Extraordinary Ordinary People

When you hear the name Brie, do you conjure up images of delicious cheeses spread over a board, paired with meats and wine? That's exactly what Brie is all about. Now a Certified Cheese Professional recognized by the American Cheese Society, Brie had humble beginnings the same as all of us. His upbringing in New York City was a tumultuous one, filled with fond memories as well as some bitter ones...

Being Hawaii's "Reggae Ambassador" is a title Marty Dread takes pretty seriously. The singer songwriter grew up on the island of Maui from the time he was eight years old, and always had a creative soul. In high school he was at a crossroads in life, when he thought he might want to pursue his aspiring career as a watercolor artist, after his mother. But a pinnacle moment unfolded that opened Mart...

Back in 1985, before the time of countless celebrity charities and philanthropic foundations, the largest charity concert ever held was put on. Our guest this week, Fred Spanjaard remembers Live Aid like it was yesterday, because he was the Operations Producer of the Philadelphia live performance. Almost 2 billion viewers tuned in to see this 17 hour performance, both in London and in Philadelphia...

Going from Stanford graduate to designer and builder of multi-million dollar homes was a serendipitous chain of events for David Muckenhirn. David studied electrical engineering and got his first job out of school working for Sylvania Electronics Systems, but wasn't completely satisfied with the work-life balance. After a multitude of miscellaneous jobs, he eventually landed himself in the home bu...

Starting an interview with the soothing sounds of a Tibetan singing bowl is not how we typically do things on the Extraordinary Ordinary People Show. But with a guest like Lew "Blue Mountain" Abrams, it feels right. Formerly a practicing psychologist in Seattle, Dr. Abrams now resides in the lush greenery of Maui, where he and his family have created a sanctuary for those seeking a place for creat...

Toni Menage has a career most aspiring singers envy. She's toured the world with Lisa-Lisa Cult Jam, sang with and was produced by the legendary Stevie Wonder, and performed on legendary television shows including Soul Train, The Grammy's The Arsenio Hall Show, and many others. But her path to get there was not as full of rainbows as you might think. Andy and Toni discuss what it's like to grow up...

From web developer to Hawaii photographer, Josh Ross did what many of us often daydream about. He picked up his life and moved to the small Hawaiian island of Maui. But as Josh tells in his interview with Andy, it's often easier said than done. Living in the Bay Area of California, Josh had a comfortable salary as a manager for a team of web developers. He bought a house out in the countryside, an...

Born on a reservation in Oklahoma, Bearcloud was surrounded by his ancestral culture every day. It wasn't until the age of 7 that he moved to a suburban area of Amarillo, Texas, and experienced some real culture shock. His creative outlet was painting and drawing, and he never stopped pursuing this passion. Bearcloud notes that he was always drawn to the beautiful raw nature of Sedona, even before...

(An audio prologue to Andy's conversation with Bearcloud.)

Yogi Blair Darby is not your typical yoga enthusiast. Though well practiced in a variety of yoga methods, both in modern and traditional practices, his success lies in his ability to help others see Sedona, Arizona through a whole new lens. After spending his entire life in the beach town of Venice, California, Blair, his girlfriend, and son packed up and moved to the beautiful red rock adorned ar...

(An audio prologue to Andy's conversation with Yogi Blair Darby.)

In this episode Andy talks with Lily Wong, the creator of an extraordinarily popular Mandarin podcast that's been downloaded over 20 million times in less than 3 years! Lily is many things—a non-profit entrepreneur, an instructor of English teachers in Taiwan, a public speaker, and a philanthropist. She's living her dream of using her experience and knowledge, through her Fly With Lily podcast, to...

(An audio prologue to Andy's conversation with Lily Wong.)

Kai Lenny is a 24-year-old superstar in nearly every water sport you could name. He's a seven-time stand-up paddle-boarding (SUP) world champion, two-time kitesurfing world champion, and a multi-award-winning big wave surfer, tow-in surfer, windsurfer, and hydrofoiler. As Kai and Andy talk at length today, you'll learn more than the mere distinctions between each water sport, but the mental challe...

(An audio prologue to Andy's conversation with Kai Lenny.)

Today, Andy talks with the brilliant musician most widely known by chart-topping artists themselves: Bashiri Johnson. Bashiri has recorded and/or performed with artistic legends including Beyonce, Madonna, Whitney Houston, the Rolling Stones, Michael Bolton, Cher, Duran Duran, Eric Clapton, James Taylor, Barry Manilow, and Michael Jackson. Growing up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, NY in the 1960...

(An audio prologue to Andy's conversation with Bashiri Johnson.)

In this week's discussion, photographer Greg Lawson takes Andy through his museum-like gallery in Sedona, Arizona, to explore the fundamentals of his philosophy on human nature. Our conversation with Greg is unlike any you'd have with a traditional photographer. Although Greg got his first camera when he was 14 and has worked as an artist ever since, he views the physical process behind his work a...

(An audio prologue to Andy's conversation with Greg Lawson.)

In today's conversation, Andy talks with Kimi Werner, the U.S. National Spearfishing Champion of 2008 who transformed her passion for discovery and the sea to inspire others and travel the world. Kimi grew up in a family of six, in a small shack in a secluded area of Haiku, Maui, where her best friend was a pig named "Muddy." She may not have had any close human friends beyond her family before sh...

(An audio prologue to Andy's conversation with Kimi Werner.)

In this week's epsiode, Andy has a unique and spiritually-focused conversation with two people—one of whom lives and works in Maui, the other who is visiting, and both of whom embody the Maui spirt—Beth Marcil and Mariabruna Sirabella. Check it out and enjoy a dialogue about live freely lived, 2nd senses, and the interconnectedness of everything. Beth Marcil is a widely-recognized visual artist an...

(An audio prologue to Andy's conversation with Beth Marcil and Mariabruna Sirabella.)

A chance meeting on a beach in Maui led to Andy's conversation with Juliette "Joules" Brown, a young multi-medium visual artist. Recently, Joules decided to take a break from university to recharge her spirit and travel across Australia in a van. In this episode she's just returned from that trip, and she talks about that adventure and the waking-from-a-dream experience of returning. Andy and Joul...

(An audio prologue to Andy's conversation with Juliette "Joules" Brown.)