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In the final episode of the year, Jason Ball takes a moment to look back not just at 2025, but at a life shaped by big transitions, many of them coinciding with presidential election years. From high school to his first job in television to becoming a news director, to finally stepping away and building something new, this episode is about evolution, reinvention, and what comes after the headlines.

Jason reflects on launching Life After News and Desert Dispatch, joining the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation, becoming managing editor of Oasis magazine, and what it’s like to build momentum in a second (or third) act. He also shares updates on several past guests and their own Life After News journeys from creative breakthroughs to retirement, travel, new babies, and new chapters.

Then, Jason is joined by friend and former TV journalist Dorothy Lucey to talk about their newest project, Chasing Faith with Dorothy Lucey, a podcast born out of conversations about faith, purpose, community, and doing good over chasing ratings. Together, they discuss what faith means now, the guests who’ve inspired them most, and why making change where you are matters.

This episode is a year-end check-in, a celebration of growth, and an honest look at what it takes to keep going even when reinvention is uncomfortable.

In This Episode:

• How major life changes have aligned with election years
• Launching Life After News and Desert Dispatch
• Staying connected to journalism after leaving the newsroom
• Why most podcasts don’t last and how to fight “pod fade”
• Updates on past guests and their Life After News chapters
• The origin and mission of Chasing Faith with Dorothy Lucey
• Faith, purpose, and choosing impact over metrics
• What might be coming next

Links & Mentions:

• Subscribe to Desert Dispatch: https://desertdispatch.beehiiv.com/
• Follow Desert Dispatch: @DesertDispatchPS
• Follow Jason on Instagram: @MrJasonBall
• Follow the podcast: @LifeAfterNewsPod

Listener Note

Jason wants to hear from you. What’s working? What isn’t? Who should be on the show next? The best way to reach him is via Instagram DMs.

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

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Life After News has some big updates, and this episode is a perfect example of why. You never really know where this road leads until you look up and realize someone took a local TV segment, turned it into a digital brand, and then turned that into a full-blown cookbook.

Lora McLaughlin Peterson is back, and she’s pulling back the curtain on what it really takes to get a cookbook from idea to your kitchen counter. Spoiler: it’s not “throw some recipes together and send it to a printer.” It’s a year-and-a-half grind, recipe testing, precision measurements, outside editors, photo shoots that feel like movie production, and a full marketing rollout leading to publication.

Plus: another former Life After News guest makes a major announcement. Byron Lane is launching a new project inspired by Carrie Fisher’s iconic advice: take your broken heart and make art.

In this episode

🍳 Lora McLaughlin Peterson: LORIFIED: The Cookbook

Lora shares the wild behind-the-scenes reality of cookbook publishing, including:

• How the book deal came together through a network of supportive women in publishing
• Why she had to develop a 100-recipe proposal before anyone could even bid
• The slow, meticulous pace of publishing compared to the newsroom “right now” mindset
• What it’s like having an outside tester recreate your recipes (and ask, “Wait… what is orange fluff supposed to be?”)
• Why “measure with your heart” does not fly in a cookbook
• The full-on production process: food stylist, set stylist, photographer, studio days, and shooting at her house
• Her approach: approachable meals, recognizable ingredients, minimal fuss, and giving people time back

📸 A cookbook where every recipe has a photo

Lora insists on zero guesswork. Every recipe gets a picture, so you know exactly what you’re aiming for.

🎁 Holiday sanity tips from Lora

For anyone spiraling two days before Christmas:

• Use gift bags. Stop trying to make wrapping your personality.
• Don’t cook everything from scratch.
• Make the one or two things your family truly cares about and outsource the rest (Costco/Sam’s/deli trays are not cheating).

🎄 Lora’s traditions

• Red velvet pancakes on Christmas morning
• Prime rib (smoked on the Weber) as a once-a-year holiday flex
• One gift on Christmas Eve
• A full house, chaotic energy, and leaning into the “realness” of it

Major Life After News update: Byron’s announcement

Byron shares a new creative pivot rooted in something Carrie Fisher told him—and everyone—over and over:
 “Take your broken heart and go make art.”

He’s launching a project called Byrontology, designed for people who are creative (or existentially exhausted) and want to turn rejection, despair, and career heartbreak into meaning and momentum—with some humor along the way.

Links & where to follow

Pre-order LORIFIED: The Cookbook

• Go to lorafied.com and hit the pre-order button
• Available through major retailers (Walmart, Target, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and more)

Follow Lora

• Instagram + TikTok: @lorafied
• Watch for recipe rollouts starting in the months leading up to the book launch

Byron / Byrontology

• Find Byrontology via Byron’s link in profile (as mentioned in the episode)

If you liked this episode

• Rate + review the show
• Subscribe so you d

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Guest: Lisa Guerrero (investigative journalist, author of Warrior)
Host: Jason Ball
Link: 👉 lisaguerrero.com

Episode vibe: Courage, accountability, and what it really takes to speak truth to power.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of pregnancy loss and workplace trauma.

What we cover

• Why Lisa chose to leave Inside Edition after 18 years and what that says about a crisis in establishment media 🗞️
• How reclaiming her voice became the turning point that powered award-winning investigations 🔎
• The traumatic year on Monday Night Football and the moment she decided to do the job her way 🏈
• Accountability journalism: confronting scam artists, televangelists, and powerful institutions face-to-face 🎥
• Warrior: the story behind the name, her mother’s legacy, and how bravery can be trained 💪
• From sports to investigations: earning credibility in locker rooms and on national TV 🏟️
• Surviving the Palisades fire, rebuilding, and what real community recovery will require 🔥
• Mosaic art as therapy and metaphor.  Making something beautiful from broken pieces 🎨
• What’s next: adapting Warrior for TV and why storytelling about journalism matters now more than ever 📺

Guest links

• 🌐 Website: lisaguerrero.com
• 📖 Book: Warrior (mentioned in-show)

Quotes

“You can’t write a book about bravery and then not live it.”
 “Make something beautiful out of broken pieces.”

Next up

Teaser: Tom Sietsema (ex–Washington Post food critic) reveals his face and his plans for life after news. 🍽️

Help us grow!

If this conversation hit you, subscribe on YouTube.com/@ LifeAfterNews, rate the show ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, and share this episode with one friend who loves real journalism. Your support helps us book more fearless voices. 🙏

#LifeAfterNews #LisaGuerrero #Warrior #InvestigativeJournalism #AccountabilityJournalism #InsideEdition #WomenInJournalism #MediaCrisis #SportsMedia #MondayNightFootball #Bravery #PalisadesFire #MosaicArt #SpeakTruthToPower #JasonBall

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

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What happens when a millennial “big J” journalist who helped build TV news on the internet trades breaking news for neighborhood impact? In this episode, Olsen Ebright (KTLA/KNBC/CBS) joins Jason to unpack the birth of digital news, the social-media rollercoaster, sane push-alert strategy, and why hyper-local politics might be your most powerful lever for change.

👉 Listen & subscribe now to hear practical, no-nonsense lessons for journalists, creators, and civic nerds alike. ⭐️ Please rate/review and share!

🔥 Top Takeaways

• Origins of TV news online: From Internet Broadcasting Systems to re-writing scripts into web-first stories ✍️
• Algorithm vs. integrity: How to grow audience without “losing the shop” to platforms 📈🧭
• Push alerts with purpose: Only buzz pockets when the news truly escalates 📳
• Career pivots: Consulting wins, CBS product lessons, and why an MBA mindset helps 🧮
• Real local power: Inside Los Feliz Neighborhood Council—how micro-grants & impact statements move a big city 🚦
• Sanity for digital teams: Managing the “viral hit” dopamine cycle without burning out 🧠

🎙️ About Olsen Ebright

Digital news leader across KNTV/KNBC/KTLA/CBS, consultant (Newsworthy), and Los Feliz Neighborhood Council VP/Admin & Rules Chair. Known for audience growth without sacrificing standards.

💡 Quotes

• “Don’t lose yourself to the algorithm. Use it—don’t let it use you.”
• “If you’re going to interrupt someone’s pocket, make sure it’s worth it.”
• “Hyper-local is where you can actually move the needle.”

If you got value from this episode, follow/subscribe on your favorite podcast app, leave a 5-star review, and share with a friend who’s navigating life after news (or thinking about getting involved in local government). 🙌

 🔜 Next Week:  Lisa Guerrero, former Inside Edition chief investigative correspondent, joins to reveal her new mission and why it matters now. You won’t want to miss it. 🔍✨ Subscribe so it lands in your feed!

#LifeAfterNews #DigitalJournalism #LocalNews #HyperLocal #NeighborhoodCouncil #LosAngeles #NewsroomLeadership #AudienceDevelopment #SocialMediaStrategy #PushAlerts #KTLA #CBS

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

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This week, Jason sits down with Simone Boyce, former KTLA reporter, MTV News & Access Hollywood host, and the very first anchor of NBC News Signal (now NBC News Now). From those early experimental days of streaming news to hosting The Bright Side for Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, Simone has lived many chapters of life in and after news. And now? She’s eyeing a future in political comedy. 🎭✨

Simone opens up about:

• 🌎 Breaking into 30 Rock and building something new at NBC
• 💡 Why experimenting in news mattered (even when execs didn’t always “get it”)
• 👩‍👧 How motherhood changed her career trajectory during the pandemic
• 🎧 Building The Bright Side and interviewing icons like Reese Witherspoon, Halle Berry, and Matthew McConaughey
• 😂 Why comedy might be her next big reinvention

Plus, Simone shares what’s ahead—including hosting a live conversation with Chrissy Teigen at Shine Away 2025 (Oct 11–12 at Universal Studios, CA). 🎟️ Tickets here

🔗 Links & Resources

• Simone’s podcast The Bright Side
• Shine Away 2025 tickets:  shineaway.hello-sunshine.co

🙌 Support the Show

If you love these conversations about reinvention:
✅ Subscribe & follow Life After News wherever you get podcasts
⭐ Leave us a rating & review (it helps more people find us!)
📲 Share this episode with a friend who needs some inspiration

👀 Coming Up Next

On the next episode, Jason talks with his good friend Olson Ebright about making a difference in your neighborhood through hyper-local politics and grassroots change. 🌱🏡 Don’t miss it!

#LifeAfterNews #Podcast #SimoneBoyce #Reinvention #TheBrightSide #HelloSunshine #ShineAway2025 #ChrissyTeigen #ReeseWitherspoon #Comedy #CareerPivot

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

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Christina McLarty Arquette walked away from on-air entertainment reporting to build a prolific producing career across documentaries and scripted features. In this episode, we dig into how she finished her first doc Survivor’s Guide to Prison, produced the cult-favorite You Cannot Kill David Arquette, brought film productions to Arkansas (including Jason's hometown), and why she and David Arquette are reimagining…Bozo the Clown.

Episode Highlights

• Career Reboot with Purpose: Burnout from daily news pushed Christina to produce impact-driven documentaries—while still using her newsroom instincts for fast writing, structure, and getting to the point.
• Finish the Film: Create real deadlines (festival submissions like Sundance, SXSW), back-plan delivery, and treat your doc like a job with milestones.
• Producer = “Whatever It Takes”: Indie producing spans financing, budgeting, crew hiring, interviews, music & footage licensing, legal, festival strategy, and distribution. Expect to learn on the fly—and phone a friend when you hit a wall.
• Post Is Where Budgets Break: Budget for color, mix, graphics, QC, and deliverables (the unsexy but essential tech specs buyers require). Keep finishing funds in reserve.
• Arkansas Advantage: Incentives + local talent + accessible locations = real value. Community support matters—from city halls to small businesses.
• Bozo’s Second Act: Beyond nostalgia, the work is about brand rehabilitation and storytelling that introduces Bozo to new audiences—without the “scary clown” baggage.
• Life After LA: Nashville offers family life, creative community, and space to build projects—plus a cause-driven lens on local issues.

Practical Takeaways for Documentary Makers 🎒

• Set immovable deadlines (festival calendars are perfect external pressure).
• Outline deliverables early so you’re not blindsided post-sale.
• Leverage newsroom skills: write fast, structure tight, fact-check always.
• Treat releases and licensing as day-one priorities, not last-minute chores.
• Network with purpose: today’s jail tour contact can be tomorrow’s co-producer.
• Budget for marketing: screeners, assets, DCPs, captions, festival travel.

Works & Projects Mentioned

• Survivor’s Guide to Prison (producer) — issue-driven doc that toured educationally and screened on Capitol Hill.
• You Cannot Kill David Arquette (producer) — SXSW selection; Hulu; Critics Choice nom; Adobe Editing Award.
• They Call Me Magic (team involvement referenced) — Apple TV+ docuseries.
• 12 Hour Shift (producer) — shot in Jonesboro, AR; indie thriller in a decommissioned hospital.
• Ghosts of the Ozarks (producer) — filmed in Trumann, AR.
• The First Step (EP) — on federal criminal justice reform.
• God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machines (producer) — Detroit techno roots.
• Bozo the Clown — ongoing doc + broader brand revival.

Christina McLarty Arquette is an independent film & documentary producer (13+ credits) and former entertainment reporter. She focuses on character-driven stories with cultural impact, splitting time between Nashville and Los Angeles and building a multifaceted Bozo revival with husband David Arquette.

Jason Ball is a former TV news director who’s charted his own “life after news.” On this show, he talks with journalists who jumped to new careers—an

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

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In this episode of Life After News, Jason Ball sits down with international journalist May Lee.  May is a former CNN and ABC News correspondent, anchor, talk show host, professor, and now co-host of the hit podcast Shoes Off Inside.

✨ May shares her remarkable journey:

• From small-market local news to becoming CNN’s “disaster queen” covering global crises 🌍
• Breaking into Japanese media as one of the first Asian American journalists on NHK 🇯🇵
• Reporting through earthquakes, attacks, and cultural upheavals while living abroad
• Pivoting into activism during the pandemic and raising her voice against anti-Asian hate ✊
• Creating Shoes Off Inside with fellow trailblazers Kelly Hu and Tamlyn Tomita 💬
• Embracing radical joy and the Korean concept of Han as powerful forces in life and storytelling 💜

This intimate, powerful conversation explores identity, resilience, cultural pride, and how journalism shapes—and is shaped by—the people who live it.

📌 Connect & Listen

🔗 Listen to May’s podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shoes-off-inside-with-mkt/id1497399536

🔗 Learn more at lotusmediahouse.com
📺 Subscribe to Life After News on YouTube
⭐ Don’t forget to rate & review the podcast—it helps us grow!

📲 Join the Conversation

#LifeAfterNews #MayLee #ShoesOffInside #RadicalJoy #AsianAmericanVoices #JournalismMatters #PodcastLife #Storytelling

👉 CTA: Hit play, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who needs a dose of inspiration, resilience, and joy.

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

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🎙️ This episode doubles as your playbook. You’ve told stories on deadline; now you’re thinking about owning the story for an organization. Here’s how to make the jump from newsroom to PR on purpose, not in panic.

What you’ll learn 🧭

• How to plan your pivot years before you need it
• The real difference between reporting news and making news
• How to operate inside big orgs where buy-in beats speed
• Crisis rules: why the story always changes and how you communicate that
• The mindset shift to truth-telling within legal limits (no spin)

Step-by-step game plan ✅

1. Pick a mission you can sell on your hardest day.
   If you can’t defend it tired, stressed, or under fire… keep looking.
2. Stack credentials that widen your lane.
   Add a degree/certificate outside journalism (e.g., Public Administration, Policy, Health Comms). It signals range.
3. Build reps in public service before you switch.
   Join advisory boards, volunteer with public safety, healthcare, or education. Show receipts, not just interest.
4. Learn the legal/ethical rails.
   In PR you are accountable to the org, the public, the media, and the law. Know what you can’t say and why.
5. Design your 24/7 boundaries.
   Crisis can be round-the-clock. Protect your health and family rhythm; choose roles and teams that honor that.
6. Teach what you know.
   Guest lecture or adjunct. Teaching sharpens your message discipline and grows your network.

Call to action 👉

If you’re mapping your own pivot, follow the show, rate & review⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, and share this episode with one colleague who needs a nudge. 

#LifeAfterNews #JournalistToPR #CareerPivot #CrisisComms #BrandReputation #PublicService #MediaCareers #TruthTelling #GetTheCake 🎧

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

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Feeling stuck in a career rut or ready for a new chapter? This bonus episode of Life After News is for you! 🎙️✨This week I’m sharing a special bonus conversation with my friend Rich DeMuro—tech reporter, host of Rich on Tech, and all-around gadget guy. ⚡

We dive into how off-the-shelf tech like AI, Canva, and Riverside.fm makes it possible for anyone to create their own podcast 🎧 and newsletter 📰 without a big newsroom behind them.

From my leap out of TV news to running a Palm Springs hotel 🌴 to building Life After News and Desert Dispatch, Rich and I explore the challenges (and rewards) of reinvention. 💡

👉 What you’ll hear in this episode:

• How I went from news director to hotel owner to podcaster.
• The exact tools I use to produce Life After News on my own.
• Why embracing AI isn’t just smart—it’s necessary.
• The realities of monetizing a newsletter (and why journalists shouldn’t shy away from it).
• Why reinvention is scary—but worth it. ✨

🔗 Follow Rich: https://richontech.tv/

📺Catch him on KTLA + his weekly KFI show.
 🌵 Check out my Palm Springs newsletter: https://desertdispatch.beehiiv.com/
📲 Follow along on Instagram: @DesertDispatchPS

🙌 Join the conversation

• Subscribe to Life After News wherever you get your podcasts 🎧
• Share this episode with someone who’s ready to reinvent their career 🔄
• Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating + review—it really helps spread the word!
• All episodes on https://lifeafternews.com/

#LifeAfterNews #Podcasting #Reinvention #PalmSprings #NewsLife #TechTools #RichOnTech #DesertDispatch

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

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Author/playwright/former TV newsie Byron Lane talks origin stories, on-air anxiety, assisting Carrie Fisher, chasing the Northern Lights, indie films, best-selling novels, big love, and bigger reinventions. This one’s honest, funny, and full of heart. 💛

What you’ll hear

• 🚨 “I’m still just telling stories.” Why the news muscle never leaves
• 🏕️ Boy Scout tour → WWL legend. Byron’s “pharmacist moment”
• ⏰ Overnights + 8am classes. Grit that built a storyteller
• 😬 The cost of ‘live.’ On-air nerves, pressure, and knocking on doors at 2am
• 📡 Live shot disasters. Speakers blasting, trucks failing—lessons anyway
• ⭐ Pivot to Princess Leia. How Carrie Fisher changed everything
• 🌌 “Take your broken heart and make art.” Northern Lights with Carrie
• 🎬 Herpes Boy → Octavia Spencer + JVN cameo. News rules that power scripts
• 💍 Proposal in the acknowledgments. Yes, really—book as ring
• 🎭 Tilda Swinton Answers an Ad on Craigslist. Why the play still has another life
• 🌈 Big Gay Wedding. A mom’s “coming out,” Polite Society Ranch, and small-town love
• 🌴 Palm Springs life. Community, creativity, and signed books at Best Bookstore

Pull quotes

• “It’s not just before all that—I still feel like I’m just telling stories.”
• “Take your broken heart and make art.” —Carrie Fisher
• “News taught me to find the headline of a scene.”
• “I proposed to Steven… in the acknowledgments.”

About Byron 📚

• Author of A Star Is Bored and Big Gay Wedding
• Playwright of Tilda Swinton Answers an Ad on Craigslist
• Former local TV reporter/producer/writer; past assistant to Carrie Fisher
• Partner to author Steven Rowley (The Guncle, The Celebrants)

Mentioned

• Books: A Star Is Bored, Big Gay Wedding, The Guncle, The Celebrants, Chuck Palahniuk’s Invisible Monsters
• Projects: Herpes Boy (indie), Last Will & Testicle (web series), Tilda Swinton Answers an Ad on Craigslist (play)
• Shop local: Best Bookstore in Palm Springs — ask for signed copies of Byron’s books ✍️

🎧 Listen • Share • Support

• ❤️ If this resonated, text it to one newsroom friend.
• ⭐ Rate & review the show—helps more people find these stories.
• 🛍️ Buy Byron’s books from your indie—if you’re in Palm Springs, request signed at checkout.
• 🌐 Go to our website for new episodes, essays, and behind-the-scenes.
• 👥 Know a great guest? Pitch me.

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

In this special bonus episode of Life After News, Jason Ball sits down with Emily Barr, longtime media executive and former president of Graham Media Group. With decades of leadership at WLS in Chicago and Graham’s TV stations, Emily has seen firsthand how local journalism has changed and why its survival depends on innovation, collaboration, and nonprofit support. 🤝

Now retired from daily station management but deeply active in the industry, Emily serves on the boards of the Associated Press, the Carol Kneeland Project, and the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting / Maine Monitor (https://themainemonitor.org/).  She also writes the column Raising the Barr for TVNewsCheck, where she recently argued that local TV news and nonprofit collaborations are the only way forward. 🗞️

What You’ll Learn in This Episode 🎧

• Why nonprofit journalism is rising across the U.S.—and the funding challenges it faces 💵
• How organizations like the Maine Monitor are filling investigative gaps in small communities 🌎
• The cultural shift required for TV, print, and digital outlets to collaborate instead of compete 🔄
• Why local reporting is vital for democracy and civic accountability 🗳️
• Emily’s candid take on the business pressures facing local TV, from declining ad revenue to network demands 📉
• Insights into WPLG’s bold move to drop its ABC affiliation—and what it means for the future of independent stations 📺

Key Quotes ✍️

• “We’re way past the point of competition—if we want to tell important stories, we need to lift each other up.” – Emily Barr
• “Local journalism is as essential as hospitals and schools—it’s part of the fabric of a community.” – Emily Barr

If you care about the future of local news, media innovation, or the survival of journalism in smaller markets, this conversation is a must-listen. 🚨

👉 If you'd like to learn more about the work Emily supports, visit the Maine Monitor (https://themainemonitor.org/)

Listen now and subscribe to Life After News wherever you get your podcasts. 🎙️ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review ⭐—it helps others discover the show. 

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

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An anchor from KCBS, KCAL, KTLA, and MSNBC, Sharon, gets candid about the shocking call from HR at Trader Joe's 🛒, the darker side of TV news, and her thriving career selling luxury real estate with the Altman Brothers. This is a conversation you won't want to miss.

The Shocking Layoff at Trader Joe's 🤯

🎧Sharon opens up about the moment her 13-year career at KCBS ended unexpectedly during the 2020 pandemic layoffs. She shares the raw emotions of receiving the news while grocery shopping and the surprising feeling of being "speechless." She also reflects on how the experience pushed her toward a new path.

📺 The Dark Side of TV News 

Sharon discusses the double standards and mistreatment she faced as a young, on-air personality. She recounts how her lively morning show persona was a "blessing and a curse," leading to public ridicule and a lack of support from management. Sharon reveals how a personal comment from her mother ultimately led her to leave Los Angeles for a fresh start.

From Anchor to Agent: A New Chapter 🏡

After a successful second act in journalism, Sharon found her "life after news" in real estate. She talks about why she left the industry for good, her initial struggles with the career change, and how she's leveraged her communication skills and work ethic to succeed in the high-stakes world of luxury real estate. She shares what it's like to work with the Altman Brothers, likening the experience to a high-stakes blend of "Fast Five" and "Succession."

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Adaptability is key: Sharon's journey from broadcast journalism to luxury real estate shows that professional skills and a strong work ethic are transferable across industries.
• The importance of a fresh start: Sharon's move to the East Coast helped her rediscover her value and reclaim her identity after facing personal and professional attacks.
• Teamwork makes the dream work: Whether in a newsroom or a real estate firm, Sharon emphasizes the importance of a strong, collaborative team to achieve success.

🗣️ CTA & Social

Want to hear more stories of life beyond the news desk? Listen to the full episode and subscribe to Life After News at lifeafternews.com

 What was your biggest takeaway from Sharon's story? Let us know in the comments! 👇

#SharonTay #LifeAfterNews #JasonBall #KCBS #KCAL #KTLA #MSNBC #AltmanBrothers #RealEstate #Journalism #CareerChange #LAnews #Media #SEO #Podcast #ShowNotes

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

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If David Goldstein showed up at your door, you were having a bad day. For decades, the longtime Los Angeles investigative reporter exposed corruption, waste, and abuse from LA city workers drinking and hitting strip clubs on the clock, to pet stores sedating puppies to make them easier to sell, to delivery drivers snacking on your food before it got to your door.

Now two years into retirement from KCBS/KCAL, David joins Jason to talk about the real work behind those headline-making investigations: the stakeouts that lasted weeks, the legal tightrope of hidden cameras and two-party consent, the adrenaline of on-camera confrontations, and the toll the job takes on your brain and your life.

They also get into what happens when the story is your own house, after the Palisades fire, and why the future of investigative journalism may depend on nonprofit newsrooms stepping in where TV budgets are stepping back.

About David Goldstein

David Goldstein is a longtime investigative reporter who spent decades at KCBS and KCAL in Los Angeles. His reporting exposed corruption, taxpayer waste, and consumer abuses across Southern California — leading to firings, early retirements, new policies, and even changes in state law. Known for his hidden-camera work and on-the-street confrontations, David built a career on stories that didn’t just make noise — they made change.

Stay Connected

If you’re listening along with Life After News as we close out the year, Jason wants to hear from you:

• What do you think of the show so far?
• Who would you like to hear as a guest?
• Is there a direction you’d like the show to explore in 2025?

Send your feedback, guest ideas, or big swings you want us to take and if you’re enjoying these conversations, please follow, rate, and review the podcast so more people can find Life After News.

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

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📺 What’s next for local TV? Consolidation, new technology, and the fight to stay relevant in a streaming-first world.

In this bonus episode of Life After News, Jason Ball sits down with Adam Jacobson, Editor-in-Chief of the Radio and Television Business Report, to break down the big changes shaking up the television station business.

🔑 What You’ll Hear:

• 📉 Consolidation Nation – What it means when just three groups could own half the nation’s TV stations.
• 🚀 NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) – The new broadcast signal that makes over-the-air TV feel like Netflix or YouTube.
• 💰 The Ad Shift – Why digital, streaming, and personalized ads are the future of local TV revenue.
• 🔌 Cable’s Role – Why cable and broadcast still depend on each other (for now).
• 📰 Local News Survival – How many newsrooms can a market really support, and why the smartphone may be the most important screen of all.

🎧 Adam also shares what he’s learned from his InFocus video podcast, where he talks with industry leaders shaping the future of broadcast media.

🌐 Links & Mentions:

• 🎥 Adam Jacobson’s InFocus Podcast & Video Series → rbr.com
• 📲 Follow Jason on Instagram: @MrJasonBall & @LifeAfterNewsPod
• 🌵 Visit: LifeAfterNews.com

👀 Coming Up Next:

Tuesday’s episode features Sharon Tay—former MSNBC, KTLA & KCAL anchor—now selling super-luxury real estate in Los Angeles.

💡 If you like the show: subscribe, rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, review, and share with a friend!

#LifeAfterNews #BroadcastTV #NextGenTV #LocalNews #TVNews #MediaBusiness #Podcast #JasonBall #AdamJacobson

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

In this episode of Life After News, Jason Ball sits down with Tony Morrison—a media pro whose career path took him from CNN📰 and Good Morning America ☀️ to advocacy work at GLAAD 🏳️‍🌈, and now to launching his own media company, the Morrison Media Group 🚀.

Tony’s journey is anything but traditional. He started as a business major who couldn’t pass finance 📉, discovered photography 📸, and wound up behind the camera in TV production. From hidden cameras on What Would You Do? to overnight shifts at CNN New Day 🌙, Tony built his foundation in fast-paced, collaborative newsrooms before moving into the high-energy world of GMA.

But Tony’s story goes deeper ❤️. At GMA, he found the courage to come out more fully—not just as a gay man, but also by sharing his HIV status through a personal essay that helped break stigma and inspired others. That leap toward authenticity eventually led him to GLAAD, where he championed inclusive storytelling across newsrooms, Hollywood 🎬, and publishing 📚.

Now, Tony is creating his own vision for storytelling. With Morrison Media Group, he’s focused on digital video 📲 and authentic narratives that bridge gaps in representation—especially for LGBTQ+ communities and nonprofits that often lack the resources for high-quality production.

This conversation dives into:
🌙 Lessons from CNN overnights + GMA’s morning magic
📲 Building social media strategy from scratch
🧡 Publishing his personal HIV story—and the surprising reaction
🌈 Why representation in media matters
🚀 Taking the leap to launch his own media company
💡 Advice for anyone considering stepping out on their own: “Don’t worry about the plan. The plan will reveal itself.”

🔗 Morrison Media Group:  https://www.morrisonmediahq.com/home

📝 Tony’s personal essay on living with HIV: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/living/story/personal-essay-learned-living-hiv-secret-years-79392051

👉 Follow Jason on Instagram: @MrJasonBall | @LifeAfterNewsPod

🌐 Visit lifeafternews.com

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

🎙 Bonus Episode: Is Warren Buffett Right?
When Warren Buffett says the network TV affiliation model doesn’t work anymore, people pay attention. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, just dropped ABC after 69 years at WPLG Miami—the only TV station Buffett owns.

In this bonus episode of Life After News, Jason talks with Adam R. Jacobson, editor-in-chief of the Radio + Television Business Report, about:
• The history behind Miami’s TV station shake-ups and why the WPLG/ABC split is so significant.
• Why Buffett may be right—and wrong—about network affiliations in today’s streaming-first world.
• What it takes to survive as a news-heavy, independent station in a multilingual, multicultural market.
• Parallels in Atlanta’s CBS affiliation change and lessons from stations that have gone fully local.
• The fine art of differentiating newscasts in a crowded market—drawing on KTLA’s approach.

Jason and Adam dig into the risks, opportunities, and market-by-market realities behind these bold moves. It’s a conversation about identity, adaptation, and the future of local TV news in an age when audiences can get prime-time programming anywhere.

📌 If you love local news—or want to understand the business decisions shaping it—this one’s for you.

🔗 Listen and learn more at Life After News.

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

Former KCAL 9 anchor Leyna Nguyen spent 25 years in TV news—Los Angeles, Sacramento, Augusta. What came next? A bold new life filled with reinvention:

✨ A not-so-safe-for-work podcast (“Consenting Adults”)
 ✨ A YouTube channel teaching English to Vietnamese speakers (100K+ subs!)
 ✨ And now, her true calling: building Van May Financial and helping people plan smarter for retirement 💼💰

In this episode, Leyna opens up about:

• The moment she knew it was time to leave TV news 🎤
• Why COVID was the best thing for her family💕
• How her podcast on alternative lifestyles became a hit 👀
• Why financial literacy in America is broken—and how she’s fixing it 🔑
• Building generational wealth, running her own firm, and even launching a health supplement company in Japan 🌿

It’s an inspiring story of curiosity, reinvention, and creating purpose after the spotlight.

👉 Don’t miss this candid, funny, and motivational conversation.

🔗 Links & Follow

🌐 LifeAfterNews.com
📸 Follow Jason: @mrjasonball | @lifeafternewspod
🎧 New episodes every Tuesday!

📣 Call to Action

If you loved this episode:
👍 Like it
 ⭐ Leave a 5-star review
 📲 Share it with a friend who’s ready to reinvent their career

Because life after news isn’t the end—it’s just the beginning. 🌟

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

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Beloved for turning complex forecasts into must-watch TV, Tom has traded daily broadcasts for a new mission: protecting the research, truth, and science that keep us safe.

For 45 years, Tom Skilling was Chicago’s go-to source for weather — trusted, beloved, and known for making complicated science easy to understand. Now, a year and a half into retirement, Tom is proving life after news can be just as full of passion, purpose, and even a little adrenaline.

In this conversation, Jason Ball catches up with Tom at his Hawaii home to talk about:

·       🪂 How a “joke” turned into a skydiving adventure (and why he’s tempted to try it again over volcanoes).

·       🌴 The Big Island’s wild microclimates vs. Chicago’s weather extremes.

·       📻 From a weather-obsessed 14-year-old on local radio to America’s most recognized meteorologist.

·       🌍 Why he went from climate change skeptic to outspoken advocate for weather science.

·       📺 Behind the scenes at WGN — superstation days, early computer graphics, and holding his ground against “just tell us the temperature” consultants.

·       ⚡ The 38-year run of the Fermilab Tornado & Severe Weather Seminars and why public science education matters.

·       🚨 His warning about dangerous cuts to U.S. weather research.

·       💡 Advice for the next generation of meteorologists: “Be too dumb to know you’re not supposed to be able to do what you want to do — and go for it.”

Whether you’re a weather geek or just curious about how science, media, and storytelling collide, this episode is a masterclass in passion, persistence, and purpose.

🎧 Listen & Subscribe: lifeafternews.com
📱 Follow Jason: Instagram @Mr.JasonBall | @LifeAfterNewsPod

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

Tracy McMillan on Reinvention, Unprisoned & Writing What Hurts

What do TV news deadlines, Paris heartbreaks, and Oprah have in common? Tracy McMillan.

In this deeply honest, wildly inspiring conversation, bestselling author, TV host, and Unprisoned creator Tracy McMillan sits down with Jason Ball to talk about her journey from local news writer to viral sensation to Hollywood showrunner.

From writing copy for Tom Brokaw to creating her own Hulu series starring Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo, Tracy proves one thing: You can reinvent yourself—and thrive.

In this episode:

📰 How a childhood paper route led her to TV news
 🧠 The power of deadlines, structure, and NOT waiting for inspiration
 🔥 The viral moment that launched a new career (“Why You’re Not Married”)
 💔 Writing through shame, grief—and toward freedom
 🎭 Seeing her life portrayed on screen by Kerry Washington
 ✈️ How a stranger on a plane became her husband… and inspired her next show
 🧒🏽 Why your inner child might be your best co-star
📺 The behind-the-scenes of Unprisoned and what might come next

🧡 Favorite quote:

“It’s not about being good enough. It’s about being willing.”           

👏 Whether you’re in the middle of a pivot, chasing a creative dream, or just wondering what’s next?—this one’s for you.

🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your shows.
📲 Don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe—it helps others find the pod!

📺 Family or Fiancé:  https://www.oprah.com/app/family-or-fiance.html

🌐 Listen, watch, subscribe:  https://lifeafternews.com/

📱 Follow: @MrJasonBall & @LifeAfterNewsPod

📅 New Episodes: Every Tuesday

💌 Love the show? Share it with a friend!

#LifeAfterNews #TracyMcMillan #Unprisoned #NewsToHollywood #TVWriting #ScriptedTV #ViralEssay #Reinvention #WritersLife #RelationshipAdvice #InnerChildHealing #OprahMoment #KerryWashington #DelroyLindo #CreativeCareer #JournalismSkills #ContentIsKing

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

In this episode, Life After News host Jason Ball switches seats and lets his longtime friend and former KTLA colleague David Begnaud—Emmy-winning CBS News correspondent—take over the mic. David turns the tables to ask Jason the questions: Why did you really leave news? What were you chasing—or escaping? Who are you without the title?

Jason opens up about:

• 📺 Leaving KTLA at the top of his game—and why the January 6th insurrection was the breaking point
• 😰 The stress he didn’t even know he was carrying (until the heartburn disappeared)
• 🧠 Reclaiming purpose through storytelling on his own terms—with a podcast, a newsletter, and a hotel
• 🌈 Coming out, being private in a public career, and what he hopes to share about long-term love
• 🛠️ Running a bar, fixing toilets, and using breaking news skills in small business
• 🤖 Why he talks to AI every day—and what newsrooms should be doing about it now

With honesty, reflection, and a dose of unexpected vulnerability, Jason shows that Life After News isn’t just a concept—it’s a lived experience. This is an episode about identity, reinvention, and what it means to finally put yourself in the story.

“If I’m not the news director at KTLA, who am I?”

“Turns out, I’m still me. Maybe even more me.”

🔗 Episode Links

• Follow David Begnaud on Instagram: @davidbegnaud
• Related episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rewriting-the-script-michaela-pereira-on-news-grief/id1814231257?i=1000712265260

🔗 Stay Connected to Life After News

·       👨‍💻 Website: https://lifeafternews.com/ 

·       🎧 Subscribe: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your shows

·       📺 Watch: YouTube.com/@LifeAfterNews

·       📱 Follow: @MrJasonBall & @LifeAfterNewsPod

·       💼 LinkedIn: Jason Ball

·       🗞️ Read: Desert Dispatch — the newsletter on storytelling & reinvention

·       🏨 Stay: Old Ranch Inn

·       📅 New Episodes: Every Tuesday

·       💌 Love the show? Share it with a friend!

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

💄 What happens when a former CNN entertainment producer trades celebrity interviews for contour palettes and a tour buse? Meet JD Cargill — or as Palm Springs now knows her, Anita Doll.
In this wildly fun, deeply moving, and at times jaw-droppingly honest conversation, Jason Ball interviews JD during his full transformation into Anita Doll — lashes, foundation, and all. Together they unpack how JD went from chasing fame to creating joy, and how drag didn’t just change his career — it saved his life.
🔥 Highlights from the Episode
•From KTLA to CNN: JD reflects on how entertainment news once felt like salvation — until it became spiritual suffocation.
•Drag as a Spiritual Awakening: The pandemic forced JD into stillness… and into drag. In his Pasadena basement, Anita Doll was born.
•Birth of Drag and Fly: JD combines news production chops with queer creativity to create Drag and Fly Tours, a drag queen–hosted, mobile theater experience through Palm Springs.
•The Power of AI + Imagination: How JD used artificial intelligence to design a custom tour vehicle with stadium seating and panoramic views.
•Faith and Fabulousness: JD opens up about reconciling his queer identity with his religious upbringing.
•Anita as Armor: The difference between JD and Anita isn’t just wardrobe. Anita is a superhero — bold, fearless, and full of self-love.
•The Business of Joy: From viral videos to word-of-mouth buzz, JD shares the real talk of building a brand rooted in community, inclusivity, and sparkle.
•Dreaming Big: With ambitions to make Palm Springs the drag capital of the world, JD reveals plans for The Dollhouse, The Tea Garden, The Flight Club, and beyond.
🐉 About Drag and Fly Tours
Drag and Fly Tours is a one-of-a-kind sightseeing experience hosted by drag queens aboard a custom-built, stadium-seated tour vehicle. The show combines comedy, storytelling, music, and video — all produced with a TV producer’s precision and a queen’s flair.
📍 Location: Palm Springs, California
🔗 More info: dragandflytours.com
✨ Quotes to Remember
“Drag didn’t save me from dying — it saved me from disappearing.”
— JD Cargill
“Anita is everything I need to be — fearless, fabulous, and free.”
— JD Cargill
📬 More from Life After News
•🌵 Desert Dispatch — Our Palm Springs newsletter: https://desertdispatch.beehiiv.com/
•🏨 Old Ranch Inn — Stay with us in the heart of Palm Springs: https://oldranchinn.com/
🔗 Stay Connected to Life After News
•🎧 Subscribe: Spotify, Apple Podcasts & more
•📺 Watch: YouTube.com/@LifeAfterNews
•📱 Follow: @MrJasonBall & @LifeAfterNewsPod
•💼 LinkedIn: Jason Ball
•🏨 Stay: Old Ranch Inn
•🗞️ Read: Desert Dispatch – the newsletter on storytelling & reinvention
•📅 New Episodes: Every Tuesday
•💌 Love the show? Share it with a friend!
And don’t forget to share this episode with someone who needs a little sparkle.

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

📺 In this special bonus episode of Life After News, Jason reflects on the powerful new documentary Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything (🎬 stream it on Hulu), Barbara’s 2008 memoir Audition, and her complex, groundbreaking legacy in the news business.

🔍 Topics covered in this episode:

·       🛫 Barbara’s rise from “Today Girl” to Today co-host—over Frank McGee’s dead body (literally)

·       💰 Becoming the first million-dollar anchor at ABC—and the sexist backlash

·       🎤 How she redefined interviews, disarmed world leaders, and helped shape global headlines

·       📚 Jason’s reflections on Audition and why he still recommends it to young journalists (especially women)

·       🎭 The intense behind-the-scenes rivalry with Diane Sawyer

·       🎥 The record-breaking Monica Lewinsky interview—and how she outmaneuvered Oprah for the exclusive

·       🧠 How Barbara’s childhood trauma and complicated family life fueled her drive and perfectionism

·       ❤️ Personal takeaways: what Barbara sacrificed, what she modeled, and the importance of balance

💬 Favorite quote:

“Mostly I just worked and didn’t whine.” – Barbara Walters

🧠 Jason's takeaway: “She wasn’t just the role model—she created the role and the model.”

🎁 Want Jason’s copy of Audition?  Follow him on Instagram and DM your interest! First come, first mailed.
📸 https://www.instagram.com/mrjasonball
📸 @lifeafternewspod

🎧 Referenced Media:

·       📺 Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything on Hulu

·       📖 Audition: A Memoir by Barbara Walters → Find on Amazon

·       📹 2008 20/20 Special with Charles Gibson → Watch on YouTube (insert correct link if different)

🗨️ Have you seen the doc or read Audition? Let Jason know your thoughts—DM or tag him!

⭐️ If you enjoy Life After News, leave a 5-star review and share it with someone who grew up watching Barbara (or interviewing like her). Until next time…

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

🎙️ God, Gossip, and Getting Real: Dorothy Lucey on Life After Morning TV

🎧 Episode Summary

In this wide-ranging conversation, Jason Ball sits down with Good Day LA alum Dorothy Lucey to talk about fame, faith, fire—and finding purpose after live TV. Best known for her role in the iconic morning trio with Steve Edwards and Jillian Barberie, Dorothy gets candid about the real dynamics behind the scenes, how it all came crashing down, and the unexpected gifts of life after news.

From being told her voice made someone’s “eyes bleed” to saying goodbye to the show, Dorothy shares it all with her signature humor and honesty. She opens up about volunteering with Mending Kids, her journey of teaching journalism, navigating faith in Hollywood, and surviving the devastating Palisades fire that nearly destroyed her Malibu home.

Jason and Dorothy reminisce about their late friend Sam Rubin, swap newsroom war stories, and imagine a new kind of media—one rooted in meaning, spirituality, and real connection.

🔑 Key Topics

• Behind the scenes of Good Day LA: chaos, chemistry, and candid moments
• Getting fired and finding identity after a long TV career
• The “gift wrapped in sh!t”: parenting after leaving morning news
• Global medical missions with Mending Kids
• Teaching the next generation of journalists at Chapman and Pepperdine
• Balancing gossip and grace: Dorothy’s faith blog and spiritual life
• Surviving the Palisades fire and the trauma of natural disaster
• Remembering Sam Rubin: legacy, friendship, and laughter
• Reimagining purpose: from gossip reporting to soul work

🧭 Notable Quotes

“We were the housewives of morning TV—minus the booze.” – Dorothy Lucey
“I always say it was a gift wrapped in sh!t.” – Dorothy on being home with her son post-firing
“We can all be more than one thing.” – On faith, gossip, and being a whole person
“My faith has made me a slightly better person—I hope.”

🔗 Links & Mentions

• Mending Kids – global nonprofit Dorothy volunteers with
• Chapman University – where Dorothy teaches journalism
• Follow Dorothy’s faith reflections: @DorothyLucey on Instagram

🙏 Gratitude

Thank you to Dorothy for sharing so openly—and reminding us that life after news isn’t just about what comes next, but who we become along the way.

🎙️ Next Up

Sometimes, life after news can be a drag.  Former TV news producer J.D. Cargill now performs as drag queen, Anita Doll.  J.D. owns and operates Drag and Fly Tours in Palm Springs.   It’s one of the best lives after news so far.  

🔗 Stay Connected to Life After News

·       🎧 Subscribe: Spotify, Apple Podcasts & more

·       📺 Watch: YouTube.com/@LifeAfterNews

·       📱 Follow: @MrJasonBall & @LifeAfterNewsPod

·       💼 LinkedIn: Jason Ball

·       🏨 Stay: Old Ranch Inn

·       🗞️ Read: Desert Dispatch – the newsletter on storytelling & reinvention

·       📅 New Episodes: Every Tuesday

·       💌 Love the show? Share it

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

Meteorologist Liberté Chan joins Jason for a raw, vulnerable, and very real conversation about knowing when to chase the dream and when to walk away from it.

From her early days as an intern at KTLA to anchoring in Palm Springs, to “manifesting” her way back on-air in Los Angeles, Liberté shares how sheer persistence (and a few strategically timed visits to the news director’s office) helped her land her dream job as a meteorologist on the KTLA Weekend Morning News.

She opens up about the work behind the “weather girl” stereotype earning a meteorology degree while working full time, using education as a way to build confidence, and what it really takes to reinvent yourself on and off camera.

Liberté also talks candidly about the devastating loss of her friend and co-anchor Chris Burrous, the cascade of grief that followed in her personal life, and how unprocessed grief finally forced her to stop, feel, and re-evaluate everything including her career in news.

Today, she’s a new mom, a functional medicine health coach, a devoted yogi, and a creator in the “new media” world, blending wellness, motherhood, and honest storytelling while still keeping one toe in the news business as an occasional KTLA fill-in.

This is a conversation about ambition, heartbreak, reinvention, and the courage to choose yourself.

In this episode, we talk about:

• 🎯 Manifesting the dream job
• 🎓 Education as confidence
• 📺 The magic of the KTLA weekend morning show
• 💔 Grief, loss, and what news people don’t process
• 🧭 Knowing when to walk away from news
• 🧘‍♀️ Wellness, functional medicine, and new media
• 👶 Motherhood, travel, and raising a healthy child
• 💪 Movement as practice, not perfection
• 🌱 What’s next for Liberté

NEXT WEEK ON LIFE AFTER NEWS

Veteran KCBS/KCAL investigative reporter David Goldstein returns—two years into retirement—to talk about what he’s doing now and why Harvey Levin says Los Angeles is less safe without him.

We dig into:

• how investigative journalism actually changes the world,
• the grind behind the glamour,
• why the job is harder than people think, and
• how he got his unlikely start in the poultry capital of the world.

Don’t miss it.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend. And if you’re enjoying the show, please rate and review—it truly helps more people find these conversations.

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

Guest: Carlos Amezcua
Host: Jason Ball
Run Time: ~43 min
Watch on YouTube: Life After News YouTube Channel
Website: lifeafternews.com

🧭 Episode Summary

Carlos Amezcua was there at the beginning of the KTLA 5 Morning News — a show that changed not just local TV, but the entire morning news landscape. In this candid, never-before-shared conversation, he opens up to Jason Ball about why he really left KTLA after 17 years, the heartbreak behind that departure, and why he wishes he’d stayed.

Carlos also shares the fascinating journey of building BEOND TV, a digital platform he co-founded with his daughter Amy. From a spelling bee mishap that inspired the name to a vision of uplifting, inclusive content, BEOND is Carlos’s answer to the future of media — content created for and by the people, not just big media gatekeepers.

🔥 Highlights

• KTLA Morning News Origin Story
  “It was lightning in a bottle.” Carlos recounts the early chemistry of the original team and how the 1992 Ventura floods cemented their role in LA TV.
• Why He Really Left KTLA
  After three years without a contract and no clear future, Carlos made a gut-wrenching decision to protect his family — a decision he still questions.
• The Hal Fishman Question
  Did Carlos want to take over the 10pm news? He explains why his strengths were in the morning, and why serious news didn’t quite fit his DNA.
• Building BEOND TV from Scratch
  Carlos and Amy created BEOND to uplift, educate, and entertain — focusing on creators, not gatekeepers. With 10M+ viewers and growing, it’s a platform with heart and hustle.
• The Real Story Behind the BEOND Name
  Spoiler: It involves a fourth-grade spelling bee loss. And yes, it’s hilarious.
• What Content Gets Greenlit?
  Thoughtful storytelling, high production value, and impact. “Big media says no. We’re designed to say yes.”
• Legacy Media’s Future
  Carlos predicts local TV’s survival — but only one dominant station per market. “The economics have changed. So must the model.”
• Remembering Sam Rubin
  Carlos reflects on Sam’s audition, his genius, and the energy he brought to the morning news family.

🎧 Listen If You’re:

• A media professional rethinking your next chapter
• A content creator looking for your own “seat at the table”
• Curious about how the KTLA Morning News became a cultural force
• Wondering how to turn media heartbreak into entrepreneurial fire

📌 Links & Mentions

• BEOND TV
• Follow Jason on Instagram: @MrJasonBall
• Follow the show: @LifeAfterNewsPod
• Subscribe on YouTube: Life After News Channel

🌟 Up Next

Dorothy Lucey joins Jason for another wide-open conversation. From outrageous news director comments to parenting revelations, you won’t want to miss this one.

🔗 Stay Connected to Life After News

·       🎧 Subscribe: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your shows

·       📺 Watch: YouTube.com/@LifeAfterNews

·       📱 Follow: @MrJaso

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

🎙️ Life After News  – Christina Pascucci: From Anchor Desk to Fire Zones, Senate Runs, and Global Impact

Buckle up. Christina Pascucci doesn’t play small. 💥

In this episode of Life After News, former Los Angeles anchor and reporter Christina Pascucci returns with a vengeance—and a mission. Less than two years after leaving TV news, she…

⚡ Ran for U.S. Senate while 5 months pregnant
 ⚡ Gave birth, then joined the California State Guard
 ⚡ Reported from the fire zone WHILE serving in uniform
 ⚡ Traveled to Yemen
 ⚡ Launched her own consultancy firm (🧭 Atlas)
 ⚡ Became a leading voice in foster care reform
 ⚡ Is now expecting baby #2—and maybe planning her next big move 👀

This is what happens when a journalist refuses to play by the old rules.

💬 She speaks truth on:

• The broken foster care system and how to fix it
• Why traveling with a baby changes everything
• The news assignment that finally broke her
• What journalists do BETTER than most politicians

📌 Featured nonprofit: The Change Reaction
📱 Follow Christina: @ChristinaPascucci

📣 🔗 Stay Connected to Life After News

• 🎧 Subscribe: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform
• 📺 Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@LifeAfterNews
• 📱 Instagram: @MrJasonBall & @LifeAfterNewsPod
• 💼 LinkedIn: Jason Ball
• 🏨 Visit: Old Ranch Inn – A boutique retreat in Palm Springs
• 🗞️ Subscribe & Read: Desert Dispatch – our newsletter on storytelling and reinvention
• 📅 New episodes every Tuesday
• 🙌 Love the show? Share it with a friend
• 🔗 Subscribe, share, and give us that ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ if you're feeling it.

#LifeAfterNews #ChristinaPascucci #TVNewsExit #CareerPivot #RunForOffice #CaliforniaPolitics #FosterCareReform #WomenInMedia #JasonBall #MilitaryService #FemaleEntrepreneurs #NewsToImpact #StateGuard #PodcastEpisode #DesertDispatch #NewsroomExit #ChangeReaction #JournalistsInPolitics #SenateRun #KTLAAlumni #LifeAfterTV #InspiredAF

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

📺 In this special bonus episode, Jason Ball returns to KTLA, not as the news director, but as a guest. He sits down to share the inspiration behind Life After News, his personal journey away from the newsroom.

💬 In this episode:

• What it felt like to return to KTLA as a guest
• The moment Jason knew it was time to leave TV news
• The idea that sparked Life After News
• How the podcast is helping others redefine success after the newsroom

🎙 Whether you're a longtime friend from the industry or new to the Life After News community, this candid conversation is a powerful introduction to the mission behind the podcast.

🔗 Links & Resources

• Watch the full KTLA interview: KTLA Interview with Jason Ball
• Follow Jason on Instagram: @lifeafternewspod and @mrjasonball

📌Back to regularly schedule programming tomorrow with KTLA alum Christina Pascucci and her life after news.

🎧 If this is your first time here—welcome.
Hit follow, dig into previous episodes, and stick around for what's coming next.

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

🎙️ How To Pivot Out Of Journalism Before You Burn Out with Aundrea Cline-Thomas 🛑🔥

Are you a journalist wondering what’s next?
 Feeling stuck? Exhausted? Invisible?

🎯 This episode is your step-by-step playbook for making a bold career move without losing your identity—or your paycheck.

🚨 Aundrea Cline-Thomas did it. So can you.

She left WCBS. She launched her own agency.
 She replaced her income.
 And now she’s helping YOU do the same.

🎧 In This Episode:

🧠 Clarity Before the Resume - Don’t start with job boards. Start with you. Aundrea reveals the single exercise that changed her life.

💰 How to Buy Yourself Time - “Money buys time.” Aundrea shares how she planned her exit like a contract, not a fantasy.

📢 Rebrand or Be Forgotten - Why journalists fail in other industries—and how to fix it quickly.

💼 Turn Your Skills Into a Business - Aundrea said yes to everything at first. But then she got focused. Find out what made her first dollar—and her first client.

🧰 Toolkit for the Pivot:

• Transferable Skills Guide (FREE!)
• Personal brand audit
• Real-life job language decoded (no more “MMJ” and “OTS” nonsense)
• The one mindset shift that opened every door

💥 You Need This Episode If:

✅ You say “I could do anything” but don’t know what that is
 ✅ You’ve been laid off—or see it coming
 ✅ You’re afraid to leave, but more afraid to stay
 ✅ You miss your family, your freedom, and yourself

“You’re not starting over. You’re starting from experience.” – Aundrea Cline-Thomas

🎯 Next step:
🎧 LISTEN NOW. Then go to StartYourRewrite.com and download the guide that’s helped hundreds of journalists take control of their next chapter.

📲 Tag us when you listen:
@lifeafternewspod | @aundreact
Use #LifeAfterNews and #RewriteYourCareer — we might share your story.

📣 🔗 Stay Connected to Life After News

• 🎧 Subscribe: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform
• 📺 Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@LifeAfterNews
• 📱 Instagram: @MrJasonBall & @LifeAfterNewsPod
• 💼 LinkedIn: Jason Ball
• 🏨 Visit: Old Ranch Inn – A boutique retreat in Palm Springs
• 🗞️ Subscribe & Read: Desert Dispatch – our newsletter on storytelling and reinvention
• 📅 New episodes every Tuesday
• 🙌 Love the show? Share it with a friend

 #CareerPivot #HowToQuitNews #JournalismExitPlan #RewriteYourCareer #LifeAfterNews #MediaBurnout #StartYourRewrite #NewsEscapePlan #FromNewsToNext #TransferableSkills #PersonalBranding #PivotWithPurpose #BlackWomenInMedia #NextBestThing

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

🎙️ Life After News with Tamsen Fadal: Redefining Midlife, Menopause & Media 🎥📚

In this episode of Life After News, veteran journalist and advocate Tamsen Fadal joins Jason Ball to talk about leaving behind a 30-year broadcast career to champion a long-overdue conversation: menopause, midlife, and women's health.

🔔 Tamsen opens up about her on-air health scare in 2019, how it became the catalyst for a seismic personal and professional shift, and why she chose to tackle one of society’s biggest taboos. Now an award-winning documentary producer, author of How to Menopause, and host of her own podcast, Tamsen is rewriting the narrative of what it means to thrive at midlife.

🔑 In This Episode:

• 📉 Why menopause has been misrepresented—and misunderstood—for decades
• 🎬 Behind the scenes of her PBS documentary The M Factor
• 📖 What went into researching and writing How to Menopause, featuring 42 experts
• 🧠 The neuroscience of menopause: brain fog, anxiety, and hormone shifts
• 🩺 The truth about hormone therapy, testosterone, and medical bias
• 💪 Building confidence to advocate for your health—and your worth
• 🗣️ Why this movement needs men too: partners, coworkers, and allies
• 🚀 Tips for anyone considering a career pivot or second act
• 📱 Building influence and community on social media—without filters or fear

🌟 Key Quotes:

“If you have ovaries, you are going through menopause. That’s 50% of the population.”

“I didn’t want women to think they were going crazy. I wanted them to have answers.”

“This is the most important story I’ve ever told—and the most personal.”

🔗 Stay Connected with Tamsen:

• Instagram: @tamsenfadal📲
• Website: https://www.tamsenfadal.com/🌐
• Podcast: The Tamsen Fadal Show🎧

💬 Join the Conversation:

Have you or someone you love struggled to find clarity around menopause? This episode is for you—and everyone who wants to understand, support, and advocate.

📣 Stay Connected

• 🎧 Subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
• 📺 Watch the video version on YouTube: youtube.com/@LifeAfterNews
• 📱 Follow on Instagram: @MrJasonBall and @LifeAfterNewsPod
• 💼 Connect on LinkedIn: Jason Ball
• 🏨 Visit us at the Old Ranch Inn: oldranchinn.com – our boutique escape in the heart of Palm Springs
• 🗞️ Subscribe to Desert Dispatch: desertdispatch.beehiiv.com – reflections on storytelling, second careers, and desert life
• 📅 Launch Date: The first three episodes drop Tuesday, May 20, with new episodes every Tuesday after that
• 🙌 Enjoying the show? Share Life After News with a friend, colleague, or fellow journalist ready for their next chapter

#LifeAfterNews #TamsenFadal #MenopauseAwareness #HowToMenopause #MidlifeRevolution #WomenInMedia #HormoneHealth #BrainFog #Perimenopause #MenopauseSupport #HealthAdvocacy #WomenSupportingWomen #SecondActSuccess #JasonBallPodcast #PodcastLife #AgeBo

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

🎙️ Rewriting the Script: Michaela Pereira on News, Grief, and Growth

📝 Show Notes

Episode Summary
In this deeply personal episode, Michaela Pereira joins Jason to reflect on her transformative journey through the world of broadcast journalism. From a serendipitous start in media to major roles at KTLA, CNN, HLN and Good Day LA, Michaela’s path has been defined by curiosity, connection, and reinvention.

She opens up about the emotional toll of covering difficult stories, and the leap to national television with CNN’s New Day and later her own show on HLN. Michaela shares why she eventually stepped away from traditional news, and how she found healing and.

Together, Michaela and Jason explore mental health, grief, and the urgent need for emotional support in newsrooms and reflect on the enduring power of storytelling, community, and saying yes to life’s next chapter.

📌 Key Takeaways

• Michaela’s career began with an unexpected opportunity—but it clicked.
• Transitioning from Canada to the U.S. came with cultural and professional adjustments.
• At KTLA, she found her footing and a loyal audience.
• Her move to CNN’s New Day and later HLN marked a major step into national media.
• HLN allowed her to anchor her own show, shaping a more personal, conversational format.
• National news brought new challenges: pressure, pace, and public scrutiny.
• The emotional toll of tragedy-focused coverage led her to reimagine her role.
• Her shift to Good Day LA was a return to joy and meaningful connection with viewers.
• Michaela emphasizes the need for mental health support in journalism—grief counseling included.
• She believes in the quiet power of nurturing creativity and embracing reinvention.
• Personal relationships are central to her growth and her compass for decisions.
• The media landscape is changing—flexibility and intention are essential.
• Every conversation, every interaction matters. Nothing is too small to celebrate.

🧭 Chapters

1. Intro & Groundwork
2. Michaela's Accidental Entry Into Broadcasting
3. Tech TV and the KTLA Years
4. Cultural Shift: From San Francisco to L.A.
5. Jumping to CNN’s New Day & HLN’s Personal Format
6. The Toll of National News and High-Stakes Coverage
7. Reconnecting with Joy: Good Day LA
8. Mental Health, Grief, and the Weight of the News
9. Reinvention and the Creative Muscle
10. The Importance of Saying Yes and Staying Connected
11. Final Reflections: Presence, Purpose, and Possibility

📱 You can connect with Michaela on Instagram: @michaelapereira

🔜 Next on Life After News
Up next, Jason sits down with Tamsen Fadal, Emmy-winning journalist turned women's health advocate. In a candid and powerful conversation, Tamsen opens up about her personal journey through menopause and why she’s using her voice to break taboos and educate others. From hormone therapy challenges to the importance of community and storytelling, this is an episode every woman—and the people who love them—needs to hear. 🌿💬

🎧 Don’t miss it—subscribe now so you’re the first to listen.

🔗 Stay Connected to Life After News

·       🎧 Subscribe: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your shows

·       📺 Watch: YouTube.com/@LifeAfterNews

·       📱 Fol

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

🎙️ When Breaking News Hits Home: Ellen Leyva on Surviving the Eaton Fire

Veteran news anchor Ellen Leyva spent nearly 30 years reporting breaking stories — but nothing prepared her for when breaking news struck her own home. In this conversation, just weeks after her retirement from KABC, Ellen opens up about surviving the Eaton Fire, the emotional toll of seeing her community threatened, and how it redefined her understanding of the news she once reported.

Ellen also reflects on:

·       Covering the OJ Simpson trial, 9/11, and decades of history

·       Her enduring on-air partnership with David Ono

·       Balancing career and motherhood while anchoring the morning show

·       Early encounters with Justin Timberlake and Donald Trump

·       Why she walked away from the anchor desk

·       How painting, travel, and love are shaping her life after news

This is Ellen’s most personal story yet — raw, real, and revealing.

📌 Chapters
00:00 Ellen Leyva's Journey in News Broadcasting
08:58 Memorable Moments in Journalism
11:59 The Dynamics of Anchoring
15:00 Personal Life and Balancing Career
17:59 Life After Retirement and New Beginnings
21:30 A Serendipitous Reunion
23:07 Navigating Life Changes
23:46 The Eaton Fire Experience
28:01 Reflections on Retirement
32:10 Finding Peace and Purpose
35:03 The Art of Transition
38:07 Advice for Aspiring Journalists

👉 Follow Ellen on Instagram: @abc7ellen

🔗 Stay Connected to Life After News

• 🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & more
 • 📺 Watch full episodes: YouTube.com/@LifeAfterNews
• 📱 Instagram: @MrJasonBall & @LifeAfterNewsPod
• 💼 LinkedIn: Jason Ball
• 🏨 Visit: Old Ranch Inn – A boutique retreat in Palm Springs
• 🗞️ Read: Desert Dispatch – Stories of reinvention
• 📅 New Episodes: Every Tuesday
• 🙌 Love the show? Share it with a friend! Give us 5-star ratings!  

#EllenLeyva #BreakingNews #EatonFire #LifeAfterNews #NewsAnchor #WildfireSurvivor #WomenInMedia #RetirementJourney #DavidOno #TVJournalism #OJSimpsonTrial #911Coverage #JustinTimberlake #DonaldTrump #CareerTransition #AnchorLife #StorytellingMatters #LifeAfterTV #PersonalGrowth #Reinvention

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

🎙️ Breaking News: Why Jackie Johnson Left TV & Started The Weather Chef

What happens when a lifelong dream collides with a life-altering reality? In this episode, Jason Ball talks with Jackie Johnson McBride, a former broadcast meteorologist whose journey took her from high-intensity newsrooms to the peaceful rhythms of small-town life and seasonal cooking.

From her childhood goal of becoming a meteorologist to navigating the high-pressure world of Los Angeles television, Jackie shares what it was like to step off the news set and into the world of motherhood. She opens up about the tough decision to leave her career, the unexpected joys of Santa Barbara life, and how a love of weather and food gave birth to The Weather Chef.

🌤️ Highlights:

• Jackie’s childhood dream: chasing clouds and careers
• The leap from meteorology to television broadcasting
• The grind of fast-paced news in Miami and L.A.
• Why she walked away from the camera to become a present mom
• The emotional pull of the newsroom—and why she still misses it
• How motherhood shaped her resilience and sense of identity
• The birth of The Weather Chef: where recipes meet weather patterns
• Seasonal eating and slowing down during the pandemic
• Staying authentic through life’s transitions
• Advice for young professionals: put in the work, and love what you do

🍴 Featured Links:

• The Weather Chef Website
• @theweatherchef on Instagram
• @jackiejohnsonla on Instagram

🔗 Stay Connected to Life After News

• 🎧 Subscribe: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your shows
• 📺 Watch: YouTube.com/@LifeAfterNews
• 📱 Follow: @MrJasonBall & @LifeAfterNewsPod
• 💼 LinkedIn: Jason Ball
• 🗞️ Read: Desert Dispatch — the newsletter on storytelling & reinvention
• 🏨 Stay: Old Ranch Inn
• 📅 New Episodes: Every Tuesday
• 💌 Love the show? Share it with a friend!

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

🎙️ Life After News — Second Acts in Palm Springs

🧵 Episode Summary

In this conversation, Jason Ball sits down with fellow boutique hotelier David Rios to Palm Springs’ hospitality scene. David opens up about his journey from interior design to working on The Trixie Motel and renovating his own hotel The Velvet Rope.  Jason shares his journey from the newsroom to owning and operating Old Ranch Inn.

The day after this episode was recorded, a bombing at the American Reproductive Center rocked the Palm Springs community. The attack severely damaged dozens of surrounding businesses—including David’s hotel. Jason reflects on this tragic event and sets the stage for a powerful conversation about resilience, beauty, and the meaning of home.  Jason shares how listeners can support ongoing recovery efforts.

✨ Key Takeaways

·       🌴 Palm Springs is home to more than 80 boutique hotels.

·       🤝 Collaboration between local hotel owners enhances the guest experience and strengthens community ties.

·       📈 Success in boutique hospitality requires both smart marketing and authentic engagement with the community.

About the Bombing (May 17)

🎙️ Life After News pauses to acknowledge the tragic May 17 bombing at the American Reproductive Center in Palm Springs. The explosion not only impacted the clinic but caused severe damage to multiple nearby businesses, including David Rios’s The Velvet Rope.

This episode is a tribute to the strength of Palm Springs—and to the individuals like David who are rebuilding in the face of adversity.

🙌 How You Can Help

🏗️ Rebuild Palm Springs Fund

🏨 David Rios’s Go Fund Me 

🌐 Connect with David Rios

·       🖼️ Website: DavidRiosDesigns.com

·       📸 Instagram: @DavidRiosDesigns

🔜 Breaking News! Next on Life After News…

🎙️ Jackie Johnson McBride — Jackie has a big announcement, so we are dropping her episode on Sunday, June 1.   From forecasting storms to stirring the pot in the kitchen, Jackie Johnson McBride joins Life After News to share her remarkable journey from television meteorologist to The Weather Chef, a cool new interactive experience you going to love.

She and Jason explore reinvention, seasonal living, and life’s most unexpected transitions.

📅 Don’t miss this one — Sunday, June 1!

🔗 Stay Connected to Life After News

·       🎧 Subscribe: Spotify, Apple Podcasts & more

·       📺 Watch: YouTube.com/@LifeAfterNews

·       📱 Follow: @MrJasonBall & @LifeAfterNewsPod

·       💼 LinkedIn: Jason Ball

·       🏨 Stay: Old Ranch Inn

·       🗞️ Read: Desert Dispatch – the newsletter on storytelling & reinvention

·       📅 New Episodes: Every Tuesday

·       💌 Love the show? Share it with a friend!

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

🎙️ Life After News

Building a Media Empire:  From News Reporter to Social Media Star

📝 Episode Summary (How She Did It)

In this episode of Life After News, Jason Ball dives into the practical playbook behind Lora McLaughlin Peterson’s transformation from local news reporter to digital content powerhouse. Best known for her brand Lorafied, Lora didn’t just pivot careers—she engineered a lifestyle business from the ground up by leveraging her newsroom skills, identifying a relatable niche, and mastering content strategy across platforms.

She began by posting simple, relatable content around budget-friendly living and modern home hacks—filling a gap she noticed in everyday media. By focusing on short-form video, tapping into platform trends, and remaining deeply responsive to her audience, she grew a loyal following.

Lora shares how she built Lorafied by:

• Using storytelling tactics honed in TV news to make her content stand out.
• Listening to her followers and using their feedback to shape her content roadmap.
• Turning authentic engagement into monetization, without compromising her values.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Career Pivot with Purpose: Lora left local news to spend more time with her family and build a career on her own terms.
• Creativity is Currency: Standing out in the digital space requires innovation, resourcefulness, and a clear voice.
• The Birth of ‘Lorafied’: Inspired by modern home economics, Lora's brand focuses on practical solutions and down-to-earth content.
• Community First: Building trust and connection with followers is more important than going viral.
• Money-Saving Wisdom: From affordable dupes to healthy fast food tips, Lorafied delivers value in every post.
• Authenticity Wins: Lora emphasizes being real and relatable as a cornerstone of her content strategy.
• Find Your Lane: Knowing and embracing your niche can unlock growth and opportunities.
• Monetizing the Mission: Turning influence into income takes strategic thinking, consistent effort, and business acumen.
• Small Business, Big Workload: Behind the scenes, running Lorafied is more demanding than any 9-to-5.

👥 Connect with Lora / Lorafied

• 📸 Instagram: @lorafied
• 🎵 TikTok: @lorafied
• 🌐 Website: lorafied.com

🔗 Stay Connected to Life After News

• 🎧 Subscribe: Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app
• 📺 Watch Episodes: YouTube.com/@LifeAfterNews
• 📱 Instagram: @MrJasonBall & @LifeAfterNewsPod
• 💼 LinkedIn: Jason Ball
• 🏨 Visit: Old Ranch Inn – A boutique retreat in Palm Springs
• 🗞️ Read: Desert Dispatch, our newsletter on storytelling and reinvention
• 📅 New Episodes: Every Tuesday
• 🙌 Support the Show: If you loved this episode, share it with a friend!

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

Join host Jason Ball and guest Randy Lovely, former newspaper executive and current President of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation (CVJF), for a deep dive into the evolution of the news industry, the decline of newspapers' financial heyday, and the critical importance of supporting local journalism.

Today is Giving Tuesday! Support Local Journalism!

In this episode, Randy Lovely stresses that local journalism is vital to the health and fabric of a community. The best way to show your support is to pay for your news whether through a direct subscription or by donating to a foundation that supports local news outlets.

💖 Support the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation

• Donate Today: Visit cvjf.org to make a donation and support the various programs that keep local news thriving in the Coachella Valley.
• What Your Donation Supports: Funding for staff positions, journalism training and staff development, reporting project costs, and placing interns in local newsrooms.
• Indio Post Campaign: The CVJF is currently in a campaign to match dollar-for-dollar up to $24,000 to offset the startup and technical costs of the new Indio Post.
• Philanthropy Coverage: The CVJF helps fund the Desert Sun's dedicated coverage of local philanthropy, a crucial public service for the community's hundreds of nonprofits.

🚀 Randy Lovely's Life in Journalism

Randy Lovely shares his incredible 40-year journey in print journalism, beginning with a middle school mix-up that landed him in a journalism class instead of wood shop.

• Early Career: Started as a general assignment reporter at a small seven-person Gannett paper in Sturgis, Michigan, in the mid-80s, learning to be a multi-faceted journalist (taking photos, writing, and even helping with page composition).
• The Golden Years: Worked through the heyday of newspaper publishing, noting that 2006 was the watershed year, the highest point for newspaper revenue. At the Arizona Republic, the paper made over $1 million per day in net profit in 2006.
• Staff Size: At its peak, the Arizona Republic newsroom, including satellite offices, swelled to about 500 people.

📉 The Fall: Technology and Economic Headwinds

Randy discusses the swift and accelerated decline of the newspaper industry after 2006.

• Digital Shift: Consumer behavior rapidly switched to digital consumption between 2006 and 2008.
• Advertising Decimation: The core revenue model, retail advertising, was decimated by new competitors like Google, Craigslist, and Amazon.
   
• Craigslist Disruption: Randy reflects on the industry's regret for not taking a fraction of their enormous profits in the late 90s/early 2000s to "out Craigslist in Craigslist," instead holding onto their classified ad moneymaker.
• Economic Crash: The 2008 housing bubble burst added significant economic pressure, especially in growth markets like Phoenix, which lost huge revenues from developer and builder ads.

📺 Merging Print and Broadcast

Randy shares the "thrilling but difficult" experience of merging the Arizona Republic with the NBC affiliate, KPNX.

• Integration: The newsrooms were physically merged and integrated across all platforms after receiving an FCC waiver, putting reporters together regardless of whether they worked for print, digital, or TV.
• The Tucson Shooting: A month after the full i

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

In this episode, Brandon Lee joins us to share his journey from the television news to the healing art therapy. Brandon now leads Art of Our Soul, using art and music therapy to help trauma survivors—including convicted felons—heal through joyful expression.

We explore how the isolation of the 2020 pandemic led Brandon to a pivotal relapse that unlocked the door to unprocessed childhood trauma. Through art therapy, community, and compassion, Brandon not only rebuilt his life, but also created a program that is reducing recidivism and transforming lives behind bars.

💡 Key Takeaways

• Brandon’s transformation from anchor to art therapist is a story of resilience and purpose.
• Art therapy is more than creativity—it’s a powerful therapeutic tool.
• The COVID-19 pandemic became a personal reckoning for Brandon, sparking deep emotional healing.
• A joyful healing environment fosters emotional safety and deeper therapeutic impact.
• Art of Our Soul is making a measurable difference in reducing recidivism through creative programs.
• Addressing trauma and incarceration with empathy can shift societal perceptions.
• Holistic healing programs are gaining attention from insurers and advocates.
• Brandon’s upcoming documentary, Blank Canvas, seeks to humanize and elevate the stories of incarcerated artists.

📎 Related Links

• 🎨 Explore the art and mission of Art of Our Soul
• 📽️ Watch Blank Canvas, the documentary
• 📸 Follow Brandon Lee on Instagram: @brandonlee

🔗 Stay Connected with Life After News

• 🎧 Listen & Subscribe: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform
• 📺 Watch full episodes: youtube.com/@LifeAfterNews
• 📱 Instagram: @MrJasonBall & @LifeAfterNewsPod
• 💼 LinkedIn: Jason Ball
• 🗞️ Newsletter: Desert Dispatch – Read now
• 🏨 Stay: Old Ranch Inn — A boutique retreat in Palm Springs
• 📅 New episodes drop every Tuesday!
• 🙌 Love this episode? Share it with a friend.

🟣 Sponsored By: Chatmosa

Chatmosa.com isn’t just another chat app. It’s your go-to space for real connection—whether launching your own podcast, hosting a live stream, or hanging out in a curated digital lounge.

And yep—there’s a former news person behind the scenes. Stay tuned as we spotlight more about Chatmosa and how it’s reshaping community-powered media.

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

🎧 Episode Summary

In this inspiring episode, Jason Ball sits down with broadcasting icon Jillian Barberie to revisit her remarkable career and the resilience that has shaped her journey. From a cultural awakening in Miami to groundbreaking success on Good Day LA, Jillian shares candid reflections on fame, loss, recovery, and rebirth.

She opens up about her breast cancer diagnosis, financial hardship, and particularly, the emotional and psychological toll of her IRS troubles, which she identifies as the hardest challenge she’s ever faced. Jillian speaks openly about how these experiences tested her at every level—and how she’s used creativity, community, and courage to rebuild.

This is a powerful conversation about embracing authenticity, staying present, and turning challenges into transformative growth.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Be Yourself: Jillian emphasizes the power of authenticity in standing out professionally.
• Cultural Awakening: Living in Miami was a turning point in Jillian’s personal and professional worldview.
• Career Highlights: Good Day LA was pivotal in establishing Jillian’s TV persona.
• Evolving Media: Social media changed how broadcasters engage with audiences.
• Life After Diagnosis: Breast cancer and recovery reshaped her identity and priorities.
• IRS Struggles: Her financial challenges with the IRS proved to be her most grueling life challenge.
• Support Systems Matter: Healing required community, therapy, and self-reflection.
• Creative Outlets: Art became a sanctuary during post-treatment life.
• Advice to Youth: Stay in the moment, be adaptable, and embrace life’s uncertainty.

🔗 Connect with Jillian

• 🎨 Art Portfolio: jillian-barberie.pixels.com
• 📸 Instagram: @askjillian
• 🎵 TikTok: @jillianbarberie

📣 Stay Connected to Life After News

• 📺 Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@LifeAfterNews
• 📱 Instagram: @MrJasonBall & @LifeAfterNewsPod
• 💼 LinkedIn: Jason Ball
• 🏨 Visit: Old Ranch Inn – A boutique retreat in Palm Springs
• 🗞️ Subscribe & Read: Desert Dispatch – our newsletter on storytelling and reinvention
• 📅 New episodes every Tuesday
• 🙌 Love the show? Share it with a friend

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

🎙️ Life After News

Hosted by Jason Ball

Welcome to Life After News—the podcast where we dive into the extraordinary second acts of people who walked away from a life in local TV news to find something more.

I'm Jason Ball, and after an incredible 30-year career in local television news, I left the newsroom behind and started a new journey of reinvention. Like many others during the Great Resignation—sparked by the pandemic, social justice protests, a turbulent election, and even an insurrection—I felt the need to reassess what truly mattered. That decision led me to the Old Ranch Inn in Palm Springs, and now, to this podcast.

🧠 What We Explore

• The importance of journalism—and how to support those who stay or transition
• Reinvention after burnout and the pressure of deadlines
• The courage it takes to walk away and redefine success
• Second careers in art, coaching, business, and beyond
• Using newsroom-honed skills in deeply meaningful new ways
• Personal stories of healing, growth, and even beekeeping
• Small business and hospitality life—including our own journey buying and running a boutique hotel in Palm Springs

🎤 Sneak Peek: Meet Our First Guests

Brandon Lee – Founder, Art of Our Soul

Former Emmy-winning anchor turned healing visionary. Brandon shares how art and music therapy are transforming lives in the Arizona prison system—and how he’s using his journey of addiction recovery to train and empower others through creative expression.

Renee Washington – Executive Coach, Former News Director

Renee went from boss to coach. She’s taken the parts of journalism she loved—mentorship, development, leadership—and now helps professionals unlock their potential with the gift of time and mindset freedom.

Jillian Barberie – TV Personality

One of TV’s most vibrant personalities, Jillian opens up about leaving Good Day LA, overcoming cancer, issues with the IRS, and embracing a fully authentic new chapter. Expect unfiltered stories, Canadian nostalgia, and a killer Pamela Anderson impression.

Jackie Johnson – Former CBS2 Weather Anchor

Jackie stepped away from the green screen for gardening and motherhood. In this fun and heartfelt conversation, we talk about stillness, family life, and her clever new interactive project: “What’s the Weather? What’s for Dinner?”—where the forecast just might decide your meal.

📣 Stay Connected

• 🎧 Subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
• 📺 Watch the video version on YouTube: youtube.com/@LifeAfterNews
• 📱 Follow on Instagram: @MrJasonBall and @LifeAfterNewsPod
• 💼 Connect on LinkedIn: Jason Ball
• 🏨 Visit us at the Old Ranch Inn: oldranchinn.com – our boutique escape in the heart of Palm Springs
• 🗞️ Subscribe to Desert Dispatch: desertdispatch.beehiiv.com – reflections on storytelling, second careers, and desert life
• 📅 Launch Date: The first three episodes drop Tuesday, May 20, with new episodes every Tuesday after that
• 🙌 Enjoying the show? Share Life After News with a friend, colleague, or fellow journalist ready for their next chapter

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

🎙️ Life After News

Hosted by Jason Ball

Welcome to Life After News—the podcast where we dive into the extraordinary second acts of people who walked away from a life in local TV news to find something more.

I'm Jason Ball, and after an incredible 30-year career in local television news, I left the newsroom behind and started a new journey of reinvention. Like many others during the Great Resignation—sparked by the pandemic, social justice protests, a turbulent election, and even an insurrection—I felt the need to reassess what truly mattered. That decision led me to the Old Ranch Inn in Palm Springs, and now, to this podcast.

🧠 What We Explore

• The importance of journalism—and how to support those who stay or transition
• Reinvention after burnout and the pressure of deadlines
• The courage it takes to walk away and redefine success
• Second careers in art, coaching, business, and beyond
• Using newsroom-honed skills in deeply meaningful new ways
• Personal stories of healing, growth, and even beekeeping
• Small business and hospitality life—including our own journey buying and running a boutique hotel in Palm Springs

🎤 Sneak Peek: Meet Our First Guests

Brandon Lee – Founder, Art of Our Soul

Former Emmy-winning anchor turned healing visionary. Brandon shares how art and music therapy are transforming lives in the Arizona prison system—and how he’s using his journey of addiction recovery to train and empower others through creative expression.

Renee Washington – Executive Coach, Former News Director

Renee went from boss to coach. She’s taken the parts of journalism she loved—mentorship, development, leadership—and now helps professionals unlock their potential with the gift of time and mindset freedom.

Jillian Barberie – TV Personality

One of TV’s most vibrant personalities, Jillian opens up about leaving Good Day LA, overcoming cancer, issues with the IRS, and embracing a fully authentic new chapter. Expect unfiltered stories, Canadian nostalgia, and a killer Pamela Anderson impression.

Jackie Johnson – Former CBS2 Weather Anchor

Jackie stepped away from the green screen for gardening and motherhood. In this fun and heartfelt conversation, we talk about stillness, family life, and her clever new interactive project: “What’s the Weather? What’s for Dinner?”—where the forecast just might decide your meal.

📣 Stay Connected

• 🎧 Subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
• 📺 Watch the video version on YouTube: youtube.com/@LifeAfterNews
• 📱 Follow on Instagram: @MrJasonBall and @LifeAfterNewsPod
• 💼 Connect on LinkedIn: Jason Ball
• 🏨 Visit us at the Old Ranch Inn: oldranchinn.com – our boutique escape in the heart of Palm Springs
• 🗞️ Subscribe to Desert Dispatch: desertdispatch.beehiiv.com – reflections on storytelling, second careers, and desert life
• 📅 Launch Date: The first three episodes drop Tuesday, May 20, with new episodes every Tuesday after that
• 🙌 Enjoying the show? Share Life After News with a friend, colleague, or fellow journalist ready for their next chapter

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

He asked George W. Bush if he was smart enough to be president., confronted Dick Cheney about his lesbian daughter and gay rights mid-campaign, and gave Gavin Newsom both his best and worst interviews.

This week on Life After News, Jason sits down with legendary San Francisco political reporter Hank Plante for a wide-ranging, conversation about power, politics, the AIDS crisis, and why both of them chose a new chapter in Palm Springs. 🌴🎙️

Hank Plante is an Emmy- and Peabody-winning journalist who spent 25 years at KPIX in San Francisco. An openly gay reporter covering AIDS from ground zero in the 1980s and ’90s, Hank’s work helped shape national understanding of the epidemic and the LGBTQ community. Today, he’s “retired” in Palm Springs (doing everything but sitting still), writing, volunteering, and staying deeply engaged in local journalism and civic life.

🎧 In this episode

Jason and Hank dig into:

• 🔥 The Bush & Cheney moments:  asking George W. Bush point-blank if he was “bright enough” to be president and what happened after the cameras stopped rolling. Pressing Dick Cheney on running on a platform that discriminated against his own lesbian daughter.
• 💥 Gavin Newsom’s best and worst interviews:  why Hank believes he did both Newsom’s strongest and weakest on-camera moments.  How tone and intention can make or break a politician on TV.  What Hank thinks of Newsom’s evolution and his obvious presidential ambitions.
• 🦠 Covering AIDS from the front lines:  what it was like to report on AIDS in San Francisco when the federal government wouldn’t even say the word. Nurses taking care of patients without knowing how the virus was spread. The discrimination, the funerals, the fear and the PTSD Hank believes many in his generation still carry.  How activism and groups like ACT UP forced change and saved lives.
• 📰 Why local news is the future:  Hank’s first gig taking over Bob Woodward’s old job at a chain of weeklies.  Why both Hank and Jason believe local journalism is more important than ever and how the business model still hasn’t caught up. The role of organizations like the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation in funding real reporting on school boards, city councils, and communities like the Coachella Valley.
• 🌵 Life after news in Palm Springs: how Hank and his husband ended up in Palm Springs and why it just “felt meant to be.” The pace, the beauty, the nonstop events and why being in a deeply gay-friendly town matters at this stage of life. The joy of doing work that mostly doesn’t pay… and why that’s made him “very popular.” 😉

👀 Next week on Life After News

Jason sits down with Randy Lovely, president of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation and longtime Gannett editor and executive, to talk about:

• What the future of local news really looks like
• How communities can step up and fund the reporting they say they want
• And what’s at stake if we don’t

👉 Listen, follow, rate & review Life After News on your favorite podcast app.
👉 Share this episode with someone who cares about journalism, LGBTQ history, or Palm Springs.
👉 Consider supporting a local journalism nonprofit in your community.

Your rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, review 💬, and share 🔁 help keep these conversations and this mission alive.

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

In this episode of Life After News, Jason Ball sits down with his longtime friend Richard Ayoub, the CEO of Project Angel Food, as Richard celebrates his 10th anniversary leading the organization.

From the control rooms of KCAL 9 to the bustling kitchen that now prepares over 1.5 million medically tailored meals a year, Richard shares how his television producing skills, storytelling, deadlines, and people management, have fueled his success in the nonprofit world.

🕊️ From Newsroom to Nonprofit

Jason and Richard trace his remarkable journey from El Paso, Texas, through TV newsrooms in Tucson, Orlando, and Los Angeles, to the moment he traded breaking news for a mission-driven life. He reflects on how the same instincts that made him a strong producer, curiosity, compassion, and hustle, helped him revive a struggling organization and lead it into a new era of service.

🍽️ The Project Angel Food Story

Richard recounts the origins of Project Angel Food, founded by Marianne Williamson in 1989 during the AIDS crisis to ensure no one died alone or hungry. When Richard arrived a decade ago, the nonprofit was financially fragile “upside down a million dollars.” He describes how he and his team turned it around, reinstating staff benefits, paying off the building’s mortgage, and launching an ambitious $51.5 million capital campaign that will triple their capacity to 4.5 million meals annually.

💡 Food Is Medicine

Richard explains how the concept of “food is medicine” has transformed the organization’s mission designing meals to help clients manage HIV/AIDS, diabetes, heart disease, and more. With data showing improved health outcomes and reduced hospital visits, Project Angel Food now partners with six healthcare plans to bring medically tailored meals to thousands across Los Angeles.

🎬 Lessons from Life in News

A veteran of KCAL’s groundbreaking Prime 9 News, Richard shares inside stories from his days producing alongside Pat Harvey and Jerry Dunphy and how landing an interview with Henry Kissinger taught him the power of kindness and persistence. His reflections reveal how news instincts translate beautifully into leadership and advocacy work.

🏆 Legacy and Purpose

Richard calls Project Angel Food “the gay community’s gift to all of Los Angeles.” He sees his role as honoring that legacy while expanding its reach—with new facilities, satellite kitchens, and innovations that give clients more choice and dignity in their meals. “If you rewind the tape,” he says, “everything I’ve done in my life led me here.”

🎧 Plus, Jason’s Updates:

• After seven and a half years, Jason has rolled off the Project Angel Food board but continues to support its mission.
• He’s joined the board of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation, funding local journalism across the desert.
• And there’s a new Life After News sister podcast: Chasing Faith with Dorothy Lucey, exploring spirituality and belief in today’s world.

Next week’s guest: legendary reporter Hank Plante, one of the first openly gay journalists on television and a leading voice during the AIDS crisis.

Listen now for an inspiring conversation about purpose, reinvention, and how storytelling can change lives—on and off the air.

🎧 Subscribe to Life After News wherever you get your podcasts.

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

Life After News:  How to Become an Independent Video Journalist with Fernando Hurtado

Episode: Life After News
Guest: Fernando Hurtado (creator of In the Hyphen)
Host: Jason Ball

Episode summary

A step-by-step masterclass on going solo as a video journalist. Fernando Hurtado left a “dream job” at NBC/Telemundo to launch In the Hyphen, a YouTube channel covering U.S. Latino life with deeply researched, visually rich mini-docs. We dig into why he made the leap, how he picks stories, the production workflow he uses to publish consistently, how he pays the bills, and his plan to help other journalists make the jump. We also talk teaching, ethics on YouTube, code-switching, and, yes, the best Mexican food.

Key takeaways

• Niche > noise: A clear editorial focus (U.S. Latinos) helps you find stories, audience, and sponsors.
• Show your work: On YouTube, explaining sourcing and process builds trust and differentiates journalism from “non-fiction” content.
• Ship on a schedule: Pick a sustainable cadence (e.g., two mini-docs/month) and time-box production to four focused days.
• Test and iterate: Treat titles, publish days, and formats as experiments—watch data, adjust quickly.
• Own the stack: Independence means wearing every hat—editorial, production, distribution, sales. Start building those muscles early.
• Teach to learn: Teaching forces clarity; classrooms double as honest focus groups.
• Business matters: Learn CPMs, ad breaks, sponsorship packages, and outbound pitching. Your journalism is a product—position it.

Tools, resources & names mentioned

• In the Hyphen (YouTube): @byFernandoH
• Riverside (remote interviews)
• Notion / Trello / Asana / monday.com (story tracking)
• Google News Initiative (workshops)
• NBCLX (Gen Z/Millennial news R&D)
• Topics featured in Fernando’s videos: Chicano English, Tajín, mole, Mexican food in the U.S., TikTok personal shoppers, Grupo Bimbo

About Fernando

Fernando Hurtado is an award-winning journalist and YouTube creator. Formerly with NBC/Telemundo and The Washington Post, he now runs In the Hyphen, a channel exploring U.S. Latino identities through deeply reported mini-docs. He also teaches visual journalism and an Olympics/Paralympics storytelling course at USC Annenberg.

About Life After News

Hosted by Jason Ball, former TV news director turned creator and innkeeper, Life After News spotlights journalists, producers, and storytellers building new careers and creative lives beyond the newsroom.

Connect

• Watch Fernando: @byFernandoH (YouTube) — link in show notes
• Follow Jason: @MrJasonBall (IG)
• Subscribe: New episodes on YouTube and your favorite podcast app
• Rate & review: If this helped you, a quick review really helps others find the show.

Coming up next

Richard Ayoub, CEO of Project Angel Food, joins us to talk about moving from journalism to nonprofit leadership plus a special announcement you won’t want to miss. All the best until then.

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

🎧 Larry Welk: Veteran helicopter reporter, aviation entrepreneur, and grandson of television legend Lawrence Welk

🚁 Episode Summary

If you’ve ever watched a police pursuit in Los Angeles, chances are you’ve heard Larry Welk’s voice from above. Larry was in the helicopter for the very first televised police pursuit in L.A. history in 1992 and he’s been part of nearly every major aerial story since.

In this episode, Jason Ball catches up with Larry to talk about his remarkable journey from aviation student to pioneering TV news pilot, and how he helped shape an entire genre of live reporting from the skies. The two revisit iconic moments from the O.J. Simpson chase to the JetBlue landing gear emergency and discuss how those experiences changed the way television covered breaking news.

Larry also opens up about the crash that killed Kobe Bryant, explaining the phenomenon of spatial disorientation and the evolution of flight safety since. He reflects on how technology has transformed helicopter reporting from microwave feeds to Starlink satellite systems and what the future holds for airborne news coverage.

And in a more personal turn, Larry shares stories about his famous grandfather, Lawrence Welk, and what it was like growing up in a household tied to one of America’s most beloved entertainment families. He also talks about pivoting from news to running a power-line construction helicopter company and his surprising next dream: opening a comedy club.

✈️ Highlights

• The first-ever televised police pursuit and how it changed breaking news forever
• Covering the O.J. Simpson “white Bronco” chase from the sky
• Inside the JetBlue emergency landing that captivated the nation
• Spatial disorientation and the lessons learned from the Kobe Bryant crash
• From microwave to Starlink: how technology reshaped helicopter journalism
• Growing up a Welk — life in the shadow of a showbiz icon
• Building a business empire in aviation after leaving the news
• Larry’s next act: dreaming up a comedy club for California’s westside comics

🗣️ Key Quote

“We were there to cover someone’s worst day—and you had to remember that every time you went up.” — Larry Welk

🔗 Connect

Follow Jason Ball and Life After News for more conversations with the people who made the news—and what they’re doing now.

📺 Next Episode: Fernando Hurtado on leaving NBC and Telemundo to redefine how U.S. Latino stories are told.

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

Send us a text

This week, Jason Ball sits down with the legendary Tom Sietsema, who recently retired after nearly 26 years as The Washington Post’s food critic 🍽️. From dining in disguise to crafting over 1,200 restaurant reviews, Tom shares what it was like living a double life as one of America’s most respected (and most anonymous) culinary voices.

Now, he’s stepping into his life after news — trading deadlines for dinner parties and launching a new project called “Lamb Burger Night” 🍔✨ — intimate dinners at his home where conversation and connection are the main courses.

In this deliciously thoughtful episode, Tom and Jason talk about:
 👤 The art (and anxiety) of maintaining anonymity as a critic
 🍷 Why lamb burgers beat hamburgers — and his secret recipe tips
 💬 How community and conversation can heal a divided world
 📚 His plans for a newsletter, a children’s book (with one recipe!), and more

Tom also shares why he thinks everyone should “dream out loud” and what comes next when you finally step away from one of journalism’s most coveted jobs.

🎧 Tune in for lessons on taste, risk, and reinvention — served with a side of wisdom and warmth.

👉 Listen now on YouTube or your favorite podcast app!
💬 Have thoughts on this episode? Drop a comment or DM @lifeafternewspodcast.
📸 Follow for more behind-the-scenes stories: @lifeafternewspodcast

🔗 Follow Tom’s next chapter: TomSietsema.com

🌟 Next on Life After News: If you’ve ever watched a police pursuit in Los Angeles, you’ve probably heard Larry Welk calling the action from the sky 🚁. He’s hung up his helicopter headset.  We’ll find out what he’s doing now in his own life after news.

#LifeAfterNews #TomSietsema #WashingtonPost #FoodCritic #Podcast #CulinaryJourney #LifeAfterJournalism #LambBurgerNight #FoodStories #JasonBall #MediaReinvention #JournalismLife #LarryWelk

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.