The Pursuit of Quality

Rashaad Holley is a Buffalo artist, fashion designer, and educator. Rashaad is a lecturer at Buffalo State and is involved with Arts for Learning WNY, an amazing resource for both teaching artists and students.  Rashaad has such a beautiful outlook on art and on life in general. Founded in the love and care he received from strong women in his early life, he demonstrates this now in his teaching a...

Dr. Graig Shapiro runs a chiropractic and rehabilitation clinic in Amherst, NY... but his practice is so much more than that. Graig is a big proponent of DNS (Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization) in treatment and training. I have come to love DNS in my own training and hope to continue education on it.  Graig is also an educator and hopes to continue serving people through educating trainers, who...

What a privilege to talk with Jose Flores on this weeks podcast episode! Jose is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. He and his wife, Beatriz, run a cultural center and Jiu Jitsu academy out of a 10,000 square foot warehouse in riverside, Buffalo NY.  So many awesome tidbits of wisdom here, mostly around the simple wins in life. He is a huge proponent of building beautiful relationships, encouraging...

Today I sat down with one of my best friends, Jeremy Gonzalez.  We talked about the importance of creative outlets, his experience as a Buffalo firefighter, and human connection.  Enjoy!  Instagram @_jeremyagonzalez www.jeremyagonzalez.com

Today I sat down with writer and film maker, Travis Carlson, of Pan-Am Film Division. I have always been fascinated with the mystery of the behind-the-scenes in film making and really in video/photography in general. It was awesome to har about some of that in our conversation. Some value adds: Travis explained how quality can be found in anything that you do, from the products your company sells,...

Howdy yall!  On this episode, I was in the hot seat! A Buff State student and artist, Chad Ewanic, hit me up to ask if his group could interview me for their senior final on business. I am always honored and feeling blessed to have opportunities like this. Though this was not intended on being a podcast, they needed a recording of it for their class, and we sat aside our pod equipment for the inte...

What an amazing conversation with my friend, fellow peace maker, and smile mentor. We covered all things Nate Feldman, from his upbringing and introduction to business values, to his current operations and insights.  It was an honor to talk about the evolution of Nate and his business and pull out some amazing pieces of wisdom.  - The little things matter. - It's simple, but not easy.  - Sacrifice...

Back in the day, well before I was around, QUALITY was the foundation of everything. Craftsmen and artisans were unrecognized, but their work was at every corner. In fact, their work is still at every corner because it was made to last, but how many of us recognize the details that make our environment relate to us on an emotional level? This is the magic in design.  Why is the trend of the curren...

I had an awesome conversation this week with a good friend Taylor Tobias. I was excited to talk about his training philosophies and figure out the inner mental workings that get him through gnarly workouts leading up to his Ironman Lake Placid 2025 race in July.  I loved the little hits of wisdom in this one. Enjoy!  @taylortobias on instagram @taylor tobias on Strava

This week, I had an amazing, in depth conversation with Carl Montante and Evan Giokas of The College Confidence Coach and MGM Coaching.  Carl and Evan are awesome Buffalo based entrepreneurs. A trend I noticed with Carl and Evan is that all of their businesses seems to be founded on this value of confidence, whether they are coaching high schoolers toward their college career, business leaders to...

Last week, I sat down with Bobby Finan, founder of Whiskey Riot Festival. Welcome to a modern gathering embracing an ancient tradition, built on quality and intention. Bobby talks about the challenges and awesomeness of building an event company, his history as an entrepreneur in the building of Tommy Rotter Distilling, and his outlooks on brand and marketing.  Let this one go down smooth.  @whisk...

In this episode, I sat down with Kevin Heffernan (GoBike, formerly Rise Collaborative and No Boundaries) and Brian Pawloski (educator and a man curious about the world) to talk about building a better Buffalo, leading a family legacy, and finding faith.  Enjoy the rollercoaster ride of history and future of our city, from Kevin's POV and awesome ideas.  @gobikebuffalo @heff_kevin @bpawloski @posit...

I was so stoked to sit down with my friend Del Reid and dig a little deeper into what makes him the man, the change maker, the peace maker that he is. It's always a delight being in the same room as him, and I an so blessed to call him a friend and to work with him.  We talk alot about his personal history and try to decipher where the WHY for his work came from. We dig into some advice for men an...

Strong Hearts is a Vegan "fast casual" restaurant, founded in Syracuse in 2008. They opened a new spot in Buffalo in 2022. Important to note, the restaurant serves "plant-based" foods, a popular term used in modern marketing, but it is very much a VEGAN restaurant. The distinction lies in the history, the activist upcoming and influence of Strong Hearts. Joel says on another podcast, the term alre...

What's the point of "happiness"? Is it just to BE happy?  I hashed out this question with Max and Nick, and we came up with some awesome but simple conclusions: happiness is what you do in your purpose... It's how you use the joy in life to make impact.  Mind Over Foundation is an organization founded on the idea of using movement to bring light into people's lives. Max and Nick are building innov...

The Tool Library is a 501(c)3 community centric organization in Buffalo, NY with the mission to increase access, build power, and foster community. While studying urban planning at the University at Buffalo and living in University Heights, a neighborhood notorious for slum lord housing, Darren Cotton thought of an idea that would become The Tool Library. This idea evolved not into just into a col...

Matt Heyd, owner of Remedy Pain & Performance in Orchard Park, NY, is a leading force in improving physical and mental fitness. His clientele range from 6 year olds, setting up their fitness foundation, to stud athletes looking to refine their skills, to 90+ year olds looking to maintain their mobility. This is all achieved through simple movement systems and screenings to customize workouts f...

Sometimes, folks do things because they truly love what they are doing. This is the most pure, beautiful form of any craft. The money or trade of the work is just a bonus, but the work is the gold.  Brian Grunert & Kyle Morrissey share their ideas in the design space and the story of how they built White Bike, a design studio that's in it for the sake of good design.  White Bike works with som...

Brian Pawloski is a close friend and a mentor. I know him as a father, a husband, a go getter and a change maker. He founded a school called Buffalo Collegiate Charter School in 2018, which was unfortunately closed by the state in 2023 after a 5 year run. He is currently building a foothold in the film industry, working on powerful documentaries on people of impact.  Brian and I talk about a funda...

In this episode, I chatted with Kristie Edwards and Jess Trainor from The Arc Erie County; an organization that services and empowers people with developmental disabilities. They utilize education programs, employment services, trainings, and do good work right in our community to serve this populations. Kristie's title at The Arc is Director of Community Relations and Development and Jess's role...

On this week's episode, I had a chat with Elena Kilgore. Elena is a traveler, an entrepreneur, and a change maker. Her organization, Other People Fund, is on a mission to make therapy accessible to anyone in need.  Listen as she shares the story of how she got started just 3 years ago and where it has taken her.  Therapy is such an important tool that has many stigmas surrounding it. It is crucial...

This week we talked with Alexa & Jake, founders of a brand called Aille (pronounced EYE) Design. Their mission is to bring inclusivity to fashion.  Listen to the story of how they got to where they are, what drives them to pursue growth for the business, and opportunities they've had along the way.  We are inspired by the light they are bringing to the industry, innovating and spreading a posi...

This week, we sat down with our friends at 26 Shirts. Listen to the story of the rise of 26 Shirts and where they are today, doing business "on purpose", being a foundation for the community, and some insight on design.  It was awesome hanging out with Del & Josh and their crew, learning more about a business that we have been super tight with for over 4 years. We strive to become a better bus...

Flying Bison is a driving force in Buffalo's brewing industry. They were one of the original breweries during the late 90s beer resurgence, and their website states "... born from a passion for great beer and a fierce love for our city..." Flying Bison is a business with a clear mission, which I always admire. They know why they are here and they do it well, and without compromise.  Listen to the...