Cognate Soul

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Host Nate interviews Twoogees (“Mr. Big Dreams”), real name Reggie, about what fuels his drive, creativity, and community work in LA, including impacts through sports and partnerships like the Dodgers. Reggie shares how growing up with limited resources, being a first-generation college student, and learning through arts, public speaking, and tools like Photoshop and video editing at Whittier College shaped his path, leading to internships (Clippers, Nike), work at the Boys & Girls Club, and a full-time role with the LA Sparks. He discusses the challenge of slowing down, being motivated by avoiding regret, and finding meaning through lessons, faith, and an “alter ego” mindset to keep dreaming big while building a brand and community. #BigDreams #EntrepreneurMindset #StreetwearBrand #CreativeJourney #PodcastInterview

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Nate and Dreams and Loans discuss Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning and how suffering can be reframed into resilience, learning, and purpose. They talk about recurring life lessons, breaking patterns, and approaching obstacles by asking what to learn next time. The conversation also explores how social media makes growing up harder today and why adults should be pillars of safety for youth by finding their own serenity. Dreams and Loans shares his spirituality, belief that actions and energy are reciprocated, and skepticism of institutional systems while still valuing faith, safety, and being seen. He explains his “Dreams and Loans” brand as yin-yang—dreams versus what’s taken to reach them—meant to keep childlike creativity alive, challenge age-based limits, and build community beyond selling clothes. #resilience #mindset #spirituality #personaldevelopment #streetwear

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Host Nate interviews Twoogees (Reggie), who shares how lifelong drive and resilience shaped his path from high school to running his own line and YouTube podcast, while also giving back through community work and sports programs, including work with the Dodgers in LA County. Reggie explains his motivation comes from staying in constant momentum to avoid overthinking, dwelling on the past, or slipping into a funk, and he struggles to balance rest with his “go mode” personality. Nate relates as a therapist who works with teens and says he created this series to surround himself with go-getters and build more drive for his family, discussing service, humility around money, and inspiration from reading The Creative Act. #Drive #PodcastInterview #CommunityImpact #Mindset #Twoogees

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Nate and his guest discuss creating an alter ego to overcome limits, with Nate explaining “Mr. Big Dreams” as a reminder to keep goals large after adulthood shrinks expectations and ambition. They connect big vision to taking action, using a horse-training analogy about convincing yourself to truly want the goal and go for it, and describe how inaction can feel worse than failure. Nate shares feeling driven to stay productive—even on rest days—crediting it for past success but admitting he must learn to shut it off for his partner and family. The guest relates this to turning off “therapist mode,” prioritizing family, and contrasts fast-paced LA grind culture with slower nature settings like Sedona, ending with light talk about repping LA and promoting apparel. #BigDreams #WorkLifeBalance #HustleCulture #Mindset #PersonalGrowth

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Nate asks his guest about the hardest challenge they’ve faced, and the guest explains that the toughest part came after college—feeling empty once school ended despite working full time for the LA Sparks (ticket sales and sponsorship) while earning a master’s online. They describe how having more time, especially during COVID, pushed them to start posting Instagram videos (“Kicking Game” focused on sneakers), explore photography around Disneyland and LA, and lean into video and long-form content as a way to feel creatively fulfilled. Nate relates with his own experience balancing school, work, and parenting, questioning the nine-to-five mentality and wanting more for his kids. Asked about the greatest thing, the guest says it’s the journey and the conversations with people—learning openly, feeling less alone, and staying present day by day. #purposeaftercollege #contentcreator #personaldevelopment #creativejourney #podcastconversation

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Host Nate interviews a guest about what sparked his design and clothing brand journey, emphasizing making connections and sharing stories to inspire others. The guest thanks Nate for consistent support, shares early exposure to music, dance, movies, and acting, and explains how Whittier College’s liberal arts flexibility let him study public speaking, theater, Photoshop, photography, video editing, kinesiology, and business while exploring creative outlets. With mentorship from a professor, he landed internships with the Clippers and Nike, worked at the Boys and Girls Club, then full-time for the LA Sparks, launching his sports industry path. They discuss not pressuring hobbies into businesses, balancing a 9-to-5 with personal passions, and the key mindset shift: focus on what to do today rather than being overwhelmed by the big vision. #CreativeJourney #EntrepreneurMindset #PersonalDevelopment #SportsIndustry #DesignLife

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Host Nate sits down with rapper and lawyer C-Lo Smooth to discuss how he transitioned from college sports into music at 21, inspired by freestyling with a childhood friend and Post Malone’s melodic style. C-Lo explains how he balances a 60+ hour legal career with recording, performing, and building Repsetta, a fitness networking app for finding trainers, workout partners, and gym venues. He shares his biggest influences (Elon Musk and Rick Ross), the biggest sacrifice (time), advice to ignore outside voices, and how he writes lyrics from real emotions with ambition, sincerity, and determination. They cover handling criticism, misconceptions about kindness, connecting through music, and future collaboration plans, including another episode in Utah. #CLoSmooth #NatePodcast #MusicInterview #IndependentArtist #Entrepreneurship

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Nate talks with the artist about misconceptions, and the artist says people sometimes mistake his kindness for weakness, but he stands up for himself and credits his boxing background. They discuss kindness as a strength for connection and how music helps people feel better and process emotions. Nate shares that smell and sound are strongly tied to memory, describing how playing favorite music helped his grandpa recall and sing. They touch on assumptions like “white people can’t keep a beat,” which the artist says he disproves, plus stage insecurities, where he relies on his singing and lyrics. The artist cites influences including Post Malone, Future, Logic, and Drake, and says his music promotes ambition, sincerity, determination, and being true to yourself, contrasting this with common negative rap stereotypes in small-town Utah. #MusicInterview #RapValues #ArtistMindset #MusicAndMemory #Nate

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Nate talks with the artist about misconceptions, and the artist says people sometimes mistake his kindness for weakness, but he stands up for himself and credits his boxing background. They discuss kindness as a strength for connection and how music helps people feel better and process emotions. Nate shares that smell and sound are strongly tied to memory, describing how playing favorite music helped his grandpa recall and sing. They touch on assumptions like “white people can’t keep a beat,” which the artist says he disproves, plus stage insecurities, where he relies on his singing and lyrics. The artist cites influences including Post Malone, Future, Logic, and Drake, and says his music promotes ambition, sincerity, determination, and being true to yourself, contrasting this with common negative rap stereotypes in small-town Utah. #MusicInterview #RapValues #ArtistMindset #MusicAndMemory #Nate

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Nate interviews an artist about what they pour into their lyrics, explaining they draw from happy and sad experiences, vivid visions, and careful word choice meant for everyone, preferring time to write rather than recording on the spot—unless it’s a quick club “banger.” The artist says they focus on storytelling and manifestation, don’t listen to much rap, and cite country, R&B, island music, Motown, Dolly Parton, and Post Malone as influences, valuing versatility while staying authentic. They describe their sound in three words—unique, real, and adaptable—and discuss handling criticism by ignoring “noise” while learning from credible feedback. Nate shares his perspective on authenticity in professional settings and notes it gets easier with time. #musicinterview #songwriting #storytelling #PostMalone #countrymusic

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