Is technology always a good thing? I don’t just mean electronic gadgetry; I mean any form of scientific advancement. This past century has been such an interesting one where we’ve come SO far with science and medicine, only to realize that moving forward is not always progress. We can grow more crops than ever thanks to pesticides and genetically modified seeds, only to realize that our food doesn’t carry the same nutritional value, and our fruits and vegetables don’t look and taste the same as they once did. We can double the size of our pigs so that we can have bacon on just about everything, but the super-sized pigs are so fragile that they can’t even go outdoors or they’ll die from disease or infection. We have a plethora of antibiotics to kill off pathogens, and we now have a growing list of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Perhaps it is due to this that more than ever people are skeptical of the ‘better by science’ approach and are trying old school methods for health and well being. One of the more popular and interesting approaches is Ayurveda. The ancient Indian science/study/philosophy of health and well being is REALLY old school, but as you’ll hear, many of it’s ideas and principles seem to be popping up all over lately.
Creative Marketing Prodigy (with Brent Underwood)
The world sure has become a fast moving place. Everything is ever-changing, and trying to gain a handle on it all feels more and more impossible. Just when I start to feel like I really understand a current technology or app, another ‘must have’ is just around the corner or already taking its place. There are some amazing people though, that seem to thrive in this setting. Those special few that stake their claim in a field and proclaim that they will be at the forefront, they will be the ones seeing and making change. They do not get left behind as they do not wait for any playbook, and boldly venture out into unknown frontier to swiftly meet whatever success or failure lies ahead. Today’s guest is one of these people in the field of marketing, and his company’s ideas will expand and/or blow your mind.
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.
Mastectomy Tattoo Artist (with Amy Black)
The human body does so much for us and asks for so little in return. It’s like the big, silent buddy to our soul. All we gotta do is feed it and give it sleep, and it’ll do pretty much anything we ask of it. It makes sense then that some people decide to give their big, silent buddy a gift. A work of art. A tattoo. Today’s guest, Amy Black, helps people give this gift. She also is an amazing human being who gives a much larger gift to breast cancer survivors. Through her post-mastectomy tattoos, she helps women (and men) look in the mirror again. She helps bring their lives back to a sense of normalcy, and helps those who need feel a sense of closure.
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.
Rustic Wedding Blogger (with Maggie Lord)
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, ‘The only constant is change.’ Boy was he ever right. Times they are a changing. Some things for the good, others for the not as good, but that’s all a matter of perspective. From my perspective, one of the better changes to come about in the last decade or so is bringing an element of casualness to once very formal and very serious institutions. Showing that just because something looks more relaxed from the outside doesn’t mean that all of the emotion and substance that makes it special is not still on the inside. On the contrary, it can make it even more special as it becomes approachable and inviting to a larger group a people. One example of this is modern ‘fine dining’ institutions. Most of the famous young chefs in the world work at restaurants that you can feel at home in. No tuxedo necessary, just come in and enjoy the warm, unique atmosphere and amazing food. This similar change has come around to the institution of weddings. Gone are the days of 90% of people getting married in churches and country clubs, here are the days of my wife and I getting married outdoors in Yosemite. Today’s guest, Maggie Lord, sensed the writing on the wall and created a Rustic Wedding (and Rustic Baby) empire. She is the founder of one of the most popular wedding blogs, RusticWeddingChic.com, and proves that you don’t have to be precious and formal to be beautiful, memorable, and filled with emotion.
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.
YouTube Gaming Celebrity (with Datto Does Destiny)
We live in a downright crazy and absolutely amazing time to be alive. Limitless information at our fingertips, gluten free pastries, and snuggies are all a part of our reality. Perhaps more important than any of those innovations (except for the snuggie) is the change of the business and socioeconomic landscape that has happened over the past decade. We now live in a time where there are almost zero barriers to entry to jump headfirst into your own world-facing business. Success is certainly not guaranteed, but the fact that you can even try is a wonderful gift. I, for instance, have a podcast. Do I have a degree in journalism? No. Do I have any idea how to produce a real radio show? I don’t think so. Did I have any idea how to make my own website or podcast all of six months ago? Absolutely not. And yet here I am. Today’s guest has used this new business landscape and in just over two years completely changed his life. Stefan, a.k.a. Datto, went from being a guy that liked playing videogames in his free time to a guy that has a half million YouTube subscribers to his relatively new Datto Does Destiny gaming channel. Stefan now makes a healthy income playing videogames all day, not working for anyone else. So, how did all this work out for him, what lessons has he learned, and what is it really like to live the dream?
Stay At Home Mom (with Brittany Marcotte)
Parenting. Holy crap. I want no part of it. I mean, who needs that sort of responsibility? I can barely take care of myself on a day-to-day basis. Put another human being under my care…that’s just downright negligent. But I do hold out hope that one day I’ll mature, thanks to today’s guest, my wonderful sister Brittany. Brittany is the most awesome, selfless parent you will ever meet, and currently she is a stay at home mom. Watching her has done a pretty good job at swaying me into thinking that maybe, one day, a million years from now, being a parent might actually not be that bad. Today she’ll tell us about what it’s like to go partly crazy from hearing Mickey Mouse songs all day, contemplating running away from home, and definitely not trading any of it for the world.
Musician (with Lucy Graves)
We are a society, for better or for worse, obsessed with stardom. Completely captivated by the bright and shining light. The ensemble cast is all fine and good, but give me a name for god’s sake! Although, what about that ensemble cast? What about the people in the background actually making the play…movie…music come alive? Today’s guest, Lucy Graves, is going to fill us in on what it’s like to live in the background, eschewing recognition in favor of some good old-fashioned life experience. Lucy is the keyboardist for one of the better-known people in the music industry today, CeeLo Green. She is also the keyboardist, backup singer, and co-song writer for Grammy winner Printz Board. What is it like to be so close to stardom, but not a start yet yourself?
Cheesemonger (with Sophie Mosgrove)
If you were stuck on a desert island and you could only eat one food, what would it be? Trick question! The answer is obviously cheese. Not only is it the best tasting thing in the world, it also has protein, fat, and carbohydrates, making it the perfect shipwrecked meal. Today we’ll learn all about this superfood from Sophie Mosgrove, a certified cheesemonger. Sophie spends every workday thinking about and tasting cheese. She’ll let us know what it’s like to have this dream job, and give us all kinds of interesting facts and advice to help us pick out a winner the next time we’re at the grocery store.
Peace Corps Volunteer (with Jeff Palmer)
Have you ever dreamt about leaving your whole life behind and starting a new one somewhere else? Do you ever consider ditching your path to personal gain to go and help the less fortunate? Have you ever been watching a documentary about living in a 3rd world country and almost dropped everything right then and there to join the Peace Corps? I can’t be the only one! Today’s guest, Jeff Palmer, knew from a very young age that he wanted to help people, and while still in high school made up his mind that he would join the Peace Corps. What he didn’t know was how difficult and long the process would be to get there, and what life would be like once he began.
Author / Wine Blogger (with Madeline Puckette)
Just stop right there. I know what you’re thinking. ANOTHER episode about alcohol…that…is…AWESOME! And you’re right, it is awesome. Do you know how many treaties were signed over a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon? All of them. Do you know how many businesses were founded over a carafe of Zinfandel? All of them. Do you know how many statistics I’ve made up while drinking a glass of Sangiovese? None of them, because that would be totally irresponsible. Today’s guest, Madeline Puckette, is the ultimate Renaissance woman. She’s the graphic designer responsible for some of the greatest wine infographcs that have ever been made. She was voted Wine Blogger of the Year at the International Wine and Spirits Competition for her site, Wine Folly. And now, she’s responsible for the #1 selling wine book on Amazon of the same name…and as of my writing this it hasn’t even come out yet! So how, in just a few short years, do you completely take the wine world by storm?
Baker (with Gillian Shaw)
Baking is so awesome. It’s fun and messy. For most people it reminds them of childhood. And you’re left with the greatest of treats when all is said and done. Just writing that series of sentence fragments makes me want to grab some eggs and sugar! Today’s guest was on the path to lawyerdom, and then looked around and said, ‘Forget this, it’s time to start baking!’ Now, years later, she has her own successful baking company whose goods can be found all over the bay area. How’d she do it? What lessons did she learn along the way? Just click play already!