By LYNETTE SOWELL-STEVENS
Cove Leader-Press
After nearly three decades as a criminal defense attorney, Mary Beth Harrell was accustomed to talking, listening, and helping her clients tell their stories in court.
Now, the longtime Coryell County resident is celebrating the launch of her newest venture, podcasting.
Harrell closed her law practice in August 2025 and retired, but it wasn’t until earlier this year that the idea of having a podcast came across her mind.
Her focus will be on guests who have overcome very tough, traumatic circumstances and who have gone on to discover joy in their lives.
“Existential Joy” premiered on Thursday, Oct. 8, with her first guest another local resident, Buddy Wheat.
Wheat is a retired Colonel who at the age of 50, decided to enroll in seminary and now serves as the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Gatesville.
“We may already be familiar with the notion of ‘existential dread,’ because we all know we’re going to die,” Harrell said. “But what if knowing we were going to die, helped us to live more joyfully with the time we have left?”
She selected Wheat as her first guest because she said his story is very poignant.
“I knew what the theme was, and Buddy immediately came to mind because he’s a pastor, and I knew he had served 30 years in the military and retired as a colonel. That’s a unique combination,” Harrell said. “I know the story that I want to help my guests tell.”
So far, she has recorded five shows and has five more in the pipeline.
The episodes will release weekly on Thursdays and are accessible via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, as well as YouTube and on her website, https://www.existentialjoymbharrell.com/, and on Rogue Media.
The episodes will be one hour, tops, and she is learning about lighting and pacing.
“We record in real time, so the goal is for me to be well prepared enough so that the hour flows,” Harrell said. “That was a big learning process. Whether you’re talking to the judge or you’re talking to the jury or you’re talking to the prosecutor, you’re a storyteller, but then that’s for that audience. Right now, for this audience, you have to structure it differently. So that’s been a real challenge because I tend to be long-winded.”
“My guests have amazed me because they have been really fearless in sharing about their lives, their journey,” she added.
Both forgiveness and faith play a role in her guests’ stories.
One upcoming guest is a psychologist who offers trauma-based drug and alcohol treatment, who overcame her own personal story of trauma and addiction to get to where she is today. Listeners will also hear from a retired CW3 who an interrogator in Afghanistan and Iraq and found her faith again.
“We’re also going to have somebody who coaches meditation, a death doula, and even a comedian,” Harrell said. “I don’t want it to sound like it’s really dark, because ultimately these people are living really joyful lives.
“I just thought it would be nice to talk about living in joy, that we accept that this world is broken. You take responsibility for what you can do differently, and then you take that out into the world.”
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