Intrinsic Drive®

Hard times threaten resolve; when every ounce of energy is depleted, flatlining – of mind, body, and spirit - occurs.  In this depleted state one often reverts to old, restrictive patterns of behavior – well worn habits that no longer serve, but reemerge in times of difficulty.  During these times a spring cleaning is necessary, lightening our load for the long road ahead—decerning what to let go and what to hold close. Finding myself deep in the mire of this phenomena, the well-spring of knowledge imparted by this season’s guests could not have been better timed.  What stood out for me was a range of messages - from the value of settling into uncertainty to the fuel provided from dedication to a creative endeavor.
Rails-To-Trails president Ryan Chao teaches us the power of distilling our skills and refining our purpose to discern the essential.

Sports Psychology and Performance trailblazer, Dr. Jim Loehr illustrates the impact of character, cautioning of the limitations of results orientation, reminding us it’s really who we become in the pursuit that matters. 

Accepting her calling as advocate for victims of abuse, human trafficking, and exploitation Haejin Shim Fujimura leverages her Shim and Associates law practice and Embers International foundation, turning her own brokenness into light shining through the fissures. 

Barbara and Lili Anel, twins who’ve taken divergent paths to follow their musical dreams, remind us of the alchemy of gratitude, and the gift of staying in the moment. 

Lynn R. Miller, painter, farmer, horseman, and founder of Small Farmer’s Journal, illustrates the importance in the protection of early “thrills and enchantments.” Forty-eight years later Lynn continues to follow his passions - painting, animal powered agriculture, writing, and living a “human scale manual transmission” life on his remote Oregon ranch.

With over 160 platinum albums, two Grammys, and over 40 years of mentoring some of the greatest recording artists of our time, Robert Cutarella finds joy along the long road to mastery. Robert warns of the trappings of the world, reminding us to redefine success, teaching us to exchange shortcuts, quick fixes, and materialism for honesty. 

Actress and Horticulturist Kathleen O’ Grady, finds satisfaction in her cultivation of “sister passions”; acting and landscape design, teaching us valuable lessons from the gift of good work and the value of effort; things that no one can take away.  

Over the span of 43 years Dr. Maitland Jones, published 225 research papers, and fostered landmark discoveries while at “Jones Alley”, the Princeton lab affectionately bearing his name. One of his five books, Organic Chemistry (WW.Norton 2014),is the gold standard for chemistry studies around the globe. Professor Jones supplies the chalk for a blackboard instruction on his unwavering commitment to problem solving. 

I hope the stories, messages, and insights of this season’s guests sharpen your tools, providing necessary provisions for your own journey.I look forward to sharing more stories with you on the next season of Intrinsic Drive®

Maitland Jones Jr. wanted to be tennis player. At thirteen he attempted to enlist his parents into chauffeuring him around the east coast junior tennis circuit, to which they replied, “get a job kid.” That summer Maitland’s first job was bottle washer and gofer for chemistry giants Laurence H. Knox and William von Eggers Doering, at their Hickrill Chemical Research laboratory in Katonah New York. 

Complex chemistry equations that were once meaningless scribbles on the laboratory blackboard began to make sense over the next five to six years. Maitland enrolled at Yale to study chemistry, following his formative mentors Knox and Doering, where he journeyed deeper into his craft during a postdoctoral year with his famous teachers and followed with a second year at the University of Wisconsin under the guidance of Dr. Jerry Berson. 

Over the span of 43 years Maitland collaborated with undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral and visiting fellows to write 225 published papers and books while at “Jones Alley,” the Princeton Lab where they explored and discovered reactive intermediates including carbenes, quantum molecular reactions, carboranes, and heterocycles—with a focus on “how electrons talked to each other.” 

During his teaching career Maitland experimented with the elimination of large lecture “talking head” style teaching, breaking students into small groups, providing an environment of problem solving, and fostering scientific discovery through the exploration and distillation of disparate information.

Professor Jones is the author of five books including, Organic Chemistry, (2014) published by W.W Norton, now in its fifth edition-- the prominent textbook taught to students across the globe. Today Maitland is following a parallel passion sparked during a performance by jazz innovator, the incomparable-- Thelonious Monk, at the NYC’s Five Spot jazz club in 1957. Maitland is a regular in New York’s jazz scene, and hosts Jazz Nights featuring evenings of great music at his home in New Jersey.  He co-produced Monk’s Dreams: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Sphere Monk, available on both compact disc and digital download. It’s our extreme pleasure to welcome Dr. Maitland “Mait” Jones Jr. to this episode of Intrinsic Drive®.

Intrinsic Drive ®  is produced by Ellen Strickler and Phil Wharton and Andrew Hollingworth  is sound editor and engineer.


Created for human beings by human beings.  NO GENERATIVE AI USE ALLOWED.

 Photo: Kathleen O'Grady (L) Faith Imaafiion (R) Theatre of Note's production of Fruition 2019


A lifelong actor, Kathleen O’Grady’s earliest memory of her life’s work finds her riding with her siblings around Los Angeles, in the back of her mother’s car—driving to the next audition. Growing up in the town of Reseda -  named for the mignonette a fragrant plant found in the gardens of the San Fernando Valley - her parents moved north to the Bay area where team soccer and volleyball replaced limited theatrical opportunity.

Chicago’s robust theater community called this aspiring performer to enroll in DePaul’s Theater School, formerly The Goodman School, where she studied under legendary thespian mentors Dr. Bella Itkin, and Joe Slovick. After graduation Kathleen catapulted from commercials, created her own theater company, and performed with Steppenwolf, the theater company which launched the careers of Joan Allen, John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf, and Martha Plimpton. 

Inspired by love, a move to New York found Kathleen exploring every aspect of her craft from guest starring roles in Murder in the First, Law & Order,  Off Broadway productions, and more commercials. A pivot arrived while finding a natural proclivity for landscape design while working in her garden.  Following a new passion, she studied landscape design and horticulture at Columbia University, where she earned her master’s degree.  

Kathleen follows sister passions of acting, producing, landscape design integrating native plants, beneficial insects, soil regeneration, restorative permaculture, and land stewardship. This master artist and designer can be found at Theatre of Note, and Gregory Davis & Associates Landscape Design. It was such a thrill to catch up and host Kathleen on this episode of Intrinsic Drive ® .
 

Intrinsic Drive ®  is produced by Ellen Strickler and Phil Wharton and Andrew Hollingworth  is sound editor and engineer.

Robert Cutarella spent most of his childhood evenings burrowed under his pillows, a transistor radio speaker in his ear listening to the Dick Clark Show and other famous deejays. A passion for rhythm emerged during drumming sessions with wooden spoons borrowed from his aunt. At nine years-old Robert’s parents took him to see drum icon Gene Krupa at the Metropole Club in midtown Manhattan. Krupa’s physicality and deep passion for his craft made a lasting impression on this soon to be music industry giant. 

Bob had visions of owning his own company and following a career in the music industry. Robert developed an ear for rhythm, melody, and song structure through growing up in the rhythm and blues era, he earned the opportunity to play with “Do Wop” greats the Shirelle’s, Dion and the Belmont’s, among others. 

Robert then took a side road, he fell in love eventually marrying his childhood sweetheart, became a teacher, owned an antique store, sold clothes on the weekend, and played music at night. Music was pulling him to go all in, he accepted an ultimatum from his wife to make it in the music business within a year. Ten months later, Robert recorded his first album. 

We learn of Robert’s devastating losses, heartbreaks, and betrayals, and priceless wisdom gained. Robert recalls humble beginnings, meeting clients at his first office at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, returning calls on the New York City Public Library’s phone booth.   

During the last 40 years, this music producing mastermind has produced over 3,000 songs, 160 plus platinum records, including two Grammy awards, for the Les Paul and Friends Tribute Album. Robert discovered and launched careers for some of the most prolific performers of all time including, legendary blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughn, and pop singing megastar Celine Dion.

This behind-the-scenes hit making genius has guided current recording giants John Legend and Lady Gaga through his songwriting mentorship programs. We are anxiously awaiting Robert’s new book Mentor, we hope you glean valuable insight, and enjoy meeting this music industry superstar on this episode of Intrinsic Drive ® .

Intrinsic Drive ® is produced by Ellen Strickler and Phil Wharton and Andrew Hollingworth  is sound editor and engineer.

Robert Cutarella artist bio and timeline:

Robert began his career in the music industry as a producer and performer. He was employed by many major labels and performed with a variety of recording artists ranging from Joe Williams to Bruce Springsteen.  Here's a list of some of those artists;
Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson, Sheena Easton, Air Supply, Melissa Manchester, Whitney Houston, Michael Henderson, Diana Ross, Deborah Allen, Dolly Parton, The Police, Elton John, REM, Culture Club, The Human League, ABC, Linda Ronstadt, and Frank Sinatra, Hall & Oates,The Bee Gees to Sammy Cahn, Benny Benjamin, Jule Styne,
Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Metallica, Raven, Gino Vannelli, Vanessa Williams, Patrick Simmons, Basia and others.

Host note--If you are still listening at the 1:13:06 mark. I say "centurions" while meaning to say "centenarians", a mistake that you may find hilarious.

Lynn R. Miller is a painter, farmer, horseman, and writer. Odd jobs ranging from commercial fisherman, logger, sawyer, farmer, workhorse teamster, lecturer, and cattle rancher, supported him through college. Over the past 40 years, Lynn has become a world-renowned authority in the fields of alternative farming and animal powered agriculture. 

In 1976 with the encouragement of his father’s suggestion to “grow a crop of literature”, to assist the fledging small farmer, he founded the Small Farmer’s Journal, an international agrarian quarterly which functions to this day as cornerstone empowering a worldwide readership. For SFJ’s entire 48 year history Lynn has manually stewarded this living alternative preservationist publication, now in it’s 188th edition. 

We learn of Lynn’s early enchantment with painting, and self-described “genetic memory”, leading him to follow a manual transmission life integrating his passions rooted in “shared work”, and restorative land cultivation. 

Mr. Miller is author to over twenty books (poetry, fiction, and nonfiction), including the best-selling, Workhorse Handbook, now in its second edition, and his current release Roots in a Lovely Filth,  He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Ranch and Reata, and Western Horseman.

 Lynn has lectured across North America and keynote speaker for farm conferences, and universities. He was awarded the Steward of Sustainable Agriculture, at the 1999 Eco Farm Conference, The Garfield Award for The Preservation of Rural Technologies, Award for Distinguished Service from the Missouri House of Representatives, and the Utne Reader Award for Environmental Reporting. 

His artworks are in private and public collections across the country. It’s my pleasure, privilege, and honor to welcome my friend Lynn R. Miller to this episode of Intrinsic Drive ® .

Intrinsic Drive ®  is produced by Ellen Strickler and Phil Wharton and Andrew Hollingworth  is sound editor and engineer.

Photo Credit: Kristi Gilman-Miller

Lynn R. Miller is a painter, farmer, horseman, and writer. Odd jobs ranging from commercial fisherman, logger, sawyer, farmer, workhorse teamster, lecturer, and cattle rancher, supported him through college. Over the past 40 years, Lynn has become a world-renowned authority in the fields of alternative farming and animal powered agriculture. 

In 1976, with the encouragement of his father to “grow a crop of literature” to assist the fledgling small farmer, he founded the Small Farmer’s Journal, an international agrarian quarterly which functions to this day as a cornerstone empowering a worldwide readership. For Small Farmer's Journal's  entire 48 year history Lynn has manually stewarded this living alternative preservationist publication, now in it’s 188th edition. 

We learn of Lynn’s early enchantment with painting, followed by a self-described “genetic memory”, leading him to follow a manual transmission life integrating his passions rooted in “shared work”, and restorative land cultivation. 

Mr. Miller is author to over twenty books (poetry, fiction, and nonfiction), including the best-selling, Workhorse Handbook, now in its second edition, and his current release Roots in a Lovely Filth, He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Ranch and Reata, and Western Horseman.

 Lynn has lectured across North America and keynote speaker for farm conferences, and universities. He was awarded the Steward of Sustainable Agriculture, at the 1999 Eco Farm Conference, The Garfield Award for The Preservation of Rural Technologies, Award for Distinguished Service from the Missouri House of Representatives, and the Utne Reader Award for Environmental Reporting. 

His artworks are in private and public collections across the country. It’s my pleasure, privilege, and honor to welcome my friend Lynn R. Miller to this episode of Intrinsic Drive®.

Intrinsic Drive® is produced by Ellen Strickler and Phil Wharton and Andrew Hollingworth  is sound editor and engineer.

Photo Credit: Kristi Gilman-Miller

Music Intro: "Another Place, Another Time."--Performed by Lily Anel in collaboration with Barbara Anel.
Music Outro: "Estey's Theme."--written and performed by Barbara Anel.
Photo Provided by :  Lili Anel  


Growing up in a Harlem tenement perched above a record store, the Anel Sisters spent their Saturday “cleaning days” listening to albums and 45’s bought from their chore allowance. Barbara and Lili developed an early love of music from their mother, who exposed them to eclectic playlists’ ranging from Afro-Cuban jazz, Sarah Vaughn, Tchaikovsky, to Dizzy Gillespie. 

A trip to see “The Sound of Music”, inspired Barbara to transpose music from the film on the piano. The twins were encouraged by their grandparents to follow their own artistic paths, Barbara was gifted her first piano, from her grandmother. Lili’s grandfather gave her a white toy guitar; dressed to the nines he with would sneak into Mass to hear her sing in choir, a voice he could hear above the others. 

The sisters took divergent paths. After studying at the Eddie Simon Guitar school and the Shelia Jordan workshop, Lili jumped headfirst into the Greenwich Village music scene and went on to record the first of her nine albums. Barbara graduated with honors from C.C.N.Y with a degree in music and , after seeing the devastating realities from her sisters struggles in the music industry, she chose a career in law enforcement allowing her to compose and create music on her own terms. 

 Join these master composers, songwriters, and performers as they share their lives, adversities, and challenges overcome, with heart, laughter, and graceful honesty. It is my pleasure to welcome Barbara and Lili Anel to this episode of Intrinsic Drive  ® .

Lili has recorded eight albums including,  “Laughed Last”, “High-Octane Coffee”, “Dream Again”, “Every Second in Between”, “I Can See Bliss From Here”, “Another Place, Another Time”, “Better Days”, and “Better Days Remastered”. She co-wrote the song “Lovers Leap” for the upcoming play “Folk City: The Musical.” Her song “Dream Again” was featured in “The Center of Distance”, Rock Wilk’s independent film which won the 2022 Venice Film Festival. 

In addition to headlining US tours, she has performed alongside music legends B.B King, Cassandra Wilson, Michael Franks, Boz Scaggs, Richie Havens, and Robert Cray to name a few. For videos and upcoming shows visit www.lilianel.org . 

Barbara composed and collaborated with her sister on various songs including, “The Wrong Time”, and “Another Place, Another Time”, which appeared on the “Better Days Remastered” album. Her recent compositions and film collaboration with Rock Wilk on his “Stories in 4k”, and upcoming film, "This Is The End for Me". Samples of Barbara's scores can be found on her www.pianolandscapes4film.com website. 

Intrinsic Drive ®  is produced by Ellen Strickler and Phil Wharton and Andrew Hollingworth  is sound editor and engineer.

Haejin Shim Fujimura describes her college years as rebellious. While searching for her life purpose she received a calling to raise funds and attend World Vision’s® 30 Hour Famine retreat. Haejin witnessed horrific images from the civil war in Sierra Leone, which left fifty thousand dead over eleven years. She wanted to help those terrorized, vulnerable and left behind. After college Haejin pursued her calling to become an advocate for the abused, enslaved, and those born into human trafficking. 

Throughout law school Haejin’s intense, focused, and unwavering personality gave her the resolve to intern with the International Justice Mission. Haejin shared her lowest moment after she was betrayed, stolen from, and assaulted; this soon to be generational steward of justice was completely shattered. She then embarked on a journey of healing and forgiveness. 

During Haejin’s first trip to India, she met children born into brothels, now she had the experience as a legal justice advocate to help. In 2018 Haejin with partners Nelli Kim, and Briana Johnson founded Embers International, to protect, restore, and empower victims of injustice with the goal of ending intergenerational exploitation, and prevent human trafficking.

Haejin started her law firm Shim and Associates in 2012, with the intension of leveraging the law to mend broken relationships, uphold core values, and provide a space for attorneys to express their true gifts, and be supported with a work, rest, life balance. I hope you enjoy this inspirational message from this fearless advocate fighting for human justice. We are thrilled and honored to welcome Haejin to this episode of Intrinsic Drive ® . 

Ms. Shim has extensive experience litigating various civil lawsuits in both federal and state courts.  She has represented e-commerce, software, manufacturing, insurance, real estate, hotel, restaurant, franchise, art management, design, beauty, automobile, and transportation companies, nonprofit organizations, and individuals in matters involving commercial litigation, breach of contract, partnership dispute, directors’ and officers’ liability, breach of duty, personal injury, subrogation, business formation, governance, and trademark. Her clients range from start-ups to publicly traded companies to nonprofit organizations.

Ms. Shim is actively involved in the legal industry and the local community.  She has served on the Board of Directors of Embers International, Restore NYC, Goldenwood, Open Hands Legal Services, Inc., The Father's Heart Ministries, and Center for Public Justice.  Ms. Shim is a frequent speaker at various community and legal organizations to encourage the youth and to promote professionalism. 

Notably, Ms. Shim was a keynote speaker and lecturer of U.S. nonprofit law at the 2015 International Charity Conference, hosted by South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare, National Council of NPOs Korea, and the National Assembly Forum on Advanced Culture of Philanthropy. Ms. Shim holds a B.A, from Barnard College at Columbia University, and J.D from the Brooklyn Law School.

Intrinsic Drive ®  is produced by Ellen Strickler and Phil Wharton and Andrew Hollingworth  is sound editor and engineer.

Dr. Jim Loehr has authored 19 books including, New York Times bestseller, The Power of Full Engagement, and his recent works, Wise Decisions, and Sapiens Reinvented.

Before embarking on his quest to merge sports psychology, research, and technology, the field of human performance didn’t exist. To fill this industry void, he created and co-founded the first ever Human Performance Institute, where he set the global standard. 

Over a thirty-year span hundreds of world-class performers of sport, business, medicine, and Fortune 500 executives, trained at his state- of- the- art Florida facility. During his tenure at the institute, 400 thousand clients, teams, and organizations learned the practical adaptation of his breakthrough methods. 

From professional tennis, golf, basketball, race car drivers, football, boxing, hockey, and Olympic athletes---to organizations and people seeking to live their best lives. Jim Loehr is the pioneer in the development of training programs designed to integrate the science of energy management to improve productivity and fulfillment in business, sport, medicine, and law enforcement, creating sustainable peak performance. 

Dr. Loehr has been featured in national publications including, The Harvard Business Review, Business Week, Newsweek, Time, and US News and World Report. He has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, The CBS Evening News, and ABC’s Nightline.

This lifelong learner is showing no signs of slowing down after retiring his position as chairman and CEO of the Human Performance Institute. This sport performance trailblazer holds both masters and doctorate degrees in psychology. We are honored to welcome this gracious icon to this episode of Intrinsic Drive®.

Intrinsic Drive® is produced by Ellen Strickler and Phil Wharton and Andrew Hollingworth  is sound editor and engineer.

Photo Credit: Patrick Loehr

Urban trail access began as a young boy for Ryan Chao; growing up in Portland, Oregon, skiing, fishing, and cycling were a way of life. After architecture school, he mentored with a talented group of visionaries at the Bryant Park Revitalization Project, where he discovered his love for “people over buildings,” turning New York City’s most dangerous park into a global model for urban greenspace renewal. 

In 2019, Ryan was elected president of the Rails To Trails Conservancy (RTC), where he oversees national leadership in trail development, policy advocacy, and movement building. Other positions as vice president of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, where he transformed neighborhoods, and developed affordable housing as director of the San Francisco Bay Satellite Housing, prepared Ryan for his current role. 

Ryan and his team at RTC have raised over 20 billion dollars in federal funding, including 850 million in 2021 alone, more than doubling federal funding for walking and biking trails. Current projects include The Great American Rail-Trail, a 3,700-mile cross country route, 8 of 12 states along the route have introduced new trail segments since 2019.

Ryan and his RTC team have created Traillink.com, a free online trail access app—which became an essential resource for 10.5 million users in 2021. RTC’s mission is to create a nation where trails connect everyone, everywhere. We are excited to welcome this champion of environmental sustainability, community revitalization, and promoter of health and wellness to this episode of Intrinsic Drive®.

 Intrinsic Drive®  is produced by Ellen Strickler and Phil Wharton and Andrew Hollingworth  is sound editor and engineer.