The George Hahn Show

My friend Baylen sent me a short but fascinating article in The Atlantic about the power of wearing a suit. The piece explores recent research about the psychological effect of "formal" clothing, both on the wearer and on those around him. In this episode of the podcast, I talk about how the article articulated and validated much of my own personal experience with these effects. When I made a decision in my late thirties to start regularly representing myself in suits (both for work and social occasions), things changed - and all for the better. The operative word? Empowerment.

I'm on the email list of a lot of brands and companies. I subscribe for a few reasons: to get updates on what's going on with them; to educate my eye; and to learn about sales. Most of these emails end up in the trash without any actions or clicks on my part, but depending on the season, on the brand and on the sale - in light of my particular needs at a given time - I'll do some careful clicking.

Such careful clicking happened in the wake of a recent email I received from J.Crew, advertising a rather substantial sale on winter items. A few days and a few dollars later, some nice new gear arrived at my door. In this episode of the podcast, I talk about how I navigate big sales online.

I'm on the email list of a lot of brands and companies. I subscribe for a few reasons: to get updates on what's going on with them; to educate my eye; and to learn about sales. Most of these emails end up in the trash without any actions or clicks on my part, but depending on the season, on the brand and on the sale - in light of my particular needs at a given time - I'll do some careful clicking.

Such careful clicking happened in the wake of a recent email I received from J.Crew, advertising a rather substantial sale on winter items. A few days and a few dollars later, some nice new gear arrived at my door. In this episode of the podcast, I talk about how I navigate big sales online.

Last night was the third and final time Tina Fey and Amy Poehler would host the Golden Globes, which bums me out. They're fantastic, and they didn't disappoint last night.

In lieu of seasonally repeating myself with yet another post-awards show piece about the black tie turnout at the 2015 Golden Globes, I went with a podcast about the telecast itself, the comic stylings of our co-hostesses and some of the awards and recipients.

Of course, I touched upon the sartorial (have you met me?), particularly the necktie vs. bow tie problem, as well as that persistent notch lapel issue. And since I had recently seen a documentary about the endangered breed of the old school master tailors, I wondered: What if the more stylish cognoscenti of the Hollywood crowd were turned out in bespoke? It could breathe new life and awareness into bespoke suiting and certainly be a lot more interesting than hearing “Prada,” “Ralph Lauren,” “Gucci” and more usual suspects when asked "Who are you wearing?"

Sure, bespoke suiting is more expensive than a suit off the peg or a “gift” from a designer, but this is a crowd that can certainly afford it.

Last night was the third and final time Tina Fey and Amy Poehler would host the Golden Globes, which bums me out. They're fantastic, and they didn't disappoint last night.

In lieu of seasonally repeating myself with yet another post-awards show piece about the black tie turnout at the 2015 Golden Globes, I went with a podcast about the telecast itself, the comic stylings of our co-hostesses and some of the awards and recipients.

Of course, I touched upon the sartorial (have you met me?), particularly the necktie vs. bow tie problem, as well as that persistent notch lapel issue. And since I had recently seen a documentary about the endangered breed of the old school master tailors, I wondered: What if the more stylish cognoscenti of the Hollywood crowd were turned out in bespoke? It could breathe new life and awareness into bespoke suiting and certainly be a lot more interesting than hearing “Prada,” “Ralph Lauren,” “Gucci” and more usual suspects when asked "Who are you wearing?"

Sure, bespoke suiting is more expensive than a suit off the peg or a “gift” from a designer, but this is a crowd that can certainly afford it.

I grew up in Cleveland, OH among other regular meat-eating folk. For the first 40 years of my life, I enjoyed meat, pork, chicken or ham with almost every dinner, most lunches and weekend brunches. I loved a good steak, a perfect cheeseburger, or a stack of crisp bacon. But after I adopted my dog in late 2009, something started to change for me, and my perspective of and relationship with animals began to shift. The belief that “real men eat meat” didn’t make as much sense to me anymore, for a variety of reasons that involved health, ethics and the environment. Since then, I have undergone (and continue to undergo) a personal evolution of sorts, which I talk about in this episode of the podcast.

I grew up in Cleveland, OH among other regular meat-eating folk. For the first 40 years of my life, I enjoyed meat, pork, chicken or ham with almost every dinner, most lunches and weekend brunches. I loved a good steak, a perfect cheeseburger, or a stack of crisp bacon. But after I adopted my dog in late 2009, something started to change for me, and my perspective of and relationship with animals began to shift. The belief that “real men eat meat” didn’t make as much sense to me anymore, for a variety of reasons that involved health, ethics and the environment. Since then, I have undergone (and continue to undergo) a personal evolution of sorts, which I talk about in this episode of the podcast.

Ryan Zagata is the president and founder of Brooklyn Bicycle Co., formerly Brooklyn Cruiser. Before starting the company, Ryan was selling software. Naturally, my question was: How does a guy go from selling software to starting a bicycle company? So, I rode my Brooklyn Bicycle Co. Willow 3-speed out to the company HQ in Brooklyn to have a conversation with Ryan about connecting those dots.

We talked about his strict but nurturing Catholic upbringing in Syracuse, NY, his nearly flunking out of college, his first job with a New York senator, his excitement and fears about leaving the “security” of a corporate job and breaking out on his own, and his formula for running a successful business that more than doubled its projected sales in its first year.

One of the components of this formula is a piece of advice from the highly-respected bicycle industry veteran and author Grant Petersen, who is the author of Just Ride and the designer of Ryan’s bicycles. His advice? Stay out of the industry. It sounds strange and counter-intuitive, but it makes total sense when you listen to the podcast.

I always enjoy talking to Ryan, and I loved this conversation. I hope you do, too.

Ryan Zagata is the president and founder of Brooklyn Bicycle Co., formerly Brooklyn Cruiser. Before starting the company, Ryan was selling software. Naturally, my question was: How does a guy go from selling software to starting a bicycle company? So, I rode my Brooklyn Bicycle Co. Willow 3-speed out to the company HQ in Brooklyn to have a conversation with Ryan about connecting those dots.

We talked about his strict but nurturing Catholic upbringing in Syracuse, NY, his nearly flunking out of college, his first job with a New York senator, his excitement and fears about leaving the “security” of a corporate job and breaking out on his own, and his formula for running a successful business that more than doubled its projected sales in its first year.

One of the components of this formula is a piece of advice from the highly-respected bicycle industry veteran and author Grant Petersen, who is the author of Just Ride and the designer of Ryan’s bicycles. His advice? Stay out of the industry. It sounds strange and counter-intuitive, but it makes total sense when you listen to the podcast.

I always enjoy talking to Ryan, and I loved this conversation. I hope you do, too.

It's been a while, and I've neglected my website and podcast. Things are finally settling down and I'm getting my bearings after a crazy (but fantastic) summer. Between a new job, a lot of travel, family dynamics and big life adjustments, I talk about everything that's been going on in this episode...