How I Broke Into: Michael Prywes Interviews Artists and Entrepreneurs About Their Big Break

Janae Bakken grew up in Minnesota - where she spent too many frozen winters on the cross-country ski team, and went to college in Chicago - where she rarely saw the sun, so she made her escape to Los Angeles soon after graduation.  She worked on the production staffs of such shows as Mad About You, Caroline in the City, and Malcolm in the Middle before making the jump to writer, where she spent eight years writing on the critically-acclaimed Scrubs, rising from a Staff Writer to Co-Executive Producer.  Janae was twice-nominated for an Emmy Award with the other Scrubs writers.  In addition, she has written & sold television pilots for Warner Brothers, ABC Studios, MRC and ABC Network.  Janae was most recently a Co-Executive Producer on Freeform’s Baby Daddy for four years, and before that a Co-EP on Anger Management and Gary Unmarried.  In 2007, she was selected to participate in the WGA Showrunner Training Program.  In 2011, Janae was a guest professor at her alma mater Northwestern University, teaching Television Writing to the MFA Creative Writing students. 

Notes from the show:

Grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis St. Paul, MN.

She discovered "The Wonder Years," her favorite and my favorite television show.

Northwestern University's "Creative Writing for the Media" program - selected 12 people each year, was in the program with me, Breen Frasier ("Criminal Minds")

Heavily influenced by the show "Friends." A lot of her friends back home in MN got married in their early 20s.

She lived in London, England after college.

Hollywood will always be there, but you're better off going without attachments.

La-La Land.

If you want to be in television, you need to be in Los Angeles.

20 years later, she loves Los Angeles. "Everyone's starting over... you're in it together."

It helps there are so many alumni there.

Has been in the workforce since the age of 14, but all Los Angeles jobs were "in the industry."

First screenplay was a comedy. First TV job was a comedy.

Gave a funny speech at high school graduation.

First job she had in L.A., she got fired.

Agency job is a good foot in the door.

On her resume, she mentioned her job as "Gedney the Minnesota Pickle." William Morris called about it.

Interview with Pang-Ni Landrum; Mascot life got her the job.

Unruly: most people can't do funny.

At least 70% who made it in television comedy went the assistant route.

During all down time, she wrote scripts. Every night, after work, would stay at desk and work on own scripts.

Skills went "through the roof" being in the room with great writers.

Had "interview" with UTA, thought she was being interviewed.

"The longer I have done this, the more I realize how hard it is to run a show. And it's really easy to see who does it well and who doesn't."

"I'm not young enough to know everything." - Oscar Wilde

"Baby Daddy" is over, and she can't wait to get back in a writer's room.

"The TV Writer's Workbook" - Ellen Sandler

"Writing the TV Drama Series 3rd edition: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV" - Pam Douglas

Take a UCLA Extension class or Santa Monica Community College class

Taffy Brodesser-Akner is a writer who has contributed compelling non-fiction features to major publications such as the New York Times Magazine, GQ, Cosmopolitan, Los Angeles Times, SElf, and so many more. Taffy is also the author of the forthcoming Random House novel, Schrödinger's Marriage. Taffy has been a finalist for multiple awards, including the James Beard Award and the Mirror Award, and has won awards from the New York Press Club, the Los Angeles Press Club, Society of Feature Journalists. She also teaches a phenomenal writing class, but the class we discuss in this interview unfortunately sold out before we launched. Subscribe to "How I Broke Into" on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, I Heart Radio, or Google, or listen to the entire podcast here:

Notes from the show:

John Cheever's short stories

Inspired by writer Lauren Slater.

"It’s also telling that I’m not a trained journalist.  I have a degree in screenwriting from NYU. The highest priority when I’m writing is on storytelling, not voice, but storytelling.  That’s my business.  Voice comes easily to me because it’s easy for me to write how I sound.  And structure is the thing that I think about the most.  ‘What is the beginning, middle, and end of this?’ "

Loved the soap opera Santa Barbara, and got a job at a Soap Opera publication

Worked at Mediabistro in Los Angeles

PTSD from giving birth

"Moving Swift-ly on? Giggling Tom Hiddleston is spotted bidding farewell to a mystery brunette during evening stroll back in London" - Daily Mail

"Chasing the New American Dream"

"My Color Story"

"Obsessive-compulsive disorder nearly ruined her life" by Sarah Maraniss Vander Schaaff

"Who Controls Childbirth?" - Self Magazine

"We Have Found the Cure! (Sort Of)" - Outside Magazine

Water's Edge (The story of Bill May, the greatest male synchronized swimmer who ever lived, and his improbable quest for Olympic Gold) - ESPN Magazine

The Art of War by Steven Pressfield

Interviewing celebrities is never not weird.

Classes at: taffyakner.com/classes (but August 2017 class is sold out)

Jordan Matter, a Manhattan portrait photographer, is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Dancers Among Us, a collection of photographs of dancers in everyday situations around the world, and his collection of photos of nudes in public places, Dancers After Dark, is a monumental achievement, in my humble opinion. He and his work have been featured on television, in print, online, and in exhibitions throughout the world, including Buzzfeed, ABC World News Tonight, Today, The Tyra Banks Show, the BBC, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, #1 on Reddit, Daily Mail U.K., O, The Oprah Magazine, NPR, Lincoln Center, and the Savina Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul, Korea. Matter lives in New York with his wife, two children, dog and cat.

Notes from the show:

Serendipity

Dancers Among Us: A Celebration of Everyday Life

My interview with my father.

My interview with ballet champion Brooklyn Mack.

Behind the Scenes

"Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats

The Professional Photographer's Legal Handbook by Nancy Wolff

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Uncovered: Women in Word and Image

The Beauty Myth - Naomi Wolf

Camera + App actually DOES work with the iPhone 7 Plus dual lens system (but not "Portrait Bokeh" mode)

Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs

Nelson Ruger grew up along the beaches of southern New Jersey, finding his stomping grounds among Ocean City’s 7th Street and North Street beaches and boardwalks.  Loving art from an early age, he dove into a career as a theatrical artist, designing scenery and lighting for stage productions up and down the eastern United States, lending his creative style from tiny one-room shows to huge regional theaters. In 1998, he fulfilled his dream of designing on Broadway.  With this life goal achieved so young, Nelson began searching for new horizons and artistic possibilities. Nelson eventually left the theatre industry to pursue his surf painting and zen watercolor art.

He formed the ‘Nelson Makes Art!’ Studio in Virginia, where he spent several happy years developing commissioned pieces in his flip-flops. ‘Nelson Makes Art!’ then led him far far west to the opposite coast of sunny Los Angeles.  As Creative Director at RGH Themed Entertainment, Nelson worked with a diverse team of artists across many disciplines, designing theme parks and attractions around the world.  

In 2014, Nelson discovered a passion uniting two of his favorite things - painting, and tropical beverages.  This led him to his most exciting works to date - the Huli Pau Glassware series - painted glassware featuring the beautiful waves of oceans from around the world. He's the guy who believes you deserve to live the life you've always wanted.  And he's gonna do everything he can to help get you there.

Notes from the show:

He didn't like the "drama" offstage of theatre. He went to work for Apple. He was invited to build a theme park in Los Angeles.

He opened an Etsy store.

Can Infringement on Etsy, Ebay, or CafePress be Considered "Fair Use?"

Helped by Amy Colella

Kim Bloomberg Designs

The One of a Kind Show

Winsor-Newton paintbrushes

Liquitex enames to be discontinued.

Gordon Firemark

Jason Fellerman Glass

Buck's Rock

Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss

1000 True Fans by Kevin Kelly

James Schramko's SuperFast Business

SoCal vs. Hawaii

Ocean City, NJ

A Crash Course on Taking on Centuries-Old Brands... and Succeeding

The Virgin Way by Richard Branson

Simon Sinek's TED talk

No, No, No, No, No, Yes. Insights From a Creative Journey: Motivation & Self-Improvement (Creative & Innovation series Book 1) by Gideon Amichay

etsy.com/nelsonmakesart

facebook.com/nelsonmakesart

instagram.com/nelsonmakesart

NelsonMakesArt.com

Bradley Broder is the founder and Executive Director of the Kenya Education Fund.

Bradley founded Kenya Education Fund as a means of supporting the children he befriended while serving in the US Peace Corps for two years (Kenya 1999-2001).   Bradley has over 17 years experience working with Kenya and speaks fluent Kiswahili.  His deep, personal connection with Kenya and knowledge of international development issues has led Bradley to focus KEF focus on keeping Kenyans in school to develop the country’s human capital and reduce dependency on foreign aid.  Brad holds a BA in Spanish from SUNY Stony Brook and an MA in Political Science from Western Washington University.   He lives in New York City with his wife and two sons.

The story of KEF weaves together the rich histories of three organizations,  the Kenya Education Fund (est. 2006), the Nomadic Kenyan Children’s Educational Fund (NKCEF, est. 2001) and the Children of Kibera Foundation (est. 2007).

KEF has over 20 years of collective experience working to promote education in Kenya.

KEF was started by former Peace Corps Volunteer, Bradley Broder and local community leader, Dominic Muasya, to keep kids in high school when their means did not allow. 

NKCEF was formed after a group of families from McLean, Virginia accompanied their children’s high school teacher, Hon. Joseph Lekuton, on a trip to his nomadic homeland in Northern Kenya where many of the children were not in school. NKCEF combined with KEF in 2011.

Children of Kibera Foundation was founded by Honorable Ken Okoth (Kibra) and provided hundreds of educational scholarships to primary, secondary and university students from Kibera –Africa’s largest slum. CoKF decided to join hands with KEF in 2013.

Notes from the show:

Brad founded the KEF in 2006.

The KEF gives scholarship to Kenyan high schools; you can sponsor a child for just $750 a year.

He was a Peace Corps volunteer in Loitoktok, Kenya from 1999-2001.

He was in Namibia when the towers came down.

When he returned to Kenya 3 years later, so many people had died from AIDS.

The KEF started with asking friends and family for money to send one girl and then five kids to school.

About Schmidt (2002), starring Jack Nicholson.

The KEF has helped thousands of kids get an education.

"The ask is sort of an art... asking is a sales pitch.

Barack Obama: "Fired up, ready to go" video

Salesforce.com gives 10 free licenses to non-profits

Chronicle of Philanthropy

The Art of the Ask - Connie Phieff

Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson

The Ask - Laura Fredericks

Ask. - Ryan Levesque

Essentialism - Greg McKeown

Chef Rossi, of the renowned Raging Skillet, is a master storyteller, and this episode doesn't disappoint. She is not your ordinary chef. She credits her success to everything from "kishka and grits" to marijuana munchies to the Hasidim in Crown Heights to foul-mouthed bar tending. Her stories are phenomenal, worthy of a Moth competition. Oh, and don't take my word for it: her cookbook (!)/memoir is being turned into a play and screenplay!

Rossi, yes, she only has one name -– has been a writer for many publications, such as The Daily News, The New York Post, Time Out New York and Mcsweeney's to name a few. She has been the food writer of the "Eat Me" column for Bust magazine since 1998, hosts her own hit radio show on WOMR and WFMR in Cape Cod called "Bite This," now in its twelfth season, has been featured on "The Food Network" and "NPR” and is a popular blogger for “The Huffington Post.”

As the owner and executive chef of "The Raging Skillet," a cutting-edge catering company known for breaking any and all rules, she has earned a reputation as the one to call when it's time to do something different.

The Raging Skillet has been called "a new breed of rebel anti-caterer" by The New York Times, "the wildest thing this side of the Mason Dixon line" by Zagat and has been named among The Knot’s Best Of Wedding Caterers for 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 2015 and now 2016. Having won six years in a row, The Raging Skillet is in The Knot’s Hall of Fame.

On November of 2015 Rossi’s first memoir; The Raging Skillet/The True Life Story of Chef Rossi was published from the Feminist Press to rave reviews.

From Kirkus - "A humorous and witty chronicle of a woman’s pulling-herself-up-by-her-bootstraps rise through the culinary ranks."

From Publisher’s Weekly: "With an insightful and irreverent voice, Rossi’s debut is well suited for foodies, feminists, and creative revolutionaries."

Rossi’s motto is simple; "molds are a delicious thing to break!”

Notes from the show:

As a child, she always thought she would end up as President of the US. Then she thought she would end up an artist. She has always had a problem with authority and considers herself completely unemployable.

Her parents bought swampland in Panama City, Florida (the "Redneck Riviera"), diet of "kishka and grits."

At 13, her mother got a microwave and that was the end of home-cooked meals.

She discovered marijuana, made stoner food.

At 16, she ran away from home. Her parents drove her to Hasidic Crown Heights... "like being dropped off on Mars with matzoh balls."

She explored different cuisines based on the ethnicity of women she dated.

She hired a sous chef who was so good, should have been the chef.

She cooked for 10 years before going solo.

"The Raging Skillet" came to her like a light bulb.

Doing V-Day for The Vagina Monologues led to her listing in

Celebrities love to be treated like everyone else, and she likes to treat everyday people like celebrities.

She is most comfortable with 150-200 people.

She did not like working in restaurants: too high stress yet boring. She lived for the daily specials.

Her goal is to delegate more and have more fun.

By working for others, she learned what not to do.

She has a "Zen kitchen." No yelling allowed.

"Gordon [Ramsey], there's no way people aren't spitting in the food."

She turns down competition shows.

"Why One Neuroscientist Started Blasting His Core" - The Atlantic

Like Water for Chocolate

Stay super-organized. Never let things accumulate.

The food processor: "mi esposa."

The play based on her book is written by Jacques Lamarre.

Advice: go work for as many different types of kitchens.

She loves The White Trash Cookbook.

Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson is the Voice of the Greatest Show on Earth. He began performing at age 11 with the world-famous Boys Choir of Harlem. For seven years, he was intensely trained in all forms of music including classical, jazz, hip hop and gospel. Johnathan experienced a string of unforgettable, inspiring moments as a member of the Boys Choir, which included being awarded the lead tenor role for the choir, singing at the intermission for Luciano Pavarotti's Concert in Central Park, performing in a live show on Broadway for two weeks and winning second place in the Lena Horne Vocal Jazz Scholarship.

Johnathan graduated from the University of Hartford's Hartt School in May 1998 with a degree in voice performance, and shortly after his graduation, Johnathan was invited to begin his professional entertainment career with the 129th Edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®. Johnathan couldn’t refuse the offer and felt his prominent role in the show was an unbelievable dream come true.

Johnathan toured with Ringling Bros.® all around the United States, and his charismatic charm and incredible voice caught the eye of Barbara Walters, who within a year of his first tour named him one of the ten most fascinating people in 1999. Johnathan’s historical tenure with The Greatest Show On Earth is featured in numerous publications, including: the New York Daily News, the Huffington Post,  Black First: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events by Jessie Carney Smith, African-American First by Joan Potter, Live Life! Be Young, Black, and Successful by Quincy Benton, and Beat of a Different Drum: The Untold Stories of African-Americans Forging Their Own Paths in Work and Life by Dax-Devlon Ross.

Notes from the Show:

He was a nominal fan of the Greatest Show on Earth (Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus) as a boy.

His favorite act was Globe of Death/Globe of Steel

He studied to be an opera singer. He planned to move to Europe to launch his opera career.

He auditioned for the Fireside Dinner Theatre in Wisconsin, which was directed by the director of Ringling Bros.

He loved being around the late great Gunther Gebel-Williams.

He credits the Boys Choir of Harlem for his commitment to excellence.

He saw Placido Domingo in Tokyo when he was with the Choir, and at 13 years old, knew he had to become an opera singer.

He credits Dr. Walter J. Turnbull for so much of his success. "You have to walk boys to manhood."

He went to Fiorello LaGuardia High School.

Tyranny always targets artists and intellectuals.

"Believe me, when you're 40 feet up in the air, about to turn a triple somersault, you could care less if your catcher is black, white, gay, straight, speaks English, whatever."

"The Mongolian father has the same concerns for his kids as I do mine. The Chinese guy over there is just as romantic or he's vying for that woman's attention like I would have when I was single. We all have these same types of things. It's really fascinating. I think the arts open the gateway to our common humanity."

A check for the ego: the animals are the reason people come to the circus.

The circus is a singer's nightmare.

His first year was vocally traumatic. Working in the circus is a "learn-on-the-job thing."

Frank Sinatra was so much better after Ava Gardner.

Mortality is what distinguishes his colleagues from him.

The band is the hardest working band in show business.

"You can't phone it in in the circus. You have to be focused."

He puts Vaseline on his teeth and a lozenge under his tongue to have moisture in his mouth.

"I continue to be a student of my voice."

"I've never trained with an academic. Ever. I don't trust someone who's just learned it from a book. They don't know anything. People who've gone out and done it can teach it."

"It's a hard life to be a performer of any kind."

His wife is his boss.

"I consider myself the wealthiest man in show business."

Early in his career, it was all about self-promotion. But having wife and kids has changed his perspective. "How do I give?"

"The noblest art is that of making others happy." - P.T. Barnum

If you're a performer, be grateful.

Twitter: @Bigtopvoice

Recommends the documentary "The Last Great Circus Flyer"

"How I Broke Into" is now on iHeartRadio! Also, iTunes, Spotify, TuneIn, and Stitcher. Please subscribe!

Adam Moskowitz is the wunderkind President of Larkin Cold Storage and Columbia Cheese, and he founded the Cheesemonger Invitational, an in-demand twice-a-year event that is considered the Olympics of cheese skills, an celebrates what are to cheese what sommeliers are to wine. The profits from the CMI, which Adam hosts as his alter-ego, "Mr. Moo," go towards The Barnyard Collective, an organization devoted to food education. Adam was responsible for the introduction of Challerhocker cheese to the U.S., just as his father was responsible for the introduction of cave-aged Gruyere to the U.S. But Adam bought out his own father's business long after Adam had pursued other entrepreneurial and artistic endeavors, and, in a decade Adam has grown various multi-million dollar revenue streams by focusing on "small ponds," "big trees," and "not chasing butterflies." He has been featured in the cover story of Cheese Connoisseur Magazine and has appeared as a judge and expert on the Food Network.

Notes from the show:

"New York's Prince of Cheese" - Politico

His grandfather was one of the first importers of cheese in New York. His father started up Larkin Cold Storage. Adam took over 10 years ago.

Adam considers himself a cheerleader.

Adam has always been entrepreneurial; in college, he launched a valet company, and sold pot.

In his early 20s, Adam worked for Yahoo, and earned a lot of money.

Adam used his earnings from Yahoo to launch his rap career as The Beat Poet.

His father saw an entrepreneur, even more than an artist, when he saw Adam at CBGB.

Adam worked at Essex Food Market to develop skills.

"Cheese is the perfect food."

He loves connecting to the land, to the animals, to families.

"I made a conscious decision early on to make choices that would lead me not to have regret."

He has 5x earnings in 10 years.

He loves helping people: artisans, cheesemongers, connect supply chain, employees.

"All life experiences are cumulative."

"I'm not going to regret that decision. I am simply going to make another decision."

Still uses pen and paper for inventory.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

The conundrum of the perfectionist.

Adam fires toxic customers.

The Importance of Being Dirty: Lessons from Mike Rowe

The Complete Counselor webinar on work-life balance: uncrossable lines.

"Food is the great equalizer. Food has no social class. A great piece of meat tastes the same--amazing--whether you're rich or poor."

Life's Too Short for Miller Lite

"I'm a mission-driven entrepreneur."

Flavor: taste, aroma, trigeminal stimulation.

He owns Larkin Cold Storage, Columbia Cheese, and the Cheesemonger Invitational.

Becoming a father reset Adam's notions of success.

Kids don't follow the entrepreneur's playbook.

"The return is giving."

On the horizon: curriculum and lexicon, empowering people with words.

Adam is interested in content creation.

Latest favorite cheese: Wrangeback from Sweden.

Favorite bubbly: Cremant du Jura.

Beer: Fat Tire Amber Ale

Meats: Olympia Provisions, Herb Eckhouse Prosciutto, Smoking Goose

Olympia Provisions is an example of an excellent product being more important than its name.

"Let go of your food fear."

Michael Prywes is Managing Attorney of Prywes, PC. For more information, visit www.NewYorkStartUpAttorneys.com

Amy Ignatow is a writer and illustrator living in Philadelphia with her family. After graduating from Moore College of Art and Design she worked as a freelance illustrator, a stationery designer, an air-brush face and body painter, an art teacher, an SAT prep instructor, a reporter, a wedding singer, and a florist. Amy was not very good at working for other people. Or with other people.  Or around other people. Now she happily works in a studio by herself. She is the author and illustrator of the critically acclaimed middle grade POPULARITY PAPERS series as well as the upcoming ODDS series. The first ODDS book, THE MIGHTY ODDS, debuts in September 2016. In her spare time Amy enjoys knitting, peeling oranges, yelling, and absurdity. She is a relatively good driver.

As an aside, she is pretty hilarious.

Notes from the show:

She loves it when boys read her book.

Each page is hand draw and handwritten, unlike "Diary of a Wimpy Kid."

Amy has different handwritings for herself under different circumstances.

She was working gig jobs, including teaching, but they weren't her passion.

Shel Silverstein - The Devil and Billy Markham

'Ig City" - weekly web comic

An agent on Craigslist sought clients, didn't like her web comics.

She sent the site of the comics to the guy who ultimately became her agent. The agent told her she needed a story. He suggested writing for kids.

When they started sending out queries for Popularity Papers, 75 pages were sent out. She kept getting rejections, and then Random House made an offer. They leveraged that offer to get more offers.

"Amy, you're the writer. You get to wear anything you want."

Went with "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" imprint Abrams Books/Amulet.

Scholastic's office was awesome but they didn't offer enough money.

"You have to gauge: who am I most comfortable with? Who do I want to work with?"

Her agent gave her a huge packet titles, "Now You Have a Book Deal."

She went to Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia. She learned how to take criticism there.

"As an artist, you have to get really used to rejection. And get used to defending your work and get used to taking criticism to make you and your work better."

Long Island High School for the Arts

Illustrators are hilarious.

Jim Henson was a big influence.

Sesame Street Old School

Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens

Canson All-Media Paper

Dyslexic kids like the handwriting in her book series.

Her new book has four main characters in a Lancaster, PA setting, based on Lititz, PA.

"A Better Place to Be" - Harry Chapin's Greatest Stories Live

She will be part of an anthology of stories called "Funny Girl."

She played Pictionary with Daniel Handler.

Farscape

Buck's Rock Camp

Interview with Charlie McWade

Dan Rothenberg at Pig Iron Theatre

Agent: "You are being a little too kind to your characters."

"Put the work out there. Even if you're afraid, you have to be fearless."

Twitter: https://twitter.com/amyignatow Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amyignatowauthor/

For most of my life, I was a night owl. Starting a little more than 5 years ago, I went through a series of transformations to better my life, and one of my greatest and most difficult transformations was going from a night owl to an early bird. When people heard what I was doing, many told me about this amazing book, The Miracle Morning, widely regarded as “one of the most life-changing books ever written”. I read it (and listened to the audio book), and I was inspired. When I started up my podcast, "How I Broke Into," Hal Elrod was on the short list of people I just had to interview.

What’s even more incredible is that Hal actually died at age 20. He was hit head on by a drunk driver at 70 mph, broke 11 bones, died for 6 minutes, and spent 6 days in a coma only to wake up to face the news that he may never walk again... Not only did Hal walk, he went on to run a 52-mile ultra marathon, become a hall of fame business achiever, an international keynote speaker, one of the world’s top success coaches, he’s a hip-hop recording artist, has been featured in the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series, writes for Entrepreneur.com, has appeared on radio and TV shows across the country, and the list just goes on and on. Robert Kiyosaki, author of the all-time bestselling book, Rich Dad Poor Dad, said the following about Hal: “Hal Elrod is a genius and his book The Miracle Morning has been magical in my life. As my rich dad often said, ‘I can always make another dollar, but I cannot make another day.’ If you want to maximize every day of your life, read The Miracle Morning.'”

Notes from the show:

The Miracle Morning really changes lives: "What do you want to change in your life right now?"

At 19, Hal started in sales. He didn't know how to sell, but was enthusiastic and knew how to work hard.

At 20, Hal was hit by a drunk driver, and was told he would never walk again. He thinks it was one of the best things to ever happen to him. He chose to be grateful for what he had.

2 weeks after the crash, doctors were concerned that Hal was having delusions and was in denial. He was always telling jokes, smiling. He told his Dad, "I love my life by the five minute rule... It's okay to be negative when things go wrong. But not for more than 5 minutes."

"Everything happens for a reason, but I think we have to choose the reason."

"We can take an adversity... if we learn and grow from it, it becomes an advantage."

Cutco is a microcosm for life: "It's not about knives. It's about who we're becoming."

"For anything we do in life, it's who we're becoming that's more important than what we're doing. Yet, the interesting thing is that what we're doing determineswho we're becoming."

If it weren't for his mentor Jesse Levine, Hal would have quit Cutco on the very first day.

Before Cutco, Hal had never heard the terms "personal development" or "positive thinking."

You need to lead by example. You can't force people to change. He pushed healthy eating and the Miracle Morning practice on his wife, and she turned off. But when he stopped pushing, she responded.

It's important to ask a lot of questions.

He recommends Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday.

Started doing The Miracle Morning practice with 1 other person, his client Katie, and realized that if it could change two people's lives, it could change a whole lot more.

The book has been translated into 20 languages, but he still is surprised by its massive successful.

He believes the success of the book lies in distilling the 6 most powerful practices in personal development, which can be applied in every arena.

The Miracle Morning for Parents and Families is coming out in the fall of 2016.

The Happiness Advantage - Shawn Anchor

Happy for No Reason - Marci Shimoff

5 Minute Journal App

People have said they've gotten off of depression medication within weeks of the Miracle Morning practice.

The Optimistic Child - Martin Seligman

To be physically fit, you have to work at it. Why would emotional well-being be any different?

Hal believes in trying to exhaust other possibilities before anti-depressants. He knows someone who stopped chemo and went on a raw vegan diet, and hasn't had cancer since.

Socrates said, "Let thy medicine be thy food."

Make changes now that will allow you to live longer.

OmVana App

7 Minute Workout App - 30 seconds of exercise

Blinkist App

Hal's program is Best Year Ever.

Live program is in San Diego in December: http://bestyeareverlive.com/

Hal's web site portal: http://halelrod.com/

Hal's Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MyTMMCommunity/

I Am Not Your Guru with Tony Robbins