Good People, Cool Things

Perhaps the most obvious statement ever: the past year and a half has been rough. Between a global pandemic, social unrest, political chaos, and the fact that a lot of us handled it all on our own, there’s been plenty of chances for life to take its toll on our well-being. 

This week’s guest, Kimberly Dawn, is a big advocate of mental health. Kimberly just dropped her new single “The Bottle,” has a strong message about the importance of checking in with yourself, courage, and connection to community. Kimberly participated in the “You Are Not Alone” campaign with the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

We're talking all about her songwriting process, the power of storytelling, her tips for connecting with your community, and what it's like being a mother of four children.

When Akeel Henry was five years old, he was already playing piano and drums for his father’s church. And he’s continued that musical prowess into an impressive music career that’s continuing to grow.

Akeel is a US Gold-Certified and Juno Award-nominated music producer, audio engineer, and musical wizard. He’s worked alongside artists like the Grammy-nominated Desiigner, Shawn Mendes, Ty Dolla $ign, Jeremih, Trey Songz, Toni Braxton, Swae Lee, and Daniel Caesar. He trained under Noah ’40’ Shebib of OVO Sound, the record label co-owned by Drake, and is currently signed to R&B singer Babyface’s record label Laface.

Most recently, he's produced the album Soft Thing by LOONY, which just dropped this week.

At some point in your life, you’ve likely considered starting a side hustle. Perhaps you’ve thought of an idea that would benefit people, or maybe you’re interested in turning a passion project into something more. But starting a side hustle can be a daunting task—and before you know it, you’ve grown frustrated and put the side hustle on the back burner while life takes over.

It doesn’t have to be that way, though. This episode’s guests are Craig Clickner and Carrie Bohlig, the husband and wife duo behind Tandem Consulting and authors of the book So You Want to Start a Side Hustle: Build a Business that Empowers You to Live Your Life, Your Way.

Carrie and Craig wanted to leverage entrepreneurship as a way to enrich their quality of life by giving them freedom and time. They’ve developed several streams of passive and progressive passive income and want to help entrepreneurs like you do the same. 

Linsey Knerl is a mom of six who has been homeschooling since 2004. Her interest in small business and entrepreneurship kicked off a freelance writing career that has led to stories in SO MANY publications, including Time, Shape, Better Homes & Gardens, Reader's Digest, Family Circle, All You, and Woman's World. 

Some people just have great stories. For Texas Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Freddy Powers, he could barely go a day without something memorable happening. Alongside his widow Catherine Powers and music biographer Jake Brown, the late musician is the driving force behind the new book, The Spree of 83: The Life and Times of Freddy Powers.

This episode gives us a glimpse inside that book—and then some. From Freddy’s legendary comedic personality to his penchant for writing hit songs, Catherine and Jake go back and forth sharing stories.

We’re covering topics like headlining casinos, building an airplane to hunt for fish and sunbathing women with Merle Haggard, living on Willie Nelson’s golf course, the funeral that turned into a roast, and so much more. Whether you’re a country music fan or not, this is a terrific one.

Dr. Steven Eisenberg is not your average oncologist. After all, how many doctors can say they’ve written hundreds of songs with their patients, written a book, and appeared on America’s Got Talent?

Yet Dr. Steven has done it all. And in his new book, LOVE IS THE STRONGEST MEDICINE: Notes from a Cancer Doctor on Connection, Creativity, and Compassion, he’s sharing how the relationships in our lives play such an important role.

We’re also talking about guitars, the power of having hope, and how to blog every single day for nearly five years. And, yes, Steven shares his experience on America’s Got Talent, even if it didn’t quite end the way he hoped. But from that experience, something even better was born. 

Stacey Aaronson is an established writer, ghostwriter, editor, book designer, and publishing partner who has been involved in the full or partial production of over 200 books. She works with authors across genres through her business, The Book Doctor Is In, and as a layout artist for She Writes Press. In other words, she knows how to get things DONE.

Now, Stacey is tackling her own book. Raising, and Losing, My Remarkable Teenage Mother is her first solo publication, but my goodness, is it enjoyable. Stacey’s enthusiasm leaps off the page, and it’s seeping into this episode, too. There are so many goodies in here—let’s hop to it!

Tim Krauss remembers his first ice cream memory from when he was four years old. But after being diagnosed with Type One Diabetes, Tim suddenly was taking extreme risks anytime he scooped a treat. So what did he do?

Start a business with his wife and children to make a delicious ice cream that could fit his now necessary low-carb, low-sugar, and high-fat diet.

Soon, Mammoth Creameries—a keto-friendly, diabetic-conscious frozen custard made with real, natural ingredients like grass-fed butter and high-quality heavy cream—was born. Once again, Tim can go back to enjoying tasty ice cream without putting his health at risk.

Sara Dykman is the founder of beyondabook.org, creating and encouraging lifelong learners and curious people. She's had tons of cool adventures, like walking from Mexico to Canada, canoeing the Missouri River from source to sea, and cycling over 80,000 miles across North and South America.

Put simply, Sara likes to dream big—and encourages other people to do the same. After listening to this episode, you'll want to take on the world and see all it has to offer!

Do you feel yourself getting the creepy crawlies whenever you think about bugs? Or do you find them fascinating and get excited whenever one sneaks its way into your home?

Today’s guest definitely falls into that second group. Ali Beckman is the brains behind SoFlyTaxidermy and JUST launched her book (like, for real, it came out yesterday), Bee a Good Human: A Pollinator’s Guide to a Better Life.   

Ali uses creatures that are donated, purchased, or found dead to create amusing cartoons and highlight the key roles insects play in our environment. Pollinators come in all shapes and sizes — for example, a tiny midge pollinates chocolate while beetles can pollinate certain flowers — and Ali showcases them with her work and shares how they keep our ecosystem thriving.

Her art also highlights the importance of loving yourself and finding confidence to say that, yes, you can do anything you put your mind to. That’s a pretty cool thing. We’re also talking about our pups and how you can become Instafamous…or at least what Ali has done to grow her account.