Enthusiastic Life | with Brendan Walsh

In Episode 54 of The Enthusiastic Life Podcast, Brendan sits down with Detroit entrepreneur Mark Rieth, the businessman behind Atwater Brewery, FÜL Beverage, and the revival of Velvet Peanut Butter, for a fascinating conversation about entrepreneurship, taking risks, building great brands, and betting on yourself.

Mark's entrepreneurial journey began with a simple homebrewing kit and a passion for making beer. After building a career in the automotive industry, he decided to take a chance on himself, eventually purchasing Detroit's Atwater Brewery and transforming it into one of Michigan's most successful craft beer brands.

In 2020, Mark sold Atwater to Molson Coors. Six years later, his journey came full circle when he had the opportunity to buy back the brewery he helped build.

But Mark's story doesn't end with beer. He shares his experiences launching a functional beverage company, bringing the historic Detroit brand Velvet Peanut Butter back to life, and discovering what it really takes to build a brand that people connect with.

Brendan and Mark also explore the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs should avoid, lessons learned through decades of business ownership, and Mark's passion for Michigan State University, where he serves on the Broad College of Business Advisory Board.

In this episode:

• From homebrewing as a hobby to owning Atwater Brewery
• Leaving the automotive industry to pursue entrepreneurship
• Growing Atwater and selling it to Molson Coors
• The full-circle opportunity to buy back Atwater six years later
• Launching FÜL Beverage
• Reviving Detroit's iconic Velvet Peanut Butter
• What separates great brands from average ones
• The biggest pitfalls entrepreneurs should avoid
• Taking risks, learning from mistakes, and betting on yourself
• Mark's connection to Michigan State University and the Broad College of Business

The Enthusiastic Life Podcast
Hosted by Brendan Walsh
Produced by Ryan Dewan | Wave Media

Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major podcast platforms.

In Episode 53 of The Enthusiastic Life Podcast, Brendan sits down with Jared Kozinn, President and Chief Commercial Officer of Spartan Ventures at Michigan State Athletics, for a fascinating conversation about career reinvention, the business of sports, and the future of college athletics.

Jared shares his journey through the professional sports industry, including leadership roles with organizations like the Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Arizona Coyotes, and the decisions that ultimately brought him to Michigan State.

Brendan and Jared explore what it means to bet on yourself, embrace career changes, and navigate an industry undergoing enormous transformation. They also dive into the evolving business of college athletics, the vision behind Spartan Ventures, and what the future could look like for MSU student-athletes, fans, and the university.

Along the way, Jared shares stories from his career, including meeting Magic Johnson, and reflects on balancing professional ambition with life as a dad.

In this episode:

• Betting on yourself and making major career changes
• Jared's journey through professional sports organizations
• Lessons learned working with the Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Pirates, and other teams
• How the business of college athletics is evolving
• The vision behind Spartan Ventures
• What's next for Michigan State Athletics
• Leadership, relationships, and career growth
• Meeting Magic Johnson
• Balancing career ambitions with fatherhood

The Enthusiastic Life Podcast
Hosted by Brendan Walsh
Produced by Ryan Dewan | Wave Media

Learn more about Jared's work with MSU at
https://msuspartans.com/

Spartan Ventures:
https://www.spartanventures.org/

Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major podcast platforms.

In Episode 52 of The Enthusiastic Life Podcast, Brendan sits down with Ellsworth Miller of Ellsworth Cutting Tools for an inspiring conversation about unexpected leadership, entrepreneurship, lifelong learning, and the wisdom of Stoicism.

Ellsworth was working in his father's cutting tool manufacturing business when his father's passing suddenly thrust him into a leadership role he had never been trained for. Faced with the responsibility of running the family business, Ellsworth had to learn what it truly meant to be a CEO — navigating challenges, developing his leadership skills, and ultimately helping the company grow to new heights.

Brendan and Ellsworth explore the lessons learned along the way, the importance of building a strong workplace culture, and how continuous learning and Stoic philosophy can shape the way we lead, make decisions, and approach life's challenges.

In this episode:

• Unexpectedly stepping into the CEO role after losing his father
• Navigating the challenges of running a family business
• Growing Ellsworth Cutting Tools
• Learning to lead without formal leadership training
• Building a strong company culture
• The importance of mentorship and Vistage
• Lifelong learning and developing better habits
• Stoicism and its application to business and everyday life
• Books, philosophies, and lessons that have shaped Ellsworth's mindset

The Enthusiastic Life Podcast
Hosted by Brendan Walsh
Produced by Ryan Dewan | Wave Media

Learn more about Ellsworth Cutting Tools:
https://www.ellsworthtoolsusa.com/about

Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major podcast platforms.

In Episode 51 of The Enthusiastic Life Podcast, Brendan sits down with former Detroit Lions defensive back Moe Norris for a conversation about football, resilience, family, and finding a purpose bigger than the game.

Moe's path to professional football was anything but conventional. He didn't begin playing until his senior year of high school, worked his way through junior college and Fresno State, went undrafted, and eventually earned an opportunity with the Detroit Lions.

Then everything changed.

Moe takes Brendan inside the traumatic injury that forced him away from football, what that moment felt like, the difficult road that followed, and his eventual return to professional football in Canada. They also talk about the question that still remains today: could he ever play again?

But some of the most meaningful moments of the conversation come when Moe talks about his family and the work he and his brother are doing through the Moe Norris Foundation, using their experiences to advocate for and create opportunities within the disabled community.

In this episode:

• Starting football during his senior year of high school
• The journey from junior college to Fresno State
• Going un-drafted and earning an opportunity with the Detroit Lions
• Experiencing a traumatic injury on the football field
• Walking away from the game and eventually coming back
• Playing professionally in Canada
• Whether Moe believes he'll ever play football again
• The story behind the Moe Norris Foundation
• Moe's brother and the inspiration behind their mission
• Advocating for and supporting the disabled community
• Football, family, resilience & finding a bigger purpose

The Enthusiastic Life Podcast
Hosted by Brendan Walsh
Produced by Ryan Dewan | Wave Media

Learn more about the Moe Norris Foundation

Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major podcast platforms.

Episode 50 of the Enthusiastic Life Podcast features Rod Arroyo - founder of Detroit Legacy Tours, urban planner, photographer, and passionate student of Detroit history.

Rod joins Brendan for a fascinating look at the city of Detroit - from the decisions that shaped its streets, neighborhoods, infrastructure, and architecture to the people and culture that made the city what it is today.

In this episode:

• What makes Detroit different from other American cities
• The history behind Detroit's planning and infrastructure
• Detroit's most interesting architecture
• How the city's neighborhoods developed
• The incredible history of jazz in Detroit
• Seeing the city through the eyes of a photographer
• Combining photography, history, and urban planning
• The stories behind Detroit Legacy Tours

🎙️ Hosted by Brendan Walsh
🎥 Produced by Ryan Dewan & Wave Media

Follow Enthusiastic Life:
Instagram: @enthusiasticlifepodcast
YouTube: Enthusiastic Life Podcast

Learn more about Rod & Detroit Legacy Tours:
Detroit Legacy Tours

New episodes of the Enthusiastic Life Podcast every week.

What shapes the way we see the world — and who shapes the message?

This week, Brendan sits down with Chris Moyer, communications strategist, public speaker, and host of Beyond Both Sides, for a fascinating conversation about the power of communication.

Chris shares his unlikely journey from playing college and professional soccer overseas to building a career in PR and public affairs. They dive into how PR has influenced politics and media, how the way we consume information has completely changed, and why communication has played such an important role throughout human history.

In this episode:

•  Playing soccer professionally overseas 
•  Going from writer to public speaker and communicator 
•  Building a career in PR and public affairs 
•  How PR shapes politics, media, and public perception 
•  How social media changed the communications industry 
•  Why communication has been essential to human progress 
•  Launching Beyond Both Sides
•  Lessons Chris has learned throughout an unconventional career 

🎙️ Hosted by Brendan Walsh
🎥 Produced by Ryan Dewan & Wave Media

Follow Enthusiastic Life:
Instagram: @enthusiasticlifepodcast
YouTube: Enthusiastic Life Podcast

Connect with Chris Moyer:
LinkedIn: Christopher D. Moyer
Podcast: Beyond Both Sides

New episodes of the Enthusiastic Life Podcast every week.

In Episode 48 of The Enthusiastic Life Podcast, Brendan sits down with entrepreneur and founder of The Zealous Root, Vina Taylor.

Vina shares the journey behind building The Zealous Root into much more than a salon — creating a workplace where women can thrive and a culture that clients can feel the moment they walk through the door. Founded in 2015, the Grosse Pointe Park salon was intentionally designed with contributions from Detroit artists and makers. 

Vina and Brendan also have an incredibly personal conversation about her battle with breast cancer, entrepreneurship through adversity, her love of fine art, and why she's so excited about Detroit's growing creative community.

In this episode:

•  Building The Zealous Root 
•  Creating an incredible workplace culture for women 
•  Vina's battle with breast cancer 
•  Entrepreneurship through adversity 
•  Building an experience clients want to return to 
•  Leadership, positivity & authenticity 
•  Vina's love of fine art 
•  Detroit's creative renaissance 

The Enthusiastic Life Podcast
Hosted by Brendan Walsh
Produced by Ryan Dewan | Wave Media

The Zealous Root

Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major podcast platforms.

In Episode 47 of The Enthusiastic Life Podcast, Brendan sits down with 6x American Ninja Warrior competitor, former biochemist, entrepreneur and keynote speaker Angela Gargano. 

Angela shares her unlikely journey from working long shifts in a science lab to fitness competitions and eventually American Ninja Warrior — including the devastating ACL injury on national television that threatened to end her career and the long road back to competing again.

But the conversation goes well beyond Ninja Warrior. Angela and Brendan talk about resilience, separating your identity from an outcome, building the Pull-Up Revolution, her transition into keynote speaking, and why sometimes the journey toward the goal ends up becoming more important than the goal itself. Her Pull-Up Revolution has since grown into a program centered around helping women accomplish something many once thought impossible: their first pull-up. 

In this episode:

•  From biochemistry to fitness 
•  The road to American Ninja Warrior
•  Tearing her ACL on national television 
•  Rebuilding physically and mentally 
•  Why failure doesn't define the journey 
•  Creating the Pull-Up Revolution 
•  Becoming a keynote speaker 
•  Angela's upcoming book 
•  Resilience, confidence & doing hard things 

Learn more about Angela Gargano
The Pull-Up Revolution

The Enthusiastic Life Podcast
Hosted by Brendan Walsh
Produced by Ryan Dewan | Wave Media

In Episode 46 of The Enthusiastic Life Podcast, Brendan sits down with Emmy Award-winning Detroit TV reporter and longtime media personality Hank Winchester.

Hank looks back on his career at WDIV Local 4, life inside the Detroit news business, and what ultimately led him to step away from television and into a completely different chapter of his career.

He and Brendan also get into Hank's move into podcasting — from his successful run alongside Kelly Stafford on The Morning After to launching his own podcast studio and teaming up with longtime Detroit radio personality Spike for Spike & Hank, a new show that says it reached nearly 980,000 listeners in its first six days.

And, in true Hank fashion, there are plenty of hilarious stories and tangents along the way.

In this episode, we cover:

•  Hank's career in Detroit television 
•  What life is really like as a local TV reporter 
•  His experience podcasting with Kelly Stafford 
•  The evolution of personality-driven media 
•  Launching Spike & Hank
•  What's next for Hank 
•  Detroit, family, life and plenty of laughs 

Check out more of Hank - Spike & Hank

The Enthusiastic Life Podcast is
Hosted by Brendan Walsh
Produced by Ryan Dewan | Wave Media

Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major podcast platforms.

In Episode 45 of The Enthusiastic Life Podcast, Brendan sits down with Detroit musician, entrepreneur and Cadieux Cafe co-owner John Rutherford.

John shares the incredible journey that began with an early obsession with the trombone and eventually took him around the world — performing, touring and recording with artists including Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, Yo-Yo Ma, Noel Gallagher and countless others. John founded the Motor City Horns and Brass Jar Music, building a career that has touched nearly every corner of Detroit's music scene. 

But John's story extends far beyond performing. He and Brendan talk about his passion for preserving Detroit institutions, becoming an owner of the legendary Cadieux Cafe, and his newest chapter helping shape the musical future of the renovated Bonstelle Theatre. Cadieux itself has been part of Detroit's east-side culture since 1933, known for live music, Belgian traditions and, of course, feather bowling. 

In this episode, we cover:

•  John's early obsession with music and the trombone 
•  Becoming an elite brass musician at a remarkably young age 
•  Founding the Motor City Horns and Brass Jar Music 
•  Touring and recording with Bob Seger 
•  Performing with Yo-Yo Ma, Noel Gallagher and other legendary artists 
•  Building a life and business around music 
•  Taking ownership of the iconic Cadieux Cafe 
•  Preserving Detroit's history while helping it evolve 
•  John's new role booking talent at the Bonstelle Theatre 

To learn more about John and his ventures visit: 
John Rutherford / Brass Jar Music
Cadieux Cafe

The Enthusiastic Life Podcast
Hosted by Brendan Walsh
Produced by Ryan Dewan | Wave Media

Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major podcast platforms.