Vicious Whispers with Mark Tullius

My special guest is Johnny "Cupcakes" Campbell, an MMA fighter, bjj brown belt, and all-around awesome individual. Johnny's fight at Cage Titans 9 years ago was what turned me back into a fan of the sport. We had a great first interview a few days after that and another at Brown University a few years later.

It was great catching up with Johnny after his latest win at Bellator. We discussed:

• His willingness to take fights on short notice.
• Overcoming negative thinking and dark thoughts.
• How at 34 he is in peak performance, physically and emotionally.
• Loyalty to his gym South Shore Sportfighting in Rockland and his coach Bill Mahoney.
• Why he fights and his plans after he retires.
• If he worries about brain health.
• What he gets out of playing video games.

Also includes the short dystopian story "Two Minutes to Midnight"

For more on Johnny: Follow him at:

https://www.facebook.com/cupcakesmma

https://twitter.com/JohnnyCCMma

IG @johnnyccmma

My special guest is Lucas Hohmann, the host of the podcast The Creativ Cast which explores the creativity in all of us. Lucas, who is also a photographer, shares his understanding of creativity, discusses how much time went into getting his podcast started, and tells us what he's learned from it.

For more on Lucas, check out: https://lucashohmannphotography.com/

Also includes the short story "26 Pills" a short story from 5 More Perfect Days narrated by John Anthony Davis.

What a fun conversation with Mat Santos, a lifelong martial artist, devoted family man, and co-author in the Try Not to Die series.

Mat, the owner of Team Santos Fighting Academy, is one of the brightest and funniest black belts I've had the pleasure of hanging out with.

In this episode we discuss:

Connections made through martial arts.

Skill acquisition.

Overcoming obstacles due to the pandemic.

Raising our sons and understanding our fathers.

The importance of participation trophies.

Why I no longer get drunk or high before recording podcasts, and why I'm rethinking that approach.

The highest compliment you can give a Rhode Islander and the quickest way to start a fight with one.

(1:34:50) The short story "Twenty-Twenty" from 25 Perfect Days and narrated by David Thompson.

For more on Mat and his academy check out: http://matsantos.com

My special guest is Evan Scott, the drummer from the Boston-based death metal band Stone the Oracle.

I first met Evan 9 years ago when I interviewed him for Unlocking the Cage at Lauzon MMA and I've had the pleasure of training with him a few times since.

In this episode we talk about what he has gained from martial arts, what a positive gym culture they have at Lauzon's where he is a kickboxing instructor, how he developed a love for music and became part of Stone the Oracle.

You can pick up the band's new EP at https://stonetheoracle.bandcamp.com/ 

First day of vacation in New York after an interesting day of travel.

Managed to get some quality work done on Try Not to Die: At Dethfest and Tales of the Blessed and Broken: The Early Years.

(8:50) Also includes the short story "Eight Out of Nine" taken from 25 Perfect Days: Plus 5 More, narrated by David Thompson

This episode my special guest is Dom Brightmon, a self-leadership expert that advances others through motivational teaching and book-casting. He is also the host of The Going North Podcast and the author of Going North!: Tips & Techniques to Advance Yourself and Stay the Course: The Elite Performer's 7 Secret Keys to Sustainable Success.

We discuss what led Dom into speaking and self-leadership and he shares some of the techniques that he and elite performers utilize.

For more on Dom - https://www.dombrightmon.com

Also includes the short story "28 Blocks" taken from 5 More Perfect Days and narrated by John Anthony Davis.

I just hit 113 episodes of this podcast which is the same number I had on my previous Unlocking podcast before I self-sabotaged and threw that podcast out. I've promised myself not to do the same with this one and I plan on recording until it's no longer enjoyable.

Early in the week I was ready to sabotage Tales of the Blessed and Broken and completely throw out Books 2-5 in the series even though I've already done quite a bit of work on them. Fortunately, a talk with my wife helped me come up with a great solution. I am now hard at work on TotB&B: The Early Years which I will put out in installments through Kindle Vella.

I managed to tear my MCL trying to play tennis, but I'm staying positive and using the injury to focus on my writing.

(9:45) The short story "Seven to Go" taken from 25 Perfect Days: Plus 5 More and narrated by David Thompson

My special guest is Chris Zanderholm, an old friend from junior high. Chris talks about all the health issues he has faced, the emotional and physical struggles he encountered, and how they helped shape him into a more positive person who wants to help others.

Chris is also a finalist in the Muscle and Fitness contest for Mr. Health and Fitness. Voting begins June 14. To vote for Chris you can check out : https://www.muscleandfitness.com/

You can follow Chris on IG @swedefromthemeade75

or find him on Facebook

Also be sure to check out where he works at: https://mysmartspine.com/

I will be going down there soon for treatment and plan on doing a podcast about the facility.

(51:00) Includes the short story "Three Sacred Truths" from 25 Perfect Days narrated by David Thompson

This week I took time off of playing with Derek the Demon so I could focus on Tales of the Blessed and Broken series. The new developments are going to turn this second book into a much more brutal and bloody book than I had originally planned.

I just received the German translations of Beyond and Before Brightside and am having the covers designed.

I mention my recent appearance on Oops: Caught Me Smoking and how I enjoyed talking about my cannabis use.

Includes the short story "Twenty-Four Hour Bullshit" from 25 Perfect Days and narrated by David Thompson

I interview Derek the Demon, a puppet that lives in hell. It's a short interview as Derek turned out to be kind of a dick. We talk briefly about MMA, cannabis, and traumatic brain injuries.

(6:30) Includes the short story "Six Hail Mary's" taken from 25 Perfect Days and narrated by David Thompson