Shows
Legends of the CueJohn Schmidt w/Bob Keller - Part 1 (The 820 Ball Run: Why He Came Back)On this special five-part series of Legends of the Cue, we welcome straight pool great John Schmidt back to the show after his stunning 820-ball run, with Bob Keller joining us as the man behind the camera, the rack, and the support system that helped make it happen. In this opening episode, John explains why this run almost never happened at all. After the emotional weight of his 626, the backlash that followed, and Jayson Shaw’s run past his number, John says there were many days he wished he had never played straight pool in the first place. Then ca...
2026-04-2127 min
Legends of the CueShaun Murphy - Part 2 (The Blueprint — Discipline, Sacrifice, and a Champion’s Mind)In Part 2 of our five-part conversation with snooker great Shaun Murphy, the story moves from raw ability to the disciplined framework that helped shape one of the game’s true champions. This episode offers a revealing look at the system behind Shaun’s early development, as he reflects on the rigorous, highly structured approach created by his father — a man with no background in cue sports, but a remarkable instinct for preparation, accountability, and performance. Monthly goals, honest self-assessment, and a relentless focus on improvement became the foundation for Shaun’s rise.But this chapter is about far more...
2026-04-0734 min
Legends of the CueShaun Murphy - Part 1 (Hardship, Hunger, and the First Magic)In this first installment of our five-part conversation with Shaun Murphy, the snooker great takes us back to the beginning and opens up about the difficult early years that shaped both the man and the champion. Long before becoming a World Champion and one of snooker’s elite Triple Crown winners, Shaun was a young boy whose family life changed dramatically after financial collapse turned comfort into uncertainty almost overnight. What followed was hardship, hustle, and a growing realization that snooker might become far more than a pastime.Shaun recalls the family’s struggle after his father left...
2026-04-0732 min
Legends of the CueMary Kenniston - Part 7 (Survivor, Storyteller, and Keeper of Pool’s Memory)In the final chapter of our seven-part conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, the story comes full circle. Mary reflects on the closing years of her competitive career, the health battle that changed everything, and the determination that carried her back to the table playing better, in some ways, than ever before.With candor, wit, and hard-earned perspective, Mary shares how she rebuilt her game after serious illness, teaching herself how to swing her arm again, refining her fundamentals, and discovering new ways to aim that she wishes she’d known from the beginning. She lo...
2026-03-3138 min
Legends of the CueMary Kenniston - Part 6 (Cue-Topia, the Wall of Fame, and a Comeback from the Unthinkable)In Episode 6 of our seven-part conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, the story moves from championship pool to one of the most beloved rooms in the game’s history—and then to a life-altering challenge that few champions ever face.Mary reflects on the late 1980s, when she stepped away from the tour at the height of her powers to open Cue-Topia in Las Vegas. What began simply as a place for players to gather soon became something legendary. Inspired by a Philadelphia poolroom whose walls were covered with snapshots of the...
2026-03-3136 min
Legends of the CueMary Kenniston - Part 5 (Action, Tournaments, and the Road to Three WPBA Wins)In Part 5 of the Legends of the Cue conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, the road stories, rivalries, and tournament triumphs keep coming.Mary takes listeners back to the mid-1980s pool scene in Los Angeles, where action, personalities, and opportunity collided in smoky poolrooms and late-night gambling sessions. From becoming the house pro at a bustling barroom to matching up with future stars like Kelly Simpson (later Kelly Oyama), Mary recounts the hustling culture that helped sharpen her competitive edge.The conversation moves through legendary rooms like Hollywood Billiards, where Mary found...
2026-03-3136 min
Legends of the CueMary Kenniston - Part 4 (Action in California, Road Stories, and Life on the Hustle)In Part 4 of our seven-part conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, the road keeps rolling and the stories keep getting better.Mary takes us deep into the action-heavy pool world of the early 1980s, from Houston to Fayetteville, Rocky Mount, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. With her trademark honesty and sharp wit, she recalls the thrill of finding games, protecting her cover, and learning how to survive in a world where toughness, timing, and table smarts meant everything. Whether she was matching up in smoky poolrooms, drawing crowds on bar tables in Southern California...
2026-03-2436 min
Legends of the CueMary Kenniston - Part 3 (Grady, the Road, and the Spot Book)In Part 3 of our conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, the stories get even richer as she takes us deeper into pool’s road era—when instinct, nerve, and a well-kept spot book could mean the difference between surviving and going broke.Mary shares her unforgettable friendship with the late Grady Mathews, from first meeting him in New Jersey to their daily phone calls during his final illness. Along the way, she paints a vivid portrait of Grady’s charm, intelligence, and larger-than-life presence, while Allison Fisher adds her own memories of traveling with “The Professo...
2026-03-2431 min
Legends of the CueMary Kenniston - Part 2 (On the Road, Into the Action, and Learning from Buddy Hall)In Part 2 of our conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, the road opens up and the stories get even better.Mary takes us back to the years just after college, when shorthand, typing, bookkeeping, and supermarket checkout speed hardly seemed like preparation for life in pool — yet all of it formed the determined, sharp-witted competitor she would become. From the earliest days of the women’s game in the Northeast, she recalls a time before a true professional tour existed, when players piled into cars, shared rooms, and relied on the generosity of room...
2026-03-2430 min
Legends of the CueMary Kenniston - Part 1 (The Athlete, the Hustle, and Finding Pool)In this first installment of our conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, we begin at the beginning—Long Island roots, a fiercely competitive childhood, and the natural athletic gifts that made her a standout long before she ever picked up a cue.Mary takes us back to growing up in Suffolk County, where sports came as naturally as breathing. A tall, fearless tomboy with a sharp mind and a gift for competition, she excelled in nearly everything she tried—basketball, softball, field hockey, track, and more. She earned a basketball scholarship at a time...
2026-03-2435 min
Legends of the CueGerda Hofstatter-Gregerson - Part 4 (Hall of Fame, Family, and Life Beyond the Table)In the final installment of this four-part conversation on Legends of the Cue, Austrian Hall of Famer Gerda Hofstatter-Gregerson reflects on the closing chapters of her competitive career and the deeply personal choices that shaped the life that followed. Joined by Allison Fisher, Mark Wilson, and Mike Gonzalez, Gerda looks back on more European and Austrian titles, her 2009 straight pool success, and her final professional victory at the 2010 San Diego Classic.This episode goes far beyond the scoreline. Gerda opens up about the mental side of championship pool, from learning to quiet the...
2026-03-1729 min
Legends of the CueGerda Hofstatter-Gregerson - Part 3 (Hustle, Hurricanes, and a Hall of Fame Journey)In Part 3 of our four-part conversation with Austrian Pool Hall of Famer Gerda Hofstatter-Gregerson, the stories are as rich as the accomplishments. Gerda joins Allison Fisher, Mark Wilson, and Mike Gonzalez for a candid and often hilarious look back at one of the most memorable stretches of her career—when world-class pool, relentless practice, international travel, and lifelong friendships all came together.Gerda reflects on the challenge of balancing instinct with technique, and how exposure to Allison Fisher’s exacting approach to cueing and mechanics changed the way players across the sport thought abou...
2026-03-1729 min
Legends of the CueGerda Hofstatter-Gregerson - Part 2 (From Carinthia to California: Gerda's Leap to the WPBA)In Part 2 of our four-part conversation with Austrian Pool Hall of Famer Gerda Hofstatter-Gregerson, Gerda’s story takes a bold turn—across an ocean, into the spotlight, and straight onto the American tour.Gerda recounts how a perfectly-timed connection through Jan and the legendary Ewa Mataya Laurance opened the door to her first U.S. events in early 1993. The original plan was simple: come over, play three tournaments, stay with Ewa in between, then go home. But pool had other plans. With “zero pressure” and a completely carefree mindset, Gerda shocks everyone...
2026-03-1032 min
Legends of the CueGerda Hofstatter-Gregerson - Part 1 (The G-Force: From Austrian Foils to Pool Glory)In Part 1 of our four-part conversation, we welcome the unstoppable “G-Force”—Austrian legend Gerda Hofstätter-Gregerson—for a deep dive into the roots of a world-class competitor. Before she became a trailblazer in women’s professional pool and a WPBA & BCA Hall of Famer, Gerda was a fierce, fast-rising athlete from a small Austrian town, growing up in a bustling household with three sisters, two grandmothers, and a father who was dramatically outnumbered—but quietly influential.Gerda takes us back to an outdoorsy childhood shaped by sport, work, and family. From helping in he...
2026-03-1033 min
Legends of the CueMitch Laurance - Part 6 (A Life Well-Lived: Gratitude, Golf Getaways, and the Legacy of Mitch Laurance)In this moving final chapter of our six-part Legends of the Cue conversation, Mitch Laurance brings his remarkable journey full circle—through gratitude, reflection, and the relationships that have shaped a life squeezed for every ounce of meaning.Before we leave the world of pool, Mitch turns his attention to the people beside him—Allison Fisher and Mark Wilson—offering heartfelt thanks for what they’ve given the game and the players who love it. What follows is an unforgettable exchange of memories and admiration, including Allison’s vivid recollection of her early U.S. breakthrough and those “wel...
2026-03-0331 min
Legends of the CueMitch Laurance - Part 5 (From Hollywood to the Booth: Mitch Laurance, ESPN, and the Voices of Pool)In Episode 5 of our six-part life-story series with Mitch Laurance, we pick up where his improbable second act really takes flight—behind the microphone, on the biggest stage pool had at the time: ESPN. Mitch takes us back to that first broadcast, when pool commentary was still being figured out in real time… and he was, too. With the opening and closing done live and much of the commentary recorded in post, Mitch describes the surreal learning curve of watching a match like a fan—only to hear a director in his headset reminding him, “Mitch, you have to talk!”
2026-03-0329 min
Breaking Thru the NoiseEpisode 78 - A Conversation with Susan PackardToday is a very special episode as we share a fantastic conversation with a new/old friend. Our guest broke through the glass ceiling for women in network and cable television leadership and is now helping women break down barriers through strengthening their emotional fitness. Susan Packard was a co-founder of HGTV with six other men and served as its Chief Operating Officer overseeing its meteoric growth. Charla and Mark discuss how she has built on the work she did in the corporate sphere to be an author, speaker, and mentor helping women and college students live...
2026-03-0340 min
Legends of the CueMitch Laurance - Part 4 (“There’s Ladies Here”: Mitch Laurance on Ava’s Orbit, Instant Family, and Accidentally Becoming ESPN’s Voice)In Episode 4 of our six-part conversation with actor, producer, and longtime billiards broadcaster Mitch Laurance, the story turns on a single moment in Winston-Salem that changed everything.Mitch takes us back to 1990—sent to “go play pool” at a charity night during a golf event—only to find two tables… and two legends. On one side: Nick Varner. On the other: a Swedish star with “green laser eyes,” Ewa Mataya, already at the top of her game. Mitch hadn’t come looking for love, but one glance across the felt and the universe had other plans. What begins as trash...
2026-02-2429 min
Legends of the CueMitch Laurance - Part 3 (From Balboa to “Bula Vinaka Beachside”: Mitch Laurance on Golf, Great Actors, and the Freedom to Perform)In Part 3 of our multi-part life-story conversation with American film and television actor—and longtime sports broadcaster—Mitch Laurance, we detour through the worlds that shaped him long before pool took center stage.Mitch takes us back to Los Angeles in the 1980s, when a persistent friend talked him into an early-morning tee time at Balboa. What happened next surprised him: not instant love for golf, but total fascination. Here was a ball sitting still on the ground… and he couldn’t hit it. That maddening mystery became an obsession—fueling lessons, practice, and a deep dive...
2026-02-2432 minBreaking Thru the NoiseEpisode 77 - Ashes and PrayersThis episode was recorded the day before Ash Wednesday, 2026 or as it is listed on the church calendar, Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday if you are in New Orleans, LOL!). Mark and Charla talk about Ash Wednesday and their preparations for the Lenten Season. The discussion centers around the importance of intentional and consistent prayer during Lent as we see God working in our lives. Mark talks about his adoption during this season of Centering Prayer, a practice of silent prayer and solitude to hear God and rest in his presence. This is a great...
2026-02-1826 min
Legends of the CueMitch Laurance - Part 2 (From SNL to the Spotlight: Mitch Laurance’s Hollywood Twist )In Part 2 of our conversation with actor and sports broadcaster Mitch Laurance, Mitch takes us deeper into the improbable zigzags that turned a behind-the-scenes job at Saturday Night Live into a front-row seat to entertainment history—and ultimately, into a life on camera.Mitch starts where most origin stories don’t: as a production “gopher” in the early days of SNL, absorbing the chaos, the pressure, and the genius up close. But week by week, opportunity finds him. He becomes a researcher for the writers, hunts down film and music clips, calls cues from the control...
2026-02-1729 min
Legends of the CueMitch Laurance - Part 1 (From Queens to Studio 8H: Mitch Laurance’s Wild Turn Toward “Saturday Night Live”)In this opening chapter of our multi-part conversation, Mitch Laurance takes us all the way back—before the bright lights of television, before the broadcast booth, before the roles that made his career a near-constant highlight reel—back to a simpler time on the south shore of Long Island.Born in Queens and raised in Hewlett, Mitch shares what it really felt like growing up as an identical twin: the built-in best friend, the constant competition, the comfort of always having someone to throw a football to, run pass routes with, or battle one-on-one on the backyard hoop...
2026-02-1735 min
Legends of the CueEwa Mataya Laurance - Part 4 (The Win That Mattered Most—and the Life She Chose After Greatness)In the final chapter of our four-part life story with WPBA Hall of Famer Ewa Mataya Laurance, we land where legends are forged: on the road, under the lights, and in the moments that reveal what matters most.Ewa takes us inside a whirlwind era when she was traveling 260 days a year—tournaments, exhibitions, corporate events, and the kind of surreal TV appearances that can pull an athlete away from the very craft that made them famous. It’s a candid look at success: how it arrives fast, demands yes, and quietly reshapes prio...
2026-02-1032 min
Legends of the CueEwa Mataya Laurance - Part 3 (The Perfect Storm: Fame, the WPBA Boom & One More Run)In Part 3 of our four-part Legends of the Cue conversation with pool Hall of Famer Ewa Mataya Laurance, the “Striking Viking” hits the most turbulent—and transformative—stretch of her career.We rewind to 1990–91, the period Ewa calls her finest run: taking over World No. 1, stacking five tour titles, and earning Billiards Digest Player of the Year. But the wins came with weight. Newly divorced and raising her daughter as a single mom, Ewa describes the constant hustle—practice squeezed into basement sessions, tournaments with a child in tow, and...
2026-02-1033 minBreaking Thru the NoiseEpisode 76 - Does Your Church Have a Hub?Today’s show builds on the conversation from Episode 75 as Charla poses the question to Mark: what does a digital strategy look like for a normal church and how do they put it together? Mark answers with a streamlined strategy for the church website as a digital hub for sharing the Gospel and making disciples. They also discuss other digital platforms and the necessity for investing in our online tools to be the church in a digital culture. Resources mentioned in the Episode:Mark Wilson: mark@churchcmo.comChurchcmo.comBook a C...
2026-02-0333 min
Legends of the CueEwa Mataya Laurance - Part 2 (Bunnies, Breakthroughs, and the FBI Raid: Ewa Mataya Laurance Finds Her Fire)Part 2 picks up as Ewa Mataya Laurance—“The Striking Viking”—plants her feet in America with one goal: play pool, and nothing else. From home in Michigan to road trips with her friend Vicky Frechen (Paski), Ewa relives the hustle behind the highlight reels: waitressing shifts, a brief—and doomed—stint in an insurance office (“How did you get here?”), and even landing a job at a Playboy Club, learning the bunny dip while trying to run racks on a bumper-pool table in costume.But the real story is the turning points. Ewa opens up about becoming a young mother...
2026-02-0337 min
Legends of the CueEwa Mataya Laurance - Part 1 (The Striking Viking: Ewa Mataya Laurance’s Leap of Faith)In this first chapter of our four-part life-story series, we welcome one of the most captivating figures ever to pick up a cue: Pool Hall of Famer Ewa Mataya Laurance—the iconic “Striking Viking.” From her earliest days in Sweden, Ewa takes us back to a childhood defined by energy, independence, and a love of sport. She was a goalkeeper in soccer, a force on the basketball court, and—by her own admission—a “control freak” who quickly realized team sports couldn’t match her appetite for precision, responsibility, and self-determination.Then came the moment that changed eve...
2026-02-0337 min
Legends of the CueJerry Briesath - Part 4 (The Teacher’s Legacy: How Jerry Briesath Changed the Way the World Learns Pool)In the powerful final chapter of our four-part Legends of the Cue conversation with Jerry Briesath, we arrive at the heart of a life devoted not just to playing pool—but to teaching it, elevating it, and preserving its future.Widely regarded as the most influential instructor in billiards history, Jerry reflects on how the modern game has evolved—from the decline of nine-foot tables and the rise of technology, to the dramatic sophistication of safety play and break mechanics at the professional level. With the clarity that has defined his teaching career, he explains why...
2026-01-2725 min