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.
Nonprofit (with Amanda Brock)
If I had a dollar for every time I wished I had a dollar, I’d be the Bill Gates of dollars. Is money really where it’s at though? John Lennon and The Beatles sure didn’t think so. Mark Zuckerberg recently decided to begin the process of giving 99% of his Facebook shares toward learning, curing disease, connecting people and building strong communities. That is A LOT of dollars! It seems for many people that make it to the top financially there’s still a longing to do more, to give back. One of the best ways to give back is to find a great non-profit that you believe in, and support it. Today’s guest, Amanda Brock, found a non-profit that she loved and started donating her time and money. After a time that wasn’t enough and she left her job to work full time at the non-profit. She’ll let us know all about the switch and the non-profit life.
Kid's Nutrition Expert (with Sanjay Raja)
Diet. It’s all around us. An ever-present member of our lives. Whether we want to lose weight, gain weight, get more energy, or have more focus, tweaking the diet is always the first and best place to start. For most of us, this is something that we started to do as adults. I, for one, am pretty focused on my diet, but it’s not something I gave even a second thought to until about 5 years ago. Prior to that it was fast food and mac and cheese if that’s what I was in the mood for. Today’s guest, Sanjay Raja, argues that that shift in focus needs to happen earlier, as early as baby food. Let’s find out why and get some tips for raising a healthier generation.
Experimental Particle Physicist (with Adam Bradley)
Who are we? Where do we come from? Just what the hell is going on out there?! That is what today’s guest, Adam Bradley, and his cohorts are trying to find out. Adam is an experimental particle physicist. Due to that lengthy title, it is Adam’s job to help us better understand the universe and our place in it. Dark matter, dark energy, and theoretical particles are part of his every day. If we hope to make it to the promised land as a species, it’s going to be thanks to smart people like Adam leading the way. Does all that knowledge weigh heavy on his mind, or is he able to live a normal life like the rest of us?
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.
Psychotherapist (with Emily Anhalt)
The human mind is capable of amazing things. Coming up with the computer I’m typing on, writing MLK’s famous ‘I have a dream’ speech, moving the brush to form van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’, developing every vaccine and medical breakthrough ever. The mind is there, front and center for everything. It is THE cause in the cause and effect relationship. And yet, we have almost no idea what is going on in there. Chemicals this, hormones that, add a dash of heredity and we’re starting to brew a cocktail that no one can help to understand. Yet, some people still try. One such masochist is today’s guest Emily Anhalt. She is currently a psychotherapist and psychological assistant, and is at the very end of a long road to becoming a psychologist where she will continue to better help people understand their relationships to the man (or woman) in the mirror. What does she think about mind? What does she think about thinking? What does she think about thinking about your thinking?
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.
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.
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.
Air Traffic Controller (with Gabe Koa)
Have you ever thought about how much we take flying for granted? For one, the fact that we can even get off the ground is borderline miraculous. Something about thrust and lift, but it might as well be witchcraft as far as I’m concerned. Second is the fact that we manage to do so safely. Have you ever been in a plane crash? Do you know anyone that has ever been in a plane crash? Now replace the word plane with car and think of how many stories you can come up with. Would you ever take a long distance vacation if plane crashes were that common? The safety of air travel is pretty amazing, but not an accident or a fluke. It’s due to people like today’s guest, Gabe Koa. Gabe is an air traffic controller and he’ll give us a rundown on what a day in the life is like for one of the most important jobs in existence.
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?
Sommelier (with Sam Bogue)
Wine. The drink of the Gods. The blood or Christ. The Greeks and Romans each had a God dedicated to it and it was the focal point of Jesus’s first miracle and last supper. That’s quite a history for a beverage! So what is it that makes wine so awesome? So revered by man? And how does that reverie translate to today? We’ll speak with Sommelier Sam Bogue to learn all about what makes wine worth obsessing over.
Web Design (with Wes McDowell)
Have you ever been on a website before? Has it ever occurred to you that almost every website you go to was designed by a web designer? That fact reminds me a lot of the architecture episode. It’s almost hard to believe that EVERY building we walk by was conceived by an architect, and even harder to believe that EVERY website we visit was conceived in much the same way. Time to take a look into that career and see what this ubiquitous field is all about.
Personal Finance Expert (with Peter the Planner)
Money makes the world go round. Well, gravity too, but mostly money. And yet it’s somehow considered this taboo topic not to be talked about. And it’s partially due to this taboo that millions of people including myself make poor or uniformed financial choices every day. Well, time to talk about it! Today’s guest, Peter Dunn (aka Pete the Planner), devotes his life to helping people make better financial decisions. He uses just about every media format available to answer questions about money, and help people on the path to financial wellness. So let’s have him answer some of our finance questions and learn about the awesome path that Peter has chosen in life.
Architect (with Shayan Saghari)
Good ol’ architecture. Without it, we’d all be living in caves right now! No pyramids, no Machu Picchu, no Eiffel Tower. Thank god for us, people like Shayan exist to bring us out of the Stone Age and into the future. Using a dash of practicality, a pinch of creativity, and a heap of total badassness, Shayan helps people build their dream homes and by extension, their dreams. Let’s learn more about this awesome career that impacts how every one of us lives.
Vibe Manager (with Kelly Robinson)
Do you have an idea of a job that you want to do, but the job doesn’t really exist yet? Do you have several unrelated passions that you don’t see how you could possibly tie together into a career for yourself? Well so did today’s guest, Kelly Robinson, but now she’s combined architecture, design, travel, yoga, meditation, and psychology into one of the coolest jobs I could possibly imagine. We’ll learn what the heck being a vibe manager is all about and how Kelly turned a fairy tale job into a reality. Get ready for some inspiration!
Vascular Surgeon
Do you get stressed out when your boss yells at you? Get a bad grade on a test? The waitress comes over to the table and you weren’t quite ready to order? Today’s guest, Dr. Raymond Shaheen, may make be able to help put some of that in perspective for you. Dr. Shaheen is a vascular surgeon who very regularly has to make life or death decisions to help save the lives’ and limbs’ of patients. We’ll learn what it is like to carry that sort of mental burden, we’ll hear some of the memorable stories from Dr. Shaheen’s career, and most importantly we’ll find out just what the heck a vascular surgeon does.
Life Coach
Ever wondered what it takes to be a life coach? What does that term even mean? Do you remind people to brush their teeth twice a day and change their oil every 3k miles? I mean, how do you coach about something as complex as life?! Today’s guest, Sariah Sizemore takes us through the fascinating world of life coaching. She’ll tell us about how she got the confidence to help others through their struggles, what it takes to be a life coach…and just what it is exactly that they do.