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10 Questions with ... Steve Godfrey
May 26, 2009
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NAME:Steve GodfreyTITLE:Talk Radio Show HostMARKET:SyndicatedCOMPANY:WestStar Talk Radio NetworkBORN:August 25th, 1969RAISED:Phoenix, Arizona
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
In high school and college I worked as a blacksmith/knife maker. I sold my wares at knife shows all over the country. I have also worked with the mentally handicapped and was second grade teacher. I found my true calling as a full time medium in 2002.
1. How and when did you discover your abilities as a medium?
In retrospect, it's something I've had all my life. One of my first memories of it was when I was 5 years old and saw what I now realize were some of "the folks" in my back yard. My dad was a firefighter and away that night so I told my mom about it. At age 22 and a hundred pounds soaking wet, she decided she'd go look for them in her nightgown with a shotgun. I still laugh when I think of her walking out back with that big ole shotgun looking for intruders. When she didn't find anyone, I got in trouble for making it up, so I never really mentioned things like that again. In time I brushed off the incident as a kid's imagination and actually became a skeptic of the supernatural for most of my life. In 1999 I was taken to a medium by my first wife. During that meeting my Grandpa who had died the year before, showed up from the other side along with Bill, a friend of mine who died while we were in college. Truth be told, the whole thing disturbed me a bit. I had more or less gone to debunk this medium and she was doing things I couldn't explain. Then she dropped the bomb and told me I was a medium. I didn't like that one bit, but deep down, I knew she was right. I just didn't want to admit it. In fact I wanted no part of that world, so I ignored it for nearly three years. I finally came around after the universe put a few bumps on my head via a divorce, a failed business, and being nearly homeless. When you ignore your destiny, things like that tend to happen. Life is good now.
2. Similar question: How did you get into radio? Why radio? How did that come about?
As crazy as this sounds, radio found me. I had never thought about doing anything over the airwaves until I was contacted by Kim Komando with the WestStar Talk Radio Network. Kim and Barry Young had this idea for doing a show like Crossing Over with John Edward on the radio. I guess she liked me. They spent a year training me on the ins and outs of broadcasting and we launched our show in November of 2003 with a single affiliate, AM 550 KFYI in Phoenix.I have really come to love radio. It allows me to share my message that life goes on after life seems to end, and I can wear jeans and a t-shirt doing it! It's also a very personal and honest medium. You can't fake what we do on the air, because there's no way to edit live radio. When I screw up everyone hears it. It keeps it real. And I especially enjoy the interaction I have with my callers and listeners. I still read every e-mail message sent my way and I do get back to the people I think I can help. Only radio allows such an intimate relationship with such a large audience.
3. There are always going to be people challenging you and the entire "medium" concept; how do you respond to skeptics? Do you ever get to turn a skeptic into a believer?
I've never worried about this. It's not my intention to start a movement or change the world. It's my hope that people will listen to The Other Side and gain from it in some way. If they are skeptical of what I do that's ok. I have had skeptics write to me about how they changed their mind after listening to the show or calling in, but there are always going to be people out there who have a world view doesn't allow for the possibility. God bless those folks.
4. Being able to communicate with those in the afterlife by necessity means that there would BE an afterlife. After all the readings you've done, what do you imagine the afterlife to be like?
I don't pretend to understand everything about The Other Side. It is a physical place, a parallel universe superimposed on our own. However as I understand, it's more of a feeling than anything else. Sure it's beautiful there, but then again it's beautiful here on Earth too. The difference is Heaven is where God dwells openly. You could live in the ugliest desert imaginable but if you were standing next to God it would feel like paradise. The more a soul has progressed in love and wisdom the closer it is to God. This is why we come here to Planet Earth in the first place; to expand our capacity to love and become closer to God. Our existence here is what progresses us there. Life is hard sometimes because the challenges provide us with opportunities to choose love over evil. So the choices we make here very much determine our experience on The Other Side. At least that's how they've explained it to me.
5. Who is your radio audience? Are they more female than male, older or younger? To whom does "The Other Side" appeal?
We seem to cover just about every demographic; however, the thing that surprised me most when we started looking at the numbers were the men who listen and call in to the show. It's not uncommon to have the lines full and not have a single female on hold. This is just the opposite of what I expected before we started the show. Most of my clients traditionally have been women. But what I didn't know then was there are a lot of men who are searching for spiritual fulfillment, and while many of them may not call me at my office for an appointment, they certainly aren't shy about listening to the show.It makes sense that a show about life after death would have a broad based appeal.
6. Who have been your mentors and inspirations in the business?
In the radio business I'd say without question Barry Young. Again, he's the one who taught me everything I know about broadcasting and of course who wouldn't be inspired by Kim Komando and the success she's created. My spiritual mentor is Lance Heard. Lance is a metal worker who lives the life of a modern Shaman. He's not a medium so he didn't teach me in that way, but he did teach me how to see the hand of God in life and to acknowledge the intangible long before I had the show. We still get together for pizza and beer on occasion.
7. About what are you most passionate these days?
The UFC! (Ultimate Fighting Championship) I love the UFC. If I couldn't be a medium, I'd want to be a UFC referee! I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon though.
8. Of what are you most proud?
My 10 year old son is a straight A student. He's light years ahead of me when I was his age. I was always got C's and D's in school. I did have perfect attendance for a couple of years though. I was a lousy student but I did show up.
9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without____________.
...getting hugs from my kids and checking e-mail from my listeners.
10. What's the best advice you ever got? The worst?
The best advice I ever got was from this old man I met at a park when I was with my then two year old son feeding ducks. He made some small talk with us and then said before he left: "Do well by your kids. If you screw that up anything else you do in life is doesn't mean a damn." I think he was sent to give me that message.The worst advice I ever got sadly was from my Dad. "Make sure your wife knows who wears the pants." That didn't work out too well. I suspect that's one of the reasons I ended up getting a divorce the first time.
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