Grey Matter: A Podcast About Ideas

For Executive Chef Akshay Bhardwaj, becoming a chef was not always the plan. It took perseverance and a little bit of defiance for him to rise in the ranks and become the Executive Chef of Junoon, which at one time was the only Michelin Star restaurant in New York City serving Indian food.  

In this episode, you will hear about Akshay’s path to cooking, how he approaches collaborations with other chefs, and where he finds inspiration for dishes when traveling.  

Grey Interviewer: Samantha Geller, Senior Project Manager and Podcast Producer 

For A Year of Positive Thinking author Cyndie Spiegel, writing her second book came after a year of personal struggle and loss in 2020. Yet, she still found moments of joy and documented them in her second book, Microjoys: Finding Hope (Especially) When Life Is Not Okay, a collection of personal essays designed to help us find joy wherever we can.   

In this episode, you will hear about Cyndie’s journey to writing the book, the lessons she learned from the people closest to her, and a recent micro joy in her life.  

Grey Interviewer: Sara Worthington, Executive Creative Director, Grey New York  

Arielle Assouline-Lichten’s dream was to create a furniture design studio that creates social change - that’s what led her to start Slash Objects, an award-winning, sustainable design studio. Arielle is a Best of NYC x Design winner, and she was a finalist contestant on the HBO Max show Ellen’s Next Great Designer.

In this episode, you will hear Arielle’s story of how she brought together her interests, architecture background, and entrepreneurial spirit to create Slash Objects. She discusses how the work she creates has a journey and a life of its own.

Grey Interviewer: Thiago Cruz, Grey New York’s Chief Creative Officer

Rob Herting saw a void within the podcast space where nobody else did – cinematic quality audio fiction. After leaving his job at a talent agency, he became the CEO and founder of QCODE, an audio-based production studio, creating a new outlet for creatives to tell their stories. QCODE is behind multiple critically acclaimed fiction podcasts like Blackout with Rami Malek, Carrier with Cynthia Erivo, Dirty Diana with Demi Moore, and Hank the Cowdog with Matthew McConaughey, to name a few.   
 
In this episode, you will hear Rob’s story of leaving a job with a dream to make a new outlet for creatives and why he decided to dive into the podcast space. His story will inspire anyone trying to start a business, enter podcast production, or just looking for their next fictional podcast series.  
 
 Grey Interviewer: Jason Kahner, Grey’s Chief Client Officer

For Zach Thomas, the idea of doing anything other than teaching tennis seemed out of reach while studying at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. Now Zach is a podiatrist who runs the YouTube channel Foot Doctor Zach, where he reviews the latest performance shoe tech and breaks down the most advanced shoes for athletes. 

In this episode, you will hear from Zach about what interested him in studying podiatry, why he chose to review shoes, and what he learned when starting a business on YouTube. Zach’s channel has over 100,000 subscribers who watch his weekly videos where he dissects sneakers to match the best athletes with the best shoes for their feet.   

Grey Interviewer: Thiago Cruz, Grey New York’s Chief Creative Officer 

Nathalie Walton found that there were not enough resources devoted to the mental health of expecting mothers. After a serious health scare during her pregnancy, Nathalie turned to the Expecftul app to find peace of mind. The app moved her so much that she became an advisor and eventually a late-stage co-founder and CEO. She helped transform Expectful from a mediation app to a powerful tool for parents and soon-to-be parents.   
 
 In this episode, you will hear Nathalie’s stories of approaching parenthood, being a business leader, and the strategies she and her husband used to navigate the process. Her candid story is the perfect listen for current and soon-to-be parents. 

Grey Interviewer: Elizabeth Gilchrist, EVP, Account Director, and winner of the She Runs It Working Mother of the Year 2023 (New Moms Category) 

For law school graduate Neil Tanna, the idea of losing touch with his university friends was heartbreaking. Motivated by the excitement of creating and keeping connections, Neil and his team made a UK-based social platform called Howbout.  

Howbout raises the question, “Why is it easier to schedule a meeting with your boss than it is to schedule a drink with your best friends?” The app brings scheduling, planning, and chatting together into one place to take the hassle out of getting together with friends.

On this episode, Neil will discuss what influenced the idea for Howbout, the leadership practices he is proud of, and how he views the growth of the app.

Grey Interviewer: Bee Pahnke, Grey London’s Head of Voice

For Gavin McIntyre, what started as a classroom project and a passion for helping the planet, is now an audacious goal of ending the world's dependency on plastics through the mycelium materials company, Ecovative.

Gavin and his partner Eben Bayer have used mycelium — aka fungi — to create leather alternatives, a meat substitute product, and a fully compostable packaging foam. Based in Green Island, NY, Ecovative has been named a TimesUnion Top Work Place three years in a row.

On this episode, Gavin will discuss what influences Ecovative, including what he learned from his mother, a biologist, and his father, a physicist.

Grey Interviewer: Iman Omar, Associate Creative Director

For co-founders and longtime friends, Karen Rabinovitz and Sara Schiller, the idea of creating a place for play was always at the tip of their fingers. Together, they found joy and healing during difficult times in an unexpected way – by playing with SLIME.

They partnered with artists, architects, and advocates to bring the concept of a sensory playground to the world through The Sloomoo Institute. Based in SoHo in New York City, with locations in Chicago and Atlanta, this unique space is committed to neurodiversity, mental health, and of course, fun.

On this episode, you will hear Karen and Sara tell their story of building The Sloomoo Institute and how they found their happy place in the magic of slime.

Grey Interviewer: Joey Scarillo

Jessie Mueller’s Broadway career started in 2011 with the revival of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, where she starred alongside Harry Connick Jr. She then went on to star in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical as Carole King and in Waitress as the lead Jenna. But before that, she was a theatre kid growing up outside Chicago and a student at Syracuse University. 

On our season 4 premiere, we will hear Jessie’s story of coming up in the business, what she learned along the way, and where she sees the industry moving forward. 

Grey Interviewer: Joey Scarillo