"Cultures grow when they come into contact with each other. But they only learn from each if your willing to let them cross-pollinate. Let them share ideas, move, and try new things. That's how you learn about other people and get empathy for people that aren't like you." - Joe Jackowski

Joe Jackowski is back on the show! We recap what Joe has been up to over the summer and the upcoming school semester.

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Topics we touch on:

Other Episodes you might like:

#53 - Joe Jackowski and Nick Buegel: Meaning, Power and Virtue

#54 - Joe Jackowski: Writing, Thesis Research, and Meaning

#48 - Joe Jackowski: Relationships, Meaningful Moments, and Remembering the Past

Checkout our blogs:

The One Who Wears The Mask by Jordan Criss

Wearables: Meet WHOOP and Oura Ring  by Erich Wenzel

Spiraling Upwards: A Poem on Being by Joe Jackowski

Connect with Us on Social Media:

Twitter: @erichwenzel & @feedingcuriosity1

Instagram: @evwenzel & @feedcuriosity

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In this week's episode, we are joined by Joe Jackowski, Mike Taccona, and Nick Buegel. Our topic of discussion was work-life balance. How do we manage what we do for a living while continuing pushing our boundaries or achieving fulfillment outside of work? In the world we live in, it can be easy to have a job that pulls too much energy from us so that we don't have enough left to pursue other goals.

Subscribe on your favorite platform: Anchor | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Overcast | Stitcher | RSS

Topics we cover:

Other Episodes you might like:

#53 - Joe Jackowski and Nick Buegel: Meaning, Power and Virtue

#31 - Nicholas Buegel: Finding Your Own Path

#63 - Mike and Mary Taccona: Nursing, Travel in the US and Costa Rica

Checkout our blogs:

The One Who Wears The Mask by Jordan Criss

Wearables: Meet WHOOP and Oura Ring  by Erich Wenzel

Spiraling Upwards: A Poem on Being by Joe Jackowski

Connect with Us on Social Media:

Twitter: @erichwenzel & @feedingcuriosity1

Instagram: @evwenzel & @feedcuriosity

Facebook Page

Support the podcast directly!

Leave us a voice message!

Mike and Mary Taccona are both registered nurses. Mike works in the Post Surgical Unit, and Mary is in the Emergency Department. Outside of nursing Mike and Mary are avid travelers. They have traveled throughout the United States and time abroad as well while balancing Nursing school and jobs.  In this conversation, we start with a look at adapting to their roles as nurses, pulling back the curtain to the type of stress the situation puts in them. From there, we transition to travel. We break down how and why they travel. We close on an impactful trip to a Field Station in Costa Rica. 

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For show notes head to Feedingcuriosity.net

Other Episodes you might like:

#36 - Marybeth Piltaver: On Becoming a Nurse and Healthcare Behind the Scenes

#19 - Mike Taccona: Set Intentions and Self-Experimentation

#51 - Mike Taccona and Eric Herrera: Fire and Food

Checkout our blogs:

The One Who Wears The Mask by Jordan Criss

Wearables: Meet WHOOP and Oura Ring  by Erich Wenzel

#2 - Feeding Frenzy by Erich Wenzel

Connect with Us on Social Media:

Twitter: @erichwenzel & @feedingcuriosity1

Instagram: @evwenzel & @feedcuriosity

Facebook Page

Support the podcast directly!

Leave us a voice message!

“It’s either you’re in this industry [tower climbing] for 30 years or only 5. You like it or you don’t.” - Eric Herrera 

Eric Herrera is a communications tower climber. In this episode, Eric shares stories from his unique and, at times, dangerous job. Tower climbing is one of the jobs that are easy to overlook in our hyper-connected world. It is because of people like Eric, and his crew members, that we can have uninterrupted service with our devices. Eric highlights his journey becoming a mentor, and the ways he's grown since starting in the climbing industry. 

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  “You’re going to have your arguments, but guess what? End that shit when the shift is over. You come in the next day and everything is fine. You still have something to squash out then hash it out.” - Eric Herrera

For show notes head to https://feedingcuriosity.net/

Jordan Criss is a creative storyteller and has wide-ranging interests from music, screenwriting, and anime. At his core, Jordan believes in being authentic, and it comes through in his writing. In his own life, Jordan explores emotions and where they resonate with those around him. Jordan has appeared on this podcast many times and is a significant influence on the content we are creating. If you're interested in following along on his journey, follow him on Instagram (@crisshappens) and check out a few of the selected podcasts we've done.

In this conversation, we are building on a small section Jordan had said during the podcast with Saint Ripley. The clip can be summed as creating with a purpose, or anything that can be consumed should make others think. We expand on this thought giving examples ofFo content in TV shows and movies that have been done right to capture our attention.

For show notes head to https://feedingcuriosity.net/

Dr. Eric Fretz is a faculty member at the University of Michigan teaching in the Psychology Department, the School of Education, the College of Engineering, and teaches the LSA core course for the Minor in Entrepreneurship. Dr. Fretz has completed two Bachelor's degrees, two Masters degrees and a dual Ph.D. in Education and Psychology. He was certified as a Navy Master Training Specialist and leads the Ann Arbor office of MUSE Educational Consulting, LLC. He serves the community volunteering in nearly a dozen roles including Mentor for UM Student Veterans, Washtenaw County Veteran Treatment Court as Mentor Program Director, and Founder/President of two 501c3 Veteran charities, the Editorial Board of the Journal Of Veteran Studies, and Chair of the State of 'Michigan's Region 9 Veterans Community Action Team.

Dr. Eric Fretz was born and raised in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. He is an Eagle Scout and retired from 20 years of active and reserve service as a commissioned officer in the United States Navy. He began his career on USS CHOSIN (CG-65), deploying for the first Persian Gulf War and qualifying as Fleet & Special Evolutions OOD, Gas Turbine EOOW, and Surface Warfare Officer. His military career included three deployments to the Persian Gulf from Operation Desert Storm through Operation Iraqi Freedom. He closed out his career with a year-long mobilization to Baghdad, Iraq serving in the Multi-National Corps – Iraq, assigned to the 'Army's 18th Airborne Corps in 2008. While in Iraq he also started a scout troop and built a camp for Iraqi youth around Victory Base. He has earned over 30 military awards including the Bronze Star Medal and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.

In this conversation, we start biographically with experiences that shaped Dr. Fretz's early life and how he entered the Navy. From there, we connect the lessons learned from the Military and how they applied to academics and beyond.

A common theme in this conversation is being drawn to lead, and Dr. Fretz self describes it as creating virtuous cults. Now that I've been able to spend time on the University of Michigan Campus with all the SVA (Student Veterans Association) students that are part of this tribe, its easy to see what he means. There is a magnetic pull to the group that is both inviting and stimulating.

We close this conversation on where Dr. Fretz is head next and with more broad lessons on trying not to over-plan our life and leadership more generally. Follow your interests and what skills you can build. There's no telling where it can become valuable in the future, and such is the meandering path of life.

 For show notes head to https://feedingcuriosity.net/

John Tenuto is a Sociology professor at the College of Lake County, IL, with over 25 years of teaching experience. Professor Tenuto has been nominated ten times for Outstanding Full-time Faculty, receiving the award three times in 2014, 2013 and 2005. He has also received the Illinois Board of Education Student Advisory Committee Faculty of the Year Award. He has given dozens of public presentations and media interviews on the sociology of the "Star Trek" film and television shows. Professor Tenuto has appeared on the Netflix series "The Toys That Made Us" for the Star Wars and Star Trek episodes. He was also named one of "Star Trek's" most influential fans by New York Magazine's Vulture.com.

In this conversation, we talk about John's interest in Sociology and how it shaped his lens of the world. We take a deeper dive into John's interest in Star Trek. His research takes him now the path to understand and highlight those who helped make the show what it was. We close with how he views teaching and what he does for his students. What comes through is his caring and authenticity in the role of a teacher.

For show notes head to https://feedingcuriosity.net/

Saint Ripley, a Chicago hip-hop artist, shares much of what shaped his music on this episode of Feeding Curiosity. With deep roots in multiple genres, he opens up about attending punk shows as a teenager, to his first exposure to hip-hop. On the rapper's first full-length album, Thoughts & Prayers, Saint Ripley shares emotions and stories that are not only a part of him but also a conduit in being a force of change in the world. The album is a concept piece that will be released episodically, with a new song dropping every Friday until November 8th. The first song, The Man Who Gave It All, comes out on July 26th. Featured artists on the album include show regular, Jordan Criss, as well as well-known artists Mick Jenkins, Supa Bwe, and more...

Follow along Saint Ripley's Journey here:

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Instagram 

Listen to Saint Ripley’s Music at these locations:

Also, check out Filthy Hands - A collaboration of Saint Ripley and Jordan Criss.

For show notes head to https://feedingcuriosity.net/

Joel Salatin co-owns, with his family, Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia. Featured in the New York Times bestseller Omnivore’s Dilemma and award-winning documentary Food Inc., the farm services more than 5,000 families, 50 restaurants, 10 retail outlets, and a farmers’ market with salad bar beef, pigaerator pork, pastured poultry, and forestry products. In this conversation we talk about Joel's nuanced view of the ecosystem for Food Production from soil microbes to envisioning the Uber of food distribution.

For show notes and more of our content head to https://feedingcuriosity.net/

Todd Myrick is an IT Specialist with an undergraduate in Fine Art Printmaking & Photography and later completed a graduate degree in MS Information Systems & Technology Management & MBA. Outside the academic world, Todd has always had an interest in technology and acts as a Reddit moderator.  In this episode, we get quite biographical as Todd lays out his life and what has influenced him. What shows through is his connection to those around him and the caring he has for people that he respects. We get to the early 1990s in the chronology of his story, and it will be continued in a future episode of the podcast, so stay tuned!

 For show notes head to https://feedingcuriosity.net/