Assemblage

Today's guest is Ashley Rothstein. Ashley is a writer, podcaster, self-proclaimed thinker, and loves "all things communication." Her work and writing are focused on mental and physical health, existential angst, meaning, impulse control and it’s relation to wellbeing, and getting in touch with one’s own mind and body.

Ashley grew in Hayward, California, and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband. Growing up she was an information sponge who loved to learn new things. The way she studied as a child made it harder for her to be creative. But now she is taking her creativity back.

Ashley and Jonathan talk about social media addiction, user feedback, and how it affects us as people. They also talk in depth about the writing process and how self-editing can get in the way of pressing publish.

The conversation reaches a deep lament about how it's getting harder for us to connect in a world of screens. Ashley and Jonathan talk about their introverted tendencies and how they have both taken ownership of it.

Links:

Ashley on Medium

Ashley's Instagram

Ashley on YouTube

Ashley's Twitter

Ashley's podcast, Thought Project, on Apple Podcasts

Today's guest is Dave Roberts. Dave is a retired addiction professional and an adjunct professor in the Psychology Department at Utica College in Utica, New York. He is a featured speaker, workshop facilitator, and coach for Aspire Place.

Dave and Jonathan talk in depth about Dave's daughter, Jeannine, who died 16 years ago, at the age of 18, of a rare form of sarcoma for which there was no cure. Jeannine is a transcending force and topic in much of Dave's writing and life.

Dave's writing is cathartic for him and also a gift to other parents who have lost their children. Dave discusses how he receives messages from his daughter all the time and what they mean to him.

He teaches a class on Death, Dying, and Bereavement, which opens up the dialogue for his students surrounding these topics. Dave and Jonathan discuss how to teach about death and allow all religious beliefs to participate in the spiritual discussion.

Links:

Dave's website, Bootsy & Angel Books, LLC

Dave on Medium

Uncalendared on Medium

Dave on Twitter

Aspire Place

Today's guest is Danny Forest. Danny is your friendly neighborhood Viking polymath. When he’s not madly typing on his computer from a coworking space, you can find him exploring the world and making new connections. His current obsessions include skill development and productivity.

Danny lives a digital nomad lifestyle with his wife, who works for Medecins Sans Frontiere. Since they are often separated while she is on a mission, Danny has figured out ways to improve his life and skill set every month. He stays in most locations for at least three months to get the most out of his personal connectivity in the location.

Danny is an obsessive learner and has created his own plan to learn three new skills every single month, which he has been perfecting for more than a year. Through this process, he has proven to himself, and to others, that you can learn anything if you devote the time to doing it.

Jonathan and Danny discuss Danny's writing process and how he stays creative while traveling the world. It's Danny's dedication to learning that has led to him being described as a polymath.

Links:

Danny's personal website

Danny on Medium

Danny's story, I Reinvent Myself Every 6 Months and So Should You

Danny on Twitter

The Startup on Medium

Today's guest is Elaine Kasket. Elaine is a psychologist and author who's recently left academia to pursue a more flexible, creative life. Her latest book, All the Ghosts in the Machine: Illusions of Immortality in the Digital Age, comes out April 25, 2019.

Elaine started writing at a very young age but veered toward psychology in college when she chose a double major in psychology and journalism. After years of figuring out life playing roller hockey and doing medical transcription, Elaine decided to go back to school for graduate studies.

During graduate school, her focus was on academic writing and that remained the case until recently when she began to let in her creative voice again. Jonathan and Elaine talk about the transition and what it's like now to have found that unique voice again.

Her new book, published by Little Brown, is the culmination of 10 years of Elaine studying death in the digital age and the unintended consequences of our data sticking around after we are gone.

Elaine was also looking for an online platform to write on to showcase some shorter form stories and that's how she found Medium and met Jonathan when she sent a story in for Redoubtable. That story, originally titled Lucky Babies, ended up being showcased as a Member Feature story on the front page of Medium.

Links:

Elaine's personal website

Elaine on Medium

Elaine on Twitter

Elaine's viral story on Medium: Lucky Babies (original title)

Mortified

little, brown Book Group

Today's guest is Mike Arnold. Mike is a 25-year-old creator, writer, and freelancer living in Cambridge, England. Mike wants to live a life with intention and all he wants is to help make the world better.

Mike's life focus changed after he was involved in a fatal accident where someone ran in front of his car on the highway to commit suicide. At that point, he realized just how fragile life can be. It was then that he decided to focus on doing his small part to help people.

Jonathan and Mike talk about content creation, writing online, and the feedback loop. They also talk about how their friends never read what they write, which is why their writing community is so important.

Mike discusses his two main types of content (lessons from his accident and what he's learned as a freelancer) and how he's transitioned some of his creation from writing to video on YouTube.

Links:

Mike on Medium

Mike's YouTube channel

Mike on Twitter

Toastmasters

Mike's story: You Have 30,000 Opportunities to Live Your Life

Today's guest is Fumina Hata. Fumi is a New York-based photographer and a new writer on Medium. She was born in Japan, grew up in Hawaii, spent a gap year in Seattle, and then made it to New York City to pursue her dream of becoming a photographer.

Her earliest childhood memories of creativity are when writing stories. But in high school, she transitioned to photography once she noticed the visceral reactions photography received. Her creativity blossomed in high school, but this also caused her to become a bit apoplectic about traditional school.

Fumi is an advocate of taking a year off between high school and college to learn how to "do life." After one year at SVA in New York, Fumi dropped out of college to learn the things that can't be taught in a school setting.

Fumi and Jonathan discuss the different feelings that Fumi gets as a creative when shooting photography versus writing.

Links:

Fumi's website - fuminahata.com

Fumi's Instagram - @fuminahata

Fumi on Medium

Today's guest is Daria Krauzo. Daria is an actress, model, writer, multi-hyphenate, entrepreneur, voracious reader, and traveling nomad. She is on her way to exploring, discovering and learning as much as possible while making her way around the world.

Daria grew up in Poland but is currently living in Madrid, Spain. She left at home at 17 for Paris, got her Bachelor's degree in German and her Master's degree in English. She speaks four languages fluently which helps her immensely when she travels.

Jonathan and Daria talk about their shared love for reading and how it influences their writing. Daria talks about how it felt when she first let herself be vulnerable online by saying "there is nothing more universal than love." They also talk about how Daria got so comfortable traveling the world alone and what steps she takes to make sure she is safe everywhere she goes.

Links:

Daria's website - dariakrauzo.com

Daria on Instagram - @dariakrauzo

Daria on Assemblage

Daria on Medium

Daria Krauzo on IMDB

Couchsurfing.com

Today's guest is Louis Di Bianco. He is a storyteller, podcast host, teacher, public speaking and presentations coach, writer, and stage, TV, and film actor. All of his areas of expertise are informed and enriched by storytelling.

Louis defines storytelling as intentional communication. It captivates, persuades, inspires, elevates, and moves people to take actions that enrich their lives.

Jonathan and Louis discuss how storytelling affects every aspect of our lives and how it can be used to better serve us. They go back to discuss how and where Louis grew up in the Bronx, and how he got involved as a perceived wise guy through storytelling.

Links:

Lou's podcast - Change Your Story, Change Your Life

Jonathan's episode as a guest on Change Your Story, Change Your Life

A free gift from Lou for Assemblage listeners, 7 Public Speaking Secrets

Louis Di Bianco on IMDB

Today's guest is Jeff Barton. Jeff is a writer, an avid runner, a lover of books, a practitioner of positive thinking, and most importantly a dad to two wonderful kids.

Jeff and Jonathan talk about the fact that they could be brothers and how they met on Medium. Jeff discusses how hard it is to write about difficult topics like mental health, but also notes how writing about it has helped change his life.

Jeff talks about how publishing online and getting feedback makes him feel more normal knowing that others can relate to his struggles. They also talk about Jeff's running and how it helps him clear his head to open up the flow of ideas. Writing has made Jeff a better person and more importantly, a better father to his girls.

Links:

Jeff's personal website - Jeff the Writer

Jeff's page on Assemblage

Jeff on Medium

Jeff's publications - Runner's Life and Recycled

Jeff on Twitter - @jefftherunner1

Medium 

Today's guest is Jodi Tandet. She is a creative writer, born in South Florida, educated at Emory University in Atlanta, and now living in Pittsburgh. She writes primarily about mental health, dating, and pop culture, along with anecdotes from her life —all told with a dash of humor.

We talk about what Jodi writes about and why, as well as her unique voice and humor that shines through in everything she writes. Jodi speaks about how now is her time to be the creative she wants to be and how writing gives her a new view of her own thoughts. They also talk at length about how Jodi writes for the connection with others that is so gratifying to her.

The discussion also leads into Jodi's own mental health journey from being diagnosed with depression and anxiety and how she handles these topics in her writing. Jodi is doing everything she can to reduce the stigma of mental health diagnoses in our everyday lives.

Links:

Jodi's page on Assemblage

Jodi Tandet on Medium

Jodi on Twitter - @joditandet

Uncalendared - Undocumented. Unmeasured in time. Unstoppable.

Jodi on LinkedIn

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Jodi on Instagram

Next Pittsburgh