Prologue Profiles

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Nick, who works for his family's real estate business, on the J train.

"There is no greater force that I know of than a person who is on a mission." - Tony Bacigalupo

After college Tony got a job and he worked at an office.

He did not like this.

Soon after Tony was working from home.

He did not like this either.

Tony is now the co-founder New Work City - the first dedicated coworking space in New York, which opened its doors in 2008 and in 2010 raised over $17,000 on Kickstarter to help fund their current space at 412 Broadway.

You'll hear Tony discuss his journey into the world of co-working, the power of community and that if you're onto something you care about, your biggest job is to keep going:

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Jen, an MFA candidate, on the F train.

"Since I didn't have a design background I wanted to focus on one thing that I could get really good at." - Lyndsey Butler

After college, Lyndsey reached a fork in the road: law school or fashion.

Lyndsey is now the head of the fashion line, VEDA, which she launched in 2008 with her mentor Yael Aflalo, and specializes in making the perfect leather jacket. In 2013 VEDA launched its flagship store on Mercer Street in Soho.

You'll hear Lyndsey discuss how she got whisked away into the fashion world, the importance of being chill, and that if you moved your fears to the side, all that would be left is what you want to do:

Dan takes his mic to the streets and interviews Andrew, a college freshman, on the J train.

"It's not logical to turn down the big private equity salary and start building a non-profit out of your apartment in the East Village. But it's the thing that I knew I had to go do." - Adam Braun 

Originally from Greenwich, Connecticut, Adam (@adambraun) was on the path to working in finance. That all changed when as a junior in college Adam went on a trip to India which instilled in him a desire to help others and make a quality education available on a global scale.

In 2008, two years out of school and with $25 in a business account, Adam launched Pencils of Promise, a non-profit that has now helped build over 200 schools in the developing world.

Adam is also releasing his first book, The Promise of a Pencil, published by Scribner and available in hardcover and e-book at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

You'll hear Adam discuss his journey to creating and building Pencils of Promise, the importance (and shortcomings) of passion, and how the one thing holding you back may be your biggest opportunity.

"When I think about what's made me successful it's a willingness to say 'Let's try that and see where that goes'." - Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop

After college, Mayor Fulop worked in finance at Goldman Sachs which he then left after 9/11 to join the Marine Corps in Iraq.

In 2004 Mayor Fulop said yes to an opportunity to run for Congress, which he lost. However this sparked in him a passion for public service as he went on to serve for 8 years as a councilman and on May 14 2013 he was elected mayor of Jersey City at the age of 36.

In this interview conducted in city hall you'll hear Mayor Fulop discuss his path to winning mayoral office, the magnetic pull of passion, and that on the other side of uncertainty may just be what you're looking for.

"Having to pay the bills but not willing to give up the need to be creative will push you harder than you can ever imagine." - Kawehi

After her first year of college in 2002, Kawehi moved to California as a signed artist in a newly formed superband. Two months in she quit and moved back home. Unable to get any attention with her music going the traditional route and still tied to her contract, Kawehi took a 5 year break from music.

Kawehi then switched it up and with the support of her husband, Paul, created her own path in the music world, successfully supporting her career through crowdfunding on Kickstarter. She recently raised over $9,000 to fund her US tour. While growing her fan base Kawehi's also grown her musical ability as she now has incorporated looping and beatboxing into her work.

You'll hear from a musician who has figured out how to be a successfully funded independent artist on how she made it happen and that those fears that you have, they never go away...so what are you gonna do?

"I love the momentum. It's almost like a drug for me." - Nathaniel Ru

While at college Nathaniel met his future co-founders, Jonathan Nemen and Nicolas Jammet, and the 3 of them wanted to create a destination for healthy eating. In 2007, during their senior year they did just that with their launch of sweetgreen - a healthy fast food eatery in Washington DC.

Six years later sweetgreen now has 20 locations with their most recent expansion in the NoMad hotel in New York City.  Along the way the trio have also created the sweetlife festival which this year had performances from Phoenix and Kendrick Lamar.

You'll hear Nathaniel discuss how they got sweetgreen and sweetlife off the ground, how to overcome having zero customers, and that if you're going into the unknown, that probably means you're on the right track.

"I'm never going to do something that doesn't matter. I have to be able to reach people and make them feel great about themselves." - Tasha Ong

In lieu of college, Tasha worked for her family's barbecue restaurant in Florida where she discovered her knack for customer service. Tasha took this newfound skill to her next gig at a spa where eventually the clientele started seeking out her styling advice.

Tasha realized the value in her style opinion and in 2007 she left the spa to create her own path as a personal lifestylist with a clientele that pays her to help them look and feel their best.

You'll hear Tasha discuss the many facets to being a lifestylist, how she went from barbecue slinging to boutique shopping, and while you'll always have fears, you'll always have yourself for support.