Gap to Great

“Do it. If you’re thinking about it and you’ve probably taken some steps, then just jump in and do it. The first step is the hardest one but once you start, the momentum of starting is so powerful.” 

Chris Ruggiero hosts a one man variety show where he does things like circus tricks, juggling and magic, all set to modern pop music. Last year, his always-evolving show caught the eye of none other than Ellen Degeneres, who brought him on her show and deemed him “epic.” 

Chris is also the author of "Just Go", a motivational book that encourages people to stop thinking and just start. I talked to him about getting the call from Ellen, how he got into entertaining and his advice for anyone, in any industry, for taking that scary first step.  

Full show notes available: andreawien.com/chris

"I don't think the goal for us is to live an easy life.”

A few years ago, Paul Kortman and his wife had a radical idea. What if they sold their house in Michigan, packed up their family and became nomadic? While a lot of people probably have this pipe dream, the Kortmans actually did it.

In fact, they’ve been living on the road since 2014 and their first stops included SE Asia, South Africa and parts of Europe. Now, this family of six, plus a dog, are roadtripping their way through Mexico, Central America and Ecuador in an RV.

On this show, I talk to Paul about how the kids make friends, the family’s view on school and how they’ve used medical tourism to their advantage. 

Full show notes available: andreawien.com/kortmans

"There's a responsibility any historian has to history: you have to get it right.”

Rien Fertel is a historian and author originally from Lafayette, LA. In 2012, he hit the road with photographer Denny Culbert to capture the essence of BBQ in the south . Now, he’s turned that research into a new book, recently released by Simon + Schuster, called  “The One True Barbecue: Fire, Smoke, and the Pitmasters Who Cook The WHole Hog.” 

Rien’s work has also been featured in Saveur Magazine, Southern Living and The Local Palate, among others. Our conversation kind of hops around, from Rien’s time growing up in the kitchens of Louisiana, to why he attended grad school and why an unlikely contender is his favorite food city. 

Full show notes available: andreawien.com/rien-fertel

Abria Mattina and Dan Fachin live in Ottawa, Ontario, and for the last year, they’ve taken some great strides to make their dreams come true. After realizing that the schedule around their corporate jobs wasn’t going to allow them to write and publish a novel, they quit. But that’s not it.

Soon after leaving corporate, they also went nocturnal — that is, sleeping while everyone else was awake, and working while everyone was fast asleep. Sometimes, it takes an inconvenient feat to accomplish your goals — but Dan and Abria show that it’s possible with enough dedication and hard work.

Full show notes: andreawien.com/abria-dan

Alexander Harik left the corporate finance world to become a food entrepreneur. His product, Zesty Z, a zaa’tar spread and condiment is just starting to make traction in the NYC market. (And it’s freaking delicious.) 

In this show, we talk about the characteristics Alexander thinks are important to cultivating an entrepreneurial spirit and how his upbringing helped develop these traits.

We also chat about all the research Alexander did to launch Zesty Z into the world, and how we can all follow our dreams when we find something we're passionate about.

Full show notes available: andreawien.com/zesty-z

Declan Wilson started his writing career in college when he and his now-wife launched a cooking blog for students. Though the cooking blog fizzled out, his love for writing didn’t, and he’s spent his post-college life balancing his drive to be a writer with his responsibilities to provide for his young family. 

Declan recently released his first book, “The Millennial Way” and he continues to write at MillennialType.com, where he showcases a compilation of Millennial’s stories and his own ups and downs as he navigates adulthood, parenthood, a full time job and a fledgling start-up.

In this podcast, Declan gives his advice for how to manage your time to work on a side project, and how the life of a Millennial is different from all previous generations. 

Full show notes available: andreawien.com/declan-wilson

Ben Huh is an entrepreneur and world traveler. He calls himself an Internet Content Connoisseur and from 2007 - 2015, he was CEO of The Cheezburger Network, which includes the popular blogs I Can Has Cheezburger, FAIL Blog and Know Your Meme among many, many others.

Now, for the last 9 months since he’s stepped down from the company, he’s been on a whirlwind sabbatical of a lifetime, visiting bucket list type places like Africa, Antarctica, Cuba, and Easter Island to name only a few.

I caught up with him in between exotic destinations during a 24-hour layover in his hometown of Seattle to chat about why he’s traveling, the importance of moderation (specifically as it relates to politics and getting along), why he feels guilty while he’s on the road and what the future holds — not just for his journey, but also for all of our digital lives. 

Full show notes available: andreawien.com/ben-huh

Gesche Haas learned quickly how to form new friendships. She was born in Africa, attended high school in Beijing and went to college in Hong Kong. Now, Gesche lives in New York City and uses the friendship-building skills she acquired in her childhood to run Dreamers//Doers, a women-focused entrepreneurial community. 

She thrives off creativity, believes the start-up world needs more innovation and thinks you should only pursue the ideas that you can't leave alone. During our chat, she gives her advice on how to create an engaged community (something she’s done remarkably well), how to feel connected to those around you and why it’s important to be honest about success.