Dare to Be Great, Dare to Be You Hosted by Shawn Langwell

Connections Matter. So does service, and forgiveness, and striving to be a better human sober. All are possible if we become brave enough to step out of our shell. Are you being intentional about connecting with others or do you tend to isolate? Join me and first-time podcast guest Paul Hamel as we uncover his walk in recovery while being a dad and running s small business, writin his first book and more. Paul Hamel is a Northern California native, entrepreneur, author, and lifelong student of personal growth. His path hasn’t been a straight line. From working in restaurants and bartending across the country to facing periods of addiction, self-doubt, and losing sight of himself, Paul has experienced both the highs and the hard realities of life. Today, he approaches life with a different perspective. He’s deeply interested in the power of the mind, self-talk, spirituality, and the process of becoming the person you were meant to be. He’s also a hands-on person who enjoys working with his mind as much as his hands—from building businesses to working on vehicles and creating new ideas. At his core, Paul is curious, resilient, introspective, and constantly evolving. His goal is simple: turn his experiences into something that can help others find their way forward. Find his book Can I Take Your Order here: ABOUT THE HOST: Shawn Langwell is an Author, Speaker, Teacher and Gap Mindset Coach & Consultant. He has written several transformational books including, Beyond Recovery, Ten Seconds of Boldness and its companion workbook, Today’s The Day, Morning Motivation, and Chill. He’s also the Past President of The California Writers Club (CWC), Redwood Writers, Past President of Toastmasters of Petaluma. Find him at www.shawnlangwell.com. Visit my new website to download a free helpful guide for defining what you want and why you want it: Free Guide: From Here to There. If you like the show, please follow and share, because sharing is caring and the world needs a lot more of it! Until next time... Dare to Be Great, Dare to Be You Love, Shawn

Practicing Kindness Isn't Hard, It's the Loving Thing to Do More from Today's the Day, personally narrated by me. Today we cover three short chapters that are all about Presence and Action. 1 - Practice Daily Acts of Kindness 2 - The Secret Power of Prayer, Meditation, and Visualization3 - Action Not Words The more time I spend with this book, reading it aloud for you and the world, the more I realize what a tremendous blessing and gift my pain and suffering have been. Had I not been brave enough to ask for help to stop drinking nearly forty years ago, I likely never would be doing what I am now. It has now become a personal responsibility to share what I know for the primary purpose of making it OK for others to lean in and say, even if privately, yeah me too! These chapters and the entire book are specifically designed to help you rebuild your self-esteem and self-confidence. Those who are already doing deeper work in recovery, whether in AA, Al-Anon, ACA, CoDA, or scores of other counseling, coaching, and psychotherapy resources, should find some of the reflections in these chapters, and the whole book, not only helpful but approachable without adding to our already stressed, crazy, neurotic lives. This book was literally a 45-day download from my own Higher Power after I had written Ten Seconds of Boldness. I wrote Today’s The Day not only for others, but as an easy pocket guide to return to for myself whenever I feel spun or stuck. I am sharing every single chapter here because this was a gift to me, and the greatest gifts are those that are shared. I hope you find what you're looking for here, or wherever you are led to look. A disclaimer and a word of advice: I am not a therapist or doctor and strictly share my experience, strength, and hope as I have known and lived it from nearly four decades of recovery in 12-step programs. I do not offer this or any of my books as a solution for those with challenges, mental, physical, or otherwise, that I am not qualified to diagnose or solve. What I do offer is what has worked for me, and I encourage any and all to continue the hard work of being honest with yourselves and becoming bold and brave enough to believe in yourself, which may require seeking other advice. I am available as a Gap Mindset Coach and marketing mentor for those who need those services. I do not offer CBT or any other forms of therapy. Please call others who may be qualified to assist. Lastly, my word of encouragement for this book, and all I teach and do and live: Be bold.Be brave.Dare to be great, dare to be you.And for the love of all, DON'T QUIT BEFORE THE MIRACLES HAPPEN. And check out my new kick-ass website that just went live last week! https://shawnlangwell.com/ ABOUT THE HOST: Shawn Langwell is an Author, Speaker, Teacher and Gap Mindset Coach & Consultant. He has written several transformational books including, Beyond Recovery, Ten Seconds of Boldness and its companion workbook, Today’s The Day, Morning Motivation, and Chill. He’s also the Past President of The California Writers Club (CWC), Redwood Writers, Past President of Toastmasters of Petaluma. Find him at www.shawnlangwell.com. Visit my new website to download a free helpful guide for defining what you want and why you want it: Free Guide: From Here to There. If you like the show, please follow and share, because sharing is caring and the world needs a lot more of it! Until next time... Dare to Be Great, Dare to Be You Love, Shawn

Mending our soul through deep conversations with the deceased. In Shawnan's Spirit Speaks, Elizabeth Denison shares how healing grief and death, loss and love can be when we learn to accept it as a natural part of life. Trigger Warning: we talk about suicide in this eposode. This interview offers a glimpse of months of intimate conversations between Elizabeth and her deceased son, Shawnan. Captured in notebooks over months and painstakingly crafted into a book, she shares her inner journey from loss to love with the poise of a polished sage. About Elizabeth: Elizabeth Denison is an emerging poet, author and career wellness educator.. Her transformational memoir, Shawnan Spirit Speaks: Love is the Forever Adventure begins with a tragedy and ends with a miracle. Her passion is for weaving her gifts of presence and intuitive witnessing into words to unite the visible and invisible worlds. When not writing, she may be found with the horses, on the pickleball court, hiking the Northern California coastal trails, singing, weaving or enjoying a second childhood with her husband and grandchildren. Find her here: https://elizabethdenison.com/ Instagram: denisonelizabeth FB: Elizabeth Denison (Simply Wonderful Words) YouTube: Elizabeth Denison “Love is the Forever Adventure” aka Shawnan Spirit Speaks ABOUT THE HOST: Shawn Langwell is an Author, Speaker, Teacher and Gap Mindset Coach & Consultant. He has written several transformational books including, Beyond Recovery, Ten Seconds of Boldness and its companion workbook, Today’s The Day, Morning Motivation, and Chill. He’s also the Past President of The California Writers Club (CWC), Redwood Writers, Past President of Toastmasters of Petaluma. Find him at www.shawnlangwell.com. Visit my new website to download a free helpful guide for defining what you want and why you want it: Free Guide: From Here to There. If you like the show, please follow and share, because sharing is caring and the world needs a lot more of it! Until next time... Dare to Be Great, Dare to Be You Love, Shawn

The Power of Story Cannot Be Understated—Especially when it's True! Join me and my new sister form another mister, Mary Alice Stephens, in this enligtenting and inspiring conversation about addiction, reality TV, and breaking the cycle of alcoholism. Something About Mary... Mary Alice Stephens is an award-winning storyteller. In her instant best-seller, Uncorked: A Memoir of Letting Go and Starting Over, she shares her raw, funny, and ultimately inspiring journey from alcohol-fueled chaos to clarity, connection, and self-acceptance. Uncorked was an Amazon #1 new release in alcoholism recovery and reached #4 on the Amazon best-seller list in midlife self-help. It won the 2026 PenCraft Best Book Award in Inspirational Nonfiction and the 2026 International Book Award for Addiction/Recovery. Mary is a former television writer-producer for HGTV, Food Network, and other media outlets. She earned her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Dominican University of California and lives in Marin County, California. Get Uncorked wherever books are sold: Uncorked: A Memoir of Letting Go and Starting Over Find and follow Mary here: Website: www.maryalicestephens.com IG: @maryalicestephenswrites FB: @maryalicestephens ABOUT THE HOST: Shawn Langwell is an Author, Speaker, Teacher and Gap Mindset Coach & Consultant. He has written several transformational books including, Beyond Recovery, Ten Seconds of Boldness and its companion workbook, Today’s The Day, Morning Motivation, and Chill. He’s also the Past President of The California Writers Club (CWC), Redwood Writers, Past President of Toastmasters of Petaluma. Find him at www.shawnlangwell.com. Visit my new website to download a free helpful guide for defining what you want and why you want it: Free Guide: From Here to There. If you like the show, please follow and share, because sharing is caring and the world needs a lot more of it! Until next time... Dare to Be Great, Dare to Be You Love, Shawn

Courage is a Decision to Act and Start Moving We become brave as soon as we stop overthinking and overplanning, tying to get everything perfect before we start. Success doesn't work like that. The true test of couarge kicks in as soon as we decide to step into our fears, especially the vast unknown, and take our first bold step forward. That is where real personal power happens. And the good news is that you have 100% control over what you chose to do or not do. More from Today's the Day, personally narrated by me. Today we cover three short chapters that are all about Courage, Clarity, and Conviction. 1 - Courage to Change2 - Success is Whatever You Decide it to Be3 - The Power of Belief The more time I spend with this book, reading it aloud for you and the world, the more I realize what a tremendous blessing and gift my pain and suffering have been. Had I not been brave enough to ask for help to stop drinking nearly forty years ago, I likely never would be doing what I am now. It has now become a personal responsibility to share what I know for the primary purpose of making it OK for others to lean in and say, even if privately, yeah me too! These chapters and the entire book are specifically designed to help you rebuild your self-esteem and self-confidence. Those who are already doing deeper work in recovery, whether in AA, Al-Anon, ACA, CoDA, or scores of other counseling, coaching, and psychotherapy resources, should find some of the reflections in these chapters, and the whole book, not only helpful but approachable without adding to our already stressed, crazy, neurotic lives. This book was literally a 45-day download from my own Higher Power after I had written Ten Seconds of Boldness. I wrote Today’s The Day not only for others, but as an easy pocket guide to return to for myself whenever I feel spun or stuck. I am sharing every single chapter here because this was a gift to me, and the greatest gifts are those that are shared. I hope you find what you're looking for here, or wherever you are led to look. A disclaimer and a word of advice: I am not a therapist or doctor and strictly share my experience, strength, and hope as I have known and lived it from nearly four decades of recovery in 12-step programs. I do not offer this or any of my books as a solution for those with challenges, mental, physical, or otherwise, that I am not qualified to diagnose or solve. What I do offer is what has worked for me, and I encourage any and all to continue the hard work of being honest with yourselves and becoming bold and brave enough to believe in yourself, which may require seeking other advice. I am available as a Gap Mindset Coach and marketing mentor for those who need those services. I do not offer CBT or any other forms of therapy. Please call others who may be qualified to assist. Lastly, my word of encouragement for this book, and all I teach and do and live: Be bold.Be brave.Dare to be great, dare to be you.And for the love of all, DON'T QUIT BEFORE THE MIRACLES HAPPEN. And check out my new kick-ass website that just went live last week! https://shawnlangwell.com/ ABOUT THE HOST: Shawn Langwell is an Author, Speaker, Teacher and Gap Mindset Coach & Consultant. He has written several transformational books including, Beyond Recovery, Ten Seconds of Boldness and its companion workbook, Today’s The Day, Morning Motivation, and Chill. He’s also the Past President of The California Writers Club (CWC), Redwood Writers, Past President of Toastmasters of Petaluma. Find him at www.shawnlangwell.com. Visit my new website to download a free helpful guide for defining what you want and why you want it: Free Guide: From Here to There. If you like the show, please follow and share, because sharing is caring and the world needs a lot more of it! Until next time... Dare to Be Great, Dare to Be You Love, Shawn