ON THE KNOWS with Randall Kenneth Jones

Rebecca Newberger Goldstein is an award-winning philosopher, writer, and public intellectual. She is the author of ten books of acclaimed fiction and non-fiction, including 36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction, Betraying Spinoza: The Renegade Jew Who Gave Us Modernity and most recently, The Mattering Instinct: How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us and Divides Us. She holds a Ph.D. in philosophy of science from Princeton University and has taught at Yale, Columbia, NYU, Dartmouth, and Harvard. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, her work has been supported by the MacArthur "Genius" grant and fellowships from the Guggenheim, Whiting Institute, Radcliffe Institute, and the National Science Foundation. In 2015, she was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama. Described by recurring guest Erin Brockovich as "The best podcast and host ever," "ON THE KNOWS with Randall Kenneth Jones" is a premier podcast and media platform dedicated to exploring the intersection of professional success, personal fulfillment, and human potential. Through a series of 200+ high-energy conversations with celebrities, changemakers, and thought leaders, Jones delves into the minds of entertainment industry icons and beyond to extract actionable leadership and lifestyle insights. With its frequent focus on authors and books, the arts and humanities, the show skillfully balances the glamour of fame, success, and/or the power of influence with the humor and pathos of everyday life, creating a rich tapestry of human nature and shared experience. Host Randall Kenneth Jones is a bestselling author, speaker, and creative communications consultant. The announcer is the celebrated voice actor Susan Bennett, widely known as the original voice of Siri. Often described as an "antidote to today's anxiety-ridden media landscape," ON THE KNOWS with Randall Kenneth Jones offers a fun yet meaningful spin on aging, legacy, lifelong learning, and "edutainment," by emphasizing creativity, connection, conversation, laughter, listening, kindness, and thought. "ON THE KNOWS" is produced and edited by Kevin Randall Jones. Best Quotes from Interview: • "Every living thing is organically driven by a mandate that ensures it matters to itself—which is to say that it prioritizes its own surviving and thriving. In lifeforms as massive as blue whales and as scanty as a sliver of grass struggling up through a crack in the sidewalk, biology encodes the message of self-mattering." • Excerpt from "Do I matter? This is the mother of our mattering questions. Ultimately, we want to know what matters because we desperately want our own lives to be driven by what matters. We want to know who matters because we desperately want to be numbered among the ones who matter." • "I used to think I wanted to be famous, but now I know I just want to matter." Randall Kenneth Jones • When it comes to our own mattering, we are staunch realists. We don't want feelings. We want the facts. • "Some seek to demonstrate their mattering by diminishing the mattering of others, such as racism, sexism, classism, jingoism, elitism, ethnic biases, and other forms of mattering diminishment that we haven't yet gotten around to naming." • Excerpt from "There just doesn't seem to be enough mattering to go around, and we scramble like children beneath a piñata." www.OnTheKnows.com Rebecca Newberger Goldstein www.RebeccaGoldstein.com Randall Kenneth Jones: www.RandallKennethJones.com Susan Bennett: www.SusanCBennett.com Kevin Randall Jones: www.KevinRandallJones.com

Listening to the ON THE KNOWS podcast with master interviewer Randall Kenneth Jones as he sits down with acclaimed author Patrick Ryan is a must for fans of literary fiction, family sagas, and deep-dive storytelling. This 2026 interview explores the creative process behind Ryan's expansive 2025 novel, Buckeye, a "Read With Jenna" book club pick that spent multiple weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Patrick Ryan's book "Buckeye" was named the #1 Best Book of the Year for 2025 by Amazon editors. This top honor recognizes his novel as the leading title on their annual list of top books. Why You Should Listen to This Episode • Behind the Scenes of a Bestseller: Discover how Patrick Ryan spent eight years crafting Buckeye, drawing inspiration from his own family's history and a shocking decades-old secret involving his grandmother in a small Ohio town. • The Art of "The Know": Host Randall Kenneth Jones is celebrated for his ability to ask "questions no one else can ask," moving beyond standard press junket talk to uncover the "little truths" that define his guests, his characters, and their shared belief systems. • Deep Themes of Forgiveness and Grief: The conversation delves into the heart of Ryan's work, exploring how individuals are defined by their mistakes and how the often unspoken words between loved ones shape generations. • A Journey Through American History: Learn how Ryan uses a small-town Ohio setting to reflect sixty years of American history, from the 1920s to the 1980s, through the intertwined lives of two families. Patrick Ryan is the author of the story collections "The Dream Life of Astronauts" (named one of the Best Books of the Year by the St. Louis Times-Dispatch, Literary Hub, Refinery29, and Electric Literature, and longlisted for The Story Prize) and "Send Me." His work has appeared in The Best American Short Stories, the anthology Tales of Two Cities, and elsewhere. The former associate editor of Granta, he is the current editor-in-chief of the literary magazine One Story. He lives in New York City. Described by recurring guest Erin Brockovich as "The best podcast and host ever," "ON THE KNOWS with Randall Kenneth Jones" is a premier podcast and media platform dedicated to exploring the intersection of professional success, personal fulfillment, and human potential. Through a series of high-energy conversations with celebrities, changemakers, and thought leaders, Jones delves into the minds of entertainment industry icons and beyond to extract actionable leadership and lifestyle insights. With its frequent focus on authors and books, the arts and humanities, the show skillfully balances the glamour of fame, success, and/or the power of influence with the humor and pathos of everyday life, creating a rich tapestry of human nature and shared experience. Listeners are invited into inspiring discussions that prioritize personal growth and the pursuit of excellence, offering a masterclass in creativity and innovation. Host Randall Kenneth Jones is a bestselling author, speaker, and creative communications consultant. The announcer is the celebrated voice actor Susan Bennett, widely known as the original voice of Siri. Often described as an "antidote to today's anxiety-ridden media landscape," ON THE KNOWS with Randall Kenneth Jones offers a fun yet meaningful spin on aging, legacy, lifelong learning, and "edutainment," by emphasizing "the importance of importance," conversation, laughter, listening, and thought. "ON THE KNOWS" is produced and edited by Kevin Randall Jones. Podcast Interview Highlights: • Explanation of how Ryan and Randy "know" each other—through Randy's husband, Derek, and Ryan's mother, Beverly. • Patrick explains how he felt when he learned Amazon voted his book the #1 Book of the Year for 2025, as well as the thrill of being a Read with Jenna Today Show pick. • Randy praises Patrick's gift for language, descriptions, and exposition, and provides specific examples. • Patrick explains his writing process and provides specific examples. • Patrick explains his reasons for choosing this story, these characters, this time period, and these themes. • Patrick shares his personal connection to Ohio, the book's setting. • Patrick shares is view on "the complicated nature of forgiveness." • Discussion on the concepts of aging and the passage of time with Randy's shoutout to Allison Janney, who Randy feels should be in a film firm because shes the U.S.'s version of Judi Dench, she makes everything she's in better. • Discussion on Patrick as narrator, not passing judgment on his characters. • Discussion on the definition of a "villain" and what it means when "life" and "expectations" are the villain. Includes comparisons to Randy's Book "Ruby, Magic Comes From the Heart." Randy shares a personal story about how Cynthia Rhodes from "Dirty Dancing" inspired his book, "Ruby." • Discussion on actual writing/creative process. • Discussion on the non-traditional inclusion of a psychic character in the book, including Randy's reveal of what he learned about Patrick from his personal friend, psychic medium Linda Spellman — www.lightofthephoenix.com • Discussion on grief's impact on the book. • Randy emotionally shares the impact of Patrick's work on his career over the past 20 years. Best Quotes from Interview: • "If we are not conducting our lives in such a way that is geared toward helping other people have better lives, then there's no point." — Patrick Ryan • Excerpt from BUCKEYE by Patrick Ryan: "Bonhomie wasn't nearly so small that everyone knew everyone else, but it was small enough that, sooner or later, most everyone felt as if they'd laid eyes on most everyone else." • Excerpt from BUCKEYE by Patrick Ryan: "The wisdom that comes with age was needling, he found, because it brought the clarity of hindsight without the means to change anything." • Excerpt from BUCKEYE by Patrick Ryan: "Good opportunities sometimes come wrapped in garbage." • Excerpt from BUCKEYE by Patrick Ryan: "People were much nicer when you had a little money. It was like a secret handshake that gained you admission to a friendlier world." • Excerpt from BUCKEYE by Patrick Ryan: "Don't talk to anyone who doesn't seem nice. Don't talk to any man who has his pants hiked up and his business shoved over to one side, on display." • Excerpt from BUCKEYE by Patrick Ryan: "That's the whole point," Becky said. "Is the future knowable? Will our older selves be anything like our younger selves thought we would be? We can only find out by writing it down and then putting it out of our minds and letting life take its course. The unraveling of time should be mysterious, don't you think?" • Excerpt from BUCKEYE by Patrick Ryan: "What is it about time that confounds us? We spend it. We save it. We while it away. We waste it. We kill it. We complain about not having enough of it, or about having too much of it on our hands. We regret what we've done with it. We give it away. We want it back. We say "time and again" when something is bothering us and "it's time" when something is supposed to end. Felix saw it so clearly: all we should ever want of time is more of it. Life was so simple when it was reduced to the barest of necessities: more time; more air; more Duke Ellington." • "A lot of lying on a regular basis would have to start feeling like the truth." — Patrick Ryan • Excerpt from BUCKEYE by Patrick Ryan: "Wasn't it a fair measure of a person, what they did with their mistakes? How they managed to stumble into some of the right steps, after taking all the wrong ones? • "There's no expiration date on our ability to create or our ability to contribute." Randall Kenneth Jones www.OnTheKnows.com Patrick Ryan: www.PatrickRyanBooks.com Randall Kenneth Jones: www.RandallKennethJones.com Susan Bennett: www.SusanCBennett.com Kevin Randall Jones: www.KevinRandallJones.com

Film historian and acclaimed New York Times bestselling biographer Scott Eyman has written the definitive biography of Hollywood icon Joan Crawford, drawing on never-before-seen documents and photos from the Crawford estate. Joan Crawford flourished for decades, working for multiple studios in every genre from romance to westerns ("Mildred Pierce," "Johnny Guitar"), musicals to noir ("Torch Song," "A Woman's Face"), and being directed by a young Steven Spielberg in one of her last appearances. Along the way, she accumulated four husbands, an Academy Award for Best Actress, and the undeniable status of a legend. Scott Eyman is the author or coauthor of eighteen books, including the bestseller "John Wayne," as well as "Pieces of My Heart" and "You Must Remember This" with actor Robert Wagner. Eyman, formerly the literary critic at The Palm Beach Post, also writes book reviews for The Wall Street Journal and has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Chicago Tribune. He and his wife, Lynn, live in West Palm Beach. Described by recurring guest Erin Brockovich as "The best podcast and host ever," "ON THE KNOWS with Randall Kenneth Jones" is a premier podcast and media platform dedicated to exploring the intersection of professional success, personal fulfillment, and human potential. Through a series of high-energy conversations with celebrities, changemakers, and thought leaders, Jones delves into the minds of entertainment industry icons and beyond to extract actionable leadership and lifestyle insights. With its frequent focus on the arts and humanities, the show skillfully balances the glamour of fame and/or the power of influence with the humor and pathos of everyday life, creating a rich tapestry of human nature and shared experience. Listeners are invited into inspiring discussions that prioritize personal growth and the pursuit of excellence, offering a masterclass in creativity and innovation. Whether highlighting a household name or a community activist, every episode is packed with life lessons and motivational stories designed to empower individuals to reach their highest potential. Host Randall Kenneth Jones is a bestselling author, speaker, and creative communications consultant. The announcer is the celebrated voice actor Susan Bennett, widely known as the original voice of Siri. Often described as an "antidote to today's anxiety-ridden media landscape," ON THE KNOWS with Randall Kenneth Jones offers a fun yet meaningful spin on aging, legacy, lifelong learning, and "edutainment," by emphasizing the importance of importance, conversation, laughter, listening, and thought. "ON THE KNOWS" is produced and edited by Kevin Randall Jones. Podcast Highlights: • Scott and Randy set a fun tone for the interview by discussing an appropriate quote from Howard Strickling, former MGM Head of Publicity: "Don't let them interview you. You interview them. Find out what they're interested in and ask them about it. Then you can direct the interview in the direction you want." • Scott explains why he chooses the projects he chooses. • Scott talks about how the pandemic led him to write his Charlie Chaplin book before his Joan Crawford book, due to the availability of information online. • Scott begins to explain Joan Crawford's appeal as a book subject. • Randy shares his personal connection with Joan's alma mater, Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. • Randy gives a shout-out to Dr. James Wood, former President of Stephens College, for providing Crawford with three rules for life that, to Jones, still stand the test of time: • Never quit a job until it's finished. • The world isn't interested in your problems. • If you can find you can do a job, move on, because you're already bigger than the job. If the job is impossible, stick with it. You may never accomplish it, but you'll grow in the trying. • Scott discusses Joan's (lack of) classroom education. • Randy and Scott discuss our nation's challenging relationship with identifying the "truth," how Scott defines "truth" in his work, specifically with regards to Joan Crawford, and in the infamous book/movie "Mommie Dearest." • Scott discusses the differences between Joan Crawford, Lucille LeSueur, and Billie Cassin, the three names she was known by in her life. • Scott discusses "Possessed" and why it's his favorite of Crawford's films. • Randy explains his fun connection to two films, having played comedic versions of Jane Hudson in a stage production of "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" and Cousin Miriam in "Hush Up, Sweet Charlotte" in Florida. • Scott and Randy discuss the kinder side of Joan Crawford and what she teaches us today. Being attentive, invested in others, a good listener, committed, and professional—and how these qualities are not unique to the entertainment industry. • Scott and Randy discuss the danger of hearsay and the absence of thoughtful research. • Randy thanks Scott for his sensitive yet honest portrayal of aging. Best Quotes: • Scott Eyman: "As both actress and woman, [Joan Crawford] forged ahead, determined to outrun squalor and damage, to transcend the fear that coexisted with the other primary qualities she brought to the movies, and to her life: courage… sexual energy… vitality… defiance. Joan Crawford learned to love the light, and the light loved her back." • Scott Eyman: "Joan was working-class with no education to speak of but plenty of vaulting ambition and saw no reason to lie about either." • Scott Eyman: "[Joan Crawford] really worked at cultivating an audience because the audience was standing in for all the love she hadn't had." • Scott Eyman: "Underneath the carapace of Joan Crawford, she was still Lucille LeSueur, a distressed worker with a perpetually endangered sense of self-worth." • Scott Eyman "[Joan Crawford] had a sense of herself as a role she must play, that she could play, and it was her best role. She knew how to do it." • Scott Eyman: "My job is to find the humanity in whatever I write about." www.OnTheKnows.com Scott Eyman: www.scotteyman.com Randall Kenneth Jones: www.RandallKennethJones.com Susan Bennett: www.SusanCBennett.com Kevin Randall Jones: www.KevinRandallJones.com

Imagine your home suddenly transformed into a Hollywood icon. That's precisely what happened to John Abendshien, whose real-life house became the star of "Home Alone." More than just a film set, it turned into a character of its own, filled with traps and slapstick chaos that helped make the movie a global hit. Decades later, the house remains legendary. Tourists visit, merchandise abounds—even gingerbread replicas exist. In his new book, "Home But Alone No More," Abendshien shares the fascinating behind-the-scenes story: how the location was chosen, what filming was like, and the surreal experience of having a blockbuster take over his home—and life. Filming lasted five months in 1990, but the impact never ended. What followed was a mix of magic and madness, as the family's home became a permanent tourist attraction. Blending humor and heartfelt reflection, Abendshien draws parallels between himself and young Kevin McCallister, noting the film's deeper themes of family, independence, and resilience. Over time, the house stopped being just his—it became everyone's house. And as he says, when you're part of something this beloved, you're never really home alone. John Abendshien has over 45 years of experience providing consulting services to healthcare organizations in enterprise strategy, clinical services development, organizational design, and mergers and acquisitions. He has played a key role in the planning and development of some of the country's leading healthcare systems and has conducted 400+ consulting engagements across the United States with a broad range of organizations. John is a frequent speaker and lecturer on strategic planning and organizational change management, and is the author of the book "Health Care in the Next Curve: Transforming a Dysfunctional Industry" (CRC Press, 2018). In 2023, John was recognized by Marquis Who's Who for his contributions to the healthcare industry. John holds an M.B.A. and an M.S. degree in Health Services Management from the University of Missouri-Columbia and completed his administrative residency at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. He also served as an officer in the U.S. Army Medical Services Corps. "ON THE KNOWS with Randall Kenneth Jones" is a podcast that features smart, funny, and heartfelt conversations with celebrities, innovators, and everyday heroes. The show is designed to entertain, enlighten, and offer listeners new insights into the world, others, and themselves. The podcast is hosted by Randall Kenneth Jones, a bestselling author, speaker, and creative communications consultant. The announcer is the celebrated voice actor Susan Bennett, widely known as the original voice of Siri. The podcast offers a unique spin on knowledge and education, emphasizing the importance of conversation, laughter, listening, and critical thinking. It is often described as an "antidote to today's anxiety-ridden media landscape." "ON THE KNOWS" is produced and edited by Kevin Randall Jones. Podcast Highlights: • The only thing John didn't like about the final film was the horrible wallpaper, which didn't match the décor of John's home. • John shared why he waited 35 years to write the book—and John and Randy discuss why that has actually made it a better book. • John's 2nd-favorite memory from the set was time spent behind the scenes learning from production designer John Muto and cinematographer Julio Macat. John ultimately expresses very complimentary sentiments toward John Hughes, Chris Columbus, John Williams, and everyone involved in the movie. • John and Randy discuss their favorite cast members and why they have this honor. John's is Daniel Stern and Randy's is "the great and powerful" Catherine O'Hara. • John describes a childhood in which he was "home alone" much of the time. John and Randy share a hometown in Columbia, Missouri, and are both alums of the University of Missouri-Columbia. John and Randy discuss that neither of them ever "learned how to play." • John shares how his work in healthcare administration relates to his experience with HOME ALONE, both during filming and in the decades following the film's release. • John talks about his wonderful neighbors. • John shares how the film—and the chaos that followed—changed his view of life and how he personally changed over time. Best Quotes: • John Abendshien: "The 'Home Alone' crowd shattered almost every cliché ever said about Tinseltown. Every single person—yes, every last one—was down to earth and surprisingly easy to get along with." • John Abendshien: "We weren't just homeowners anymore; we were unwitting participants in a film production, witnessing the magic of moviemaking firsthand—crazy stunt scenes, a cast and crew who practically moved in, and the utter chaos that came with it all." • John Abendshien: "Kids, left to their own devices, are amazingly resourceful. Kids can figure things out and take care of themselves." • John Abendshien: "Despite having managed to take care of myself as a kid, there is a big gap in my upbringing—I never quite learned how to play." • John Abendshien: "It took me a while to realize it, but the truth is, we're all just guests in our own homes, whether we're talking about a house or our own bodies. We're here for a short time, and it's up to us to make room for others, to share our space." www.OnTheKnows.com John Abendshien: www.HomeButAloneNoMore.com Randall Kenneth Jones: www.RandallKennethJones.com Susan Bennett: www.SusanCBennett.com Kevin Randall Jones: www.KevinRandallJones.com

Mark Malkoff is a comedian, writer, and podcast host. He has been featured on Today, Good Morning America, CNN, NPR's Weekend Edition, and for eight years hosted the popular podcast The Carson Podcast. His new book, "Love Johnny Carson," is a wildly entertaining account by one of the world's most obsessed and informed fans of TV icon Johnny Carson, setting the record straight on Carson's legacy and shining a light on the personality behind the legendary comedian and talk show host. Carson aficionado Mark Malkoff has amassed more Carson stories from original sources than anyone in entertainment history, speaking to over four hundred individuals, and now, in "Love Johnny Carson," he sets the record straight in this comprehensive portrait of Carson's life, career, legacy, and character. The book covers the debuts of stand-up comics like David Letterman and Ellen DeGeneres, the never-before-detailed reasons why Johnny stopped talking to Joan Rivers, why he banned guests like William Shatner and Orson Welles, the true origins of Carnac the Magnificent (it wasn't stolen from Steve Allen), the part Johnny played in getting Nixon elected president, the beloved comedian who the Carson writers dreaded guest-hosting, and many other behind-the-scenes stories of the funniest and most beloved Carson moments of all time. "ON THE KNOWS with Randall Kenneth Jones" is a podcast that features smart, funny, and heartfelt conversations with celebrities, innovators, and everyday heroes. The show is designed to entertain, enlighten, and offer listeners new insights into the world, others, and themselves. The podcast is hosted by Randall Kenneth Jones, a bestselling author, speaker, and creative communications consultant. The announcer is the celebrated voice actor Susan Bennett, widely known as the original voice of Siri. The podcast offers a unique spin on knowledge and education, emphasizing the importance of conversation, laughter, listening, and critical thinking. It is often described as an "antidote to today's anxiety-ridden media landscape." Podcast Highlights: • Based on Mark's new book, this episode is an introduction to Mark's outstanding behind-the-scenes look at Johnny Carson's 30 years as leader of The Tonight Show. • Randy introduces a new "game show" entitled "Does Wikipedia Lie?" to introduce Mark and the various comedy stunts he has pulled off with Starbucks, Ikea, Netflix, & AirTran. • Let the name-dropping begin (from both guest and host): David Letterman, Michael J. Fox, Stephen Colbert, Joan Embery, Tiny Tim, Tommy Newsome, Rodney Dangerfield, Merv Griffin, Joey Bishop, Steve Lawrence, Don Rickles, Buddy Hackett, Jennifer Tilly, William Shatner, Diane Carroll, Lola Falana, Redd Foxx, Diana Ross, Gwen Verdon, The Pope, Dick Cavett, Buddy Rich, Steve McQueen, Shirley Jones, Jimmy Stewart, Jack Webb, Jimmy Cagney, Kate Capshaw, Jerry Lewis, Richard Nixon, Joan Rivers, Martin Luther King, Jr., Sammy Davis, Jr., • Mark and Randy both share touching, personal anecdotes about Regis Philbin. • Mark credits Carson's Midwest roots and his "likability" as major contributors to his success. • Randy's take-away from the book: "Carson is a combination of ego, paranoia, compassion, and above all, loyalty." • Mark discusses Carson's pet peeves (being corrected, someone turning their back on him). • The pair discusses the impact of being young white kids and the benefit of being introduced to black entertainers via the show. • The pair discusses their definitions of "star quality." Mark talks about the power of someone's "aura," onstage and offstage. Randy tells his personal story about interviewing Chita Rivera and how she shaped his view of star quality. Best Quotes: 0xEBggrOrtgDYi1K1NqL • Mark Malkoff: "For thirty years, Carson would become the one man who could calm a nervous nation during those anxious moments between wakefulness and sleep." • Mark Malkoff: He could listen to the guest, anticipate what he wanted to ask next, and, at the same time, scroll through the joke Rolodex in his mind to find the right quip." • Mark Malkoff: "That was Carson's brilliance. He knew what the audience wanted." • Mark Simone: "When you were a little kid growing up, Carson taught you this is how to be an adult. This is how to have a personality. This is how to conduct yourself in life." ON THE KNOWS is produced and edited by Kevin Randall Jones. www.OnTheKnows.com Mark Malkoff: www.MarkMalkoff.com Randall Kenneth Jones: www.RandallKennethJones.com Susan Bennett: www.SusanCBennett.com Kevin Randall Jones: www.KevinRandallJones.com