The Person Who Believed In Me

Comedy Star Opens Up About Being Taken from Her Parents | Atsuko Okatsuka

David Begnaud — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Atsuko Okatsuka became an internationally renowned comedian, sold-out performer, and one of the most unique voices in stand-up, she was a quiet eight-year-old girl living in a garage in Los Angeles, undocumented and confused, trying to make sense of why her grandmother had taken her from Japan and why her father never came to get her. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, the trailblazing comic sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the woman who believed in her when no one else could, and how that belief came wrapped in complexity, sacrifice, and what Atsuko calls minor tiny criminal activities.

Atsuko opens up about being born in Taiwan, delivered by an untrained OBGYN uncle because her “family loves a discount,” and growing up in Japan with a mother suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. She talks about the speed dating marriage her grandmother arranged in Japan, the moment her mother held a kitchen knife to her own arm at 10 p.m. while Atsuko watched through a sliding paper door, and the night her grandmother put her on a bicycle and rode around Chiba for hours until 2 in the morning to outrun the trauma. She shares what it felt like to be kidnapped the first time when her grandmother rented an apartment five minutes from her dad's house, enrolled her in a school across the street, and her father would stand at the gate watching her play on the playground before quietly going back to work. She reflects on coming to America at eight years old, living undocumented in Uncle Paul's garage, and meeting Uncle JT, a former gang member and Mexican-American outsider at a Taiwanese church who bought her a thrifted guitar she named “Happiness” and taught her to play before Sunday sermons.

There's also a raw reflection on survival, identity, and what it means to love the person who took you. Atsuko talks about inventing a game called Ward Off the Demons to try to snap her mother out of psychosis, why she can make strangers laugh but has never made her mom laugh, and how she's moving her mother into the house next door even though her grandmother has had enough and is going back to Taiwan to separate from her daughter for the rest of her life. She opens up about parasailing in Bali with her dad and crashing into rocks because he was trying to make up for lost time, reconnecting with him as an adult on a seesaw at the park where he used to take her as a kid, and why she painted him as the bad guy for years to protect herself from the truth that he missed her too. She shares why she doesn't want kids, why she answers every one of her mom's 40 daily phone calls even though her mom has never come to a show or her wedding, and why she sees her grandmother as both villain and superhero.

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Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Grandmother Who Kidnapped Her Twice
00:04:47 The Speed Dating Marriage: When Grandma Arranged Everything
00:07:22 Born in Taiwan, Delivered by an Untrained Doctor
00:17:06 The First Kidnapping
00:38:46 The Kitchen Knife Incident
00:41:37 Coming to America: Living Undocumented in Uncle Paul's Garage
00:45:57 Uncle JT and the Guitar Named "Happiness"
01:00:33 Warding Off the Demons: Comedy as Childhood Survival
00:59:00 Parasailing in Bali: When Dad Tried to Make Up for Lost Time
01:06:36 The Moana Metaphor: Searching for Mom's True Heart
01:08:52 My Kidnapper Is My Best Friend: The Complex Truth
01:12:02 Grandma Goes Back to Taiwan: The Final Separation

ABOUT THIS PODCAST:
The Person Who Believed In Me is hosted by David Begnaud, founder and CEO of Do Good Crew and often called "America's storyteller." In each episode, David sits down with world-class guests to ask one simple question: Who believed in you before the world did? Big names. Honest stories. Relatable takeaways. Different paths — same question.

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Atsuko Okatsuka

Executive Producer: David Begnaud, Olivier Delfosse, Justin McGoldrick

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Social: Kylee Anderson, Maxim Trofimenko, Gracie Pekrul

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital & David & Luana Co.

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

Inside the Career That Made $15 Billion at the Box Office | Brian Grazer, Film & TV Producer

David Begnaud — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Brian Grazer became one of Hollywood's most powerful producers — 43 Academy Award nominations, 320 Emmy nominations, more than $15 billion at the box office — he was a dyslexic kid in the San Fernando Valley getting straight F's, thought of as the boy who couldn't read. Then his grandmother, Sonja Schwartz, told him he was a genius with a gift for gab, and that not knowing an answer didn't make him dumb. It just made him more interested.

In this unguarded conversation, the producer behind A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, Splash, 8 Mile, Friday Night Lights, 24, and Empire sits down with David Begnaud to talk about the woman who believed in him first. He describes turning an empty office at Warner Brothers into his own enterprise, cold-calling the twenty biggest filmmakers in the business with a single promise — he'd never ask them for anything — and getting stopped at the door by Lew Wasserman, who handed him a pencil and a legal pad and told him to come back with something of value. He started writing Splash that year.

He also talks about the father who shook off his hand as a child and the father he chose to become instead.

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Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Grandmother Who Said You're a Genius
00:02:01 Straight F's and Deep Shame: The Dyslexic Kid Who Couldn't Read
00:06:28 The Loveless Father: When Dad Shook Off His Touch
00:10:22 Curiosity Conversations: 40 Years of Meeting the Masters
00:18:18 The Warner Brothers Con: Building an Empire from a Law Clerk Job
00:21:42 Grandma Takes Him to the Bosses: Meeting Power at Hollywood Park
00:26:59 The Liar Story: When a Mentor Called Out the Truth Problem
00:37:41 Incorrect: The Coach Who Cut Him and Crushed His Soul
00:54:37 The Teacher Who Hit Him with a Board
00:47:33 The Oscar Moment: Loser, and Jim Lovell's Grip
00:50:39 Deep Throat and Don Rickles: What Grandma Taught Him About Vegas
01:04:50 Riley's Bio: I Am Nice and I Am Caring
01:10:13 What He'd Say to Grandma Sonia: How Much I Love Her

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Vivian Tu

Executive Producer: David Begnaud, Olivier Delfosse, Justin McGoldrick

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Social: Kylee Anderson, Maxim Trofimenko, Gracie Pekrul

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital & David & Luana Co.

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

From 'Too Girly for Finance' to Multimillionaire | Vivian Tu, Your Rich BFF CEO

David Begnaud — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Vivian Tu became a multimillionaire financial educator with 6.5 million followers, two New York Times bestselling books, and a chart-topping podcast, she was a 22-year-old analyst sitting on a filing cabinet at JP Morgan while senior traders commanded the room. Then Jean Ma, her first manager and the first rich Asian woman she had ever met, told her: You deserve a seat at the table. Don't sit on a filing cabinet like you are some lackey.

In this deeply personal conversation, the creator of Your Rich BFF tells David Begnaud how Jean, who walked into the office in limited-edition Chanel and Gucci stilettos, taught her that life isn't a meritocracy and showed her at a meatpacking-district dive bar that the rules she thought she had to play by weren't the rules everyone else played by.

Vivian also gets real about the manager who reassigned her, told her she was "too girly for finance," and mocked her cardigan as a kimono — and why she's thankful he was such a jerk, because it's exactly what pushed her out of JP Morgan and into the life she has now. She talks about walking away from a $600,000 job at BuzzFeed to bet on herself full time, the $100,000 safety net she built just in case (and never had to touch), and growing up the daughter of Chinese immigrants who sacrificed everything so she could be here. She opens up about buying her parents cars and vacations, why her husband Greg is the reason she can take big career swings without fear, and closes with the story that still gives her chills: a woman at the University of Delaware who used one of Vivian's videos to talk her hospital down $5,000 on a medical bill. And yes, she'll admit it — some of her drive really is just pure spite, knowing the guy who doubted her can't walk past a bookstore today without seeing her face in the window.

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Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Woman Who Gave Her a Seat at the Table
00:01:31 The First Meeting: Designer Bags and Gucci Stilettos
00:08:53 The Brass Monkey Bar: When Time Has Value
00:11:05 The Rules Rich People Play By
00:12:17 The Chaos Demon: Growing Up Outside Baltimore
00:16:16 The Last Strike: When Mom Said We Can't Keep You in America
00:20:37 The American Dream: Running the Race for Those Who Came Before
00:25:42 Raising Rich Kids: The Inheritance They Won't Get
00:29:11 The Kimono Incident: When the Racist Boss Struck
00:32:49 Don't Make Decisions Mad: The Strategic Exit
00:39:58 The Imperfect Mentor: Dogs on Credit Cards
00:42:29 When Your Mom Thanks Your Mentor
00:43:41 The Book Dedication: To Jean and That Man
00:46:21 No Apologies: I Deserve All of My Wins
00:50:07 Not Afraid to Be Embarrassed: The Pattern of Risk
00:54:51 Rich Person or Broke Person: The Rapid Fire Game
00:59:57 The 22-Year-Old Starter Pack: Building Your Financial Foundation
01:13:41 Climbing Cringe Mountain: The Villagers at the Bottom
01:20:53 The Woman Younger Me Wanted to See

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

He Built a $1B Company and Still Felt Like a Failure | Nirav Tolia, Nextdoor CEO

David Begnaud — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Nirav Tolia became the CEO of Nextdoor, a billion-dollar company connecting neighbors across America, he was a 28-year-old first-time CEO running a struggling startup during the dot-com crash, three weeks away from shutting down. Then Bill Campbell, the legendary Silicon Valley coach who mentored Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, and the founders of Google, walked into his office and said the words that changed everything: I don't want fancy quotes. Tell me about the business. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, one of tech's most mission-driven entrepreneurs sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the man who believed in him when he was just beginning to understand what it meant to lead.

Nirav opens up about meeting Bill Campbell at 28, a coach who called him boy, sprinkled profanity into every lesson, and taught him that his title was not CEO but coach. He talks about growing up as one of the only Indian kids in Odessa, Texas, a place where people were genuinely happy because they had each other, and how that shaped his belief in the power of community. He shares what it was like to get to Stanford and realize he wasn't prepared for the rigor, how he found his way into tech through an Ethernet connection in his dorm room and an obsession with the Dallas Cowboys, and why he joined a collegiate acapella group that led him to become a business manager instead of a doctor.

There's also a raw reflection on sacrifice, purpose, and what it means to be a guardian angel. Nirav talks about leaving Nextdoor in 2019 because he felt like a shell of a man, realizing he couldn't be the best CEO and the best father at the same time, and moving his family to Italy for a sabbatical that turned into years. He opens up about being asked to come back to Nextdoor, why he said yes even though he never thought he'd be a CEO again, and how spending time away from the job gave him the space to reflect and become a better human being.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: https://www.thedogoodcrew.com

Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Coach Who Believed When the Company Almost Died
00:02:18 The First Meeting: Boy, Tell Me About Your Company
00:10:00 A Stranger in a Strange Land: Finding Community in West Texas
00:14:10 Stanford and the Struggle: When Everyone Is Smarter Than You
00:17:33 Fleet Street Singers: The Acapella Group That Led to Business
00:24:23 999 Failures Leading to One Big Success: The Entrepreneurship Story
00:28:36 Your Title Makes You a Manager, Your People Make You a Leader
00:31:12 Three Weeks of Cash Left: The Christmas That Changed Everything
00:33:46 The Hardest Thing a CEO Ever Has to Do: Laying Off Employees
00:38:15 The Kindness of Strangers: Lost Dogs, Cups of Sugar, and Natural Disasters
00:40:57 Purpose, People, Product: The Three Ps Bill Taught
00:43:00 A Shell of a Man: When Being CEO Meant Not Being a Father
00:48:26 Coming Back to Nextdoor: The Second Chance to Refound a Company
00:54:58 Moving to Dallas: Choosing Family and Community Over Silicon Valley
00:57:21 The Board Meeting in Dallas: Hearing Bill's Voice 20 Years Later
01:03:39 Happy 30th Birthday: The Voicemail That Captures Everything
01:04:59 Find a Bill or Be the Bill: The Legacy of Lifting People Up

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Nirav Tolia

Executive Producer: David Begnaud, Olivier Delfosse, Justin McGoldrick

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Social: Kylee Anderson, Maxim Trofimenko, Gracie Pekrul

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital & David & Luana Co.

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

American Idol & Voice Of Queen On The Dark Side Of Fame | Adam Lambert

David Begnaud — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Adam Lambert became a global superstar, Grammy-nominated artist, and one of the most electrifying voices in music, he was a 13-year-old theater kid from conservative North County San Diego, struggling to fit in at middle school and trying on his mother's makeup after class. Then Lynn Broyles, a voice teacher with fierce energy and impeccable taste, saw something in him that no one else had: a kid who needed a safe space to just be himself. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, the trailblazing artist sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the woman who believed in him when he was just beginning to understand who he was.

Adam opens up about meeting Lynn at 13, a voice teacher who introduced him to Sondheim, cabaret, and the gay cultural lexicon without ever calling it what it was. He talks about growing up with parents who let him wear their makeup and high heels as a toddler, spending Saturdays in a theater company that taught him discipline and teamwork, and the moment he auditioned for American Idol by quitting his job in Wicked with no guarantees. He shares what it felt like to kiss a guy on live television at the 2009 AMAs the night before his first single dropped, getting yanked off Good Morning America because ABC threatened to sue, and why that controversy made him realize his career was about something much bigger than just making music.

There's also a raw reflection on identity, fame, and what it means to finally say what you've always felt. Adam talks about starting to feel shame for being gay once he got famous, encountering homophobia for the first time in mainstream America after living in an LA bubble for 10 years, and why he started having imposter syndrome even though he believed he could win. He opens up about fronting Queen for 10 years, performing for millions at Rock in Rio and on the steps of Buckingham Palace, and why being around Brian May and Roger Taylor taught him the gravity of iconic music through osmosis. He reflects on moving to New York, doing six months on Broadway as the Emcee in Cabaret, and bringing Lynn to see the show as a full circle moment. He shares why he's finally ready to stop people pleasing, why his new self-titled album Adam feels like a return to where he started, and why after 17 years in the industry, he's done being polite about what he wants.

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Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Voice Teacher Who Saw the Queen in Him
00:01:23 The Instant Connection: When Humor Became the Language
00:05:22 The Loud, Verbal Kid Who Preferred Adults
00:08:52 Growing Up Different in Conservative San Diego
00:11:40 The Anger Management Lessons and Counting to Ten
00:14:05 Middle School Hell: When the Teachers Liked You Wasn't Cool Anymore
00:15:39 Metropolitan Educational Theater: Learning Discipline Through Performance
00:17:30 Lynn's Gift: Sondheim, Cabaret, and the Gay Cultural Lexicon
00:18:04 The Unspoken Understanding: I Think She Knew I Was Gay
00:26:51 The American Idol Audition: Quitting Wicked for a Shot
00:37:45 The AMA Kiss That Changed Everything
00:45:37 Coming Out on Rolling Stone: The Gay Label and Double Standards
00:35:49 Imposter Syndrome and Finding My Voice
00:53:53 Ten Years with Queen: Pinch Me Moments and Learning from Legends
01:02:29 The Five-Year Relationship: Finding Work-Life Balance
00:50:03 The New Album ADAM: Accepting All of Yourself
01:10:42 Broadway Cabaret: The Full Circle Moment with Lynn
01:14:13 The Evolution of LGBTQ Visibility: Then vs Now
01:16:50 Feel Something Foundation: Giving Back to Queer Youth
01:20:42 Give Me My Flowers: It's My Turn

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Adam Lambert

Executive Producer: David Begnaud, Olivier Delfosse

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Social: Maxim Trofimenko, Kylee Anderson, Gracie Pekrul

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital, David & Luana Co.

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

Stop Raising Your Children With This Dangerous Lie | Ian V. Rowe

David Begnaud — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Ian Rowe became a visionary educator, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, founder of Vertex Partnership Academy, and author of the book Agency, he was a 12 year old kid from Queens standing in his family's living room, crying and pleading with his Jamaican immigrant parents to let him stay at a junior high school that was about to become all black after white families fled to a newly created annex. Then Linda Talish, his sixth grade teacher at PS 156 in Laurelton, Queens, gave him something he didn't even know he needed: the courage to challenge his parents for the very first time. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, one of education's most influential and controversial voices sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the woman who believed in him when he was just beginning to believe in himself.

Ian opens up about meeting Ms. Talish in sixth grade, a Jewish teacher who talked about her heritage with a certain reverence and pride, even in the midst of racial tension that was tearing apart their small middle class Queens neighborhood. He shares what it was like growing up as the son of parents who came to the United States in 1968, the year of Martin Luther King's assassination, with his father becoming one of the first black engineers at IBM and his mother a financial securities analyst at Manufacturer's Hanover Bank.

He reflects on the Sunday night before transfer papers were due, standing in front of his parents in their living room, begging and crying to stay at junior high school 231, and saying the words that changed everything: Just because everyone that's left is black, why does it have to be bad?.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: https://www.thedogoodcrew.com

Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Teacher Who Gave Him the Courage to Say No
00:00:40 The Racial Tension in Laurelton: When the White Kids Left
00:03:54 The Play That Changed Everything: Welcome Back, Sauter
00:14:24 The Sunday Night I Challenged My Parents
00:22:42 Just Because Everyone That's Left Is Black, Why Does It Have to Be Bad?
00:27:27 From Brooklyn Tech to Cornell at 16: Working My Butt Off
00:28:10 Vertex Partnership Academy: Creating Coming of Agency Moments
00:38:51 The Four Cardinal Virtues: Courage, Justice, Temperance, and Wisdom
00:53:11 The Teachers Union Sued Us: Six Days Before We Opened
01:00:49 The Success Sequence: Education, Work, Marriage, Then Children
00:56:38 Social Capital Is the Currency of America
01:08:31 From 470 Million Dollars at Gates to Running Individual Schools
01:19:06 Have You Done Your Best? The Booker T. Washington Lecture

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Ian Rowe

Executive Producer: Olivier Delfosse

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Social: Maxim Trofimenko, Kylee Anderson, Gracie Pekrul

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital, David & Luana Co.

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

The Hidden Trauma Behind This Comedy Star's Rise to Fame | Margaret Cho

David Begnaud — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Margaret Cho became a legendary comedian, Emmy-nominated actor, and one of the most influential voices in stand-up comedy, she was a 15-year-old kid who had just been expelled from one of San Francisco's most prestigious high schools for truancy and bad grades, with parents who had essentially given up on her. Then James Jackson, an English teacher with a Southern drawl, a speech impediment, and a vintage motorcycle, started writing notes in the margins of her essays that changed everything: A+, so great, brilliant, funny. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, the trailblazing comedian sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the man who believed in her when she was just trying to blend into the walls.

Margaret opens up about meeting Mr. Jackson at the School of the Arts in San Francisco, a teacher who rode a motorcycle, wore a leather jacket with cigarettes in the sleeve, and spoke like a Southern Barbara Walters. She talks about the composition book he gave her at the beginning of the year, how his handwritten encouragement in the margins reignited the excellent student she had forgotten she was, and why his gentle belief felt so tender it was almost poetic. She shares what it was like to watch him get bullied by jocks in the classroom for being gay, how that made her feel as a closeted teenager herself, and the day she and her best friend Jerry walked out of school forever after those same jocks mocked Mr. Jackson's murder. She reflects on learning decades later that Mr. Jackson had been killed by a homeless teenager he had taken in, and how court documents revealed allegations that Mr. Jackson had sexually abused the boy who killed him.

There's also a raw reflection on trauma, survival, and what it means to separate the art from the artist. Margaret talks about being sexually abused by multiple people as a young girl in the 1970s and 80s, a time when young girl sexuality was disturbingly normalized, and how her parents denied it happened and still refuse to talk about it today. She opens up about being raped in high school, headlining the first primetime ABC sitcom starring an Asian American woman in 1994, and being told by network executives that she was too fat to play herself. She shares what it felt like to lose 30 pounds in two weeks on fen-fen, urinate blood in her trailer from kidney failure, and be told not to gain the weight back even after her hair fell out. She reflects on spending a year and nine months in treatment for addiction, learning to wear sobriety like a loose garment, and why comedy is a coping mechanism that gives you hope by making you take an unexpected breath. As complicated as the story is as we present it, Margaret reflects on what she would want to say to Mr. Jackson, why his encouragement led her to encourage younger comedians the same way, and why she's really happy now after arranging her life in the right way.

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Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Teacher Who Wrote Notes in the Margins
00:02:34 The Composition Book: When an Adult Finally Noticed
00:07:27 A Southern Barbara Walters on a Motorcycle
00:12:39 The Murder That Changed Everything
00:19:23 Growing Up in a Gay Bookstore: Finding Safety
00:25:20 A Lot of People: The Sexual Abuse Nobody Wanted to Hear About
00:32:48 Jerry: The 40-Year Friendship That Wasn't Platonic or Romantic
00:38:20 Too Fat to Play Myself: The ABC Show That Broke Her
00:43:14 A Year and Nine Months: Institutionalized and Determined to Live
00:47:13 Comedy as a Shield and a Sword: The Social Contract
00:53:19 Purge Makes Plenty: Writing a Joke Every Morning

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Margaret Cho

Executive Producer: David Begnaud, Olivier Delfosse

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Social: Maxim Trofimenko, Kylee Anderson, Gracie Pekrul

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital & David & Luana Co.

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

Photo Credits:
Margaret Cho, Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts Yearbook

The Truth About Coming Home As An Olympic Medalist At 14 | Tom Daley

David Begnaud — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Tom Daley became one of the most decorated divers in British history with five Olympic medals and five Olympic Games under his belt, he was a terrified nine year old standing on the end of a diving board, crying his eyes out and refusing to jump into the pool. Then Andy Banks, the head coach at Plymouth Diving Club, walked in and said the words that almost ended everything before it started: Tom Daley will never be a diver for as long as he'll live. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, the Olympic champion sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the coach who doubted him at first, then never stopped believing in him, and how that belief carried him through bullying, loss, and the darkest years of his life.

Tom opens up about the moment Andy pulled him aside at 12 years old and asked if he wanted to go to the Beijing Olympics in 2008, laying out a roadmap for a kid who would become the youngest British diver to compete at an Olympic Games at just 14 years and 81 days old. He talks about coming back from Beijing and enduring brutal physical and emotional bullying at school, getting rugby tackled in the field and threatened to have his legs broken, all while trying to process what it meant to be an Olympian in eighth grade. He shares what it felt like to lose his father to a brain tumor at 17, just one year before the London 2012 Olympics, and how his dad never cared about results, only that Tom was 18th best in the whole country even if he came dead last. He reflects on meeting Dustin Lance Black, the Oscar winning screenwriter who flew to the UK to see him, only to be told by management that dating an LGBTQ activist would be bad for his image, and how falling in love felt like one more thing he loved that the world said was wrong.

There's also a raw reflection on fear, identity, and what it means to thrive under pressure. Tom talks about hitting his head twice while diving, why Andy taught him that the day you stop being scared on the board is the day something goes wrong, and how knitting became the reason he was able to win Olympic gold at the Tokyo 2020 Games. He opens up about coming out at 19 through a YouTube video because he was tired of being misquoted and feeling ashamed, why he believes vulnerability is a practice and not a destination, and how becoming Papa to Robbie and Phoenix is the role he's most proud of beyond all his Olympic medals. He shares what it's like to retire at 30 and wake up every day wondering if he could do one more Olympics in LA 2028, why there's no such thing as good luck only good preparation, and why the greatest form of activism is just living your authentic life every single day. And he reflects on what his father, who recorded everything up until two days before he died, would want the world to know.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: https://www.thedogoodcrew.com

Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Coach Who Said He'd Never Make It
00:06:35 Standing on the Board, Crying: The Day Andy Walked In
00:08:52 Do You Want to Go to Beijing? The 12-Year-Old's Olympic Plan
00:13:29 The Perfectionist Who Felt Everything Too Deeply
00:16:13 Titian: Learning to Compete Every Single Day
00:17:59 It's About Bloody Time: Winning Gold After Four Olympics
00:18:26 The Bullying After Beijing: When Being an Olympian Made It Worse
00:20:21 Everything I Loved Got Taken Away: Dad, Diving, and Being Gay
00:30:17 18th in Rio: The God Wink and Your Story Doesn't End Here
00:40:13 The Fear Is What Stops You Making Mistakes
00:41:45 Knitting Saved My Olympic Gold: Finding Calm in the Chaos
00:43:13 Nothing Will Ever Compare: Life After Retirement at 30
00:44:34 Papa: The Role I'm Most Proud Of Beyond All the Medals
00:46:05 LA 2028: Could I Do One More?
00:51:16 The Perfect Little Boy Syndrome: Overachieving to Hide Being Gay

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Tom Daley

Executive Producer: Olivier Delfosse

Associate Producer: Jonah Johnson

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Social Media: Maxim Trofimenko, Kylee Anderson, Gracie Pekrul

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital, David & Luana Co.

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

He Missed the NBA and Built a Music Empire | Harvey Mason Jr., Grammy CEO

David Begnaud — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Harvey Mason Jr. became the CEO of the Recording Academy and a legendary music producer who worked with Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Michael Jackson, he was a college basketball player at the University of Arizona headed to the NBA. Then a torn ACL ended his career in one awkward landing, leaving him watching soap operas in a dorm room, depressed and driving around Tucson pitching jingles to Chinese buffets and brake shops. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, the Grammy executive sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the man who believed in him when he was still figuring out who he was: Clive Davis, the legendary music mogul who put him in a room with Aretha Franklin and changed everything.

Harvey opens up about the day he walked into Clive's bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel, nervous and blown away by the flowers and the speakers and the man who had signed his father as an artist decades earlier. He talks about playing I Like Them Girls for Clive, watching him close his eyes and nod his head, and getting the yes that gave him a confidence boost he didn't know he needed. He shares what it was like to produce Aretha's vocals, pushing her so hard she sent a furious letter to Clive saying Harvey wasn't the right producer, only to send him flowers the next day after hearing the recording and calling it one of her favorite vocals ever. He reflects on recording Whitney Houston for seven hours when she'd only promised him 15 minutes, convincing her to keep going by saying his only job was to make fans say that's the best Whitney Houston song I've ever heard.

There's also a raw reflection on belief, identity, and what it means to be pushed. Harvey talks about his father, drummer Harvey Mason Sr., who believed so fiercely in him that it became both a gift and a weight, and how that shaped the way he raised his own kids. He opens up about playing for Coach Lute Olson at Arizona, feeling like Olson didn't believe in him for years, and only realizing decades later that the hardest coaching was actually the deepest belief. He shares what he learned from teammate Steve Kerr, who asked the team on a bus ride how can you be sleeping on the way to the game? and taught him there was another level to greatness. And he reflects on what it means to be the first Black CEO of the Recording Academy, why he's never content, and why the truth is when you're in the moment of somebody believing in you, sometimes it doesn't feel like belief at all.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: https://www.thedogoodcrew.com

Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Man Who Believed When the Dream Ended
00:02:02 The Bungalow Meeting: When Clive Davis Said Yes
00:09:27 Producing Aretha: The Flowers After the Fury
00:13:36 Seven Hours with Whitney: Negotiating with a Legend
00:15:53 What Makes a Great Producer: Listening and Serving
00:18:21 The Weekend Controversy: Leading Through Change
00:20:45 Coach Olson: The Belief That Felt Like Doubt
00:26:26 The Final Four and Steve Kerr's Leadership
00:28:13 The Torn ACL: When Basketball Dreams Die
00:29:47 Selling Jingles in Tucson: The Pivot to Music
00:43:35 The Pressure of a Legendary Father
00:42:31 I Love Watching You Play: Parenting Differently
00:48:26 First Black CEO of the Recording Academy
00:51:10 Coach Olson's Final Words: You'll Be As Successful
00:52:08 Never Fulfilled: The Lists and the Chase
00:56:20 To Clive: You Changed the Trajectory of My Life
00:59:11 The Ultimate Form of Belief: When It Feels Like Doubt

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Harvey Mason Jr.

Executive Producer: Olivier Delfosse

Associate Producer: Jonah Johnson

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Director of Social: Mariah Maull

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

7 Years as a Waiter to Top-Paid Comedian | Sebastian Maniscalco

David Begnaud — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Sebastian Maniscalco became one of the highest paid comedians in the world — selling out five shows at Madison Square Garden and earning his own Sirius XM channel — he was a waiter at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, spending seven years serving nuts to celebrities while bombing at open mics. Then Mitzi Shore, the legendary owner of the Comedy Store, saw something in him that the rest of the industry had missed. In this deeply personal conversation, Sebastian sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the woman who believed in him when he barely knew her, and how she gave him the one thing he needed most: a place to belong.

Sebastian opens up about the moment Mitzi grabbed him after his audition and said the words that changed everything: Come back for 10 minutes next week. He talks about skipping straight to paid regular status, getting hot spots one week and 1:30 a.m. slots in front of four people the next, and how Mitzi manipulated lineups to build his thick skin without him realizing it. His relationship with her was never verbal — her love came through the stage time she gave him, and his came through never letting her down.

There's also a raw reflection on family and work ethic. Sebastian's father Cecilion, a 79-year-old hairdresser, still cuts hair and refuses to retire because he believes stopping means dying. He rented Sebastian a lawnmower as a kid to teach him about business expenses — making him cut grass while allergic to it — and after a quadruple bypass, his first question from the hospital bed was when he could go back to work. Sebastian bought his parents cars last year, because the journey was never just his. He covers a lot of ground

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: https://www.thedogoodcrew.com

Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Woman Who Gave Him a Stage
00:03:00 Why Her? The Audition That Changed Everything
00:09:29 The Hulk Hogan Documentary: A Morning Cry About Family
00:11:20 From Anger to Disbelief: Finding His Voice on Stage
00:13:36 Seven Years at the Four Seasons: The Nuts That Never Got Stale
00:16:18 Renting the Lawnmower: Learning Business from Dad
00:21:40 Selling Satellite Dishes in the Ghetto: The Kiosk Days
00:29:54 The Photo That Made Him Cry: When They Were a Unit
00:33:37 AI and Comedy: Using Technology to Brainstorm Ideas
00:39:53 The Grind: Boxing Rings, Bowling Alleys, and Blood-Stained Canvas
00:42:05 The Sandman Moment: Worst Night Ever, Best Lesson Learned
00:45:40 From 91 People to 91,000 Tickets: The Madison Square Garden Journey
00:47:39 The Introvert Comedian: Steam Rooms and Recharging Alone
00:52:36 The SNL Sketch: When Marcello Called
00:53:59 Thank You, Mitzi: A Relationship From Afar

ABOUT THIS PODCAST:

The Person Who Believed In Me is hosted by David Begnaud, founder and CEO of Do Good Crew. In each episode, David asks one simple question: Who believed in you before the world did? David is also a CBS News contributor and host of Beg Knows America, airing every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Sebastian Maniscalco

Executive Producer: Olivier Delfosse

Associate Producer: Jonah Johnson

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Live Production: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Social: Mariah Maull, Maxim Trofimenko, Kylee Anderson

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

On Abuse, Death, and Who Believed in Her | Sharon Stone

David Begnaud — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Sharon Stone became one of Hollywood's most iconic stars, she was a kid from rural Pennsylvania getting sent to the principal's office for teaching her classmates cursive and multiplication. Then her father - a blue-collar machine shop worker with the touch of kings - walked in and said: Here's what's going to happen. It's not going to stop. She's going to keep right on doing it. Are we clear?

In this unguarded conversation with David Begnaud, Sharon shares the story of the man who believed in her when the world told her to be less - and reflects on the life that followed. She opens up about the nine-day misdiagnosed brain hemorrhage she survived against 1% odds, the assault she didn't understand for a decade, the custody battle she lost to an ex-husband who ran the only newspaper in town, and why being a sex symbol meant the world assumed she was stupid instead of surviving.

She talks about being the 13th choice for Basic Instinct, fighting through every makeup test to wipe off the bimbo overlay, and a mother who never once said I love you. And she shares what her father - who died exactly four months to the day after calling to say he had four months left - would want the world to know.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: https://www.thedogoodcrew.com

Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Man Who Believed When Nobody Else Did
00:04:59 The Principal's Office: Here's What's Going to Happen
00:09:42 The Confrontation at 14: I Will Never Love You Again
00:15:45 Growing Up in Rural Pennsylvania: The Girl Who Dyed Her Hair
00:22:30 I'm Not a Quitter: The 1% Chance of Survival
00:29:59 The Psychic Gift: Babies, Animals, and Knowing Things
00:49:07 The Attack: What Really Happened That Day
00:56:39 Not a Sex Symbol: The 13th Choice for Basic Instinct
00:39:22 The Vanilla Milkshake: A Father's Love in a Mason Jar
01:00:51 Four Months to the Day: Cleaning Every Can on Her Hands and Knees
01:04:10 Work Your Own Door: The Legacy of Joseph William Stone III

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Sharon Stone

Executive Producer: Olivier Delfosse

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Director of Social: Mariah Maull

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

Harvard Professor: You Won’t Be Happy Until You Fix This | Arthur Brooks

David Begnaud — Mon, 25 May 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Arthur Brooks became a Harvard professor, bestselling author, and one of the world's most influential voices on happiness and human behavior, he was a 34 year old PhD student standing in front of a room full of Nobel Prize winners, delivering what he calls a catastrophic dissertation defense. Then James Q. Wilson, the most distinguished social scientist of the 20th century, walked up and said the words that changed everything: You know, you got something special here. If I can ever help you, just let me know. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, the renowned social scientist sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the man who believed in him when no one else did.

There's also a raw reflection on faith, struggle, and the complex problem of God. Arthur talks about the priest who rejected him, why he believes therapy isn't about solving problems but living with complexity, and why your marriage is not a problem to solve. He shares the one regret he carries every day, why he still asks if his father would be proud of him, and how losing his parents too soon led him to move his entire family to one place so he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. He opens up about the meaning crisis destroying young people today, why happiness is love and love is a choice, and why the greatest act of selfishness is refusing someone's generosity.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: https://www.thedogoodcrew.com

Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Man Who Changed Everything
00:01:14 The Catastrophic Dissertation Defense That Led to Destiny
00:01:46 From French Horn Player to Social Scientist
00:06:31 The Email That Opened a Door: Will You Let Me Help You?
00:08:56 The Calling You Can't Articulate: Right Brain vs Left Brain
00:10:58 Faith, Struggle, and the Complex Problem of God
00:15:03 Complex vs Complicated: Why Your Marriage Isn't a Problem to Solve
00:18:19 The Power of Being Present: You Can Only Love Right Now
00:20:55 Growing Up Brooks: The Mathematician and the Artist
00:23:29 Why I Quit Music: When You Don't Love the Craft, Only the Dream
00:25:48 Every Day I Ask: Would My Dad Be Proud of Me?
00:28:12 Moving the Whole Family to One Place: Learning from Loss
00:30:03 The Meaning Crisis: Why Young People Are Suffering
00:31:55 How to Find Your Calling: Earning Your Success and Being Needed
00:33:05 The I Self vs The Me Self: Why Looking Inward Makes You Miserable
00:33:41 The Funk and How to Get Out: Forcing Yourself to Serve
00:36:27 Why We Connect Through Struggle, Not Success
00:37:58 James Q. Wilson's Legacy: Community Policing and Broken Windows
00:39:36 Did You Ever Ask Him Why He Believed in You?
00:46:26 The One Takeaway: Happiness Is Love, and Love Is a Choice

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Arthur Brooks

Executive Producers: Ellen Rocamora, Olivier Delfosse

Associate Producer: Griffin Hamilton

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Director of Social: Mariah Maull

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

He Lost His Family Overnight for Being Gay | Joel Kim Booster

David Begnaud — Mon, 18 May 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Joel Kim Booster became an Emmy-nominated writer, actor, producer, stand-up comedian, and the star and creator of Fire Island, he was a 17 year old kid living in his car, kicked out by his adoptive parents for being gay, and convinced he was going to hell. Then Sarah Casey, a classmate he barely knew, turned around in choir and said the words that changed everything: If you ever need a place to stay, you can come and stay with me and my family. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, one of comedy's sharpest voices sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the girl who became his chosen family when his own family walked away.e can give you is a place to belong when the world says you don't. And sometimes, that's all you need to become exactly who you were meant to be.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: https://www.thedogoodcrew.com

Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Girl from Choir Who Saved His Life
00:01:47 The Offer That Changed Everything: If You Need a Place to Stay
00:03:32 Coming Out in a Homeschooled Evangelical Home
00:05:50 The Exorcism: When Your Father Tries to Cast Out Demons
00:06:56 Bipolar and Undiagnosed: The Difficult Kid Nobody Understood
00:08:00 Adopted from Korea: The Complex Relationship with Janet and Ken
00:11:47 Moving In with the Caseys: A Year of Being Seen and Loved
00:13:16 Pastor Tim's Words: There Is No Biblical Basis for Hell
00:15:18 A Version of the Future I Never Considered Before
00:19:33 The Dad Who Showed Up: Quiet Support and Complicated Love
00:23:05 Neither of Them Have Ever Seen My Work: Making Peace with Distance
00:24:08 The Cases Helped Me Reconcile: Bridging the Gap with His Parents
00:25:23 Therapy and Honesty: Why He Gives His Parents Grace Now
00:27:53 Relationships Are Complex: Arthur Brooks and a Better Word
00:29:58 Best Friends from Housemates: The Porch Talks That Built a Bond
00:31:11 She Always Believed I Would Be Right Where I Am
00:33:10 Sarah the Minister: Following in Her Father's Footsteps
00:38:10 Rejection from Casting Directors Hurts More Than Family Rejection
00:39:30 Diagnosed Bipolar Two: Six Months Before the Pandemic
00:41:00 John Michael: The Man Who Loves Him Unconditionally
00:51:01 I Never Considered What It Would Be Like to Be Loved
00:51:51 The Last Six Months: Finding Stability Through Marriage and Medication
00:52:33 Not a Single Person Would Have Predicted This: Proving It to Himself
00:53:35 Chosen Family: The People Who Bump Into Your Life and Change It
00:54:10 She's a Superhero: Real Work That Changes the World
00:55:59 For the Little Girl: Giving Back to Sarah's Daughter
00:56:23 Twenty Years from Now: Kids, Stability, and Less Self-Promotion
00:57:31 To His Younger Self: You Know Jack Shit, But You'll Figure It Out

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Joel Kim Booster

Executive Producer: Olivier Delfosse

Associate Producer: Jonah Johnson

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Director of Social: Mariah Maull

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

From Cleaning Airbnbs to a Number 1 Hit Song in 12 Hours | Carly Pearce

David Begnaud — Mon, 11 May 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Carly Pearce became a Grammy-winning country music superstar and a member of the Grand Ole Opry, she was a 24 year old singer who had spent eight years in Nashville being told she wasn't enough. She'd done countless showcases, recorded endless songs, and watched labels pass her by again and again. Then she met Daniel Lee, a music publisher who saw something the entire industry had missed. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, the multi-platinum artist sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the man who believed in her when she was cleaning Airbnbs and ready to move home.

Carly opens up about the moment Daniel sat her down at a coffee shop and said the words that changed everything: I know your story. I know how long you've been here. I know what the industry thinks. I believe otherwise. She talks about growing up in Taylor Mill, Kentucky, telling her parents at age five she was going to be on the Grand Ole Opry, dropping out of high school in ninth grade to work six shows a day at Dollywood, and spending years in Nashville chasing what everyone else wanted instead of trusting what made her different. She shares what it felt like to play five songs for a manager who told her to her face that they would never work, only to watch one of those exact songs, Every Little Thing, debut at number one on iTunes 12 hours after it hit Sirius XM's The Highway.

If you've ever wondered whether one person's belief could actually change the trajectory of your entire life, this episode will remind you that sometimes the greatest gift someone can give you is faith when the world says no. And sometimes, that's all you need to become unstoppable.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter:https://www.thedogoodcrew.com

Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Publisher Who Believed When Nobody Else Did
00:02:13 The 12-Hour Period That Changed Everything: Every Little Thing
00:06:36 I Believe Otherwise: The Coffee Shop Meeting That Saved Her Career
00:10:20 Stop Chasing Other People: Finding Her True Voice
00:12:18 These Songs Will Never Work: The Manager Who Said No
00:07:57 Meeting Busby: The Producer Who Understood the Purist in Her
00:18:50 The Kentucky Girl's Dream: From Age Five to the Grand Ole Opry
00:37:36 Cleaning Airbnbs While Her Song Played on the Radio
00:26:43 Eight Months of Marriage: The Mistake She Knew on Her Wedding Night
00:25:06 Never Wanted to Be That Girl: The Grammy-Winning Collaboration
00:39:48 Recurrent Pericarditis: When Doctors Dismissed Her Heart Condition
00:41:38 The Sacrifices: How Mom and Dad Held It Down
00:22:57 Dolly's Surprise: Becoming a Member of the Grand Ole Opry
00:50:10 I Don't Feel Like I've Achieved What I Deserve Yet
00:54:14 Daniel's Lifeline: You Continue to Make Me Believe I Matter

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Carly Pearce

Executive Producer: Olivier Delfosse

Associate Producer: Jonah Johnson

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Director of Social: Mariah Maull

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

The Man Printing Homes Opens Up About Grief and Purpose | Jason Ballard, ICON CEO

David Begnaud — Mon, 04 May 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Jason Ballard became the CEO of Icon, a groundbreaking company using 3D printing and robotics to revolutionize how humanity builds homes and even NASA-backed lunar habitats, he was a skinny kid from East Texas with big ideas and a wife who believed those ideas could change the world. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, the visionary entrepreneur sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of Jenny Yuri Ballard, the woman who believed in him when belief was the only thing they had.

Jason opens up about meeting Jenny at a summer camp in Colorado, dancing with her all night in a barn, and writing a letter to her parents to introduce himself before driving 20 hours from Texas to South Dakota just to see her for less than a day. He talks about the moment she broke her neck in Nepal, how he bribed an official to get a visa and drove through the night searching hospital after hospital in New Delhi until he found her. He shares what it felt like to be married to someone who never counted the cost, who said let's move into my parents' basement so he could chase a dream, and who maxed out credit cards to buy concrete so they could finish printing the world's first permanent 3D printed house days before South by Southwest.

If you've ever doubted whether one person's belief could change the trajectory of your entire life, or wondered what it means to burn the ships and go all in, this episode will remind you that sometimes the greatest gift someone can give you is the courage to try the impossible. And sometimes, that's all you need to build something that lasts forever.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: www.thedogoodcrew.com

Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Woman Who Danced on the Prairie
00:17:19 The Barn Dance That Changed Everything: Meeting Jenny
00:19:27 The Letter to Her Parents: A 20-Hour Drive for Love
00:21:54 Broken Neck in Nepal: Finding Her in India
00:25:26 We're Going to Do This Together: The Philosophy of Fearless Living
00:28:11 From East Texas to Boulder: Building Treehouse
00:04:29 The Diagnosis: Breast Cancer at 28
00:56:31 If I'm Going to Die, We Better Keep Moving: Living with Cancer for 13 Years
00:27:42 The Bishop Who Changed His Path: Choosing Icon Over Priesthood
00:37:38 You Print Houses? Starting Over After Seven Years
00:42:47 100% Rejection: When No One Believed Except Them
00:45:05 Maxing Out the Third Credit Card: The First House
00:49:42 The Window Screen That Saved Icon: Sifting Concrete at 2 AM
00:58:03 We Have No Regrets: The Final Diagnosis
00:59:15 Christmas Eve Mass by the Fireplace: The Last 90 Days
01:01:45 I Love You Guys So Much: Her Final Words
01:03:50 Thank You for Loving Our Daughter: A Message from Her Parents
01:06:38 To Do Right By All the Trust and Courage She Gave Me

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Jason Ballard

Executive Producers: Ellen Rocamora, Olivier Delfosse

Associate Producer: Griffin Hamilton

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Director of Social: Mariah Maull

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

Hollywood’s Most Powerful Woman on Overcoming Self-Doubt | Sherry Lansing

David Begnaud — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Sherry Lansing became the first woman to run a major Hollywood studio and a legendary force behind some of cinema's most iconic films, she was an insecure young woman convinced she had to hide her ambition, terrified of judgment, and struggling to believe in herself. Then she met Dr. Joshua Hoffs, a therapist who gave her something she'd never experienced before: a space where she could be vulnerable without shame, ambitious without apology, and herself without fear. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, the trailblazing studio executive sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the man who believed in her when she couldn't believe in herself.

Sherry opens up about growing up with a mother who escaped Nazi Germany and wanted nothing more than for her daughter to get married and join the country club, even though that same mother became Sherry's first role model when she took over the family real estate business after Sherry's father died when she was just nine years old. She talks about her first therapist, who told her that when he was done with her she wouldn't want to work, she'd just want to bake pies, and how that experience nearly broke her. She shares what it felt like to walk into Dr. Hoffs' office for the first time and realize within the first hour that this was different, that he wasn't there to judge her or change her, but to help her become the best version of herself.

When Dr. Hoffs asked her a question that changed everything: Why can't you be the head of the studio? Sherry talks about her decades long marriage to Academy Award winning director William Friedkin, the only person who ever gave her unconditional love, and why losing him was the hardest chapter of her life. She shares why she believes therapy taught her to understand people in a way that made her a better executive, why she never craved power, and why the only thing that lasts forever is the movies. She reflects on greenlighting Titanic, Braveheart, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, and Fatal Attraction, why Glenn Close almost didn't get cast, and how she learned to pick her battles in rooms full of men who didn't hear her.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: www.thedogoodcrew.com

Thank you to Canva for believing in the power of storytelling and helping us bring this podcast to life: https://canva.com

Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Therapist Who Changed Everything
00:03:56 The First Bad Therapist: When Therapy Goes Wrong
00:05:42 Meeting Dr. Hoff: The Non-Judgmental Zone
00:08:50 Margot's Contradictions: A Mother's Complex Love
00:23:03 The Moment That Changed Her Career: Why Can't You Be Head of the Studio?
00:25:42 Understanding People: The Gift of Therapy
00:29:26 Billy Friedkin: The Only Man Who Gave Unconditional Love
01:08:09 Fatal Attraction: The Glenn Close Audition That Taught Her Everything
00:59:32 Success vs Happiness: What Therapy Gives You That Fame Never Can
01:15:19 Life as Chapters: Finding Joy After Loss

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Sherry Lansing

Executive Producers: Ellen Rocamora, Olivier Delfosse

Associate Producer: Griffin Hamilton

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Director of Social: Mariah Maull

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

American Idol Star Opens Up About Being a Gay Mormon | David Archuleta

David Begnaud — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before David Archuleta became a household name as the runner up on American Idol and a multi-platinum recording artist, he was a kid who didn't believe in himself, terrified of being exposed, and convinced that who he was at his core was something he needed to hide. Then he met Ronda Truman Ford, a Nashville mom who opened her home, her heart, and gave him something he'd never experienced before: a place where he could belong without expectations. In this raw and deeply personal conversation, the singer sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the woman who believed in him when he was too afraid to believe in himself.

David opens up about meeting Ronda when he was just 18, exhausted & longing for a home cooked meal and a sense of family. He talks about how Ronda invited him in, cooked for him, held game nights, and made him feel seen not as a celebrity, but as a person. He shares what it felt like to move to Nashville at 24 after serving a two year mission in Chile, still closeted, still codependent, and how Ronda became his accountability partner, his gym buddy, and the safe place he needed to start healing. She never forced him to change. She just made him want to grow.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: www.thedogoodcrew.com

Thank you to Canva for believing in the power of storytelling and helping us bring this podcast to life: https://canva.com

Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Nashville Mom Who Saw Him Whole
00:01:49 Game Night in Nashville: The First Meeting That Changed Everything
00:04:06 Moving to Nashville: Searching for a Place to Belong
00:06:23 What Do You Want in Return? Learning Unconditional Love
00:10:35 The Dad Who Pushed Too Hard: Growing Up Under Jeff's Control
00:17:53 The Accusation That Shattered Everything: A Family Secret at Age Nine
00:20:50 I Was Used to Being Obedient: Homeschooling and Hiding Who He Was
00:23:48 The Late-Night Conversations: Ronda's Table and the Healing That Began
00:13:23 She Knew I Was Gay Before I Did: The Permission to Be Myself
00:23:48 I'm a Living Contradiction: Being the Mormon Poster Boy While Struggling Inside
00:37:40 The Prayer That Saved My Life: When God Said Stop Asking Me This
00:33:10 Three Engagements to Women: The Desperate Attempt to Be Straight
00:57:36 I Almost Chose Not to Be Here: Writing His Will and the Fear of Failing
00:25:47 Singing at Her Bedside: The Week COVID Shut Down and Ronda Passed Away
00:26:22 Thank You for Giving Me a Safe Place: What David Would Say to Ronda Today
00:50:06 The Paralyzed Vocal Cord That Became His Story: Turning a Flaw Into Fame
00:40:18 From Agnostic to Raves: Finding God Outside the Mormon Church
00:43:29 To the Gay Mormon Watching This: It's Okay to Take a Break
00:49:18 I Can't Keep It to Myself: Why Visibility Matters More Than Silence
01:00:35 Devoted to Being Alive: Making Mistakes On Purpose and Living Without Regret
01:03:10 You Are Not a Mistake: David's Message to Anyone Who Feels Wrong

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: David Archuleta

Executive Producer: Olivier Delfosse

Associate Producer: Jonah Johnson

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Director of Social: Mariah Maull

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

Hollywood Rejected This British Actor as MLK for 7 Years | David Oyelowo

David Begnaud — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before David Oyelowo became a critically acclaimed actor and the man who brought Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to life on screen, he was a shy kid who came back from Nigeria struggling to find his place in British life. Then Jill Foster, a theatre studies teacher at his Sixth Form College, saw something in him he hadn't yet seen in himself. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, the award winning actor sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the teacher who changed everything when she cornered him outside a London tube station and said the words he'll never forget: I think you could do acting professionally. And I want to help you with that.

David opens up about growing up between two worlds, living in Lagos, Nigeria from ages six to thirteen with a father who bore tribal marks and came from a royal family. He talks about what it felt like to experience life as a black man who was not a minority, and how those formative years gave him an identity so secure that no one could take it away. He shares the story of returning to the UK, discovering acting because he had a crush on his pastor's daughter, and meeting Jill Foster, the teacher who didn't just encourage him, she built him a ladder. She introduced him to the National Youth Music Theatre, helped him apply for funding through the Prince's Trust, coached him through drama school auditions, and gave him access to a world he didn't even know existed.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: www.thedogoodcrew.com

Thank you to Canva for believing in the power of storytelling and helping us bring this podcast to life: https://canva.com

Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Teacher Who Saw a King
00:01:44 Meeting Jill Foster: The Theatre Teacher Who Changed Everything
00:06:11 The Tube Station Moment: I Think You Could Do This Professionally
00:09:45 Jessica: The Wife Who Said I've Got You, I've Got Us
00:12:31 Playing Henry VI: When a Black King Became a Threat to the Status Quo
00:24:01 The God Whisper: I'm Going to Play Dr. King
00:30:17 Shooting Selma While His Mother Lay Dying
00:33:11 The 2 AM Call: Losing His Father on Day One of Newborn
00:40:55 Lagos, Nigeria: Where the Minority Mentality Was Boiled Out of Him
00:55:01 Newborn: Seven Years in Solitary and the Power of Love

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: David Oyelowo

Executive Producer: Olivier Delfosse

Associate Producer: Jonah Johnson

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Director of Social: Mariah Maull

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

One Belief Got Her Through Fame, Grief and Cancer | Melissa Etheridge

David Begnaud — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Melissa Etheridge became a Grammy-winning rock legend and an icon of resilience, she was a Kansas kid with a wild dream and a father who never told her she couldn't do it. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, the multi-platinum singer-songwriter sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of John Etheridge, the man who believed in her when belief was the only thing she had.

Melissa opens up about growing up in Leavenworth, Kansas, with a father who came from nothing. A migrant farmer's son who served in the Korean War, earned a teaching credential on a sports scholarship, and became a coach who spent weekends driving his daughter to rehearsals, gigs, and bars filled with grown men so she could play guitar. He never gushed. He never overreacted. He just showed up. And when she sat him down in 1980 to tell him she was gay, he said the words that changed everything: Is that it? Just be happy.

There's also a raw reflection on what it means to lose a child, how stress can eat you alive if you let it, and why Melissa had to learn to love her music before anyone else would. She talks about the 2005 Grammys, walking out bald after radiation to sing Piece of My Heart, and why that moment became one of the most powerful of her career. She shares what it felt like to be nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, why her new album Rise is about falling to the earth and tasting the dirt, and how a heroic cannabis overdose sent her on a journey to understand consciousness, plant medicine, and what it means to truly be alive.

Melissa talks about her wife Linda, who makes her laugh every single day, why she calls herself a dad mom, and how the Etheridge Foundation is working to bring psychedelic research into the fight against opioid addiction in honor of her son Beckett. She reflects on why life doesn't happen to you, it happens from you, and why the greatest gift her father gave her was the freedom to believe in herself when no one else did.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: www.thedogoodcrew.com

Thank you to Canva for believing in the power of storytelling and helping us bring this podcast to life: https://canva.com

Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Girl from Leavenworth and Her Dad
00:02:49 The Soldier Who Became a Teacher: John Etheridge's Story
00:05:13 He Just Showed Up: A Father's Quiet Belief
00:07:16 Learning Metaphor from Neil Diamond: Music Lessons with Dad
00:11:57 Is That It? Coming Out to Her Father in 1980
00:15:46 Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Navigating Fame While Gay in the 90s
00:25:45 The Grammy Performance That Changed Everything
00:29:21 The Heroic Overdose: A Cannabis Journey That Changed Her Life
00:36:43 Losing Beckett: The Son Who Taught Her the Hardest Lessons
00:42:47 Life is Happening FOR Me: A New Philosophy After Cancer
00:46:32 Rise: Writing Anthems from the Dirt
00:51:50 The Dad Mom: Parenting Like John Etheridge
01:10:57 If I Could Call Him Today: A Final Thank You

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Melissa Etheridge

Executive Producer: Olivier Delfosse

Associate Producer: Jonah Johnson

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Director of Social: Mariah Maull

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

On Narcissism, ADHD & Why Diagnoses Are Just Labels | Nick Cannon

David Begnaud — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Nick Cannon became a multi-hyphenate media mogul, comedian, rapper, producer, and host of The Masked Singer, he was a hyperactive five year old kid walking into a storefront Taekwondo studio in San Diego, terrified of the stern man who would change his life. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, the entertainment powerhouse sits down with David Begnaud to share the person who believed in him when discipline was the last thing he wanted.

Nick opens up about meeting Grandmaster James Wilson, a stoic and accomplished man who was not just a martial arts instructor, but an assistant United States attorney, a minister, and a pillar in a community that rarely saw figures like him. Nick talks about growing up with a teenage dad, being raised in a disenfranchised neighborhood, and how Master Wilson became larger than life to him. He shares what it felt like to learn integrity before he even knew what the word meant, why he wanted to quit more than he wanted to stay, and how the discipline he resisted as a child became the foundation for everything he does today.

There's also a raw reflection on being diagnosed with ADHD, narcissistic personality disorder, and lupus nephritis. Nick talks about why he sees diagnoses as chapters, not his whole story, and why therapy has become a space to offload, take inventory, and grow. He shares why he believes he's a machete juggler, why standing in the fire is where he feels most alive, and why slowing down has never been an option even when doctors tell him it should be. He opens up about fatherhood, raising 12 kids, the guilt he carries daily, and why being present matters more than being perfect.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: www.thedogoodcrew.com

Thank you to Canva for believing in the power of storytelling and helping us bring this podcast to life: https://canva.com

Recorded January 28, 2026

Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: Nick Cannon
00:03:26 Meeting Master Wilson: The Five-Year-Old Who Didn't Want Discipline
00:07:37 The Superhero in the Neighborhood: Why Master Wilson Was Different
00:13:45 Integrity: The Word That Changed Everything
00:09:08 The Question: Have You Become the Man He Wanted You to See?
00:18:30 Growing Up With Dad: The Teenage Father Who Became His Hero
00:29:13 The Diagnosis Collection: ADHD, NPD, Lupus, and Labels
00:27:39 Therapy as Waste Management: Offloading to Stay Superhuman
00:30:25 The Narcissist Test: When You Try to Give the Right Answer
00:35:40 Standing in the Fire: Why Slowing Down Hurts More
00:37:18 The Machete Juggler: Proving Something to Himself Every Day
00:43:13 MTV and Wild 'N Out: Creating Space for Hip-Hop Culture
00:54:00 The 12 Kids Question: Legacy vs. Lineage
00:55:10 School Pickups and Guilt: The Super Dad Who Can't Be Everywhere
00:57:16 The Relentless Dreamer: Insomnia, Faith, and What's Left to Prove
00:42:35 Where Humans Connect: The Struggle Behind the Success
00:59:40 The Man Master Wilson Wanted: Honorable Over Famous

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Nick Cannon

Executive Producer: Olivier Delfosse

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Associate Producer: Jonah Johnson

Director of Social: Mariah Maull

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

CONNECT WITH US:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

A Side the Media Never Showed | Charlie Puth

David Begnaud — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Charlie Puth became a multi-platinum artist and one of the most technically gifted musicians of his generation, he was a kid who couldn't sing in front of people until he was 18 years old. He was a student who heard everything at 200% volume, who felt sick when sounds were off-key, and who believed the only way he could express himself was if there was music behind him. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, the Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and producer sits down with David Begnaud to share the people who believed in him when he was too afraid to believe in himself.

Charlie opens up about growing up with diagnosed OCD, perfect pitch, and a sensitivity to sound so intense that it still makes him nauseous. He talks about his parents, Chuck and Deb, who championed him when teachers told him to stay in one lane, when Catholic school didn't understand his love for Eminem, and when competitive swimming felt like sensory overload. His mom, a Jewish music teacher in a Catholic school, taught him that music could bring people in. His dad took a day off work and sat with him for 14 hours in line for an America's Got Talent audition, only to watch Charlie freeze and say he couldn't sing without something behind him.

There's also a raw reflection on why Charlie has resisted vulnerability for so long, why he's terrified of being judged, and why his new album is the first time he's letting people see the imperfect, anxious, overthinking version of himself. He shares what it felt like to hear Taylor Swift mention his name in a song, why sitting with Quincy Jones changed his life, and why the song I Used To Be Cringe might be the most honest thing he's ever written. He talks about his pregnant wife, building a house, going on tour the same week his baby is due, and why the only thing that makes him feel better when the world gets too loud is a melody in his head.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: www.thedogoodcrew.com

Thank you to Canva for believing in the power of storytelling and helping us bring this podcast to life: https://canva.com

Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Musical Prodigy Who Hears Everything
00:02:39 The Incense, The Nerves, and Sweating the Small Stuff
00:05:30 When Music is Your Only Comfort: The Gift and the Curse
00:08:41 I Used to Be Cringe: Writing the Song That Was Too Honest
00:15:49 The Swimming Pool Story: When Mom Pulled Him Out
00:15:08 Chuck and Deb: The Parents Who Believed When No One Else Did
00:39:51 The Classical vs Jazz Battle: Fighting to Do Both
00:44:55 Mom's History: Why She Fought So Hard for Charlie's Freedom
00:50:05 The Vulnerability He's Been Hiding: Opening Up for the First Time
00:49:21 Taylor Swift, Baby Puth, and the Album That Changes Everything
00:57:19 The Imperfections Make It Human: Charlie's Letter to His Younger Self

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Charlie Puth

Executive Producers: Ellen Rocamora, Olivier Delfosse

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Theme Music: Slipstream

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

The Cold Pitch That Took Her From Unknown To Hollywood | Ava DuVernay

David Begnaud — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Ava DuVernay became an Oscar-nominated director and groundbreaking force in Hollywood, she was a 32 year old publicist with a $50,000 film, no film school degree, and a dream she wasn't sure anyone would take seriously. Then Roger Ebert said yes. In this deeply personal conversation, the visionary filmmaker sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the legendary film critic who believed in her when the world had no idea who she was.

Ava opens up about the moment she cold-pitched Roger Ebert to review her debut film I Will Follow, a meditation on grief inspired by her aunt Denise. She had worked with him before as a publicist, always transactional, always professional. But this time it was different. This was her movie. She didn't tell him that at first. She just sent the pitch like she always did. He said yes. And then he wrote a review that changed everything.

Ava talks about growing up in Compton with her aunt Denise, standing outside the Oscars as a little girl getting a thumbs up from Roger Ebert himself, and never imagining she'd one day be the filmmaker he championed. She shares what it felt like to be taken seriously by the critic of a generation, how his belief gave her the confidence to keep going, and why she spoke at his funeral years later. There's also a powerful reflection on what it means to open doors all the way, not just crack them, and why she believes your presence alone is an act of resistance.

If you've ever felt unqualified, if you've ever been afraid to ask for help, or if you've ever wondered whether one person's attention could actually change the trajectory of your life, this episode will remind you that sometimes all it takes is someone willing to take you seriously. And sometimes, that's the greatest gift of all.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: www.thedogoodcrew.com

Thank you to Canva for believing in the power of storytelling and helping us bring this podcast to life: https://canva.com

Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Girl with the Thumbs Up and Roger Ebert
00:07:47 The Cold Pitch: Sending the Film to Roger Ebert
00:07:17 The Tweet That Changed Everything
00:11:02 The Review: When a Critic Sees Your Soul
00:15:33 I Will Follow: A Film About Aunt Denise
00:29:34 The Power of Being Taken Seriously
00:44:13 From Publicist to Filmmaker: Finding Your Calling at 30
00:41:28 Cinema as Memory: The Power to Rewrite and Heal
00:54:14 Opening Doors All the Way: The Philosophy of True Mentorship
00:58:47 Get On a Moving Train: What It Takes to Earn Help
01:00:54 Leading with Kindness While Demanding Excellence
00:37:39 Speaking at Roger Ebert's Funeral: The Full Circle Moment

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Ava DuVernay

Executive Producers: Ellen Rocamora, Olivier Delfosse

Associate Producer: Griffin Hamilton

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Director of Social: Mariah Maull

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

Self-Made Billionaire: What Actually Creates Success | Barry Diller

David Begnaud — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Before Barry Diller became one of the most powerful media moguls in history, he was a 32 year old television executive that everyone thought was too young, too inexperienced, and completely unqualified to run a major Hollywood studio. One man saw something different. In this deeply personal conversation, the legendary entertainment titan sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of Charlie Bluhdorn, the Austrian immigrant and industrialist who bet everything on him when no one else would.

Barry Diller opens up about the moment Charlie Bluhdorn, the volatile and brilliant founder of Gulf+Western, made him chairman of Paramount Pictures at just 32 years old. Barry had never worked in the movie business. He had no connections. And for the first two years, Paramount was dead last among the six major studios. But Charlie never flinched. He had unbreachable faith. That faith gave Barry the space to fail, to figure it out, and eventually to lead Paramount from worst to first for seven straight years, producing Saturday Night Fever, Grease, and some of the most iconic films in cinema history.

Barry talks about growing up feeling abandoned by his family, cementing himself shut emotionally, and learning to please others as a survival skill. He shares why he believes in creative conflict over polite debate, and why torturing the process is the only way to get from good to great. There's also a raw and honest reflection on being gay in Hollywood during the AIDS crisis, the guilt he carries for not being louder when it mattered, and how his wife Dionne became the miracle of his life after 50 years together.

If you've ever doubted whether you were ready or whether one person's belief could actually change the trajectory of your entire life, this episode will remind you that sometimes the greatest gift someone can give you is faith when the world says no. And sometimes, that's all you need to become unstoppable.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: www.thedogoodcrew.com

Thank you to Canva for believing in the power of storytelling and helping us bring this podcast to life: https://canva.com

Chapters ☀️

ABOUT THIS PODCAST:
The Person Who Believed In Me is hosted by David Begnaud, founder and CEO of Do Good Crew and often called "America's storyteller." In each episode, David sits down with world-class guests to ask one simple question: Who believed in you before the world did? Big names. Honest stories. Relatable takeaways. Different paths — same question.

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Barry Diller

Executive Producers: Ellen Rocamora, Olivier Delfosse

Associate Producer: Griffin Hamilton

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Theme Music: Slipstream

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

From Expulsion to Grammy Winner: The Teacher Who Saved His Life | 2 Chainz

David Begnaud — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 13:00:00 -0000

Before 2 Chainz became a Grammy-winning hip hop icon, he was Tauheed Epps, a high-achieving student facing expulsion under a zero tolerance drug policy. One teacher's letter changed everything. In this raw and powerful conversation, the multi-platinum artist sits down with David Begnaud to share the person who believed in him when his future hung in the balance.

2 Chainz opens up about the moment in his senior year when he got into trouble, lost his basketball scholarship offers, and faced permanent expulsion from school. That's when Miss Love, his college prep geometry teacher, stepped in and wrote a letter to the school board with one simple plea: Don't throw this child's life away. Give him a second chance.

2 Chainz talks about growing up in a family where hustling was generational, how he broke that cycle for his own children, and why he believes the voice in his head is God. He shares street lessons that still guide him today, the mistakes that became his superpower, and why he's grateful for every closed door that led him here. There's also an unforgettable moment when David surprises him with a live call to Miss Love, and she reveals something even 2 Chainz didn't know about the impact he had on her.

If you've ever felt like your past defined your future, or wondered whether one person's belief could really change everything, this episode will remind you that resilience isn't about avoiding the storm. It's about staying out of the graveyard and out of jail long enough to see another day. And sometimes, that's all you need.

Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 2 Chainz: A Story of Belief
00:01:14 The Letter That Changed Everything: Miss Love's Second Chance
00:03:14 Senior Year Trouble: When Everything Almost Fell Apart
00:07:04 The Night Before: When His Mother's Intuition Tried to Warn Him
00:09:43 Six Letters of Support and One That Stood Out
00:13:27 The Surprise Call: Reconnecting with Miss Love in Real Time
00:18:30 The Voice in My Head is God: Learning to Trust Intuition
00:21:52 Women as Superheroes: The Intuition 2Chainz Had to Learn
00:33:54 From Titty Boy to 2Chainz: The Origin of an Iconic Name
00:36:17 Environment vs Choice: What Really Determines Success
00:40:13 Street Lessons That Still Guide Him: Trust, Paranoia, and Survival
00:41:02 What You Have to Unlearn: From Cash to Credit
00:47:49 Breaking Generational Chains: From Bootleg to Legacy
00:55:10 Stay Out the Graveyard, Stay Out of Jail: Advice for the Youth
00:56:59 The Person Who Believed in Me: Miss Love

David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: www.thedogoodcrew.com

Thank you to Canva for believing in the power of storytelling and helping us bring this podcast to life: https://canva.com

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: 2 Chainz

Executive Producer: Olivier Delfosse

Associate Producer: Jonah Johnson

Booker: Sully Bloch

Director of Social: Mariah Maull

Director of Photography: Foster Parks

Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)

Post-Production: Longwave Digital

Theme Music: Slipstream

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

How One Person’s Belief Changed Her Entire Life | Oprah Winfrey

The Person Who Believed In Me — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 11:00:00 -0000

"Nobody but nobody can make it out here alone." In this powerful conversation, Oprah Winfrey shares how one teacher's attention saved her life during her darkest years and why being "seen" is the greatest gift one human can give another.

Most people know Oprah as a voice of wisdom, but she wasn't always the woman we see today. In this premiere episode of "The Person Who Believed In Me," she sits down with Emmy-winning journalist David Begnaud to share the origin of her resilience - the lonely, introverted 13-year-old sitting in a chaotic cafeteria with a book, and the teacher named Mr. Abrams who saw something in her that she hadn't yet seen in herself.

The conversation gets honest about the gap between who the world says you are and who you know you can be. Oprah opens up about overcoming the trauma of her youth and the moment she realized her past didn't have to define her future. If you've ever felt invisible or questioned whether you belonged, this conversation will remind you that one person's belief can change everything. It's a reminder that nobody makes it out here alone - and that you might be that person for someone else.

Chapters ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro
00:04:05 Discovering a rare photo of Mr Abrams
00:06:04 Finding resilient girls with the it factor
00:09:34 The lunchroom conversations that changed everything
00:12:07 Nobody Makes It Alone: Oprah Reads Maya Angelou's Poem
00:14:07 The Deep Power of Being Truly Seen
00:16:30 Before Oprah Believed in Herself: The Truth She Was Hiding
00:19:34 "I See Something in You and I Know You Can Do Better"
00:25:55 The Contest That Changed Everything: The Barbara Walters Moment
00:36:18 When Did Oprah Truly Begin to Believe in Herself?
00:44:35 "What Are You Running From?" The Teacher Who Changed David's Life

ABOUT THIS PODCAST:
The Person Who Believed In Me is hosted by David Begnaud, founder and CEO of Do Good Crew and often called “America’s storyteller.” In each episode, David sits down with world-class guests to ask one simple question: Who believed in you before the world did? Big names. Honest stories. Relatable takeaways. Different paths — same question.
David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.

Host: David Begnaud
Guest: Oprah Winfrey
Executive Producers: Ellen Rocamora, Olivier Delfosse
Associate Producers: Griffen Hamilton, Jonah Johnson
Booker: Sully Bloch
Director of Social: Mariah Maull
Director of Photography: Foster Parks
Theme Music: Slipstream

Get more stories that remind you the world is still good: www.thedogoodcrew.com

Thank you to Canva for believing in the power of storytelling and helping us bring this podcast to life: https://canva.com

CONNECT WITH US:

The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast

David Begnaud:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidbegnaud/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@davidbegnaud
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavidBegnaud/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@davidbegnaud
X: https://x.com/davidbegnaud

Do Good Crew:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dogood/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dogoodstory
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dogoodstory

Oprah Winfrey:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oprah/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@oprah
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Oprah

The Person Who Believed In Me: Oprah, Charlie Puth, Nick Cannon Share Their Stories - Launching Soon

David Begnaud — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 21:54:00 -0000

The Person Who Believed In Me is a heartfelt podcast that celebrates the unsung heroes behind some of the world's biggest names. Hosted by Emmy Award-winning journalist David Begnaud, this series shines a spotlight on the everyday people who saw potential, offered unwavering support, and changed the trajectory of extraordinary lives.

In this trailer, you'll hear from an incredible lineup of guests including Oprah Winfrey, Charlie Puth, Nick Cannon, Barry Diller, Sherry Lansing, Jason Ballard, and 2 Chainz - each sharing powerful glimpses into the people who believed in them before the world knew their names. These weren't just words of encouragement from afar.

This was presence. Sacrifice. Dedication. From the music teacher who recognized raw talent, to the parent who refused to let their child settle, to the mentor who saw past society's limitations - these believers changed everything. Every episode features a big-name guest, but the true star is always the ordinary person who saw something extraordinary and chose to nurture it. Join David Begnaud as he explores the profound impact one person's belief can have on another's destiny. Get ready for intimate conversations, emotional revelations, and inspiring stories that remind us all of the power of believing in someone.

Host: David Begnaud
Created By: David Begnaud
A Do Good Crew Production
Executive Producer: Ellen Rocamora
For Do Good Crew: Executive Producers Olivier Delfosse, David Begnaud, Associate Producer Griffen Hamilton, Editor Jonah Johnson, Booker Sully Bloch
Director Of Photography: Foster Parks
Music Composed By: Slipstream
Post-Production: Longwave Digital