The Michael Strahan Interview: How an NFL Legend Became a Giant in Entertainment

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Michael Strahan is an NFL legend. He spent his entire 15-year Hall of Fame career as a defensive end for the New York Giants. A five-time All-Pro, Strahan appeared in seven Pro Bowls, he accumulated 141.5 career sacks, he held two NFL sack titles, and he was a key member of the NY Giants team that won Super Bowl XLII against the New England Patriots in 2008.

Following his NFL retirement, Michael Strahan joined Fox NFL Sunday as an analyst. This first foray into the broadcast booth was the catalyst for what has made him a broadcasting legend. Strahan went on to host Live! with Kelly and Michael after Regis Philbin retired, and today he’s one of the hosts of ABC News Good Morning America. The two-time Emmy Award winner also hosts the highly successful reboot of the popular game show, The $100,000 Pyramid. In 2023, Strahan was honored with a star on the venerable Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In this episode, Michael Strahan shares details about his careers, he discusses his transition from the gridiron to the TV studio, and he reveals the mindset and philosophies that have helped him reach the top in such a profound way.

Episode image credit: Fox Sports

Scott Merritt with Michael Strahan
Scott Merritt mid-interview with Michael Strahan
New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan sacks New England Patriots QB Tom Brady during Super Bowl XLII
Michael Strahan basking in the glory of his Super Bowl XLII victory

How To ROAR Into Your Second Act: 21 Minutes with Michael Clinton

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Michael Clinton is a uniquely-talented individual. A former president and publishing director of Hearst Publications (which includes Cosmopolitan, Esquire, O The Oprah Magazine, Redbook and Woman’s Day), Michael is also an accomplished photographer, marathon runner, philanthropist, author and private pilot.

When he finally decided to step down from his publishing career, he was looking for advice on his next stage of life. “Everything I read was about winding down. And I wanted to just the opposite. I wanted to wind up and do lots of new things.” And that’s when the idea for his new book, “ROAR Into the Second Half of Your Life (Before It’s Too Late),” was born.

ROAR is an acronym that outlines an empowering path for embracing your future. The four, important steps are:

  • “R”…Reimagine yourself
  • “O”…Own who you are
  • “A”…Act on what’s next
  • “R”…Reassess your Relationships

Click here for more about the book and Michael Clinton, It’s a terrific read and we’re happy to add it to our “Best Books About Second Acts” list.

“ROAR Into the Second Half of Your Life (Before It’s Too Late)” is now in its third printing.

Elementary School Custodian Tylan Bailey Finds a Perfect Second Act as a Teacher

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Tylan Bailey had a tough home life growing up. He had more than his fair share of adversity, which brought him to no fewer than 14 schools by the time he was ready to graduate from high school. In spite of such a profound lack of stability, Tylan created his own stable environment by focusing on his education.

Tylan’s lifelong dream of becoming a teacher was sidetracked when he found himself in a predicament that prevented him from attending college, and instead found him applying for jobs that would pay well and provide benefits. Although he found himself working in an elementary school, as a custodian, the idea of becoming a teacher seemed like a pipe dream at this point.

23 years later, Tylan was making pretty good money as the head custodian and he had seniority, but it was time to scratch that teaching itch. With the support of his wife, he took himself back to college and earned his teaching degree. Today, Tylan still works in an elementary school, but now he’s a PE teacher and he couldn’t be happier.

Tylan’s story was featured in national headlines, and he was even invited to a Hollywood movie premiere where he befriended Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The dream became a reality, and Tylan Bailey is living proof that it’s never too late to find your happiness. The key, as he puts it, is to meet your blessings halfway.

Best of 2022: Jeff “Skunk” Baxter’s Coda: A Doobie Brother Focuses on Counter Terrorism

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At the beginning of each year, we at Second Act Stories like to take a look back at the incredible interviews we shared and pick one episode that truly exemplifies the surprising, inspiring and eye-opening nature of a fascinating career change.

This “Best of” show gives us an opportunity to re-share a remarkable story, and it welcomes new listeners by giving them a good taste of what we do here: profile people who have made major life and career changes to pursue a more rewarding life in a second act career.

The numbers spoke for themselves this year. Without question, the episode our listeners downloaded the most was our interview with rock and roll legend Jeff “Skunk” Baxter.

Skunk was the founding lead guitarist in Steely Dan, and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Doobie Brothers. As a hired gun, he’s played with a who’s who of music royalty, including Linda Ronstadt, Donna Summer, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Dolly Parton, Carly Simon… the list goes on and on.

From the time he was a child, the mechanically inclined Baxter loved taking things apart to see how they worked and putting them back together. He became an expert guitar repair technician and built custom guitars. He traded a custom white Fender Stratocaster he built in the 1960s to Jimi James, who would later re-emerge as the legendary Jimi Hendrix.

In the 1980s, Skunk parlayed his more-than-casual interest in all things technical into a career as a missile defense consultant. After writing a paper that was quickly classified, he received the necessary clearances and now regularly consults with the U.S. government, the Pentagon and the Joint Chiefs on topics including counterterrorism and wargaming.

Skunk recently released a new solo album, his first, called Speed of Heat.

We hope you enjoy this encore presentation – the Best of 2022 episode of Second Act Stories – our exciting deep dive into the second act of one of rock’s greatest guitarists.

Hats Off To Deborah: At 60, She Became A Milliner

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Deborah Kase Lillian always loved hats. She played dress up with her mother’s and grandmother’s hats as a child. And she always loved rummaging through thrift stores to find unique hats.

But it was the combination of an earlier move to Paris and her 60th birthday that convinced her to go back to school to learn the amazing craft of hat making (or millinery) late in life. In 2020 in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, she launched her own hat-making company called “Harris Pat” (which comes from a spoonerism in a Cole Porter song with the line “If a Harris Pat means a Paris Hat, okay.”)

As Deborah shared in this episode: “Elizabeth Zimmermann is a noted knitter and knitting teacher. And I will never forget that she said once, ‘People will put something on their head for, it seems to me, two reasons. Either it keeps them warm or it makes them feel cute.’ And I like my hats to make people feel attractive and pretty and cute and seductive and alluring.” 

Click here to learn more about her work and hats.  Or you can follow her and her designs on Instagram @leharrispat.

 

Adam Carolla: The Carpenter Who Built a Legendary Comedy Career

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Adam Carolla is a bona fide comedy legend with a seemingly endless number of credits to his name. He co-hosted the “Loveline” radio show with Dr. Drew Pinsky; his own number-one morning radio show, which replaced The Howard Stern Show, was syndicated to a wide range of markets; he created and hosted “The Man Show” with Jimmy Kimmel; he’s written a number of books, two of which were New York Times Bestsellers; he’s become a prolific filmmaker, with comedies and documentaries to his credit; and “The Adam Carolla Show” even holds the Guinness World Record for the most downloaded podcast.

But even though he grew up in the shadow of the Hollywood sign, it may as well have been a million miles away. After graduating from high school (where he was voted Class Clown) unable to read or spell well, he took odd jobs digging ditches, cleaning carpets and teaching boxing, and he eventually found a niche as a skilled carpenter. While he was able to pay his bills, his passion was comedy. He followed his instincts and carved a path, one step at a time, that led him to the success he enjoys today.

Adam is as humble a guy as you’ll find, and he really doesn’t love to take credit for his accomplishments. That’s part of what makes his story so interesting. He just keeps going.

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Scott and Adam talking in Adam’s “pirate ship.”

 

Animal Rescue Is Dr. Peter Rork’s Second Act

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Dr. Peter Rork was a highly-successful, orthopedic surgeon in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. But at the age of 59, he unexpectedly lost his wife Meg and grief took hold of him. He quit his work. He stopped eating. And he and his dog Doyle retreated to a remote vacation home in Montana for three months.

At the urging of a concerned friend, Peter refocused his life on animal rescue. He is the founder, president and chief pilot of “Dog Is My CoPilot,” a not-for-profit group that transports animals from overcrowded kill shelters to adoption centers where families are waiting to welcome a new pet. His story has been told on CBS Sunday Morning, NBC Nightly News and The Washington Post.

Dog Is My CoPilot has saved over 25,000 animals. Click here to support their the important work. .

Veda Semarne’s Leap from the Classroom to “The Office”

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Veda Semarne grew up loving everything about education. So much so that she earned a PhD in Art History from Yale University and entered the workforce as an academic, with every intention of finding a full-time, tenure-track position and living her life in and around higher education. But after spending a few years teaching classes at institutions such as Trinity College in Hartford and C.W. Post on Long Island, she made the unusual decision to leave academia to pursue something else.

Figuring out what that something else would be took her back to a classroom, this time at the American Film Institute, where she learned about script supervising. That’s when the magic happened. Veda became a script supervisor and over the course of her career accrued 65 credits on IMDb. Most notably, soon after launching her second act career, Veda landed a job on one of the most iconic television shows in history: “The Office.” She worked on all nine seasons of the show.

Leaving academia is perhaps as unusual as reaching the greatest heights in Hollywood; Veda did them both. As you’ll find out in today’s episode, her story is an absolute inspiration.

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An example marked-up page from one of Veda’s scripts. Note how complicated the markings are.
One of the many forms Veda was responsible for filling out for a production.
Veda at an Emmy party after one of The Office’s many wins.

 

After the White House: A Speechwriter Finds Joy Teaching

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Cody Keenan started working in the White House at the age of 28 and rose up to the role of Chief Speechwriter for President Barack Obama. In terms of his chosen profession, he was at the top of the mountain at a very young age. But after eight years, the Obama Presidency ends. What does he do next?

Cody Keenan’s new book, Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America” is available on Amazon.

After the White House, Cody has accomplished a lot. He has collaborated with Barack Obama on his best-selling, presidential memoir, A Promised Land. He’s now completed his own book, Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America, which debuts on October 4, 2022. He has joined Fenway Strategies, a strategic, communications firm that helps write speeches for others.

But according to Cody, the most rewarding part of his second act is teaching the next generation of political speechwriters in a small class at his alma mater Northwestern University. “It’s the best thing I do. It pays the least but it’s the most fun. I get to watch these students grow and improve and get excited about politics and its possibilities.”

In this episode of Second Act Stories, we go behind the scenes at the White House to learn the story of the eulogy which President Obama and Cody wrote for the funeral of Reverend Clementa Pinckney and eight other congregants at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. During the service, President Obama surprised the congregation by signing Amazing Grace.

Day With M Night Shyamalan Inspires A Second Act In Filmmaking

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Melissa Davey was a senior, corporate executive turning 65 and facing a key decision point in her work life — Do I stay or do I go? At the same time, an odd series of events resulted in her winning a charity auction to spend a day on a movie set with director M Night Shyamalan.

Shadowing Mr. Shyamalan for a day put her on the path to becoming a filmmaker. She completing her first feature film in 2018.  Beyond 60 is a documentary that profiles nine, vibrant women and their “after 60” accomplishments. Now 72, Ms. Davey will release her second film, “Climbing Into Life” in early 2023.