Episode 15: Making of a Master Teacher: Legacy, Zappa, Weird Al, and the Golden Years with Lisa Popeil

Episode 20: The Present Pastor with James Williams

What does it really mean to be present — not just busy, polished, productive, or professionally “fine”? In this episode of The Heather Petero Show, Heather sits down with Reverend James Williams, Senior Pastor of Grace Resurrection Methodist Church and author of The Present Pastor: Step Off the Stage and Learn to Lead Like Jesus. They talk about presence over performance, servant leadership, church culture, burnout, and why people need more than polished programs — they need relationship. They also get into koi ponds, 70s TV commercials, Captain and Tennille, and James’s bold claim that no good music happened after 1989. Heather has questions. This episode is for pastors, leaders, teachers, parents, creatives, and anyone who needs the reminder that the people in front of us are not interruptions to the mission. Very often, they are the mission. Connect with James Williams: Facebook & Instagram: @rev.jamesiv Book: The Present Pastor Church: Grace Resurrection Methodist Church We would love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2599584/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2599584/support] www.heatherpetero.com Facebook: @theheatherpeteroshow

Episode 19: The Greatest Gig: Rob Hampton on Joy and Success

What happens when a seriously stressed-out high school English teacher burns out and ends up building an extraordinary life teaching guitar? In this episode, Heather talks with Rob Hampton — teacher, entrepreneur, and all-around delight — about how he went from burnout to building something truly special in music education. Rob has taught everyone from four-year-olds to Fortune 500 CEOs, helped over 29 million guitarists, and built a career rooted in joy, grit, and real intention.  They talk about building something amazing, helping everyday people have extraordinary experiences making music, student breakthroughs, AI, chronic pain, creativity, and one very specific grammatical hill Rob is fully prepared to die on.  It’s smart, funny, thoughtful, and full of heart. We would love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2599584/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2599584/support] www.heatherpetero.com Facebook: @theheatherpeteroshow

Episode 18: Found in the Wake, guest Carter Viss

What do you do when life changes in a second? In this episode, Heather sits down with Carter Viss — marine biologist, founder of the Carter Viss Foundation, co-author of Found in the Wake, and one-handed pianist — for a conversation about survival, recovery, advocacy, music, and meaning. They talk about the accident that changed his life, the people who helped save him, the work he’s doing to make waters safer, and the creativity and purpose that kept unfolding after everything changed.  We would love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2599584/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2599584/support] www.heatherpetero.com Facebook: @theheatherpeteroshow

Episode 17: Grace in Hard Places with Walter Straham and Rosa Fossett-Gilbert

What happens when people choose to show up in places most of the world would rather avoid? In this episode, Heather talks with Walter Straham and Rosa Fossett-Gilbert of Kairos Prison Ministry about prison ministry, Kairos Outside, and the quiet weight carried by families and loved ones on the outside. This conversation goes beyond labels and assumptions into something much more human: dignity, compassion, second chances, and the power of simply being there. Walter shares how one phrase — adding value — shaped his path into ministry with incarcerated men and youth. Rosa opens up about attending a Kairos Outside weekend as a guest before returning to serve women whose lives have been impacted by incarceration. This is a conversation about grace in hard places, hope for people who feel forgotten, and why no one should have to carry pain alone. We would love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2599584/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2599584/support] www.heatherpetero.com Facebook: @theheatherpeteroshow

Episode 16: Calling, Craft, and Staying Power with Babbie Mason

In this rich and personal conversation, Heather sits down with award-winning artist, songwriter, author, speaker, and mentor Babbie Mason to talk about calling, staying power, and the songs that live far beyond the moment they were written. From her early years as a preacher’s kid and teacher, to writing songs the church still sings, Babbie shares what it means to stay rooted while the world keeps changing the packaging. Heather and Babbie talk about legacy, songwriting, grief, hospitality, mentoring, public ministry, private faith, and the kind of life that is built over time—with truth, faithfulness, and an open door. Heather also shares a deeply personal connection: how a songwriting class with Babbie became part of her own grieving journey after the loss of her mother. This is a conversation about more than music.  It’s about healing.  It’s about calling.  It’s about creating from a place that reaches people.  And it’s about what happens when a life of faith becomes a life of fruit. We would love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2599584/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2599584/support] www.heatherpetero.com Facebook: @theheatherpeteroshow