The Other 22 Hours

We are often sold the myth that success cures insecurity. Brandy Clark joins us to unravel that narrative. Named one of the '"30 Greatest Living Songwriters" earlier this year by the New York Times, she is also a Grammy-winning artist who has placed her songs with Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban and Reba McEntire. In addition, she is the co-writer of the Tony Award-winning musical Shucked. In this beautiful conversation, originally aired in November 2024, she opens up about her fifteen-year journey to a breakthrough, the courage it takes to be a gay woman in country music, and the importance of only staying in rooms where you feel like a genius.
In This Episode:
Brandy Clark
Cyndi Forman
Dave Brainard
Shucked Musical
Ep 60 - Lori McKenna
Jessie Jo Dillan
Ep 43 - Gretchen Peters
Ep 46 - Mary Chapin Carpenter
Kieth Urban
Dwight Yokam
Brandi Carlisle
Shangri-La Studio
Shane McAnally
k.d.lang
Ep 126 - Chely Wright
Ep 97 - Fancy Hagood

Go Deeper:
Watch: View this entire conversation on YouTube.
Explore: Find similar conversations in these themed playlists.
Connect: Join the conversation on Instagram.
The Hosts:
The Other 22 Hours is hosted by Aaron Shafer-Haiss (Producer/Mixer) and Michaela Anne (Songwriter/Creative Coach).
More about Aaron’s work.
More about Michaela Anne’s work.
Credits: 
Produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss. Original music written, performed and produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss. Part of the Bluegrass Situation Podcast Network.

What if the messiness of life isn’t an obstacle to making art, but the very material itself? In this reissued conversation from our archives, we sit down with New York Times bestselling poet and author Maggie Smith (Good Bones, Dear Writer). Together, we explore what happens when you dismantle the dividing wall between art and everyday life, the discipline of staying in solitude rather than catering to an audience, and how learning to trust your own instincts becomes the ultimate safety net for a sustainable creative life.
In This Episode:
Maggie Smith
“Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life”
“My Thoughts Have Wings”
"For Dear Life" - Maggie's Substack
Lucinda Williams
Joan Didion - The Center Will Not Hold documentary
Jane Goodall
“Good Bones”
Jim Carrey commencement speech
Tara Brach
Stanley Plumly

Go Deeper:
Watch: View this entire conversation on YouTube.
Explore: Find similar conversations in these themed playlists.
Connect: Join the conversation on Instagram.
The Hosts:
The Other 22 Hours is hosted by Aaron Shafer-Haiss (Producer/Mixer) and Michaela Anne (Songwriter/Creative Coach).
More about Aaron’s work.
More about Michaela Anne’s work.
Credits: 
Produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss. Original music written, performed and produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss. Part of the Bluegrass Situation Podcast Network.

With two Grammy Awards, 15 number-one singles, and a songwriting catalog recorded by legends like Emmylou Harris, Bob Seger, and Waylon Jennings, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Rodney Crowell stands as one of Americana's most enduring icons. Yet, after 50 years in Nashville, Rodney’s relationship to his craft is grounded not in recognition, but in the quiet, daily act of showing up.
In this conversation from 2023, Rodney reflects on the early years of roaming Nashville alongside Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt to evolving past the need for applause, the spiritual discipline of 7-day vision quests, and why a song can take 40 years to finally tell you what it wants to be.
In This Episode:
Rodney Crowell
Jedd Hughes
Marty Stuart
JD Miller's Recording Studio
Wilburn Brothers
Emmylou Harris
Guy Clark
Mickey Newbury
Bob Seger

Go Deeper:
Watch: View this entire conversation on YouTube.
Explore: Find similar conversations in these themed playlists.
Connect: Join the conversation on Instagram.

The Hosts:
The Other 22 Hours is hosted by Aaron Shafer-Haiss (Producer/Mixer) and Michaela Anne (Songwriter/Creative Coach).
More about Aaron’s work.
More about Michaela Anne’s work.

Credits: 
Produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss. Original music written, performed and produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss. Part of the Bluegrass Situation Podcast Network.

GRAMMY-nominated songwriter and author Mary Gauthier, whose songs have been recorded by everyone from Tim McGraw and Blake Shelton to Boy George and Jimmy Buffett, joins us for a deeply resonant exploration of life, survival, and craft. Starting her songwriting journey at age 40 after a successful career as a chef and restaurant owner, Mary offers a deeply grounded perspective on what it means to build a long-haul artistic life.
Originally aired in August 2023 as Episode 27, we are revisiting this favorite conversation from our archive to unpack her 33-year journey in recovery, the necessity of patience in art and persistence in business, and how songwriting serves as a container for processing trauma and bridging human divides.
In This Episode:
Mary Gauthier
Songwriting With Soldiers 
'Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting'
Ep 152 - Matraca Berg
Ep 43 - Gretchen Peters
Beth Nielsen Chapman
Liz Rose
Patty Griffin
Neko Case

Go Deeper:
Watch: View this entire conversation on YouTube.
Explore: Find similar conversations in these themed playlists.
Connect: Join the conversation on Instagram.
The Hosts:
The Other 22 Hours is hosted by Aaron Shafer-Haiss (Producer/Mixer) and Michaela Anne (Songwriter/Creative Coach).
More about Aaron’s work.
More about Michaela Anne’s work.
Credits: 
Produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss. Original music written, performed and produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss. Part of the Bluegrass Situation Podcast Network.

This week, we dive into our archives for this special reissue of our conversation with GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter, producer, activist, and chef Ruby Amanfu. Known for her profound collaborations with H.E.R., Brandi Carlile, Alicia Keys, and Beyoncé, Ruby has navigated the highest peaks of the music industry while fiercely protecting her inner peace. In this episode, we explore the structural collisions that force us to speak our truth, the reality of reclaiming your identity outside of financial validation, and what happens when we finally release our death grip on how we thought our lives would look.
In This Episode:
Ruby Amanfu
Sam and Ruby
Porter’s Call
Andy Little
MusiCares
Lee Ann Womack
Willie Nelson
Love Rising Concert

Go Deeper:
Watch: View this entire conversation on YouTube.
Explore: Find similar conversations in these themed playlists.
Connect: Join the conversation on Instagram.
The Hosts:
The Other 22 Hours is hosted by Aaron Shafer-Haiss (Producer/Mixer) and Michaela Anne (Songwriter/Creative Coach).
More about Aaron’s work.
More about Michaela Anne’s work.
Credits: 
Produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss. Original music written, performed and produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss. Part of the Bluegrass Situation Podcast Network.