Passion Pod

Jake LaCoste is a Wisconsin based Rap/Hip Hop artist with his own brand Throttle Clan. He grew up in my hometown of Eau Claire, WI. He started rapping at a young age, but unfortunately also started abusing drugs at a young age too. His journey has been full of ups and downs. He's always made music, but stayed a struggling artist for a very long time due to his struggles with addiction. After going sober several years ago his path has completely changed. Now an advocate for sobriety, healthy values, fitness, family, and chasing your dreams his music has changed along with it. It's time he became the role model for his kids and fans the way he always wanted to me. Tune in and hear an inspiring story of redemption. It's never too late to get your life on track and start chasing your dreams...

Fuller Moe is a Chippewa Falls native that attended college at UWEC in my hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He is a designer and educator that has worked with countless household names in the music industry including Childish Gambino, Snoop Dogg, Paul McCartney, Miley Cyrus, and more. He grew up heavily into the music scene playing in bands and designing tees. While still in college he had already started designing for big name bands including Paramore and New Found Glory. Realizing he was already doing the job he was going to school for, he dropped out and moved down to Florida to take a full time design job. For years he grew his skill set and worked with larger and larger names before eventually going solo. A lot has happened during his journey and his stories are worth hearing that's for sure. Tune in and hear us discuss how to design band merch, how to work with bands, how to find work online, how to grow a following on social media, how to use Facebook ads effectively, how to build working relationships, and so much more.

Grace Reiter is a TikTok star from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Grace has always been quirky and funny, but just before the pandemic hit one of her videos went viral. That video now has more than 13 million views and her following has grown to 1.7 million on the platform. With those kind of numbers she must be funny right? Yup, I can vouch for her there. At the time of this interview she had just returned from her first big job out in Los Angeles. Grace, along with 6 other big TikTokers, had just finished recording for a new skit based show on TikTok called Stapleview. With that experience under her belt she now plans to move out to Los Angeles full time to pursue acting and comedy. Doing stand up on Drew Barrymore's show didn't hurt either.

In this episode we discuss how to grow on TikTok, how to get a manager, how to find acting jobs, working at Ace Hardware, how to go viral, how to make a career on social media, and much more.

Brett Freund is a ceramics artist originally from Pittsburg that is now based in Minneapolis Minnesota. He's earned a graduate degree in ceramics and built a name for himself in the industry. His work is instantly recognizable with his unique signature style that you would have to see for yourself to truly appreciate. Brett was kind enough to welcome me into his home and let us record this episode inside his studio.

In this episode we discuss what it takes to be a full time artist, ceramics residencies, getting a graduate degree, how to apply for art grants, side hustles, and the life of someone pursuing their passions.

Josh Remter is a Wisconsin based motocross racer and influencer. Josh has been racing for nearly his entire life as early as he can remember. Spending every weekend at the race track with his family has given him some really unique experiences. The motocross community really isn't all that big yet so he was able to meet a ton of big name racers over the years. He's even spent time hanging around with the most famous of them all, Travis Pastrana. Tune in and hear how he started racing, how he had a motocross video go viral, how to balance school and racing, how to find time to race motocross while having a full time job, how to find sponsors for motocross, how to find a paid apprenticeship, how to build a social media following, how to build a personal brand, and so much more.

Claire Olivia aka @claireisaur and I found each other on Instagram years ago. Like me, she didn't really dive deep into her art until a little later in life. She didn't take all the art classes in high school. She was never in art shows and didn't go to college for art. Still, the interest was still there. She finally got the spark while working at Racy's, a beloved local coffee shop in Eau Claire. What started as just doodles in her notebook has grown into a huge part of her life. She even got hired by Coca Cola and did illustrations for a massive international ad campaign. Wait what? Yeah, I guess you'll have to listen to the episode to hear how.

Heady Hut is a glass and arts lounge owned and operated by Jake Connel and Sam Pastorello located in downtown Eau Claire. Jake and Sam started the business by just bottling and selling 99% isopropyl alcohol for cleaning pipes and other glass. It didn't take long for them to have the idea to open a full blown shop. Heady hut sells pipes and other glassware, but it's much more than that. For as much glass as they sell, they sell even more local art, exotic snacks and drinks, and other locally made gifts. The space is almost more of a lounge for people to come and hang out in than it is a retail space. In this episode we discuss how to build a business from the ground up, what to expect with a business partnership, how to appreciate glass art, how to work with glass artists, how consignment in a store works, how to deal with conflicts with a business partner, how to advertise a new business, how to get google reviews, how to build a clientele, and much more.

Ian Allison has been a staple in the music scene for a long time. After traveling the country on music tours for years he settled down in the twin cities to raise his family and be a significant contributor to the midwest music scene. Ian has performed all over the world with a ton of bands so his knowledge and experience are incredibly valuable and helpful to everyone that he works with. His energy and enthusiasm are contagious and it's easy to see why so many people want to work with him. In more recent years he's found joy in teaching others and helping bring up those around him. Through his Instagram page (@ianmartinallison) he has been able to connect with tens of thousands of musicians and bassists around the world. Once you watch this one you'll see why his journey is one that you are going to want to follow. Big thanks to Drew for letting us record this at the Flavor World headquarters!

Samantha Moon is a R&B/Soul singer originally from the island of Dominica. She's a natural born singer who now is based in Minneapolis Minnesota. She's been nonstop performing for years and established herself within the music industry. She has an incredible story to share. She even sings the first song she wrote when she was only 11. You're going to want to hear this...

Tom Gilles is a retired professional snowboarder from Wisconsin that now travels around the country as a motivational speaker. He attended college in Eau Claire years ago before dropping out to move out west and pursue a career in snowboarding. His career was full of emotional highs and lows before he eventually walked away while he still could. In this episode we discuss growing up in Wisconsin, how to start snowboarding, how to get sponsored as a snowboarder, how to move out west for snowboarding, how to get paid contracts, how to travel the world as a professional athlete, how to get sober, tips for public speaking, fatherhood, and so much more. We recorded this episode inside alumni of the show Nick Barry's shop Stache Bike & Adventure.