Good People, Cool Things

Adam Kol helps couples make sure the money conversation doesn’t get in the way, leading to more financial security, clarity, and peace of mind. And as you may have noticed, this past year has been rough on just about everyone, so some peace of mind sounds great to me.

We’re chatting through all kinds of financial goodness here so you can tackle them with the kind of gusto they deserve. Adam’s also a musician who creates financial parodies — give me EDUCATION with my toe-tapping tunes, please.

We’re also both big ol’ dorks, so there’s a part on Miami Hurricanes football and basketball and speed running through video games. No regrets.

Matt Bennett founded his craft salsa company, DREAMS AREN’T THIS GOOD, on five simple values: trust, transparency, trial and error, tenacity, and a belief that the team is in this together. The end result? A company that not only produces some darn good salsa, but does good for the world and has a blast doing it.

Each jar of DATG salsa is named after a song, paying homage to artists that are all about making us smile. Each flavor pairing also has a local partner that receives a portion of sales from every jar and bag of chips. Pretty spectacular.

Matt and I are chatting about how he got started in the salsa world, some of his more experimental flavors, the songs he has to sing along to whenever they come on, and much more.

After navigating the twists and turns of life, including selling drugs and multiple trips to rehab, 57-year-old Noa Shaw discovered his purpose of helping and being of service to others, using what he calls “selfless help.” He channeled his top lessons and advice into his debut book, Stop Thinking Thoughts That Scare You: A Selfless Help Guide of Practical Tools to Eliminate Fear and Anxiety and Live a Life of Abundance.

We’re diving headfirst into the book, Noa’s life journey — which he dubbed a trip “to hell and back” — and ways we can be kind and selfless to others in our daily lives.

Noa’s got plenty of fascinating stories to share, too, like how he owns a piece of Sixth Street in Austin and how his dogs literally saved his life. Adopt, don’t shop!

No matter where you’ve come from or what you’ve done, you’ve experienced things no one else has. And those stories are worth telling. Luckily, today’s guest gets to hear from all different kinds of people in his role as the owner of a funeral home. Chris Meyer channeled what he’s learned from those folks into his book Life in 20 Lessons: What a Funeral Guy Discovered About Life, from Death. 

Prior to his experience with funeral homes, Chris spent more than a decade in Hollywood as a screenwriter. And he discovered a fun secret about the town that he channeled into another work, The 'Wood.  

We’re also getting the scoop on Chris’s latest business venture, funandmoving.com. We’re covering it all!

How many times have you used the excuse of “I don’t have time” to avoid getting things done? I know I’ve done it regularly — sometimes I’m procrastinating on something incredibly minor, like cooking dinner or even walking to the mailbox. Because I’m just TOO BUSY, you know?

Well, this episode’s guest is having none of that. Chris Coppel has authored ten novels since the fall of 2019, and he is dropping all kinds of knowledge on how to write efficiently and in volume. 

Chris is an accomplished drummer and guitarist, too, so we’re talking some tunes — and the worst gig he’s ever played. Plus, the number one tip Chris has for writing, and why you should always take the scenic route anytime you travel.

Very few people have written stories about ghost hunters, sent a poem to a NASA astronaut, AND performed scenes with Jeff Goldblum. In fact, I’d argue no one has done all three of those things — except for today’s guest, Susan McCauley.

Susan is a writer and producer of paranormal, fantasy, and horror films and fiction for adults, young adults, and middle grade audiences and readers. She also studied acting at Playhouse West with Robert Carnegie and Jeff Goldblum in Los Angeles.

But most important of all, she has a great knack for storytelling. We’re diving into how that skill can help anyone, whether you’re a writer or not. Plus, a foray into Shakespeare, Susan’s newest book, Ghost Hunters: Pirates’ Curse - A Ghost Hunting Adventure, and some of her spookiest encounters.

It’s March Madness, so we’re hopping right into it! After all, there’s no time to waste when it comes to filling out your brackets. Friend of the podcast Chris Hayes joins to chat some hoops, and because we go way back, there are plenty of fun tangents along the way.

We talk some of the best rides and variants of Disney World, a little college football, that Matt and Kim song from the Buick commercials, and then hop into the part you’re all here for: two mildly informed fellas offer their bracket tips, including things to watch out for, such as schools named after toothpaste or what happens if a team has to bow out due to coronavirus concerns. 

Also note that we recorded this right after the Selection Sunday show, so if something has changed by now, we’re not liable for wildly inaccurate information.

It’s a spirited Chicago episode from the vault, y’all! I’m joined by Jin Laqui, a blogger, social media maven, digital marketing expert, and all-around badass who, like me, grew up in the Windy City. And we’re recording while the 2019 Thursday Night Football game between our beloved Chicago Bears and the visiting Dallas Cowboys plays in the background. 

Luckily, you don’t have to be from Chicago to enjoy this podcast. Jin shares how she got into writing and food photography. And as we’re both fans of puns, it seems like a great time to jump into the magic that is the O. Henry Pun Off. 

I have a cartwheeling story, too! Neither one of us is great at cartwheels, either – but hey, they’re still therapeutic to do. Plus, remember playing calculator games in school? We’re covering so much stuff in this episode!

Craig Leener is the author of three books, This Was Never About Basketball, All Roads Lead to Lawrence, and This Was Always About Basketball. We go all the way back to his first book, so we’ve got plenty in store for the trilogy.

We’re chatting hoops, of course, but we’re also getting into Craig’s writing process and his inspiration for his series. We talk about a few quarantine hobbies and share our favorite beers. No matter your taste, there’s plenty to enjoy. 

And yes, Craig is still an 87% free throw shooter, though that stat is 100% unverifiable.

Welcome to quarantine hobby life, y’all. We’re all trying to learn some new things as we continue to practice social distancing in our homes. But even with some extra time at home, we don’t always want to actually spend a lot of hours investing in something that may just turn out to be a passing fancy. Luckily, writer, teacher, and performer Nancy Stohlman is here to help — in the briefest way possible. 

Nancy is the author of Going Short: An Invitation to Flash Fiction, an inspiration to flash fiction, showing that less is more to lovers of the craft and a valuable asset to those teaching it.

This book is super helpful and is also presented in flash fiction format. It shows veteran and newbie writers alike how to create, sculpt, revise, and collect stories, and is both delightful and super helpful. And guess what — you don’t need to know the first thing about flash fiction, or even be a flash fiction writer, to get a lot out of Going Short.

Nancy also teaches workshops and hosts retreats and knows her stuff, so if you’d like to become a better writer (as we all should aspire to be), then you’ll definitely want to listen to this conversation.