Backstory Sessions

Lee Newton-Silver Threads and Golden Needles

This week on Backstory Sessions, we sit down with Lee Newton to talk about music that doesn’t just entertain—but means something. With deep roots in traditional country and a passion for preserving its storytelling soul, Lee brings authenticity, strength, and heart to everything she sings.
 
In this episode, Lee shares the journey behind her music, including the emotion and purpose woven into her latest work and collaborations. We dive into the importance of honoring the women who paved the way in country music, the responsibility of carrying that legacy forward, and how today’s artists can stay grounded in truth while still evolving their sound.
 
From powerful vocals to powerful stories, this conversation is a reminder that the best music doesn’t just come from talent—it comes from experience, resilience, and heart.

Whey Jennings - Baptized By Fire

🎙️ Backstory Sessions: Conversations with Creatives
Episode: Whey Jennings – Baptized by Fire
 
In this powerful episode of Backstory Sessions, we sit down with rising country artist Whey Jennings to talk about his deeply personal new album, Baptized by Fire.
 
Whey opens up about the journey behind the music—the struggles, the redemption, and the moments that shaped both his life and his sound. Carrying a legendary last name comes with expectations, but Whey is carving his own path with authenticity, grit, and a voice that tells the truth.
 
From the influence of family legacy to the fire it takes to become your own artist, this conversation goes beyond the songs and into the heart of what it means to start over, stay grounded, and keep going.
 
🔥 If you love real stories, raw honesty, and country music with soul—this episode is for you.
 
 
 
🎧 Tune in now and hear the story behind the music.
 
 
 
#BackstorySessions #WheyJennings #BaptizedByFire #CountryMusic #OutlawCountry #NewMusic #AppalachianVoices #Storytelling #ConversationsWithCreatives #TCMM #PodcastLife #RealStories

Lobo- Don’t Leave Me Now

This week on Backstory Sessions, we sit down with legendary singer-songwriter Lobo, the voice behind timeless hits like “Me and You and a Dog Named Boo,” “I’d Love You to Want Me,” and “Don’t Expect Me to Be Your Friend.” With a career spanning decades, Lobo helped define the warm, storytelling style of 1970s folk-pop and continues to connect with audiences around the world.
 
In this episode, Lobo reflects on the unexpected journey from writing songs in Florida to hearing his music echo across international airwaves. We talk about the stories behind his biggest hits, the inspiration that shaped his songwriting, and how the music industry—and the world of storytelling through song—has evolved over the years.
 
From the golden era of singer-songwriters to today’s global audience, Lobo shares memories, wisdom, and the creative spirit that continues to drive his music.
 
It’s a conversation about legacy, authenticity, and the songs that stand the test of time.
 
Listen in as we explore:
🎶 The inspiration behind Lobo’s most beloved songs
🎶 Life during the golden era of folk-pop songwriting
🎶 How storytelling remains at the heart of great music
🎶 The enduring power of simple, honest lyrics
 
Join us for a nostalgic and heartfelt conversation with one of music’s most recognizable voices.
#BackstorySessions #ConversationsWithCreatives #Lobo #SingerSongwriter #ClassicHits #70sMusic #FolkPop #Songwriting #MusicLegends #MusicPodcast #StoryBehindTheSong #MarchMusicMadness

Paul Locander

🎙 Backstory Sessions: Conversations with Creatives
Guest: Paul Locander
📅 March 8, 2026
 
Every story begins somewhere—and often long before the spotlight.
 
In this episode of Backstory Sessions, we sit down with author Paul Locander to explore the inspiration behind his gripping novel Power & Way. Paul shares the personal experiences, faith, and creative journey that shaped his storytelling and brought his characters to life.
 
From the spark of an idea to the discipline of finishing a novel, Paul opens up about the writing process, the themes that matter most to him, and the deeper message behind his work. Along the way, we discuss how resilience, belief, and life’s unexpected turns can shape both the stories we write and the lives we live.
 
If you love meaningful conversation about creativity, storytelling, and the path that leads artists to their work, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.
 
✨ Where stories begin before the spotlight.

Jim Paulk

Love stories don’t all begin the same way. Some begin with decades of shared memories. Some begin with laughter. And some are built slowly — with loyalty, devotion, and a steady presence that never fades.
 
In the final installment of our February Love Stories series, we sit down with Jim Paulk — a man whose life reflects a love that endured through time, change, and commitment.
 
With warmth, humor, and heartfelt reflection, Jim shares the story of his great love — how it began, how it grew, and what sustained it through the years. This conversation is a reminder that lasting love isn’t just about grand gestures. It’s about showing up. Staying steady. Choosing each other again and again.
 
As Jim speaks, you hear not only a love story, but a legacy — one that reminds us that the deepest love often reveals itself in the everyday moments.
 
This episode closes out our Love Stories series with something timeless: a testimony that love, when nurtured with faith, friendship, and resilience, doesn’t simply survive — it becomes a story worth telling.

Kevin and Jenn-Building the Sweet Life Together

Building a Sweet Life Together
 
Love doesn’t always begin with fireworks. Sometimes it begins with friendship, shared dreams, and the quiet decision to build something meaningful side by side.
 
In this heartfelt February Love Stories episode of Backstory Sessions, Kevin and Jenn share the story of how they met, how their relationship evolved, and how working together on The Sweet Life has shaped not only their creative journey—but their marriage.
 
They open up about the early days of their relationship, the moments that tested them, and the ways collaboration deepened their connection. What happens when love and purpose intersect? When your partner becomes your teammate, your sounding board, and your greatest supporter?
 
Kevin and Jenn reflect on:
 
How they first knew their connection was different
The challenges and rewards of creating together
How storytelling and shared vision strengthened their bond
The small, everyday choices that sustain long-term love
 
 
This episode is about partnership—not just in romance, but in mission. It’s about choosing each other in the middle of busy schedules, creative pressures, and life’s unpredictability.
 
Because sometimes the sweetest love story is the one you build together.

Marty and Kim

Sometimes love begins in the most ordinary places… over coffee, across a table, in the middle of an ordinary day at Panera.
 
In this episode of Backstory Sessions: Love Stories, Kim and Marty share the story of how a simple meeting turned into something neither of them expected—but both of them needed. What started as conversation became connection. What began as chance became choice.
 
Their story is filled with the quiet moments where trust is built, laughter returns, and two lives slowly begin to weave together. It’s about recognizing something familiar in someone new—and having the courage to see where it leads.
 
This episode reminds us that love doesn’t always arrive with grand gestures. Sometimes it shows up with coffee, conversation, and the willingness to stay a little longer.
 
🎙 Guests: Kim and Marty
☕ Where it all began: Panera
Because sometimes the place you stopped for a moment… becomes the place everything changed.

A Cup of Tea On the Commode

Love sometimes looks like sacrifice. Sometimes it looks like patience. And sometimes, it looks like a son who chooses to stay.
 
In this powerful episode of Backstory Sessions: Love Stories, we sit down with author Mark Steven Porro to talk about one of the most profound forms of love there is—the love of a caregiver for a parent. At age 55, Mark stepped away from his independent bachelor life to become a full-time caregiver to his 90-year-old mother, a woman who was sharp-witted, stubborn, funny, and slowly slipping into memory loss.
 
His memoir, A Cup of Tea on the Commode, captures the raw, real, and unexpectedly humorous moments of that journey. From frustration to tenderness, from exhaustion to grace, Mark shares what it meant to care for the woman who once cared for him—and how the experience transformed him in ways he never expected.
 
This episode is about devotion. About role reversal. About finding meaning in the hardest seasons. And about the quiet, enduring power of unconditional love.
 
🎙 Guest: Mark Steven Porro
📖 Author of A Cup of Tea on the Commode
📅 February 21, 2026
 
Because some love stories aren’t about finding someone new… they’re about honoring the ones who were there from the very beginning.

Wyze Men Say

Backstory Sessions Podcast — Love Stories Edition
Guest: Christopher Wyze | “Her Name In My Song”
 
What happens when love leaves—but the music stays?
 
In this heartfelt Valentine’s Love Stories episode of Backstory Sessions, Cat sits down with Christopher Wyze of Christopher Wyze & The Tellers to explore the real story behind his powerful song, “Her Name In My Song.” More than just a breakup anthem, this conversation uncovers the emotional truth behind loving deeply, losing bravely, and transforming heartbreak into art that lives on long after the relationship ends.
 
Christopher shares what inspired the song, the moment he realized some names never leave you, and how songwriting became both a refuge and a reckoning. Together, Cat and Christopher talk about vulnerability, creative honesty, and the courage it takes to turn private pain into something that helps others heal.
 
This episode is about more than one song—it’s about the people who shape us, the love stories that never fully end, and the music that keeps their memory alive….but does he reveal her name? 

John and Anna

In our Valentine’s Day edition of Backstory Sessions: Love Stories, we sit down with John and Anna, whose journey reminds us that love has no expiration date and no single timeline. Their story is filled with unexpected turns, deep devotion, and the kind of connection that proves it’s never too late for your life to change in the most beautiful way.
 
You’ll hear how they found each other, what sustained them, and why their love continues to work. It’s honest, raw and a powerful reminder that the greatest stories aren’t written —they’re lived.
 
Join us for a conversation that will make you smile, reflect, and believe in love all over again.
 
🎙 Backstory Sessions: Love Stories — Valentine’s Day Edition
Guests: John and Anna
📅 February 14, 2026
 
Because every love story deserves to be told.