The Maslow Peak Podcast

Kevin Anderson joins us to discuss his new leather crafting venture Lowell Ander, how not all leather work is for cowboys and saddles, the decision to move to South Korea to teach English (and the decision to stay), expatriate life, missing refried beans, ranch dressing, and corn tortillas, finding the time to pursue your various interests, and living next to one of the most dangerous regimes in the world.

Brett Mikoll from Oxford Pennant joins us to talk about our shared love of vintage sports memorabilia, the proper way to spell “Bret” (hint: it’s not “Brett”), formative sports memories, design being “inspired by” vs. “derivative of,” jogging with vs. without music, having design “superpowers,” being a long-suffering Buffalo sports fan, and celebrating everything.

Shawn Kathleen from the hilarious Instagram account Passenger Shaming joins us to discuss the horrible things people do on airplanes, our species’ collective repugnance, what people are apparently willing to do in front of 200 strangers, horror stories from 30,000 feet (like what happens when you try to smoke crack on an airplane), feet, feet, and more feet, tales from the other side of the beverage cart, watching way too much YouTube, and how if we all treat each other better, we all win.

Board game designer Dustin Crouch joins us to discuss his new game Sigil: Powers of War, dialing in gameplay to make it fun for everyone, luck vs. skill, the deep world of board games beyond Monopoly and Risk, the audacity of taking an idea from theory to execution and sharing it with people, how your day job can end up giving you the skills you need to execute your dream, making peace with your inner nerd, not being afraid of asking for help, and how getting started is the hardest part of any endeavor.

Creative Director JP Boneyard from Fifty-Nine Parks and The National Poster Retrospecticus joins us to discuss crafting a life out of your diverse but connected interests, throwing over 100 DIY concerts in his mom’s shed, our shared love of basketball and design, how a concert poster is a time capsule for the moment - design, typography, popular music, and where you were that day, going outside and expanding your horizon, the importance of positivity, mindfulness, and living in the moment, and how just because your dreams take hard work, that doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong path.

Music journalist Angie Piccirillo joins us for an extremely wide-ranging and fun conversation on her journey from dancing in music videos to editing reality TV to film production to styling celebrities to starting a clothing company to school photography to making commercials to writing about music, having a music producer for a father, fighting for equal treatment as a woman in Hollywood, evolving your goals, our shared love of horror movies and mutual fears for the future of the music industry, her weird obsession with Jared Leto, keeping art alive, and letting go of what’s expected of you to find out what you want to be.

YouTube sensations Honeysuckle (Dzung & Nathan Lewis) join us to discuss finding a way to do what you love, turning your passion into 300,000 subscribers and 17 million views, what happens end up trying out your “dream job” and don’t like it, finding your voice and momentum, connecting with your audience, and taking your craft seriously. We go behind the scenes with epic grocery runs, making macarons 50 to 100 times so you feel comfortable making them on camera, only partnering with brands that you believe in, and living your life with authenticity.

Yoga instructor Jamie Alcorn joins us to talk about what yoga is and what it isn’t, doing things outside your comfort zone, not confusing your work with your identity, making peace with your day job and how it finances your side hustle (and your life), how the value your activities bring to your life don’t have to be monetary, internal vs. external validation, loving yourself, and how it’s never to late to become who you want to be.

Software engineer Brandon sleeps in a box truck, but lives his life to the fullest and saves a ton of money in the process. He joins us to talk about a lifetime of making things work, the decision behind and triumphs and challenges of sleeping in a moving truck, having the greatest party icebreaker ever, creative problem solving, doing good, getting by with only what you need, taking steps towards a future where you actually get to do whatever you want, and how you don’t “live” in your house, you live your life and sleep where you pay to.

Visual Artist Bex Gouverneur joins us to talk about her journey from fashion photographer to art teacher to artist, the meticulous process of making photorealistic prints out of charcoal, working on a person’s portrait so long that you feel like you know them, roller skating, Dungeons & Dragons, betting on yourself, and choosing to move forward in the wake of a devastating tragedy.