NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Authentically American®, a veteran-owned business that sells competitively priced premium apparel and merchandise exclusively made in the USA, has launched an interview-based podcast featuring a diverse group of American achievers who have overcome significant challenges.
“The Authentically American Podcast: inspiring stories of great Americans who are making a difference” (iTunes or Spotify) kicked off in January with host Dean Wegner, Founder and CEO of Authentically American, interviewing Olympic gold medalist and TV skating analyst/commentator Scott Hamilton.
On Jan. 30, the podcast will feature Dr. Ming Wang, a world-renowned eye surgeon and an internationally recognized teacher in LASIK vision correction, followed by interviews with NASCAR legend Darrell Waltrip (Feb. 15), and Dr. Carol Swain, former tenured professor at Vanderbilt and Princeton Universities, and an author, speaker, podcast host and political commentator (Feb. 28).
Additional podcast guests, which include former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Duane Allen of the Oak Ridge Boys, will be announced in the coming weeks at www.authenticallyamerican.us.
“Each one of our guests has a remarkable story to tell, and their lives, achievements and never-give-up spirit are proof that the American Dream is alive and well,” said Wegner, a West Point graduate and former Army ranger.
Hamilton, considered the most recognized male figure skating star in the world, has won 70 titles, awards and honors including an Emmy Award nomination, induction into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and membership in the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame. He is founder of the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation, funding cancer research that fights cancer while sparing the patient, as well as the Scott Hamilton Skating Academy.
As a cancer and pituitary brain tumor survivor, Hamilton lives out his belief that “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” In the inaugural podcast, he shares what he calls his “miraculous” life journey and explains how failure helped him grow and improve personally and professionally.
Wang was born in China and grew up in the communist Cultural Revolution era, during which the government shut down universities for a decade and condemned millions of students his age to a lifetime of poverty and hard labor. To avoid such a life, he learned to play the Chinese Er-hu (violin) and joined the government propaganda team. He came to the United States on a student visa, speaking little English, not knowing anyone and with only $50 in his pocket.
Today, Wang is a Harvard and MIT graduate (MD, magna cum laude) and PhD (laser physics). He has authored eight textbooks in the cornea, cataract surgery and LASIK field and founded the 501C3 charity Wang Foundation for Sight Restoration. This non-profit charity has helped patients from more than 40 states in the U.S. and 55 countries with all sight restoration surgeries performed free-of-charge.
Waltrip, a FOX TV NASCAR broadcaster, NASCAR Hall of Famer and an investor in Authentically American, embodies the company’s spirit and values. He grew up around racing, starting with a go cart and the belief that he could be a great driver if given the opportunity. “I had a big dream but no money,” he tells Wegner as he shares the ups and downs of his career, along with the life lessons he learned along the way and the time God showed up.
Swain made the remarkable journey from growing up in poverty, being “painfully” shy, dropping out of high school and being a teenage mother to earning a Ph. D. and becoming an accomplished professional and public intellectual. She is an award-winning author and host of the “Be The People” podcast on America Out Loud. Her opinion pieces have been published in major news media outlets, and she has been featured on many national TV and radio shows. Swain’s spiritual journey led her to Christianity as an adult. “God totally removed my fear of public speaking, and I’ve been talking ever since,” she tells Wegner.
Authentically American is based in Nashville, Tenn., and donates 10% of its gross profits to veteran-focused charities. Its customers include businesses of all sizes; colleges and high schools; charities and non-profits; sports leagues; and political campaigns. The company also offers its own consumer-band product offering. Everything, without exception, is “Made in USA.”
To listen to the podcast:
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/authentically-american/id1449488331
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/7c2ePYhfGRg2Fgru7T6s6L
