Michelangelo. Leonardo. Raphael. Donatello. What do these names have in common? They’re the four most famous turtles of all time. There’s a lot more to being a turtle than being a famous never-aging-teenager ninja though. Most turtles prefer a more simple life. Some turtles like to swim in the sea. Some turtles are really small and like to live in bogs, like little turtle gnomes. Today’s guest will help us learn about the wonderful and diverse turtle landscape, and also give us a peek at what the life of a field biologist is like.
Experimental Test Pilot (with Shawn Disarufino)
There’s so much that goes on behinds the scenes in the world. So many people that make it so we can just live our day to day lives without much interruption. One such major role is that of product tester. Nothing makes it into our world without somebody messing around with it out first. Did you put some oatmeal in the microwave this morning? Best believe that microwave was tested…and probably the oatmeal too. Some product testers take on much more bold jobs than oatmeal, and today’s guest is one of them. Shawn is an experimental test pilot. Planes and helicopters need testing just like anything else, and Shawn is the man to do it.
National Park Employee (with Ben Johnson)
Pet Detective (with Sarah Sypniewski)
For many of us, our animals are like our children. We dote on them, share pictures with anyone willing to look, and tell stories about how great they are. Thinking about my life without my dog is…unthinkable. Yet if our animals manage to run away from home, or get lost, whom are we supposed to call? Today’s guest, that’s who! Sarah is a lost pet specialist/pet detective, and when animals in Los Angeles lose their way Sarah knows all the tricks to help track them down.
Wine Maker (with Sterling Kragten)
Any fan of Half Hour Intern knows we love our adult drinks around here. Social lubricating, tension easing, great tasting drinks; what’s not to love? I’m typically a beer and wine man myself, and as such I’ve already done a couple of interviews with people that get to drink wine for a living (I still can’t believe jobs like that exist!), but today we finally speak to one of the wonderful people behind the juice. Get ready for a lesson in the delicate balance of art and chemistry.
Street Artist (with Cameron Moberg)
Forms of art can be like fuel for the soul. Music, paining, sculpture, photography, and countless other art forms have a way of cutting to our core. Forget your prefrontal cortex, that music is gonna get that toe tappin and that painting is gonna head straight for your pleasure center. As a city dweller, one of my favorite forms of art is kick as street art. Big, bold, bright murals that enhance an otherwise bland, and sometimes even run down, building. Not only is it great in sheer aesthetics, but the way you happen upon it is just the best. No tickets to a museum. No art gallery needed. No planning at all. You’re just walking down the street and BAM, awesome thing in your face! It’d be like going for a walk and all of the sudden this amazing band was just playing on the street corner. The combination of beauty and surprise is one that I have absolutely no problem with. Today’s guest is one of the best at making these awesome surprises a reality as he takes the otherwise mundane and turns it into art.
Documentary Film Maker (with Jeremy Newberger)
Documentary film is a truly amazing form of art and storytelling, and thanks to the rise in popularity of streaming services like Netflix, we seem to be living in the golden age of the documentary. From gripping crime stories, to heart-opening human connections, to downright eye-opening, world-view-changing film, documentaries don’t just entertain, they educate. And as Sea World can tell you post Blackfish, that education has a lot of power. So what is it like to wield that sort of power? What is it like to have your audience demand that you both entertain them, and give them some food for thought?
Sportscaster (with Scott Lynn)
Is there a better unifier of people than sports? For that matter, is there a better divider of people than sports? What a unique thing to completely bring groups of strangers together out of a shared love for their team, and tear others apart out of their geographical patronage. That sure is some intense emotion that sports stirs up! I, for one, love sports and its unadulterated expression of hard work and teamwork ultimately paying off. I also just love being able to watch people who are the best at their craft do their thing. Seeing Steph Curry hit three after three really is a beautiful thing. Today’s guest, Scott Lynn, has spent his life watching and commenting on sports. As you would imagine, he feels like a very blessed man, and has a lot to say about a life spent with the greats.
Director & Author (with Michael Goorjian)
Isn’t it interesting how long storytelling has been a part of human civilization? It has always been there as this integral piece of society and culture, and was even around before there was any concept of society or culture. We can use acting and storytelling to entertain; it can take us on a journey and bring out all of our emotions. In it’s more deep form it can also make us think and help us grow as people. It develops our empathy and can help us tackle ideas in an abstract way that we may be too unprepared to face head on. For all these reasons and more, today’s guest, Michael Goorjian, has made storytelling his life’s work. From acting, to directing, to writing, Michael has done it all and done it well.
Actor (with Michael Goorjian)
Isn’t it interesting how long storytelling has been a part of human culture? It has always been there as this integral piece of society and culture, and was even around before there was any concept of society or culture. We can use acting and storytelling to entertain; it can take us on a journey and bring out all of our emotions. In it’s more deep form it can also make us think and help us grow as people. It develops our empathy and can help us tackle ideas in an abstract way that we may be too unprepared to face head on. For all these reasons and more, today’s guest, Michael Goorjian, has made storytelling his life’s work. From acting, to directing, to writing, Michael has done it all and done it well.
Experimental Architect (with Dave Irwin)
This episode is a slight departure from the usual format. In it I interview a very intelligent, very ambitious friend of mine, Dave Irwin. Dave is going to be leaving in May to live on a glacier in Greenland where he will test out a product that he designed to replace the typical home foundation in flood prone areas. He’s trying to change the world and help millions of people, and during the interview he’ll tell us all about how and why.
Esalen Massage Therapist
Human touch. Is there anything better? Anything that connects us more to other people? Anything that connects us more to ourselves? When was the last time that you were really in the moment, not thinking about anything else? Odds are human touch was involved in some way. Cuddling, hugging, sex, massage, even bumbling around as a teenager, they all have a way of clearing the noise and bringing you into your skin. Well, a couple of weeks ago we talked about cuddling, so onto the merits of massage! Today’s guest, Kelly Spellman, is a practitioner of the very specialized Esalen massage. Almost more of a philosophy behind the massage than a set standardized way to practice; Esalen focuses on a holistic, whole body and spirit, approach to massage. Sound pretty avant-garde. Sounds pretty awesome!
Wedding Photographer (with Jake and Hailee Repko)
I don’t know how you feel, but I love weddings. I’m not a big fan of the traditions and black-tie-ness of most nuptials, but I am a HUGE fan of gatherings based on love, friendship, and family. Add to that an incredibly memorable day for at least two of the attendees, a verbal profession of love, and a hot dance floor where teens, grandma, and everyone in between can be seen, and I’d say we got a pretty magnificent event on our hands. So, what’s it like to have a wedding related job? Moreover, what’s it like to be entrusted to capture the heightened emotion of the day on film? Time to find out.
Adult Camp Counselor & Tea Guru (with Travis Sigley)
Tea. Is there anything more revered, historical, fabled, sought after, in the entire history of humanity? Some might argue wine, but there’s something special about a non-alcoholic beverage that can command so much respect and reverence. It tries to tell us a story in its very composition. Containing both caffeine to stimulate and theanine to calm the mind, it promotes the yin-yang balance in life that is so important and so valued in Eastern culture. Today’s guest, Travis Sigley, knows all about this balance and tries to cultivate the calmer, more connected side of tea drinking that is almost absent from Western culture. He tries to bring this knowledge and presence to the guests of his own teahouse and the campers at the adult summer camp, Camp Grounded. Today he’ll tell us about both.
Marine Mammal Veterinarian (with Dr. Juli)
The ocean contains 71% of the Earth’s surface…it makes up 99% of the living space on the planet! And yet how much do we know about it? How much do we try to help its inhabitants? Me…Unfortunately, not so much. Today’s guest, Dr. Juli, has spent her entire adult life trying to help these creatures, trying to find out more about the 99%. She'll help us all learn more about that world and more about these amazing neighbors that call our planet home.
Dog Walker (with Miyuki Bierlein)
Do you like dogs? Of course you do! Dogs are so much better than people, and just about anything else on the planet. First of all, they can be trained to do all sorts of amazing things. Second, they are fiercely loyal and love their owners. Most importantly, they always show you that love and what a good time they’re having with those great wagging tails of theirs. Dogs just seem like nature’s optimists. They’re a constant reminder to not take our lives too seriously, and to be happy with what we have. So what’s it like to forego the traditional 9-5 path and just surround yourself with playing dogs all day? Today’s guest, Miyuki Bierlein, will answer just that question.
Caterer (with Simi Hansen)
James Beard said, “Food is our common ground, a universal experience”. No matter your station in life, or where in the world you live, food is the driving force for bringing people together to share stories and laughter. At most weddings the meal outshines the ceremony and becomes the main event. Every day, business deals go down over the dinner table where people both literally and figuratively break bread to find a common ground. And we just passed the American holiday of Thanksgiving, which does away with ambiguity and completely centers around the idea of coming together for a home cooked meal. Today’s guest, Simi Hansen, is one of the wonderful people enabling us to have our universal experience. Simi started her own successful catering business and brings amazing cuisine to where it is needed. She’ll tell us all about her strange path to becoming a chef and how changing other peoples experiences has changed her life.
Actor & Musician (with Tyler Hilton)
Why do we always seem to limit ourselves? ‘A job that awesome just isn’t going to happen for me.’ ‘That kind of success isn’t meant for me.’ ‘A relationship that great just isn’t in the cards for me.’ How do we know? Who said that we could read the future like that? You never know when something wonderful can be just around the corner. Today’s guest Tyler Hilton followed his heart and never limited himself, and has been paid back in return. He decided to not settle for having one awesome job and by the age of 21 had two. He’ll tell us all about what it’s like to live two awesome lives at once, and explain why you should never assume what tomorrow holds in store for you because it might be more amazing than you could ever imagine.
Concert & Festival Producer (with Dawson Ludwig)
Music makes the world go round. It can make you happy when you’re sad, it can make you feel sadness when you’re happy, and, well, just about any emotional shift in between. In no form is music more awesome and appreciated than when being played live. Live music brings masses of people together to feel the energy of a band that just can’t be realized in any other way. But who makes that go around? Who is the man or woman behind the curtain pulling all the strings to make sure that we can see a live act? Who are the people pushing and pulling all of the levers to make sure the crazy festival we went to this past summer actually worked? It’s time to meet Dawson Ludwig, a modern day Oz for the Northern California music scene. We’ll learn all about what happens before we ever hear the first note of the first song.
Travel Blogger (with Darrell Hartman)
The world is a pretty neat place. The Grand Canyon, the giant sequoia trees of the Sierra Nevadas, the gysers of Yellowstone, Niagra Falls, Crater Lake, the rock formations in Moab. The list goes on and on…and that’s just the US! Kinda makes you wish you could just get paid to travel around and see it all like today’s guest Darrell Hartman and his younger brother Oliver. They are the founders of the incredibly unique and much talked about “travel blog” Jungles in Paris. Jungles in Paris uses a mix of breathtaking photography, videography, and well written articles to really explore the spirit of some of the most beautiful areas, people, animals, and phenomena on the planet. So, how did they make it to the promised land and start living the dream?