Good People, Cool Things
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A weekly podcast of conversations with folks doing stuff you don't always hear about, featuring entrepreneurs, musicians, writers, and other good people. Learn something new and have a great time doing it! Good People, Cool Things is published weekly on Sounder, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.
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Well, we've arrived to the final episode of Good People, Cool Things. Since this show has always been about featuring good people doing cool things (you know, like the name implies), I wanted to celebrate this milestone of 200 episodes and a successful podcast experience with clips from ten of my favorite conversations across the past four-plus years.You can always catch episodes and see other updates at goodpeoplecoolthings.com. Thank you to all of the guests who have taken the time to chat, to Sounder.fm and RSS.com for hosting the show over the years. Most importantly, thanks to you for listening, sharing kind comments, and making this one heck of a ride. We'll talk again soon.
Ashley Nickelsen experienced a dearth of healthy options while spending frequent time in the hospital with both her parents. She set out to do something about it, creating B.T.R. Nation to deliver good-for-you and good-tasting snacks.We’re chatting about a failed flavor, the marketing channels B.T.R. Nation has found most successful, and the best artists to throw on during a run.
Mariana Barbuceanu decided to give the digital nomad life a try a few years ago and soon realized she could make a living as a travel blogger while exploring all the world has to offer. And after jetsetting around Europe, she’s decided to settle in a European country for the next year. We’re chatting all about that new phase of her life, how she’s managed to travel on a comfortable budget without wildly altering her lifestyle, and the top karaoke songs to perform.
Being in a band is among the coolest experiences one can have in life. This episode's guest knows all about that — Todd Tucker is getting the hair metal band back together as the director and writer of Rockbottom, a new movie featuring SO MANY impressive musicians. We’re chatting about the inspiration for Rockbottom, his career as a makeup and special effects artist, and how he got hurt doing a very unathletic move during the making of The Passion of the Christ.
Back in my YouTube Z-list celebrity days, I had an ongoing series called 20 Pretty Bad Impressions in 1 Minute. Friends and I would go back and forth, quickly doing impressions. As the name suggests, the quality of said impressions was not good.Luckily, my guest today is significantly better at impressions. Lauren LoGiudice is the author of Inside Melania: What I Know About Melania Trump By Impersonating Her. Beyond her spot-on impression, she’s done a ton of cool stuff in the sketch comedy world and also hosts the Misfits Makin’ It Podcast, which is just an absolute delight to listen to. We’re chatting about what makes for a good character to perform, why asking for audience feedback is so helpful, and the best ways to get better sleep.
Marc Hartzman has an innate interest in the strange, unique stories from around the world. He’s written about ghosts, Mars, Oliver Cromwell's embalmed head, and weird things on eBay, just to name a few. His latest book, We Are Not Alone: The Extraordinary History of UFOs and Aliens Invading Our Hopes, Fears, and Fantasies, looks into the vast universe of aliens, extraterrestrials, and outer space.We're chatting about where the term “flying saucer” came from, a few lesser-known stories, and his top alien movies and TV shows.
Did you know the average attention span is nine seconds? That’s less than the attention span of a goldfish! It can be super frustrating to read a lengthy article and feel like you haven’t gotten anything out of it or you’re more confused than when you started. It’s especially upsetting when we’ve already got busy days and our time to consume content is limited. Priyanka Vazirani understands that frustration and is setting out to do something about it. She’s the co-founder of Volv, a platform that takes all the content out there on the internet and gives you the scoop in nine-second overviews. Volv is also working with creators to help them share their work with more people.We’re chatting about how Volv got started, what surprised Priyanka after talking with her users, and her favorite adventurous activities.
Alysia Silberg is perhaps the biggest fan of AI out there — it's even in the name of her company, Unemployable AI. And she shares how AI has played a major impact for her in her book, "Unemployable: How AI Transformed My Work and Life." Joey and Alysia are chatting about how a pair of rollerblades led to an entrepreneurial career, common mistakes companies make, and the three weird things she does every day.
Cori Myka is the founder of Calm Within Adult Swim, teaching adults not only how to swim but also how to develop habits and mindsets to overcome fear and build confidence. Those are great skills to have in any walk of life.We’re discussing where the idea for an online swim instruction business came from, what Cori has learned from helping people transform their lives, and whether it’s better to jump into a body of water or walk in slowly and steadily.
Carlos Baker moved to Northern Germany without much of a plan. He just knew he and his family needed a change. Since then, he’s released multiple albums with his C.K. Baker Band, written a book, and had a lot of fun along the way.We’re chatting about the albums that have most impacted Carlos’s songwriting, his worst gig, and why discipline is crucial for his mental health.
Many of us dream of making money by doing creative things that we love to do. And the most successful creatives are making income in several different ways, consistently opening up doors to new opportunities. This episode’s guest realized a lot of creatives DON’T know that these different income streams are not only critical but also doable for anyone. Tonya Lawson is making it her goal to educate musicians, artists, writers, and more on building their financial empires, using SEO as a trusty tool. We’re talking about how creatives can earn passive income without paying a ton of money upfront, what Tonya has focused on with her websites, and the time she got to “clap back” at a student that was acting out of turn.
Media may not fundamentally change our behavior, but it can shape what we believe. That's why sharing messages of togetherness, unity, and genuine interactions is so important.Modello Brown is the founder of Hip Hop Littles, which is bringing cultures together through books, music, fashion, art, and much more. We’re chatting about how he creates the Hip Hop Littles characters, something that’s surprised him about marketing the brand, and his top three 90s cartoons.
Rachel Hanson is Editor-in-Chief of the digital magazine Sound Sorceresses, highlighting women who are doing incredible work in audio storytelling. There aren’t a ton of spaces out there in this realm, which needs to change, because there are a LOT of cool women in podcasting and audio storytelling.We're talking about how Rachel got the idea for Sound Sorceresses, one of her favorite stories from the publication, and her foray into public office.
Welcome back to Good People, Cool Things! Bananas to think we're kicking off the SEVENTH season of this show. We're starting this season off in style with a true underdog story — or, more accurately, many underdog stories!After being cut from his 7th-grade baseball team, Tyler O’Shea has always found inspiration in athletes who have succeeded against the odds. That drive led to both a collegiate career on the diamond and the founding of Joker Mag, a digital media platform dedicated to inspiring underdog stories in sports.We’re chatting about how niching down has helped Tyler grow Joker Mag, why he’s found tremendous value in hearing from his audience, and his favorite recent underdog stories.Special shout-out to One Hit No Wonder for supporting the show! If you dig this podcast, you'll enjoy that one, too.
The new season of Good People, Cool Things is nearly upon us! This trailer is a sneak peek at what you can expect — and don't you worry, the corny jokes aren't going anywhere.Be sure to follow or subscribe to the show (depending on your listening platform of choice) to have all the episodes tastefully delivered to your earbuds starting on February 7. For more, visit goodpeoplecoolthings.com.
Welcome to the last episode of the year! There’s a lot more to come in 2024, and I’ll be back with the new season on February 7. For now, let’s wrap this season up in style!Jennifer Chen is a writer and the author of Artifacts of an Ex and the creator of Joy Ride, a lovely newsletter that highlights some of the brighter spots in life. And with the way 2023 went for a lot of us, that’s something we could all use.We’re talking about Jennifer’s writing journey and how she helps herself focus, what surprised her about her book launch day, and her favorite Ted Lasso episodes.
For much of their lives, Alejandro Martignon and Fred Taylor were never big coffee drinkers. Alejandro helped out in his grandma's cafe in Colombia, and Fred watched as his NFL teammates downed several Venti Starbucks cups during practice.But soon, the pair learned about mushroom coffee. Different fungi offer unique benefits, such as reduced stress, better brain health, and stronger energy and focus — without the afternoon crash. They partnered to create The Mushroom Coffee Company to share those benefits with coffee drinkers across the world. We're talking about the growth of mushroom coffee, the most surprising part of running a business, and a moment from Fred's NFL days that fans still bring up when they meet him.
If you’ve been keeping an eye on things this year, you’ve probably heard about the rise of AI. Artificial intelligence can have some scary implications, such as stealing jobs or impersonating voices to extort money from people over the phone.While that’s certainly a concern, there are plenty of people out there using AI for good. One of those guys is Gabriel Cowan, the founder of Audio Design Desk. The company uses AI to help make sound design easier, faster, and more efficient when creating movies or other content. Gabriel is also doing some fascinating stuff with AI and education.We’re talking about ways to improve your sound, the challenges with software design, and how Gabe turned a potentially disastrous live music gig around to win over the crowd.
Social media can be a powerful tool for musicians. And Josh Simons has seen the power it can have. He co-founded Vampr, the world’s largest and most active social media network specifically for musicians.Josh knows what musicians want because he’s had plenty of experience as one. He’s spent over a decade as an artist, songwriter, and producer, touring and working with folks like Carrie Underwood, Troye Sivan, and Travis Scott. Today, Josh heads the recently launched Vinyl Group.We’re talking about that new venture, how to properly use metadata to make money, the power of horizontal networking, and Josh’s worst gig as a touring musician.This episode is also supported by 6 Degrees of Cats! A delightful podcast featuring fascinating facts, stories, culture, and history about the mysterious world of felines.
Leif Cocks is the founder of The Orangutan Project. He’s developed conservation plans for orangutans and influenced positive change for orangutan protection and survival, including the first successful reintroduction of the zoo-born orangutan. Leif also educates people on the positive impacts orangutans have on forests and climate change.We’re talking about Leif’s first meeting with an orangutan, how he helps give them a second chance at life, and his favorite singer/songwriters.For more episodes, visit goodpeoplecoolthings.com.
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