The internet is a pretty crazy place. You can buy anything from shamwow towels to assault weapons, watch anything from adorable cat videos to genre defying porn (these account for 97% of the internet’s overall use), and have video conversations with people across the globe. One of the less touted feats of the internet is that it allows us to be anyone we want to be. Today’s guest was one of the first people to really tap into this concept and use it on social media. Andrew created a parody twitter account called Annoying Actor Friend that assumed the role of, well, your annoying actor friend. It completely stuck a nerve with the Broadway community and suddenly Andrew became the Bruce Wayne to his Twitter account’s Batman.
Experimental Test Pilot (with Shawn Disarufino)
There’s so much that goes on behinds the scenes in the world. So many people that make it so we can just live our day to day lives without much interruption. One such major role is that of product tester. Nothing makes it into our world without somebody messing around with it out first. Did you put some oatmeal in the microwave this morning? Best believe that microwave was tested…and probably the oatmeal too. Some product testers take on much more bold jobs than oatmeal, and today’s guest is one of them. Shawn is an experimental test pilot. Planes and helicopters need testing just like anything else, and Shawn is the man to do it.
National Park Employee (with Ben Johnson)
Medicolegal Death Investigator (with Dannine Lorenzo)
Two words. Murder. Mystery. Who doesn’t love a good one? We have a seemingly endless number of television shows based on them, some really popular movies, and an entire genre of books dedicated to finding out whodunnit and how. AND one of the bestselling boardgames of all time. AND the most popular podcast of all time that helped put podcasting on the map. Basically, we all collectively love to try and solve the case. The thing is, there are real people out there who actually have to help solve those cases for a living. Today’s guest is one of them.
Paranormal Psychic (with Adrian Lee)
Ghosts and ghouls and goblins, oh my! Do you believe in ghosts? Like religion, your belief in the paranormal can really be swayed by the culture you belong to. For some reason in America we don’t really embrace the idea of ghosts, and yet over 80 percent of our population believes in the afterlife. Today’s guest explains that if an afterlife exists, those that are a part of it would likely want to come back from time to time to check in on us. I say the more the merrier and stop hiding from me already! Let the haunting begin.
Cuddle Therapy (with Travis Sigley)
Cuddle therapy sounds pretty crazy right? Like some guy’s strange attempt to get close to women only to make a move when things get comfortable. But after talking to today’s guest, Travis Sigley, I don’t think it’s crazy at all. Come to think of it, why should it sound so out of place? Everyone has people around them that they CAN talk to, and yet some people don’t feel comfortable enough and seek out a therapist. Maybe they grew up in a family where they didn’t really talk about their feelings so they only feel comfortable with a therapist. Maybe 1 of 1,000 other reasons, but none of them do we question. Well, what if you grew up in a family where displays of affection were taboo? Growing up with handshakes from dad, pats on the back from mom, then jump straight into having a sex life that lacks any sort of intimacy. Perhaps then, a trustable, open person like Travis offering intimate touch, without the awkwardness of family or the transactional prospect of sex is exactly what the doctor ordered. As smarter people than me say, sometimes you can think and talk all you want, but what you really need to do is act. Welcome to the action form of therapy. Welcome to the cuddle puddle.
Adult Camp Counselor & Tea Guru (with Travis Sigley)
Tea. Is there anything more revered, historical, fabled, sought after, in the entire history of humanity? Some might argue wine, but there’s something special about a non-alcoholic beverage that can command so much respect and reverence. It tries to tell us a story in its very composition. Containing both caffeine to stimulate and theanine to calm the mind, it promotes the yin-yang balance in life that is so important and so valued in Eastern culture. Today’s guest, Travis Sigley, knows all about this balance and tries to cultivate the calmer, more connected side of tea drinking that is almost absent from Western culture. He tries to bring this knowledge and presence to the guests of his own teahouse and the campers at the adult summer camp, Camp Grounded. Today he’ll tell us about both.
YouTube Gaming Celebrity (with Datto Does Destiny)
We live in a downright crazy and absolutely amazing time to be alive. Limitless information at our fingertips, gluten free pastries, and snuggies are all a part of our reality. Perhaps more important than any of those innovations (except for the snuggie) is the change of the business and socioeconomic landscape that has happened over the past decade. We now live in a time where there are almost zero barriers to entry to jump headfirst into your own world-facing business. Success is certainly not guaranteed, but the fact that you can even try is a wonderful gift. I, for instance, have a podcast. Do I have a degree in journalism? No. Do I have any idea how to produce a real radio show? I don’t think so. Did I have any idea how to make my own website or podcast all of six months ago? Absolutely not. And yet here I am. Today’s guest has used this new business landscape and in just over two years completely changed his life. Stefan, a.k.a. Datto, went from being a guy that liked playing videogames in his free time to a guy that has a half million YouTube subscribers to his relatively new Datto Does Destiny gaming channel. Stefan now makes a healthy income playing videogames all day, not working for anyone else. So, how did all this work out for him, what lessons has he learned, and what is it really like to live the dream?
Travel Blogger (with Darrell Hartman)
The world is a pretty neat place. The Grand Canyon, the giant sequoia trees of the Sierra Nevadas, the gysers of Yellowstone, Niagra Falls, Crater Lake, the rock formations in Moab. The list goes on and on…and that’s just the US! Kinda makes you wish you could just get paid to travel around and see it all like today’s guest Darrell Hartman and his younger brother Oliver. They are the founders of the incredibly unique and much talked about “travel blog” Jungles in Paris. Jungles in Paris uses a mix of breathtaking photography, videography, and well written articles to really explore the spirit of some of the most beautiful areas, people, animals, and phenomena on the planet. So, how did they make it to the promised land and start living the dream?
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.
Hostel Owner (with Duncan Graham)
Do you consider yourself an extrovert? Do you thrive off of the energy you get from meeting new people? Have you ever considered starting a hostel right out of your house? I’m gonna go ahead and assume no. But after hearing today’s guest, it might not sound like such a crazy idea. Duncan started a hostel right out of his house, that he still lives in, and in the last 8 months he’s had over 500 people from all over the world stay with him. He’ll tell us all about the effect it has had on his life, and how he turned a home that he is renting into and amazing business and life venture.
Peace Corps Volunteer (with Jeff Palmer)
Have you ever dreamt about leaving your whole life behind and starting a new one somewhere else? Do you ever consider ditching your path to personal gain to go and help the less fortunate? Have you ever been watching a documentary about living in a 3rd world country and almost dropped everything right then and there to join the Peace Corps? I can’t be the only one! Today’s guest, Jeff Palmer, knew from a very young age that he wanted to help people, and while still in high school made up his mind that he would join the Peace Corps. What he didn’t know was how difficult and long the process would be to get there, and what life would be like once he began.
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?
(Award Winning) Bar Owner (with Josh Harris)
Do you remember your first bar experience? I sure don’t remember mine (I’ve heard stories), but my second was truly great! I remember heading into it thinking, ‘why would I pay extra money for drinks just so I can sit at a place less comfortable than my house?’ But I did it anyways, and thus began the multitude of friendships formed and memories made at bars in my life. Today’s guest, Josh Harris, is co-owner of one of the best bars in San Francisco. He and his business partner, Scott, set out to make some of the best drinks and best bar food in the world (nailed it), all to help as many people as possible come together and make their own memories (nailed it). So how do you make alcohol part of your job and open one of the most successful young bars in the world?
Professional BMX Rider / Professional Fly Fisher (with KC Badger)
Why have one scoop of ice cream when you can have two? Why have one favorite singer (Rick Astley) when you can have two (William Hung)? Why have one super awesome once in a lifetime job when you can have two? KC Badger knows all about how foolish limiting yourself is, and in today’s episode he shares that divine wisdom with us. The real life most interesting man in the world explains how he made the transition from professional BMX rider to professional fly fisherman, and why if he can double dip on life, you can too.
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!
Salsa-preneur
We’ve all been there before. Staring deeply into a bowl of salsa thinking about how much better it would be if it were just a bit hotter…saltier…cilantroier. Just a bit more lime and this would be almost perfect! Today’s interviewee, Tim Willhite, knows the feeling intimately well, and decided to do something about it. Tim decided to start making his own salsa, and it was so darn good it started winning competitions. Lots of ‘em! Tim knew he was on to something and years later his salsa can be found in national grocery chains. So how did that all happen?
Tour Manager
Do you like to travel? Who the hell doesn’t?! Let’s hear from somebody who gets paid to travel for a living. In this episode I interview Soki, a tour manager for a travel company for young adults. Soki leads groups of people through southeast Asia for 1-4 week long trips. He regularly gets to see temples, jungles, white sand beaches, and even gets to go out at night and have a good time with his tour group. Sounds like the best job ever…Is it?
Cat Behavior Consultant
Have you ever stared into cat’s eyes and wondered what’s going on in that head of theirs? I sure have! I’ve wondered things like “What are you so smug about?” “Why do you keep judging me?” and “Why am I putting all of my emotional baggage on this animal?”. Has all of that wondering still not stopped your cat from being a furry psychopath? Well today’s guest is here to help! Daniel "DQ" Quagliozzi is a cat behavior consultant. Seriously. And he’s here to tell us what’s wrong with our cats, what’s wrong with us, and if it’s really possible for us to coexist.