What happens when a 25-year CNN veteran, a former White House correspondent who interviewed both Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, a decorated thriller novelist, and a grief-through-writing advocate all walk into the same conversation?
You get John DeDakis — and one of the most unexpectedly profound episodes of this entire season.John is the creator of the acclaimed Lark Chadwick mystery suspense series, a six-novel run with his latest, Enemies Domestic, taking the grand prize at the Chanticleer International Book Awards. He's also a highly sought-after writing coach, manuscript editor, and workshop leader — but none of that is the real story. The real story is how a shy, self-described "scaredy-cat" kid from La Crosse, Wisconsin became someone who has spent his life excavating the human condition — one story, one question, one grief at a time.
In this episode, Rich and John go deep — not just on craft, but on what it means to be a man who listens, feels, and heals.In this conversation:
~Growing up in La Crosse — a stable, love-anchored childhood and why John says he was "born on second base" ~How the Vietnam War, the draft, and a campus radio station at the University of Wisconsin set his entire trajectory ~Enlisting to avoid the draft — and landing in Germany where his very first interview was with Alfred Hitchcock
~ 25 years at CNN and what it really felt like inside The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer
~ Why journalism was the perfect fit for a man who didn't want to pick a side — and why that matters more now than ever
~ The origin of Lark Chadwick — a 20-something female protagonist written by a man, and what writing her revealed about gender, safety, and emotional intelligence
~ What men get wrong about women — in relationships, in the room, and in conversation
~ The powerful truth that "women are always playing defense" — and why every man needs to sit with that
~ Grief as a creative catalyst — from witnessing a fatal car-train collision at age nine, to his sister's suicide, to losing his son to a heroin overdose
~ Why writing is not just craft — it's catharsis, and how mining your pain produces your most authentic work
~ The memoir — Plot Twists: A Memoir on Writing and Living — coming later in 2026This episode moves.
It asks hard questions and receives honest answers. It talks about male emotional suppression, the connection between unexpressed grief and destruction, and the quiet, radical act of listening.Whether you are a writer, a creative in recovery, a man trying to understand himself better, or someone navigating loss — this one is for you.
Connect with John:
Website: https://johndedakis.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-dedakis-4b09a34
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dedakisjohn
FB: https://www.facebook.com/john.dedakis
Connect with Rich:
Website: https://www.theartistrecovery.com
LinkedIn: @richwrightunltd
Instagram: @richwrightunltd
FB: @theartrec
Instagram: @theartrec
Artist Rich Wright’s WOW Essential Spirit Paintings: https://www.theartistrecovery.com/white-owl-wisdom-1
Join Podmatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/artistrecovery
Dyslexia Classes: https://www.skool.com/dyslexia-classes
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