SHAPIRO & LOMBARDI
Duo launching new podcast
When Les Shapiro initially birthed the notion of a podcast about overcoming adversity, he had no idea truly how much adversity was coming in 2020. For all of us.
“We wanted to do something unique,” the longtime Denver-area talk-show host told The Post this week. “There are a lot of podcasts out there now.”
And yet, from a timing perspective, the theme of “We Are Unstoppable,” Shapiro and Vic Lombardi’s new podcast, feels more apropos than ever during a global coronavirus pandemic.
“Unstoppable,” which launched earlier this month in partnership with BurstMarketing and sponsorship from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center, features interviews with sports and entertainment figures reflecting on how they overcame a specific challenge in their personal lives.
Olympic swimmer Missy Franklin in a recent episode opened up on her struggles with depression and anxiety. Legendary ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale discusses being bullied as a youngster after a childhood injury gave him a drifting left eye. Former Rockies manager Clint Hurdle talks about overcoming alcoholism and bladder cancer, the latter of which was diagnosed in 2015.
“It was never made public,” Shapiro said of the former Colorado and Pittsburgh skipper. “At the time, he was the manager with the Pirates and he didn’t feel it was necessary for everybody to know this. They got it taken care of and he’s been clean ever since.”
The podcast’s title and mantra were inspired by the personal experiences of Shapiro and Lombardi, Emmy-winning broadcasters who both have battled cancer in recent years. The format includes a segment with a medical expert from Anschutz discussing the clinical side of whatever crisis the celebrity on the podcast has navigated. “Unstoppable” is slated to drop two episodes per month and is available via all major podcast providers and at unstoppablepodcasts.com.
“When it comes to athletics, athletes, coaches and front office people don’t always want to talk about their vulnerabilities,” said Shapiro, who left Mile High Sports radio in February and moved to Scottsdale, Ariz. “But Vic and I have been able to extract that … to get them to open up about it.
“And you find out they’re not all that bashful about it. I think a lot of it has to do with them wanting to help other people.”