Becoming Wilkinson

"I had another experience when I was meditating that affirmed my life was transforming again. I dreamed I was standing on a river bank. There were people in canoes peacefully rowing in a river. I came to understand that the river was peaceful flow. The people in the canoes waved and smiled to come in. I looked up and down the river bank. There were countless people standing on the banks. Some walked into the river and a canoe appeared for their transport. Some shook with fear on the side. Those in the river were committed. Somehow I knew it was a big commitment. I waded in and the next thing I knew I was in a canoe. I felt immense peace. I knew I would never go back to the river bank. At the same time, there was no judgment about those on the river bank. There was a simple invitation to wade into the peaceful river of life...I have witnessed the prison-house closing in on the growing child within myself and within my family. My work is dedicated to millions who have felt bound by the conditions that would imprison. My story is not unique. My message is simple, never ever give up! There is always hope. It is my intention that as you hear the story of my journey,  you will remember from deep within you-- your calling, your purpose, and your recovery of the truth of who you are. You are already free. You simply need to remember."           Larendee RoosFounder Director Miracle Activation CenterFounder CEO Roos AdvisorsPartner Ador DevelopmentFacilitator Trainer Pathways of LightGrateful Spouse, mom, and grandmother. Daughter of Abba Father.To contact Larendee, simply text her at 1-801-209-3611Photo: Copyright Wilkinson/2022Opening and closing music courtesy the very talented Zakhar Valaha via Pixabay.To contact Wilkinson- email him at BecomingWilkinson@gmail.comNOTE: This episode with Larendee originally aired in early 2022 when my podcast was new and I had few listeners/followers.  I've re-mixed the audio and I'm re-publishing it now because a larger audience should hear her story.

Enrique Quintero  is a Puerto Rican actor, writer, and video editor andwho now lives between Palm Springs and LA. His television credits include Amazon’s Bosch, HBO Max’s Queer You Are, Netflix’s High Heat, and Hulu’s Tengoku Daimakyo. He appeared recently on films such as Anchor and Hope and Tu Me Manques. He has graced the stage on productions of Chicago (Billy Flynn), In The Heights (Sonny), Arena (Adan Torrez), and Daddy Date (Beto). He is currently working on a comedy screenplay called Kill Your Selves and is editing a queer documentary titled Flamingo Camp. He was a finalist on the NBC Nosotros’ Ya Tú Sabes! Monologue Slam as a writer.Represented by Trinity Artists International (310) 728-4000 For more into- email: wendy@trinityartist.comhttps://www.instagram.com/enriquequintero787/http://www.youtube.com/c/dorksidedhttp://www.twitter.com/@dorksided787Photo: Copyright Wilkinson/2023Opening and closing music courtesy the very talented Zakhar Valaha via Pixabay.To contact Wilkinson- email him at BecomingWilkinson@gmail.com

Byron Scott Jones"Everything you want is on the other side of fear".  Transforming from an introverted gay man to performing naked in a play on stage.  Byron discusses the process he went through in order to change.   It happened one day in 2015.  He sat down and made a list of all of the things that he felt were causing his depression.  But he didn't stop there.  He did something about it!Byron is a 52 years old Miami native. He's  been programming computers since he was a child and is currently a software engineer in the Healthcare education industry. He's also a photographer, a model, an astronomer, a great cook and an avid reader.He's been married 33 years, although that's coming to an amicable end shortly. Byrons says that a he's looking forward to starting the next chapter of his life and will be moving to Palm Springs as soon as his family responsibilities allow.  Stay tuned...Contact Byron via email:  Byronjones@outlook.comPhoto: Copyright Wilkinson/2023Opening and closing music courtesy the very talented Zakhar Valaha via Pixabay.To contact Wilkinson- email him at BecomingWilkinson@gmail.com

Helene Verin has a B.S. in Art from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and has a certificate in arts appraisal from NYU. Verin has worked for many galleries, museums as well as individual artists;  including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Documenta (where she worked with Joseph Beuys), was the Edinburgh Arts Administrator, and worked for Dennis Oppenheim as his registrar.  She has written for FlashArt, Interview, and the Smithsonian.As an award-winning designer of shoes, rugs, wallpaper, and tiles, Verin is intimately involved with contemporary design, with a specialty in couture and accessories.  Her work has appeared in countless books and publications.  A Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, Verin has lectured around the world.Recognized as the expert on Beth Levine, (having written Beth Levine Shoes, (Stewart, Tabori & Chang 2009) and curated 3 exhibitions, as well as authored Arsho Baghsarian (Schiffer Fashion Press.)Verin moved to Palm Springs during Covid, May 2020.Contact Helene: helene.verin@gmail.comHelene's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heleneverin/?hl=enHelene's Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/helene.verin.9Artsy Article:  https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-sit-andy-warholLABUCQ interview: https://labucq.com/pages/helene-verinHelene's Books:"Beth Levine Shoes " (2009)https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1584797592/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0"Arsho Baghsarian: A Life in Shoes"  (2019) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764357328/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1Photo: Copyright Wilkinson/2022Opening and closing music courtesy the very talented Zakhar Valaha via Pixabay.To contact Wilkinson- email him at BecomingWilkinson@gmail.comNOTE: THIS IS AN INTERVIEW FROM MID 2022 WHEN MY PODCAST WAS NEW AND I DIDN'T HAVE MANY FOLLOWERS.  I'VE BEEN RE-ISSUING SOME OF THE BETTER EPISODES SO THAT MY CURRENT AUDIENCE CAN ENJOY THEM!

The last two weeks, I visited my middle son Dave, his wife Meredith and my two grandsons Henry and Jack at their home in Dartmouth MA.Dave is a good sport.  He agreed to be interviewed for my podcast.  After we were finished, he told me that it was now my turn and that he was going to interview ME for a podcast episode!I was surprised at what I was feeling at first.  I guess I was afraid of what he might ask.  After all, he IS an attorney and he's be putting me on the stand, so to speak.  LOL.But as I thought about it and mentioned to my friend and energy guru Mark Hollenstein, he encouraged me to do it.  He thought it would be good for both of us.Before this interview, I had a little time to reflect and one of the things thatI realized was that I knew virtually nothing about my own father (or his father).  What a gift it would have been to have been able to sit my own "Pop" down and ask him a bunch of questions.    So we did the interview.  I kind of figured that it would be a gift to each of us.I had no idea what Dave would ask me.  There were some interesting questions and I'm pretty sure that he got some interesting answers.  Like:  "Whoa.  No, I did not know that grandma used to be an underwear model before she met your Dad and then she became a radio preacher"!It's a light-hearted interview with a lot of interesting questions.  I appreciate the time Dave took in preparing to participate.Listen in to our bantering, interspersed with some great dialogue.  Photo copyright Wilkinson/2022Opening and closing music courtesy the very talented Zakhar Valaha via Pixabay.To contact Wilkinson- email him at BecomingWilkinson@gmail.comNOTE:  This interview was recorded earlier, when my podcast was new.  I've enhanced the audio, upgraded the artwork and re-issued it now that more listeners will get to enjoy it.

An Interview with my middle son: Dave Wilkinson. We chat about his journey from each of our perspectives, his family, his business and his perspective when I came out to him as a gay man in 1999.In this episode, I interview one of my favorite people in this world: my son David.  Two people can experience the exact same event and yet they can have two different perspectives on what happened.  So we discuss what I saw as an amazing turnabout in his life from a very average high school student, to his life now as an attorney with multiple law offices on both coasts.He talks about his current life as a married man and dad and we share some memories of his life growing up. Lastly, we discuss what it was like for him when I came out as a gay man in 1999.  I hope you enjoy this rather personal look into my life as a father to this amazing man.Photo: Copyright Wilkinson/2022Opening and closing music courtesy the very talented Zakhar Valaha via Pixabay.To contact Wilkinson- email him at BecomingWilkinson@gmail.comNOTE: THIS IS AN INTERVIEW FROM MID 2022 WHEN MY PODCAST WAS NEW AND I DIDN'T HAVE MANY FOLLOWERS.  I'VE BEEN RE-ISSUING SOME OF THE BETTER EPISODES SO THAT MY CURRENT AUDIENCE CAN ENJOY THEM!

Boy Scotty, Mr. Phoenix Leather 2018, is a former President of the Phoenix boys of Leather. He is a BDSM educator teaching classes on the Violet Wand, Role Play, and his experience as a leather boy. He is a former professional actor and acting teacher from New York City, which is how he developed his “Expanding the Self Through Role Play” class. He is Alpha boy in the Leather House of Shangri-La and is currently on the Board of Directors of the Phoenix Queer Center, Phoenix’s new LGBTQ+ Center.  He’s a student of humanity and loves sharing experiences with people. He’s always up for making a new friend or giving a hug. To follow and message him: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boyscotty.sh...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daddyboymyk...Twitter: https://twitter.com/DaddyboyMykelXXPhoto: Copyright Wilkinson/2023Opening and closing music courtesy the very talented Zakhar Valaha via Pixabay.To contact Wilkinson- email him at BecomingWilkinson@gmail.com

Luke Yankee Has written, directed, produced, taught, lectured and acted throughout the country and abroad. He has run two regional theatres, serving as Producing Artistic Director of the Long Beach Civic Light Opera  and the Struthers Library theatre.Luke’s published plays include THE LAST LIFEBOAT and A PLACE AT FOREST LAWN, both published by Dramatists Play Service.   His other plays include THE JESUS HICKEY (which premiered in Los Angeles starring Harry Hamlin) and THE MAN WHO KILLED THE CURE, which had  it's world premiere in Southern California in February 2017. He has also written numerous TV spec scripts and pilots.His book, JUST OUTSIDE THE SPOTLIGHT:  GROWING UP WITH EILEEN HECKART is published by Random House (under the imprint of Back Stage Books), with a foreword by Mary Tyler Moore. Critics have praised it as “One of the most compassionate, illuminating showbiz books ever written.” (Musto, The Village Voice)  It was recently cited by PaperMag as “One of the Ten Best Celebrity Memoirs of All Time.”He has taught and guest directed extensively at colleges, universities and conservatories throughout the U.S. and abroad, including five years at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Northwestern, Ohio State, AMDA, Denison, University of New Mexico, the Folkwang Hochschule (in Essen, Germany) and three years on the faculty of Columbia College-Hollywood. He has been a panelist and guest instructor at the William Inge Theatre Festival, where he has performed with Marybeth Hurt, Holland Taylor and George Grizzard. He is also a member of their Advisory Board. He is currently on the faculty of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA), teaching advanced acting and scene study.His theatre acting credits include “Our Town” at the American Shakespesare Theatre with Fred Gwynne, the U.S. premiere of “The Greeks” at The Williamstown Theatre Festival with Gwyneth Paltrow, Blythe Danner, Christopher Reeve and Celeste Holm and “The Dream Watcher” with Eva LeGallienne. In film and television, he has appeared in “The Hiding Place” with Julie Harris, “Ragtime” with Elizabeth McGovern, “Evergreen” with Armand Assante and “The Equalizer” with Jim Dale.Luke has studied at the Juilliard School of Drama, New York University, University of California – Riverside, Northwestern University, Circle in the Square and the Herbert Berghof Studio.He is the son of the late Eileen Heckart, who won an Academy Award for “Butterflies Are Free” and appeared in over 15 feature films, 20 Broadway plays, and countless television programs. Ms. Heckart is a member of the Theatre Hall of Fame and a multiple Emmy and Tony Award winner. In her honor, Luke created the Eileen Heckart Memorial Scholarship Fund at Ohio State University, her alma mater.Luke toured internationally for more than ten years with  DIVA DISH, his one-man show about the golden age of Broadway and Hollywood.  There was such demand for a sequel, he  created DIVA DISH: THE SECOND HELPING, which he premiered at the Desert Rose Theatre in Palm Springs.Luke and his husband Don Hill spend time at their homes in Long Beach, CA and Palm Springs, CA.For more info ( including his full Bio) or to contact Luke:  https://yankeehillproductions.comLuke's email is: luke@lukeyankee.net Photo: Copyright Wilkinson/2022Opening and closing music courtesy the very talented Zakhar Valaha via Pixabay.To contact Wilkinson- email him at BecomingWilkinson@gmail.com

Donal Brophy proudly hails from Dublin Ireland and found his love of storytelling growing up there.  Donal moved to NYC to study acting under the legendary Bill Esper. After graduating he worked extensively in the New York downtown theater and Independent cinema scene.In 2008, to satisfy his love and knowledge of Scotch Whisky, Donal opened his first gastro pub, the west village institution HIGHLANDS to a roaring reception.Following the success of HIGHLANDS Donal’s career took a detour from the performing arts and went on to have a rewarding career in the restaurant world, proving himself to be a real renaissance man opening up a string of boutique restaurant and bars; Mary Queen of Scots on the lower east side, WHITEHALL in the west Village and The Surf Lodge in Montauk.After seven years of owning and operating his businesses Donal got the acting bug once more and got back to doing what he loves best; being a story teller.  Donal’s career has been in full flight since his return with such notable credits as Blue Bloods on CBS, Unforgettable on AMC, the HBO original move ‘En el séptimo día’ On the seventh day) and the critically acclaimed remake if the Francis Ford Coppola classic DEMENTIA 13.  Donal has also been in several recent successful off Broadway stage productions such as The Picture of Dorian Grey and the immersive masterpiece Sleep No More.Donal co-founded Idyllwild Pictures with Emrhys Cooper in 2019 and since then has been busy developing projects as a writer, producer and actor. Donal co-wrote the dark comedic feature The Shuroo Process (as well as starring in the movie). Upcoming projects include the much-anticipated docuseries Historical Homos and the Irish political thriller feature CLODAGH.Contact Donal via Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/donaljbrophy/Production company website: http://www.idyllwildpictures.comHH website:  http://historicalhomos.com/HH podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/historical-homos/id1688718350Photo: Copyright Wilkinson/2023Opening and closing music courtesy the very talented Zakhar Valaha via Pixabay.To contact Wilkinson- email him at BecomingWilkinson@gmail.com

EMRHYS COOPEROriginally from Devon, England. After training at the Central School Ballet, he transferred to the Laine Theatre Arts London, where he focused on acting and musical theater.  Emrhys found considerable success after graduating in acclaimed West End shows such as Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘Fame: The Musical’. Other notable theater credits include: The title role in Joe Ortons Entertaining Mr Sloane (Winner Best Lead actor Stage Scene LA and Broadway World Person to Watch) and Aladdin. Emrhys moved to Los Angeles, where he transitioned to television. He is best known for playing the male lead in the Emmy nominated drama series Vanity (Amazon Prime), in which he starred alongside Denise Richards. Other select TV credits include: Desperate Housewives, CSI: NY, Touch, From here on out and Person of Interest, among others.  Selected film credits include: Mammia Mia the movie! Walk a mile in my Pradas (Netflix) Bright Young Things, Dreamcatcher (Hulu) Trophy Boy (Official entry Cannes Film Festival) The Shuroo Process (Gravitas Ventures)Up next, will be seen starring in the remake of the classic horror Nosferatu alongside Doug Jones.Contact Emrhys:Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/emrhys.cooper.3Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emrhyscooper/ Production company website: http://www.idyllwildpictures.comPhoto: Copyright Wilkinson/2023Opening and closing music courtesy the very talented Zakhar Valaha via Pixabay.To contact Wilkinson- email him at BecomingWilkinson@gmail.com