of reinvention, risk, and recipes. Proof that sometimes the most satisfying work comes after you decide to start over. Anna Vocino has an impressive IMDb resume dotted with comedic acting roles, sketch comedy appearances on shows including the Lance Krall Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live, and professional narration work for a number of TV series and documentaries. She has risen to the top of the voiceover industry, lending her vocal skills to an endless array of video games and TV commercials, and she's even the female voice of the NBC television network. In the midst of a career in entertainment, Anna was diagnosed with Celiac disease and was forced to eliminate gluten from her diet. A gifted cook, she created gluten-free versions of the recipes she loved and posted them to a blog. A circuitous series of decisions led her to co-host a very successful podcast with health entrepreneur Vinnie Tortorich, and her path ultimately resulted in the release of two bestselling Eat Happy cookbooks. She combined her love of cooking with a passion to create foods that are clean, gluten-free, no sugar added alternatives to the processed options available on most store shelves. Today, Anna is also the CEO of packaged food company Eat Happy Kitchen, which has realized substantial growth in both distribution and revenue since its launch. Most surprisingly, Anna's path was not linear. She didn't set out to embark on a second act, and she didn't know she was on that path until she looked back and realized it. Learn more about Anna Vocino at www.annavocino.com. ******* If you enjoy Second Act Stories, please leave us a review here. We may read your review on a future episode! Subscribe to the Second Act stories Substack. Check out the Second Act Stories YouTube channel. Follow Second Act Stories on social media: Facebook LinkedIn Instagram Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes.