CHICAGO, IL  — My guest today is Sam Viola, Founder of Uproute Travel. I first met Sam three years ago during a hot summer’s day in Chicago, watching the England vs USA women’s semi-final at Cleo’s Pub in West Town. The blue sky quickly turned to rain, and I invited Sam and his two female chaperones (who turned out to be his sisters) under the umbrella for shelter. We got chatting, and the rest is truly history.

Almost three years later, Sam and I have become incredibly close friends and partners to each other on and off the field. Sam came into Breakouts III in January of 2021, crushed it, landed his first client off the back of Demo Day, and recently completed his year-long School Fellowship.

A year on from Demo Day, Uproute Travel is a reality. Not just an idea. And Sam is no longer stuck behind a Zoom screen but rather travelling to a new country each month. I am incredibly proud of his progress and was blessed to get some time to sit down with him to reflect on this fantastic journey during his three weeks back at home in CHI.

Our conclusion? It’s just the beginning. 

[email protected]
https://www.uproutetravel.com/

LOS ANGELES, CA — My guest today is Peter Pham, Founder of VC Science Inc. and investor behind brands like Dollar Shave Club, PlayVS, and Liquid Death. Peter is also the co-executive producer of jeen-yuhs, the incredible documentary on Kanye West's life.

As a venture capitalist, producer, and prolific dancer, Peter has a unique view of life, entrepreneurship, character, psychology,  confidence, and everything in between. I had the chance to unpack what drives Peter, how he decides what investments to make, what founders to back and why he's so in love with dancing. But, most importantly, I got an inside look at the making of jeen-yuhs and how this incredible documentary came to life.

Transcript: https://everydayco.us/magazine/issues/5/jeen-yuhs

LOS ANGELES, CA — My guest today is Karin Kildow, Founder & CEO of Content Capital.

I contacted Karin ahead of my first trip to LA since February 2018. I had followed her on social media for a long time and admired how she used the platform to tell stories.

It turns out we were meeting at the perfect time. Karin — who has had an illustrious career at RedBull, Uninterrupted and Beyond Meat — was getting ready to go full-time on Content Capital and make it a cutting-edge media company focused on helping athletes tell their stories.

Karin and I had the chance to sit down together in LA to record this episode. We dissect her life story, her approach to social, what drives her philosophy behind storytelling and her biggest dreams for her new company.

Without further ado, here’s Karin Kildow

MIAMI, FL — My guest today is Caitlin Thompson, founder and publisher of Racquet Magazine. A cultural tennis publication, platform and movement like no other. Caitlin and I caught up in Miami Beach on the tail end of ‘Racquet House’ — a quarterly in-person celebration of Racquet, grassroots tennis and its global community.

I haven’t known Caitlin for long, but it’s immediately clear that she is one of the most brilliant people in today’s media environment. She’s poised, a phenomenal storyteller and has a kickass vision for what a modern-day media company and publisher can look like.

In short: Caitlin makes ideas — whether they are yours or others — better. Hence why I wanted to record this episode. We dive deep into the why of Racquet House, what it takes to build phenomenal physical experiences in the 21st century and how Caitlin thinks about leveraging brands to create spaces that people will never forget.

You won’t want to miss this one. Game, set and match to Caitlin Thompson.

https://racquetmag.com/

MIAMI, FL —  My guest today is Daniel Ross. A travel connoisseur and arguably the most global Northern bloke I’ve ever met. 

Dan and I first connected back in December of 2019 during a black-tie dinner on the Intrepid in New York City. Carly Rae Jepsen performed. We rubbed shoulders with travel influencers and celebrities. It was a magical evening. Little did we both know it would be the last time we’d see each other until March 2022. Our travel schedules finally intersected and we had the chance to sit down in Miami for this conversation at the stunning MIAMI EAST hotel in Brickell.

Over the pandemic, Dan made the bold switch from cashing in a paycheque and working for somebody else to breaking out on his own as a freelancer. We caught up during the latter end of his 8-week press trip to the United States. This was Dan’s first time in America since the pandemic.

In this episode, we discuss Dan’s origin story as a Geordie, how his life has changed since the pandemic, why he ultimately decided to make the jump to freelance, how he thinks about his role today in the travel space and why he absolutely refuses to be called an influencer.

https://www.instagram.com/comedanwithme

DENVER, CO — My guest today is Joe Buckner. A fighter, father and idea giant.

I was introduced to Joe through a great mutual friend, Elliott Clark, while searching for speakers for Everyday's last retreat of 2021 in the Mile High City. Elliott told me I had to get Joe to speak. He said: "If you want to know why, hang up the phone right now and watch this Lululemon video on Joe." After watching it, I didn't need any more convincing. 

Later, when I called Joe, he said: "What you gotta understand is the Lululemon video was based on my life in the early 2000s. Yes, that is part of my story. But it's now 2021. There's been a lot of developments since then." 

I responded, "Great. I want you to use your time with us to share the part of your story that is still untold."

In this episode, we unpack the origin story of Joe Buckner, what happened in his life after prison, why he believes fighting fixes everything, why we need to remind each other how to fight, teach each other how to fail in public and the difference between being influential versus an influencer.

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WASHINGTON, DC — My guests today are Rene McCoy and Robert Clark. They are two stalwarts of the hospitality industry and leaders of the St Gregory Hotel, a beautiful lifestyle luxury property nestled between Dupont Circle and Georgetown in D.C.

St Gregory was our away home for our Q4 retreat in D.C. So, I sat down with Rene and Robert — who have a combined 65 years of experience in the industry — to talk about their stories, visions for the future of St Gregory, Hersha Hospitality’s Independent Collection, and everything in between.

What I loved most about this conversation was Rene and Robert’s ruthless focus on serving others. For them, hospitality is not an industry. It is simply their lifestyle and something they commit to in every interaction inside and out of the hotel. 

I think we all have to learn something from these two.

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https://www.stgregoryhotelwdc.com/
https://www.independentcollection.com/

CHICAGO, IL — My guest today is Mark Steuer, Owner and Head Chef of Funkenhausen. He is a two-time Bib Gourmand winner, and his restaurant, located in West Town of the Windy City, is currently my favourite dining establishment in the country.

Mark and I have been talking about sitting down to do a podcast together for almost two and a half years. We met back in July of 2019 through one of Funk’s excellent servers called Jesse and immediately hit it off. Life (and the pandemic) got in the way of us ever hitting record. But I’m honestly so glad it did. Mark and I have now had the time to build a fantastic relationship, making this podcast deeper, funnier, and more intimate than it ever could have been back in 2019.

This episode is nearly two hours long and is split into two parts. The first hour takes place at Mark’s house, and the second takes place after hours at his pride and joy of a restaurant — Funkenhausen — on a beautiful Fall Tuesday night in Chicago.

Over a few glasses of Riesling, a dinner, some Lone Star, and, of course, a drop of whiskey, we dive deep into Mark’s story — how he started cooking, his European upbringing, his motivations, inspirations, mentors, stages, mistakes, and biggest successes. We also touch on how we see hospitality evolving and why we’re starting a dining club together in Q1 of 2022 — our stab at a Nouveau Chef’s Table.

So sit back, relax and pour yourself a glass of your favourite German wine. Without further ado, here’s Mark Steuer.

https://www.funkenhausen.com
https://www.instagram.com/chefmarksteuer

PHOENIX, AZ — My guest today is Chris Lingua. Chris is the founder of Sauvage PHX, Arizona’s first natural wine store based in downtown Phoenix. I met Chris earlier this year during one of our retreats to the Southwest. 

We were lucky enough to have a private wine tasting with Chris, and he blew me away with his story and the wines he showcased. They were some of the most delicious wines I’ve ever had, and now I’m an all-natural wine convert. 

I’m thrilled to announce that we will launch an exclusive wine club in 4 cities with Chris in Q4 of 2021 through our conversation and dining society, The Saturday Club. 

So, if you’re listening because you’ve just been to a TSC event or you’re thinking about joining, sit back, relax and pour yourself a glass (or two) of something cold. This episode will not disappoint.

https://www.sauvagephx.com/

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Ocean State was the home of our Q3 retreat for The School, and boy did the smallest U.S. state punch far above its weight.

I sit down to dissect our incredible weekend with two OG members in Charbel Bourjas and Justin Fleischmann, alongside our wonderful host and lifelong Rhode Islander, Alexia Williams. In this episode, we unpack our incredibly weekend in Little Rhody from start to finish and reflect on what feels like the defining retreat for this community thus far in a place that prides itself on being built on just one degree of separation.

So please sit back, relax and experience the magic that is our retreat weekend in Rhode Island.