{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Circling The Drain ","title":"Divorce, Nashville, and “Now What?” w/Brenda Golden :: Ep 23 Circling The Drain Podcast","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2713,"description":"What happens when your life flips upside down at 50? Former Oak Ridge Boys insider and Nashville industry pro Brenda Golden joins Circling the Drain to talk about starting over in her golden years.\n\nBrenda shares how a painful divorce, a cross-country move to Austin, and a complete career reboot led to her new book, “Now What?”. Along the way, she pulls back the curtain on life with William Lee Golden, working around Garth Brooks at his peak, the impact of Pam Lewis and Lib Hatcher (Elizabeth Travis), and how a little movie called “God’s Not Dead” became a turning point.\n\nIf you’ve ever lost a job, a marriage, or a sense of who you are and thought, “Now what?”, this conversation is for you.\n\nTimed highlights:  \n\n1:10 Brenda’s book origin story and turning 50 in chaos  \n2:40 Moving from Nashville to Austin and finding an arts-first city  \n3:55 South by Southwest and representing artists at the festival  \n5:10 Brenda’s early music-business days and Nashville connections  \n6:40 How she met William Lee Golden and joined the Oak Ridge Boys  \n8:30 Marriage, family life, and their son Solomon’s path to medicine  \n9:40 Why Solomon chose EMT/paramedic work over music  \n11:55 Ongoing ties with the Oak Ridge Boys and concern for Richard Sterban  \n13:20 Joe Bonsall’s passing and helping him land his first book deal  \n14:30 Crossing paths with Jay at MCA in the mid-80s  \n15:10 Becoming William’s personal assistant and the MCA solo record  \n16:00 Meeting powerhouse publicist/manager Pam Lewis  \n17:30 Hitting rock bottom financially and asking Pam for a job  \n19:00 “Do you want a career or a paycheck?” – Pam’s tough-love moment  \n20:10 Learning PR, marketing, and sponsorships around Garth Brooks  \n21:35 How that mentorship permanently changed Brenda’s career  \n22:30 Reinventing at 50 and reaching out to Lib Hatcher (Elizabeth Travis)  \n24:00 Lib’s advice: “You’re going to have to reinvent yourself”  \n25:40 The film “God’s Not Dead” and its unexpected impact on Brenda  \n28:00...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/jbzYKmJ73FZVZuxNcZj5UcgwQO6RpVkbuouo8pAnG9E/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80ZDgz/NDgxODNlYjBlNzky/MzU1NWY1YmZjM2Jj/NDlkNS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}