It turned into a long, winding, honest conversation about growing up Southern, malls as social centers, life without air conditioning, aging bodies, faith, comedy, celebrities, grief, golf, gyms, and the strange moments that make you wonder if the universe is paying attention.
This week on Here’s What We Know, we sit down with Bryan Thomas Wetzel, author, gym owner, former TV host, lifelong entrepreneur, and a guy who somehow shares about 90 percent of my life experiences, just arranged in a slightly different order.
No debates, no shouting. Just stories, curiosity, laughter, and the kind of conversation you don’t want to rush. Pull up a chair. This one wanders in the best way. Tune in now!
This episode is sponsored by:
In This Episode:
Small towns, big heat, and why Chick-fil-A used to only exist in malls
Playing golf with men in their 90s who can still stripe it
What happens when celebrities disappoint you (and when they don’t)
Why radio people are wired differently
Aging, fitness, and the moment your goals shift from “looking good” to “staying alive”
Faith, doubt, near-death stories, and moments that don’t fit neat explanations
Why kindness from strangers sometimes arrives at exactly the right time
Quotations:
“Celebrities have the ability to make someone’s day or their week just by saying nice to meet you. You don’t have to do anything more than that.” ~ Bryan Wetzel
“Generally speaking, a lot of people have trouble talking when they think people are judging them.” ~ Bryan Wetzel
Bio:
Bryan Wetzel is a seasoned entrepreneur, author, and media professional with more than 30 years of experience launching and leading companies across education, fitness, hospitality, and media. He has founded multiple successful businesses, two of which were acquired by larger enterprises.
He is the author of The Real Problems Destroying Education (2024), inspired by his work with school administrators and district leaders while leading Skubes, an education startup recognized by Dig South as a top education company prior to its acquisition in 2017. His most recent book, A Path to Faith Through Science and Common Sense (2025), explores belief, reason, and lived experience.
Brian currently owns and operates The Local Gym in Georgia and Texas and previously founded Cedarcrest Grill, which was sold in 2022. Earlier in his career, he built and ran a production company for over two decades, working in television, film, and live events, including projects tied to the 1996 Olympic Games. His work has earned 16 national and international awards.
He now writes on Substack and continues exploring entrepreneurship, faith, health, and creativity through writing and conversation.
This week on Here’s What We Know, we’ve got the perfect episode to inspire you—just in time for International Women’s Day! Meet Chia-Lin Simmons, CEO of a NASDAQ company, AI startup founder, licensed New York State attorney, and all-around powerhouse. From dreaming of a publishing career to leading at Google, Audible (Amazon), and Harman, her journey proves that success isn’t always a straight line—and that’s more than okay.
If you’ve ever felt stuck, unsure, or just needed a reminder that your path is yours to create, this episode is for you!
Taking unexpected career turns (and why they often lead to the best opportunities)
Why soft skills—like adaptability and resilience—are just as important as hard skills
AI, creativity, and why human innovation still matters
The future of work and why treating employees like adults is the way forward
The power of finding your people and learning from every step of the journey
Quotations:
“College is a really great place. You will find your tribe, you’ll find your place, whatever college you go to.” ~ Chia Lin Simmons
“Whatever you study doesn’t mean that that’s what you’re going to do in life. And eventually people find the space that’s really an area, a place that they feel like they can contribute to.” ~ Chia Lin Simmons
“Whatever you do, you want to do something that hopefully will make somebody’s lives a little better.” ~ Chia Lin Simmons
“We always need people who are creators in the world.” ~ Chia Lin Simmons
“Work experience is one that they’re building together. Work culture is a live thing. It’s not a static thing that we impose on other people.” ~ Chia Lin Simmons
“If they can get their work done, do I care if they’re doing it like in another state? Do I care if they’re doing it on the beach? Are they delivering what they need to deliver? You know, the reality is I don’t care so long as the work gets delivered; meetings are had so that we can actually get things done together.” ~ Chia Lin Simmons
“With really good managers, they’re looking for opportunities; they can see what you can do, and they’re looking for opportunities for you to feel like you can stretch. And if you pick a really great person, they can stretch to in ways and learn in ways that you cannot imagine.” ~ Chia Lin Simmons
“I do believe in putting in practice and working at something; there’s no overnight success in many ways. Like you’re putting in your time, you’re learning, and you’re applying, right? It may not be always directly the same thing, but whatever you’re learning in business, it’s you’re putting in the hours and times to basically be proficient at being in business.” ~ Chia Lin Simmons
“Working skills and practicing is important. And then being at the right place at the right time also makes a difference.” ~ Chia Lin Simmons
“When you take a new job, you’re looking at it the way that an investor would look at an opportunity because you’re investing your time.” ~ Chia Lin Simmons
“I always tell people shareholders and boards do not hire me to basically, the words of Gretzky, right? And in ice hockey, I shouldn’t be skating to where the puck is. I have to skate to where the puck is going to be. And so you may not see it now, but I see where the puck is going to be and that’s where I need to drive towards, not where it is today.” ~ Chia Lin Simmons
Bio:
Chia-Lin Simmons is the CEO of LookyLoo, a technology startup that brings together social, big data and machine learning AI to help identify fit in apparel, increase conversion, increase customer confidence and drive down return rates for apparel and online retailers. Chia-Lin is active in the automotive, transportation, digital media ande-commerce technology space as a consultant and advisory board member for a number of companies in the space. Her interest and expertise in the automotive technology space stems from her role as the former VP of Marketing & Content for Harman International’s (NASDAQ: HAR, now a Samsung business) Connected Car business. Chia-Lin helped build and launch Harman’s Connected Car service Aha which is featured in Honda, Subaru, Porsche and other automotive partners and availability in millions of vehicles and more than 50+ countries worldwide. Prior to her starting her own company, Chia-Lin was an executive at a number of high visibility technology companies. She was the former Head of Global Partner Marketing for Google’s digital business Google Play Music and the Google Play Store, the VP of Marketing and General Manager of Playphone North America, a senior business development executive at Time Warner/ AOL, as well as the VP of Strategic Alliances at Audible (an Amazon company). Chia-Lin serves on the Board of Directors for Servco Pacific, a $1.3B global automotive / goods company, and recently gave presentations on Autonomous Vehicles and legal concerns to more than 400+ autonomous car experts in Silicon Valley. In her free time, Chia-Lin founded the #bindersproject, which helps connected women tech founders with global funders looking to accelerate female founded startups. Chia-Lin graduated Magna cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from U.C. San Diego and received her MBA from Cornell University, where she was a Park Leadership Fellow. Chia-Lin is a licensed New York State attorney and earned her JD from George Mason University School of Law.
This week on the Here’s What We Know Podcast, join us as we delve into the tumultuous year of 1968, a pivotal moment in American and global history, with our special guest, an esteemed historian and professor, Dr. Luke A. Nichter. He is a New York Times bestselling author or editor of eight books, including, most recently, “The Year That Broke Politics: Collusion and Chaos in the Presidential Election of 1968,” which was chosen as the Best Book of 2023 by the Wall Street Journal. As an expert on presidential history, Dr Luke brings a wealth of knowledge about the seismic shifts that occurred during this era. He also mentioned that there is talk about using AI for transcribing historical recordings which could revolutionize our understanding of past presidencies by providing deeper insights than ever before possible.
This is such an enlightening episode filled with insights into one of America’s most dynamic years while emphasizing the importance of preserving our country’s rich history for future generations. Tune in now!
Hear about the revolutionary nature of 1968, both domestically and internationally.
Discover how media coverage brought the Vietnam War and political unrest into living rooms across America.
Comparisons between past conflicts like Vietnam and more recent ones such as Iraq.
Explore Lyndon B. Johnson’s complex legacy as president during these transformative times.
Hear insightful conversations about whether John F. Kennedy would have escalated or withdrawn from Vietnam had he not been assassinated.
Discover why the treatment of vice presidents has been scrutinized throughout history.
Listen to Dr. Luke as he shares personal stories and anecdotes while teaching history to college students.
Discover the role technology could play in transcribing historical presidential tapes for greater public access.
Quotations:
“Americans, we often put ourselves, we think we’re the middle of the world and there’s nothing else going on that’s nearly as important.” ~ Luke A. Nichter
“Young people especially will surprise you by what they know, but also what they don’t know. And sometimes they know things very differently than you and I would.” ~ Luke A. Nichter
“I think just kind of by definition, to reach the office of the presidency, you’ve got to be an interesting person.” ~ Luke A. Nichter
“When I see a new political book, you know, on a shelf and I reach for it, you know, there’s that little voice in my head that usually says, well, what’s the author’s take? Do they have an agenda? Do they have a favorite?” ~ Luke A. Nichter
“I think we’ve lost so much historical empathy about history because we’re such in a rush to judge historical figures by our own standards that we’ve lost a connection with history and really what history is.” ~ Luke A. Nichter
“These things in politics, while presented nobly, you know, are often driven by partisan concerns.” ~ Luke A. Nichter
“Historians, we’re not supposed to care about counterfactuals, you know, or concern ourselves at all with what ifs.” ~ Luke A. Nichter
“Often in history, you have two sides and I tend to come down somewhere in the middle.” ~ Luke A. Nichter
“Early on in the Republic, the best path to becoming president was to be secretary of state, perhaps. And then there’s a phase where maybe becoming a senator is the way to become the president. You know, there’s a joke made that in the Senate, we have a hundred would-be presidents at all times. And then there’s a period that it’s the governor of a state, especially a large industrial, important state with a big population.” ~ Luke A. Nichter
“Presidents have always desired to bypass the media, whether it’s print, whether it’s radio. whether it’s television and speak directly to the American people.” ~ Luke A. Nichter
“I think there’s always been a degree of nepotism as long as there’s been politics. The two have always gone back together.” ~ Luke A. Nichter
“On each side of the political aisle, you have about 20% that are activists that you gotta watch out for. And so you do get a student either on the right or the left occasionally who’s there to make a point.” ~ Luke A. Nichter
“The bigger concern, I would say, now. is that students are afraid to actually say what they think in classrooms. Not because of me. They’re not worried about being judged by me. They’re worried about being judged by their peers.” ~ Luke A. Nichter
“College should really be free for all of ideas. You should be going down the intellectual rabbit hole and learning about yourself and situating yourself in the world that you live in.” ~ Luke A. Nichter
“I really try to be transparent with my reader. I mean, I really try to separate facts.” ~ Luke A. Nichter
“One of the things I do as a historian is, if you’re gonna write about history, you better make friends with archivists.” ~ Luke A. Nichter
“My goal is to drive the creation of new knowledge.” ~ Luke A. Nichter
“The more that I learn about history, the more I realize I have to learn about history.” ~ Luke A. Nichter
Bio:
Dr. Luke A. Nichter is a Professor of History and James H. Cavanaugh Endowed Chair in Presidential Studies at Chapman University. His area of specialty is the Cold War, the modern presidency, and U.S. political and diplomatic history, with a focus on the “long 1960s” from John F. Kennedy through Watergate. He has been a Visiting Fellow at the Norwegian Nobel Institute, an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow at the Massachusetts Historical Society, a Visiting Scholar at the University of Michigan’s Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies, a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Rothermere American Institute, and a Hansard Research Scholar at the London School of Economics.
He is a New York Times bestselling author or editor of eight books, including, most recently, The Year That Broke Politics: Collusion and Chaos in the Presidential Election of 1968 (Yale University Press). It is the first rigorously researched historical account of the most controversial election in modern U.S. history to have cooperation from all four major sides – Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Richard Nixon, and George Wallace. Luke interviewed approximately 85 family members and former staffers, in addition to extensive archival research and access to new evidence that dramatically changes our understanding of the election. This work was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship.
Luke’s last book was The Last Brahmin: Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. and the Making of the Cold War (Yale University Press). It was the first full biography of Lodge – whose public career spanned from the 1930s to the 1970s – based on extensive multilingual archival research. This work was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar Grant. He is also the author of Richard Nixon and Europe: The Reshaping of the Postwar Atlantic World (Cambridge University Press), which was based on multilingual archival research in six countries, and is now at work on a book tentatively titled LBJ: The White House Years of Lyndon Johnson.
Luke earned his Ph.D. in History from Bowling Green State University, and lives in Orange, California and Bowling Green, Ohio.
