When a cryptic op-ed appeared in The New York Times, it set off a frenzy in US politics. The writer, an anonymous senior official in the White House, criticized the President for whom they served as amoral. With his interest piqued, co-host Dan Bloom decided to do a little online sleuthing. Although the writer's identity remains unknown, there was one key clue that led to Dan's guess. Vice President Mike Pence happens to use an unusual word conspicuously often that also appears in the op-ed: "LODESTAR," defined as “a star that is used to guide the course of a ship.” Just two days later, while basking in the viral notoriety of his hypothesis, Dan was surprised to find his own vocational lodestar suddenly go dark when he was laid off. Luckily, a new, and exciting project quickly materialized, which in turn led to an invitation to the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism conference (ARIJ18) in Jordan. When David Ross left a steady office job to find his own lodestar in more creative work, he could never have anticipated the emotional peaks and valleys he would come to traverse. Along this path, David developed resilience, resolve, and tangible skills like the art of booking talent. David is now using this unique skill set to manage musicians and other acts with his company “Forest and Farms.” DJ/Producer wunderkind Dreamcast (http://soundcloud.com/burymeinamink), indie rock band Ladygod (http://soundcloud.com/ladygodftw), and NBA legend Rod Strickland all make appearances in David’s story, which illuminates the invaluable lessons of “consistent persistence,” self-discovery, and transformative reinvention.
One of David’s aforementioned acts, Ladygod, is playing a show at Washington DC’s Songbyrd Music House on Wednesday, January 9th, 2019. Come hang with the maDCap boys at this complimentary ($7 suggested donation) soiree. Find more information and RSVP here: https://www.songbyrddc.com/shows/2019-01-09-ladygod
2018 heroes: Robert Mueller III and Michelle Obama
Podcast recommendations: "Bag Man" and "Slow Burn"
Next week, we present a no-holds-barred conversation about mental health, starting with our own.
Intro music: “Gum Gum” by Hailu Mariga (http://soundcloud.com/hailumergia)
Ending music: “Burn Baby Burn” by Ladygod (http://soundcloud.com/ladygodftw)
Rod Strickland's podcast, "Strictly Speaking": https://theshadowleague.com/strictly-speaking-live-chris-mullin/
