Good People, Cool Things

It seemed like it might never happen, but travel is slowly inching its way back into our lives. However, trying to fit in a trip into a busy career and with plenty of responsibility at home can seem like a daunting task. Can it possibly be done? Of course it can — that would be a pretty boring podcast episode if I said it couldn’t. Karen Gershowitz is the author of Travel Mania: Stories of Wanderl...

Bruce McCandless III has never been to space, but you’ve certainly seen his dad gazing at the earth before. Bruce McCandless II began his career with NASA in 1966 and he was Houston’s capsule communicator (CAPCOM) speaking directly with astronauts during the first moonwalk on Apollo 11. And in 1984, McCandless II soared into history during the Challenger mission, becoming the first astronaut to ma...

You may not recognize Brian Hersch’s name, but you’ve most certainly played one (or several) of his board games. He’s the mind behind gems like Taboo, Outburst, and Super Scattergories and has provided countless hours of entertainment for millions of people across the world.  Brian’s latest game, Boom Again, targets a totally underserved market: Boomers, or people born between 1946 and 1964. Yet,...

Check this out: 75 percent of people think they're not living up to their creative potential , and we’re a whopping 96% less creative than we were as children . Luckily, this episode’s guest is sharing tons of good stuff on being more creative and finding big ideas.  Samuel Sanders is an award-winning entrepreneur who has seen innovation, creativity, problem-solving, and ideation in action at many...

Perhaps the most obvious statement ever: the past year and a half has been rough. Between a global pandemic, social unrest, political chaos, and the fact that a lot of us handled it all on our own, there’s been plenty of chances for life to take its toll on our well-being.  This week’s guest, Kimberly Dawn, is a big advocate of mental health. Kimberly just dropped her new single “The Bottle,” has...

When Akeel Henry was five years old, he was already playing piano and drums for his father’s church. And he’s continued that musical prowess into an impressive music career that’s continuing to grow. Akeel is a US Gold-Certified and Juno Award-nominated music producer, audio engineer, and musical wizard. He’s worked alongside artists like the Grammy-nominated Desiigner, Shawn Mendes, Ty Dolla $ign...

At some point in your life, you’ve likely considered starting a side hustle. Perhaps you’ve thought of an idea that would benefit people, or maybe you’re interested in turning a passion project into something more. But starting a side hustle can be a daunting task—and before you know it, you’ve grown frustrated and put the side hustle on the back burner while life takes over. It doesn’t have to be...

Linsey Knerl is a mom of six who has been homeschooling since 2004. Her interest in small business and entrepreneurship kicked off a freelance writing career that has led to stories in SO MANY publications, including Time, Shape, Better Homes & Gardens, Reader's Digest, Family Circle, All You, and Woman's World. 

Some people just have great stories. For Texas Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Freddy Powers, he could barely go a day without something memorable happening. Alongside his widow Catherine Powers and music biographer Jake Brown, the late musician is the driving force behind the new book, The Spree of 83: The Life and Times of Freddy Powers. This episode gives us a glimpse inside that book—and t...

Dr. Steven Eisenberg is not your average oncologist. After all, how many doctors can say they’ve written hundreds of songs with their patients, written a book, and appeared on America’s Got Talent? Yet Dr. Steven has done it all. And in his new book, LOVE IS THE STRONGEST MEDICINE: Notes from a Cancer Doctor on Connection, Creativity, and Compassion, he’s sharing how the relationships in our lives...

Stacey Aaronson is an established writer, ghostwriter, editor, book designer, and publishing partner who has been involved in the full or partial production of over 200 books. She works with authors across genres through her business, The Book Doctor Is In, and as a layout artist for She Writes Press. In other words, she knows how to get things DONE. Now, Stacey is tackling her own book. Raising,...

Tim Krauss remembers his first ice cream memory from when he was four years old. But after being diagnosed with Type One Diabetes, Tim suddenly was taking extreme risks anytime he scooped a treat. So what did he do? Start a business with his wife and children to make a delicious ice cream that could fit his now necessary low-carb, low-sugar, and high-fat diet. Soon, Mammoth Creameries —a keto-frie...

Sara Dykman is the founder of beyondabook.org , creating and encouraging lifelong learners and curious people. She's had tons of cool adventures, like walking from Mexico to Canada, canoeing the Missouri River from source to sea, and cycling over 80,000 miles across North and South America. Put simply, Sara likes to dream big—and encourages other people to do the same. After listening to this epis...

Do you feel yourself getting the creepy crawlies whenever you think about bugs? Or do you find them fascinating and get excited whenever one sneaks its way into your home? Today’s guest definitely falls into that second group. Ali Beckman is the brains behind SoFlyTaxidermy and JUST launched her book (like, for real, it came out yesterday), Bee a Good Human: A Pollinator’s Guide to a Better Life ....

Adam Kol helps couples make sure the money conversation doesn’t get in the way, leading to more financial security, clarity, and peace of mind. And as you may have noticed, this past year has been rough on just about everyone, so some peace of mind sounds great to me. We’re chatting through all kinds of financial goodness here so you can tackle them with the kind of gusto they deserve. Adam’s also...

Matt Bennett founded his craft salsa company, DREAMS AREN’T THIS GOOD, on five simple values: trust, transparency, trial and error, tenacity, and a belief that the team is in this together. The end result? A company that not only produces some darn good salsa, but does good for the world and has a blast doing it. Each jar of DATG salsa is named after a song, paying homage to artists that are all a...

After navigating the twists and turns of life, including selling drugs and multiple trips to rehab, 57-year-old Noa Shaw discovered his purpose of helping and being of service to others, using what he calls “selfless help.” He channeled his top lessons and advice into his debut book, Stop Thinking Thoughts That Scare You: A Selfless Help Guide of Practical Tools to Eliminate Fear and Anxiety and L...

No matter where you’ve come from or what you’ve done, you’ve experienced things no one else has. And those stories are worth telling. Luckily, today’s guest gets to hear from all different kinds of people in his role as the owner of a funeral home. Chris Meyer channeled what he’s learned from those folks into his book Life in 20 Lessons: What a Funeral Guy Discovered About Life, from Death.  Prior...

How many times have you used the excuse of “I don’t have time” to avoid getting things done? I know I’ve done it regularly — sometimes I’m procrastinating on something incredibly minor, like cooking dinner or even walking to the mailbox. Because I’m just TOO BUSY, you know? Well, this episode’s guest is having none of that. Chris Coppel has authored ten novels since the fall of 2019, and he is dro...

Very few people have written stories about ghost hunters, sent a poem to a NASA astronaut, AND performed scenes with Jeff Goldblum. In fact, I’d argue no one has done all three of those things — except for today’s guest, Susan McCauley . Susan is a writer and producer of paranormal, fantasy, and horror films and fiction for adults, young adults, and middle grade audiences and readers. She also stu...

It’s March Madness, so we’re hopping right into it! After all, there’s no time to waste when it comes to filling out your brackets. Friend of the podcast Chris Hayes joins to chat some hoops, and because we go way back, there are plenty of fun tangents along the way. We talk some of the best rides and variants of Disney World, a little college football, that Matt and Kim song from the Buick commer...

It’s a spirited Chicago episode from the vault, y’all! I’m joined by Jin Laqui , a blogger, social media maven, digital marketing expert, and all-around badass who, like me, grew up in the Windy City. And we’re recording while the 2019 Thursday Night Football game between our beloved Chicago Bears and the visiting Dallas Cowboys plays in the background.  Luckily, you don’t have to be from Chicago...

Craig Leener is the author of three books, This Was Never About Basketball, All Roads Lead to Lawrence, and This Was Always About Basketball. We go all the way back to his first book, so we’ve got plenty in store for the trilogy. We’re chatting hoops, of course, but we’re also getting into Craig’s writing process and his inspiration for his series. We talk about a few quarantine hobbies and share...

Welcome to quarantine hobby life, y’all. We’re all trying to learn some new things as we continue to practice social distancing in our homes. But even with some extra time at home, we don’t always want to actually spend a lot of hours investing in something that may just turn out to be a passing fancy. Luckily, writer, teacher, and performer Nancy Stohlman is here to help — in the briefest way pos...

Ray Simone is a photographer and lifelong New Yorker, and he learned pretty early on the power of being curious and exploring your surroundings. In the 1970s and 80s, Ray often found himself at flea markets, garage sales, street fairs, and more all across New York City, buying all the negatives he could find. Now, he's painstakingly digitizing these photos, retouching them pixel by pixel. The end...