The ALL NEW Big Wakeup Call with Ryan Gatenby
Ryan Gatenby chats with actors, authors, athletes, comedians, musicians, and experts in their field in each episode featuring selected interviews from The Big Wakeup Call radio program. New episodes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Episodes
Jenny Boyd, model, actress, sister-in-law to George Harrison & Eric Clapton and wife of Mick Fleetwood (twice), discusses her memoir Jennifer Juniper.
(From 4-2-20)
Baseball legend Dave Winfield discusses his Hall-of-Fame career as one of the few people to be drafted in three major sports. (From 5-23-17)
Chicago's very own Josh Johnson returned to the show for a chat about his first one-hour Comedy Central special, Trevor Noah Presents Josh Johnson.
(From 6-15-21)
We're back from our Summer break and happy to once again have consumer expert Alanna Shipley for DoorDash to share some fun and helpful travel tips.
About Alanna: Alanna Shipley is the Head of Audience Insights and Consumer Insights Expert at DoorDash, where she is responsible for establishing, defining, and growing the Marketing Insights function. Alanna discovered her appreciation for insights (or as she calls it, “...
Bestselling author Dan Gutman joins the show to discuss the 20th anniversary of the "My Weird School" series and the 100th "My Weird School" book Miss Nichol Is in a Pickle!
Dan Gutman is the New York Times bestselling author of 185 books for young readers, including the "My Weird School" series, the "Baseball Card Adventure" series, and the "Genius Files." Dan’s books have received...
Scott Aukerman first appeared on The Big Wakeup Call back in 2014 to discuss the season one DVD of the Comedy Bang! Bang! TV show. Here on his 20th appearance, we discuss the origin of the TV show and what could have been a spinoff, the 15th anniversary of the podcast, the CBB action figures, CBB book, and the Bang! Bang! Into Your Mouth Tour that will visit the Chicago Theater on August 3rd.
Jennifer Donnelly discusses her newest book Beastly Beauty.
Jennifer Donnelly is the author of A Northern Light, which was awarded a Printz Honor and a Carnegie Medal; Revolution, named a Best Book by Amazon, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and the Chicago Public Library; and many other books for young readers, including Lost in a Book, which spent over 20 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. She lives in N...
Singer-songwriter and "The Voice" alum (Team Blake) Gina Zo called in to talk about her time on the show, what she experienced in the music industry following her appearance, and a story of self-empowerment that led to her embracing her personal truth.
Gina's band Velvet Rouge has a new single coming out soon - check them out on Bandcamp and Spotify!
From May 17, 2018: Kate Walsh called in to chat about season 2 of her critically-acclaimed series "13 Reasons Why," which returns to Netflix on Friday. Kate revealed all spoilers for the newseason (which unfortunately could not be included on the podcast version for legal reasons -- sorry!), gave us an update on her health (following surgery to remove a thankfully benign brain tumor) and talked about the joys and challeng...
From October 30, 2019: It was a fun visit with returning guest Felicia Day as she called in to promote her newbook "Embrace Your Weird." We talked about our experiences as weird kids and how we were able to harness our mutual weirdness and turn it into a career. With help from her book, you can do it, too!
From October 9, 2020: Amy Bruni is an expert in the world of paranormal investigating. You’ve seen her on the popular tv shows “Ghost Hunters” and “Kindred Spirits.” She’s the author of a newbook, “Life With the Afterlife: 13 Truths I Learned About Ghosts,” which is available now where you buy your books.
Award-winning ABC News correspondent Deborah Roberts called in to talk about her book Lessons Learned and Cherished: The Teacher Who Changed My Life.
Deborah Roberts is an award-winning ABC News Correspondent and co-anchor of the prestigious news magazine, "20/20". A media veteran, Roberts has traveled the world for her reporting. She also served as a substitute anchor for "Good Morning America" as well...
Chef Michael Symon guested on the show for the first time in a decade to talk about his career, how to make sure a restaurant is keeping food and the dining room clean and safe, and shared a recipe as grilling season finally arrives in the Midwest.
Chef Michael Symon is a celebrity chef, restaurant owner and the author of six award-winning cookbooks, including four on the New York Times best-selling list. Symon can be seen...
Michelle Strong, Verizon Business Director Small & Mid-Size Business, joined the show to discuss Verizon's "Small Business Days."
Michelle Strong is the Director for Small and Midsize Businesses at Verizon Business. In this role, Michelle is responsible for leading a team of over 115 sales professionals in the Mountain West Territory of the US to care for America’s smallest businesses (1-9 employees) ac...
From October 5, 2018: Paget Brewster joined the show to talk about her new movie The Witch Files. We also discussed Criminal Minds and working with Paul F. Tompkins on The Thrilling Adventure Hour. Plus: an inside scoop on the making of a Drunk History segment.
From September 26, 2016: Comedy legend and Chicago's own Tom Dreesen discusses his comedy career and his appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (more than 60!), along with a DVD set: THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON: THE VAULT SERIES.
ABOUT TOM DREESEN (2016 BIO):
Tom Dreesen’s life is equal parts comedy and philanthropy. He excels at both, and has created an extraordinary legacy in both arenas. Dr...
Heidi Brasher is the Senior Director of Movement Engagement, Strategy, and Innovation at YMCA of the USA. In this role, she helps leverage innovation and strategy at the national level in support of the diverse needs of the 2,600+ local YMCAs and their communities across the country. Heidi’s work within the Y Movement spans over 20 years, with local program development experience in the areas of early care, afterschool, day camp a...
Singers, Songwriters, Partners, and YouTube stars Sam Tsui and Casey Breves joined the show for a fun chat about their new book Why Do We Sing? Sam & Casey also sang a song inspired by the book!
Sam Tsui and Casey Breves are married singers, composers, and content creators who live in Los Angeles with their daughter, Elaia, and cat, Alfie. They are graduates of Yale University, where they met singing in an a cappella ...
Andrew Nelson discusses his new book from National Geographic, Here Not There.
An award-winning writer and editor for National Geographic Traveler, Andrew Nelson has roamed all 50 states as well as numerous countries for the magazine and website. He served as director of editorial projects for National Geographic Travel in Washington, D.C., and has taught in institutions such as Loyola University New Orleans and the Colleg...
Aida Salazar chats with Ryan about her new book Ultraviolet.
Aida Salazar is an award-winning author and arts activist whose writings for adults and children explore issues of identity and social justice. She is the author of the middle-grade verse novels The Moon Within (International Latino Book Award Winner), Land of the Cranes (Américas Award Winner), the picture book anthology, In the Spirit of a Dream, and the pictur...
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