This is our third and final Super Bowl episode recorded at the Starter Activation House and Jim is chatting with compelling voices in sports, business, and biotech.

TJ Ward, former NFL star and Super Bowl XLVIII winner, opens up about life after football. Carl Banks, President of G-III Sports and two-time Super Bowl champion and Shawn Costner, Sports Marketing Executive at CAA, talk about leading with integrity. Carmen Banks, Founder of Melanin Science, discusses representation in biotech and empowering the next generation of scientists.

Real stories, real lessons, real talk.

Recorded during Super Bowl week at the Starter Activation House Studio, this second special episode of Get Real captures Jim in conversation with a lineup of true originals whose impact spans sports, music, and pop culture. He’s joined by Adam "Pacman" Jones and Eric Metcalf, former NFL superstars, Brock Davies, influencer and reality TV star, and finally, Flavor Flav, who needs no introduction! They're sharing stories and lessons as they discuss what it takes to stay resilient.

Listen to learn about the moments that shaped these legends.

Jonathan Stewart, former NFL running back and key player in the Carolina Panthers’ run to Super Bowl 50, joins Jim to talk life after football. They dive into his passions, his mission, and how his time as an athlete continues to shape his pursuits and vision today.

Antone Barnes, Founder and CEO of The Brand Architects, shares insights on helping athletes build their careers on and off the field, both during and after their professional playing days. This episode is all about navigating the next chapter after sports.

It’s a must-listen.

Recorded in San Francisco during the week leading up to Super Bowl 60 at Levi’s Stadium!

Josh Schwartz is a TV screenwriter and producer best known for creating The O.C., Gossip Girl, Chuck, Hart of Dixie, and The Carrie Diaries, to name a few. He's launched the careers of superstars and is a superstar himself. At 26, he became one of the youngest showrunners in network history when he launched The O.C. Josh is also Jim's cousin. Two and a half decades after The O.C. changed his career and binge watching as we know it, Jim and Josh are Getting Real about career longevity, mentorship, and how to stay creative. They're diving into juicy tidbits from the days of The O.C. and Gossip Girl, like why Marissa died, and what he'd rewrite if he could. It's not easy to have a hit series, and he's had several. His shows are millennial fodder. Representative of a time, not long ago, when we called on pay phones and then flip phones, sent texts on QWERTY keyboards and when life was just a little less technical. Tune in. You won't want to miss this awesome chat!

Tina Sharkey has seen the power of faith first hand. She and Jim are diving into her rollercoaster summer, a story she's yet to share. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor that at first seemed inoperable, but turned out to be operable, and not cancer, thankfully. However, since then, and throughout her time at the hospital, she's navigated treacherous times by relying on a mantra she learned years ago: fear is a wasted emotion. She's also called on her inner Rainbow Girl, a part of her she's been connected to since youth, to bring light into her life and onto her tumor, and it worked! She's better. In fact, she's thriving. Tina is a trendspotter, an innovator and a teacher who is now a Gen AI & Society Grant Professor at the USC. You don't want to miss this one.

In this episode, hear:

1. Who Rainbow Girl is and why she's helped Tina become successful

2. How to be a better trendspotter in business

3. Why fear is a wasted emotion

4. Why being afriad of AI is a waste of time

5. How Tina has left an impact in so many fields and where she's heading next

Bill Nye is so much more than The Science Guy. He's an activist, a performer, a leader and changemaker. He brings his sprit and tenacity to everything he does, including being a guest on podcasts, like ours. He currently serves as CEO of The Planetary Society, a role he took over from Carl Sagan, a mentor from his time at Cornell. In this episode, Jim and Bill are talking about why Science Still Matters. Why it has always mattered. Why the fight to trust in it matters now more than ever. Tune in to meet the guy behind bowtie. The cultural icon who taught kids to love science. On that path, he's won 19 Emmys, received a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star and The Presidential Medal of Freedom. It's the honor of a lifetime to have him on Get Real.

In this episode, hear

1. His origin story

2. How winning a Steve Martin lookalike contest was the gateway into standup comedy and ultimately a TV show

3. The work he does to raise awareness for Freidrichs Ataxia

4. Why Jaylen Brown, NBA star, gave a speech at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony

5. What's at risk for the US with this potential budget cuts for NASA

Dr. Elias Zerhouni, former NIH Director under President George W. Bush and Presidential Science Envoy under President Barack Obama, joins Jim for a candid conversation about healthcare, science, and public trust. He talks about his new memoir, Disease Knows No Politics, and his journey from war-torn Algeria to an array of leadership positions in American medicine. He shares stories from his professional life, including breakthroughs he made in MRI imaging that are being reshaped by AI. This conversation explores the intersection of politics and medicine. It's personal, surprising, fun and most of all, it will make you feel.

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. Why Dr. Zerhouni wrote his memoir Disease Knows No Politics and why he believes its message matters right now

2. What was really happening behind the scenes during the stem cell debates and early pandemic discussions

3. How radiology and imaging laid the groundwork for today’s medical AI innovations

4. How growing up during the Algerian War shaped his resilience, worldview, and leadership style.

5. Why he believes China’s strategic investment in science echoes Einstein’s philosophy that breakthroughs come from long term vision, not short term politics

Lee Shapiro is getting real. His career has touched law, venture capital, philanthropy, healthcare, and tech. He's worked with many of the most influential companies in digital health. He's lead Livongo, scaled Allscripts, and is now shaping the future of consumer health as partner at 7wireVentures. In this episode, we're talking about where healthcare innovation is headed and how personalized care is evolving. We're also exploring his role at the American Heart Association where he serves on the National Board of Directors . Tune in to hear his perspective on healthcare, innovation and what trends he believes will define the next era.

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. How 7wireVentures invests in companies simplifying care-navigation, access, chronic disease management, and consumer-facing digital health

2. How the AHA invests through grants, venture funds, and its accelerator to bring innovations to market

3. How the AHA’s Go Red for Women Fund is investing in new biomarkers and clinical trials for women’s heart disease

4. How AI is used to detect heart disease earlier, personalize care, and shape future standards

5. What health tech is solving, from GLP-1 support, to zero-interest medical loans, to simpler navigation of costly and confusing healthcare

Today, I’m hosting my friend Charlie Melcher on Get Real. We had this conversation on the day his new book, The Future of Storytelling, hit shelves. You may also have listened to his well-known podcast with the same title. I’ve been lucky to hear the behind the scenes of this book and his life's work during our hikes up Mount Tam, and I can’t wait for you to gt to know a bit more about his vision. Charlie has shaped how books, brands and industries tell their stories. In this episode, we talk about his career, the digital era that almost convinced people books were over, and the innovations that followed. We also explore how he works with companies and what it means to live stories instead of watch them.

Buy his book The Future of Storytelling wherever books are sold!

In this episode, hear:

1. How Charlie used the digital revolution to reinvent his career

2. How the recession of 2008 to 2009 changed content and media entirely

3. How his six emerging modes of storytelling are shaping everything from podcasts to theme parks

4. How AI will merge with these new storytelling categories

5. What the future of community, creativity and connection looks like

You probably know Jesse Solomon from Summer House on Bravo and from his up and coming singing career.

Today, Jim and Jesse are chatting about advocacy and cancer. Jesse is a two-time testicular cancer survivor who uses his platform to reduce the stigma around testicular cancer and to encourage young men to prevent the event by getting checked yearly.

Jesse is fun, loving, and unafraid to get real, which is a quality Jim appreciates in others and upholds himself. We’re going to hear about Jesse's journey from working in finance to Bravo and about his involvement with nonprofits to spread awareness about testicular cancer and to connect with other cancer survivors.

This is an episode you won't want to miss.