
Radio Hall of Fame to Disney with Sonny Melendrez
Sonny Melendrez joined me for one of the most joyful conversations I have had on this podcast. Sonny is a Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame inductee, a Disney Channel pioneer, a voice artist mentored by Mel Blanc himself, and a professional speaker whose career spans more than five decades. But what struck me most was not the resume. It was the thread running through all of it: a kid in a tree house, dreaming without limits, who simply never stopped. The Dream Does Not Wait for the Ready Sonny grew up behind his father's barbershop, calling friends one at a time from a payphone, playing his little homemade radio shows into the receiver. He was podcasting before the word existed. What he was really doing was giving himself permission. That is the principle I kept returning to in our conversation. Dreams find people who have no idea they are ready. They found Sonny in San Antonio. They found me in Little Rock. The question is whether you give them room to grow. Intentional Enthusiasm as a Way of Life Sonny coined the phrase intentional enthusiasm, and he lives it fully. He reflected on three things that powered every success in his career: belief in himself, a clear vision of what he wanted, and gratitude as a daily practice. He writes his goals. He begins each morning in quiet. He treats every relationship as a door with a small glass window, waiting to be opened. That is not a technique. That is a way of being. What We Covered We talked about breaking into voice work and radio with nothing but a transistor radio and a dream. We traced Sonny's path from San Antonio college radio to KMPC in Los Angeles, from Hanna-Barbera Studios with Mel Blanc to becoming the first male host on the Disney Channel. We talked about gratitude as spiritual magnetism, the Walt Disney and Mike Vance story about fulfillment, and why the child inside you is not something to outgrow. Find Sonny Melendrez You can reach Sonny at sonnymelendrez.com and across all major platforms. Look him up. His story will stay with you. In the spirit of growth. About the Host: Jim Cathcart, CSP, CPAE is one of the top 5 most award-winning speakers in the world. His Top 1% TEDx video has over 2.8 million views, his 27 books are translated into multiple languages, including 3 International bestsellers. He is a Certified Virtual Presenter and past National President of the National Speakers Association. Jim’s PBS television programs, podcast appearances and radio shows have reached millions of Success Seekers and he is often retained to advise achievers and their companies. Even his colleagues, some of the top speakers in the world, have hired Jim to speak at their own events. Jim is an Executive MBA Professor at California Lutheran University School of Management and serves as their first Entrepreneur in Residence. He has been inducted into the Sales & Marketing Hall of Fame in London for his pioneering work with his concept of “Relationship Selling.” He is also in the Professional Speakers Hall of Fame and has received The Cavett Award and The Golden Gavel Award. Jim has written 27 books, hundreds of articles and he is always writing at least one new book. His most recent book is HI-REV for Small Business, The Faster Way to Profits. Audiences buy his books by the hundreds and he happily adds autograph sessions to his speeches. https://cathcart.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathcartinstitute/ https://www.facebook.com/jim.cathcart https://www.youtube.com/user/jimcathcart Tedx: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ki9-oaPwHs















