Think Differently

Diversity, equity and inclusion consultant/speaker, community builder, co working space founder, adjunct professor and podcast host Levi Baer had a lot on his plate that caused to have a really unhappy birthday last year.  He was doing too much and felt the burn and then decided to redefine and design his life, profession and vision to help others find joy in their work and lives.  Curre...

What do helicopter police chases, waterskiing, experiential marketing, classic cars and the Grateful Dead have in common?  The answer is this weeks guest Fritz Heffinger !  He is the CEO and Co-Founder of Outcold Marketing ; OutCold fuses experiential marketing strategies with traditional Out of Home (OOH) tactics to excite, engage and convert consumers to customers.  They create am...

17 years in broadcast media telling stories for the likes of Beyonce, LeBron, and Nick Saban and a passion for equipping youth to tell their stories led Clement Townsend to create Video Journalism Pro, an online video journalism program for teens! This episode is filled with a story of a man learning work ethic and service to others from his parents (both Chicago Public School teachers) whose desi...

One day I was working at the Virgin Hotel in Chicago and recognized a dude I followed on Instagram (he was a marketing and entrepreneurial mastermind).  I walked up, tapped him on the shoulder, introduced myself and from that moment on we stayed connected and I now refer to him as my personal Tim Ferriss.   Kaivan Dave came to the U.S. as young kid from India and has since encountered an...

My friend Courtney first recommended I go see Dr. Jeff for a nagging old knee injury and told me he was a "witch doctor".  She was right.  Dr. Jeff, is a Dr. of Chiropractic Medicine but that title does not do his work justice.  He is the most intelligent, empathetic, gifted healer I have ever met.  If you care at all about your mental, physical and social health this episode i...

Some people wake up at 5 am, fill out a gratitude journal, meditate, workout, take a cold shower and then attack the day; Aaron Hinde is one of those people.  As the visionary co-founder and President of LifeAid Beverage Co ., his creative vision and hunger for life take him all around the world, promoting, creating and growing his company.   However, no where is as sacred as his ho...

Among all his titles of "Filmmaker", "Director", "King of Content", "Producer" the one that he loves most is "Father".  Sevan is the former Director of Media for Crossfit, producing films, documentaries, podcasts and content for the organization but has now shifted his focus to raising his 3 boys; the 3 Playing Brothers.  Sevan and his wife are raising their boys to be well rounded, fit...

Influencer marketing and viral content have created a space and disruption that few deeply understand.  That is unless you are Brendan Gahan, Chief Social Officer at Mekanism. who has been at the forefront of social & influencer marketing since 2006, developing social campaigns for brands such as Mountain Dew, Unilever, Amazon, 20th Century Fox, and The Olympics. Brendan was named to the...

My Dream Big Club is a diverse community that leverages one another to dream BIG.  MyDBC organizes events focused around self-growth, empowerment, volunteering, networking and staying active. MyDBC has become a hub for diverse professionals to grow and develop.  Seun Phillips founded MyDBC after being a successful non profit co-founder, entrepreneur, adviser and dreamer.  Check out...

YOU ARE THE SOLUTION.  That is one of many nuggets of wisdom Dr. Blake Livingood share on this weeks episode!  Dr. Livingood (DLG) is a Primary Care Physician, author and health and wellness guide who has leveraged the power of social media to bring wellness to the masses.  From his challenges, masterclass, books and supplements he is transforming healthcare one person at a time. &n...

"Create visual experiences that inspire and engage" Ryan is blessed with a lifelong path that is rooted in the arts. At his core, is an unending drive to create. His career has transitioned a lot over the past 25 years.  He has learned and evolved into the roll of an advertising/editorial photographer, a director, a creative director, a maker of things, a chef/baker, an illustrator, a painter...

Welcome to the 25th Episode of the THINK DIFFERENTLY Podcast!  When I first started this podcast I dreamed of showcasing some of the most creative, innovative and intelligent people that think differently about how they do their work and choose to live their life.  There could be no more perfect guest for the 25th episode than Chris Conley.  In my opinion, he is the original Think D...

Surfing, Family, Brain Trauma and helping others.  Dr. Jay Rosen is a clinical neuropsychologist based in San Diego, CA.   Over the course of his career he has worked with veterans, athletes, the elderly and others who suffer from the effects of traumatic brain injuries or other neurological disorders.  Jay is also one my best friends and this episode is a good glimpse into the...

Creative, strategic and authentic; those are the words I use to describe Christine Mortensen.  She is the founder of SPRK'D a digital marketing company and a leader helping female founder grow their businesses.  This episode is inspiring and pretty open, she talks about the "FU" moments that have forced her to change her course and adjust to the challenges life throws at us.  I can...

Steve was living in New York on 9/11 and the tragic events that unfolded on that fateful day impacted him in 2 profound ways. During a period of depression and mourning a random interaction with an author selling his book on the train opened his eyes to the power of mentoring that would transform Steve's life and the lives of 10's of thousands of youth! As a coach, author, entrepreneur, father and...

SPECIAL EPISODE: The difference between a pitbull and a "Hans" is that eventually a pitbull will let go!  The Madness is both my greatest asset and my greatest liability.  It is the curse that allows me to insanely focus on and achieve goals while allowing EVERYTHING else to fade away.  As you can imagine this is the proverbial double edged sword.   Over the years I have b...

Connector extraordinaire. Foodie. Runner. Bold Marketing Executive As a bold Futurist and Alchemist, Larry passionately champions collaboration, creativity, and change. Growing up in a family retail business, Larry leads with an entrepreneurial spirit and personal commitment to drive sales. Larry has a unique mix of consulting, client and agency chops having worked at Technomic, handling brand man...

Christian Greer is the President and CEO of the Michigan Science Center and an absolute visionary.  He started his career in the Science education field sweeping the floors as an "interns assistant" at science museum in Chicago and over the years has grown and transformed countless museums, careers and people.  This episode covers everything from Copernicus to Dr. King and everything in...

Jordan Buckner is a Chicago based entrepreneur who took his 2 degrees in Architecture and launched businesses in the Food and Beverage space?!?  Listen to Jordan share what is was like being raised by entrepreneurial parents, his view on how architecture and entrepreneurship are similar and how views collaboration as a necessity for businesses to succeed.  Jordan Buckner thinks differently about b...

Mike Szymczack is the Co-Founder of Origuadio.  His story includes working alongside the creator of the JanSport backpack, leaving to launch a startup, get picked up by Time magazine, the Today Show and Shark Tank and bringing his idea to life of building a company's tagline is "Make Awesome Happen"!   Mike is a unique guy whos creative. big idea nature allows him to put his unique...

Jen Vincent is one of the most enthusiastic, authentic and genuine person I know.  As founder of Story Exploratory she helps people uncover, write and share their stories.  Growing up as a Latina woman in a predominately white upper class neighborhood, Jen was often left feeling as if she wasn't enough or even mattered.  It wasn't until she started doing the work to uncover and embr...

Jesse Lavine is a Type 1 Diabetic Health Coach and Entrepreneur who in 2019 rode his bike from New York City to San Francisco to raise money and awareness for diabetes.  We were connected a few months back through a common friend who suggested we talk because Jesse has an AMAZING idea he is trying to bring to life.  In this episode we talk about the challenges he encountered managing is...

Talking to Emily Drake is like getting a warm hug over the internet.  She is the owner and lead facilitator of the Collective Academy and truly thinks differently about the work it takes to become the best version of yourself. Emily works with leaders and teams from some of the world's largest companies to optimize their work but it often results in deep learning about themselves (and often t...

This week I sat down with Debbie Marielle Elzea an experiential sex and intimacy coach for women. Yes, we talked about sex.  She named body parts and I blushed...it's an interesting episode...  This episode covers science, relationships, anatomy and her work to help women "create the love life of your dreams".   You can learn more about Debbie's coaching on her website here or...

I have been chasing Erin Huizenga around the internet since 2006.  She has worked at all the places I've drooled over for years, done some amazing work around innovation, design and education and to be honest is just a pretty cool person.  She is a several time founder, co-founder and host and most recently co-founded Desklight Learning, "Desklight uses human-centered design to build eng...