What happens when the words we use are no longer enough to carry the weight of our experience?

In this standalone conversation, The Educator and Master Communicator David Deighton joins me for an unflinching look at the nature of human suffering and interpersonal relativity. We begin with a single, haunting image: 'Talking to the birds, but they don’t know words, they must have felt my pain.'

The Colosseum Effect: We explore the brutal reality of the 'Spectator.' How can a crowd watch an experience they have never lived, and what does it mean to 'relate' from the safety of the stands?

Interpersonal Relativity: Mapping the bridge between one person’s agony and another’s understanding. Can empathy exist without identical experience?

The Pain of Freedom: We dismantle the paradox of the cage. For an animal—or a human—that has only ever known captivity, is 'Freedom' a gift, or a new, sharper form of pain?

The Verdict:

A multifaceted exploration of the 'Shadow' and the 'Sovereign.' This is not a conversation about healing; it is a conversation about Truth.

In this episode, I sit down with debut novelist and crisis communications consultant John David. His first novel, The Bystander, didn't just hit the market—it dominated it, being named one of the Best Thrillers of 2025 and winning the Page Turner Award.

We move past the surface and get into the technicalities of the industry:

The Agent Hunt: The specific process of finding and securing a literary agent in today's market.

Commercial Fiction: How to bridge the gap between creative storytelling and a marketable product.

The Publishing Path: Navigating the differences between traditional, self, and hybrid publishing models.

John’s background in high-stakes PR gives him a unique lens on narrative tension and reputation. Whether you are an aspiring author or interested in the mechanics of the entertainment industry, this conversation provides a roadmap for the 2026 landscape.

This episode features Gabor Kadas, founder of Friending, an app built to dismantle the isolation currently affecting nearly 70 million people in the US. We move past the surface of social media to discuss a platform designed with one goal: forcing the transition from digital solitude to tangible human connection.

The Isolation Crisis: Analyzing the "profound solitude" created by the intersection of the COVID era and a tech-dominated culture that has confined a generation indoors.

The Verification Standard: A deep dive into why Friending is the only platform to mandate user verification. We discuss how eliminating fake profiles creates the secure environment necessary for real-world social health.

"Are You In": How the app uses activity-based signaling—from rock climbing to beach volleyball—to bridge the gap between shared interests and physical proximity.

The In-Person Mandate: Why a "Friend Request" is insufficient. The conversation focuses on the app's core essence: that true human connection is only solidified through real-life, face-to-face interaction.