In this episode, Sebastian talks with Taylor Lunin, now a business strategist for professional speakers, about the winding road that got her there. They get into why genuine relationships matter more than any pitch, the specific challenges marginalized speakers face in a shifting industry, and how reframing failure as growth changed the way she runs her business.

Through all the pivots, one thing stayed constant: Taylor herself. She talks about learning to stop managing around her identity and start building on it, why queer people need to take up space and trust their voices, and how impacting even one person is never wasted effort. That one person carries it forward.

Her guiding principle through all of it: B.U.

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-lunin/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/businessofspeaking

Business of Speaking: https://business-of-speaking.com/

The Abundant Speaker: https://theabundantspeaker.com/

In this episode, Sebastian talks with Arlo West, founder of Studio Arlo and Not Your Business, about building a design business on their own terms. Arlo makes bold brand identities for queer, trans, and neurodivergent people who are done shrinking to fit in, and along the way they've learned that authenticity isn't a business risk, it's a filter.

They get into how niching happened naturally rather than by force, why word of mouth outperforms cold selling when people already know what you stand for, and the boundary work behind capping free projects at one a quarter. Arlo also opens up about leaving traditional employment for good, the challenges marginalized freelancers face, and what it looks like to build community for people whose brains work differently.

For anyone who's been told to tone themselves down to seem professional, Arlo's story is a case for doing the opposite.

Links:

https://www.studioarlo.co.uk/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/studioarlo/

https://www.instagram.com/studioarlo.png/

JP Davis has helped raise more than one hundred million dollars over twenty years, across higher education, the arts, public spaces, and LGBTQIA+ movements. But he'll be the first to tell you this isn't a conversation about money. The money was only ever evidence of something that came first: trust.

In this episode, Sebastian and JP get into the parts of fundraising and community work most people never see. Why giving is relationship work, not asking work. Why JP wants queer people to be rich, not just comfortable. Why he'd rather invest in communities like Appalachia than treat them as charity cases. And why democratizing this knowledge matters, so the next generation of queer leaders can do this work too.

They also get honest about imposter syndrome, and how it shows up even after the wins pile up.

If you work in nonprofits, care about where money actually goes, or have ever felt like you didn't belong in a room you earned your way into, this one is for you.

Links:

https://jpdavispartners.com/

Sebastian and Bree Fram discuss Bree's journey after a 23-year military career, her transition to the U.S. Space Force, and her advocacy for trans rights. They explore the challenges of navigating life without the structure of the military, the importance of visibility and representation, and the impact of community support. Bree shares her experiences in publishing books that highlight the stories of trans service members and emphasizes the need for hope and resilience in the face of adversity. 

Links:

Breefram.com

In this episode, Jim and Sebastian get into the real version of a life built in chapters. Jim spent more than thirty years at some of the most iconic brands in the world before leaving to write, coach, and build community. He's the author of the USA Today bestseller All Pride No Ego, and he talks openly about what the pivot from corporate to entrepreneurship actually took, why building a personal brand and an ecosystem around your work matters, and how the concept of ikigai helped him find his balance.

They also get into the harder present. Jim shares what it's been like to lose speaking engagements to the rollback of DEI work, and why he keeps choosing to control what he can and stay open to what's possible. And he speaks with real honesty about aging in the queer community: the responsibility older generations carry to mentor and uplift the ones coming up, why representation matters, and how living authentically becomes its own kind of activism.

It's a conversation about growth, vulnerability, and the long, unglamorous work of becoming someone you're proud of.

Links:

www.linkedin.com/in/jimfielding

hijimfielding.com

leagueofradicalkindness.com

Crystal is an inclusive leadership and brand consultant and the author of Brave Leadership is a Choice. But this conversation goes well past the resume. She and Sebastian talk about the quiet shame so many people carry around money, and why it lands even heavier in marginalized communities. They get into why vulnerability has done more for her business than any strategy, how a late ADHD diagnosis reshaped the way she works and connects, and the ways queerness and neurodivergence intersect on the entrepreneurial path.

Crystal also shares the work behind the TGX Economic Empowerment Project, which helps get real resources into the hands of trans, gender nonconforming, and non-binary business owners, and why finding people aligned with your values changes everything.

If you have ever felt like the only one struggling, this one is a reminder that you are not.

Podcast mentioned by Crystal in episode: https://youtu.be/bFal9Svrbtg?si=kRDLfQyUPzNZuKBc 

https://www.crystallily.co/

https://www.crystallily.co/tgx-economic-empowerment-project

Andrea Parker went from police detective to keynote speaker on fun and human potential, and that pivot is only the surface of the story. In this conversation, she and Sebastian get into what the transition to entrepreneurship actually cost and taught her: the fear that comes with change, the discomfort you have to sit in to grow, and the mentors who helped along the way. Andrea makes the case for building a life on purpose rather than by default, for trading rigid expectations for the opportunities in front of you, and for taking fun seriously as a tool, not a reward. She also shares the thinking behind her keynote experience, WTF: Where's the Fun?!, and why she believes joy belongs in the work, not just after it.

https://theandreaparker.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreaparkerspeaks

https://www.instagram.com/andreaparkerspeaks

A new show about what it actually looks like to build a good life while queer, right now. Not the coming out story or the struggle, but the real version of how people thrive: the doubt, the wrong turns, and the parts nobody posts about. Take a listen to what's coming, then follow the show so you can listen to the first conversations the day they come out. New episodes every week starting August 25, 2026. Honest, hopeful, and queer.