We Never Met

In this episode, Sam meets the owners and farmers at Topaz Farm, Kat Topaz and Jim Abeles. They chat about two hummingbirds landing on Kat’s finger, why they moved to Portland, working at Willamette Week, starting companies, pivoting careers, the Muhammad Ali app, buying a tugboat, living on Sauvie Island, buying a farm, their amazing corn mazes, and the special moments on the farm.

In this episode, Sam meets artist, science writer, and cartoonist, JoAnna Wendel. They chat about wanting to be a zoo painter, evolution, creating science cartoons, writing for NASA, her abstract artwork, art smiling at you, revolutionary artists, color coming first, drawing accurately for science comics, constantly learning, slow slip earthquakes, and bird facts.

In this episode, Sam meets Tomas and April Sluiter, owners of Culmination Brewing. They chat about Tomas’s start in home brewing, the first beer he ever made, their beer being popular in Japan, working as a brewery consultant, his style as a brewer, Cold IPA, people investing in their brewery, pivoting during the pandemic, and his favorite collaboration beer with a Japanese brewery.

In this episode, Sam meets Brooke Anderson, sewer, maker, and creator of amazing quilt jackets. They chat about her dog, making quilt jackets, sustainability, selling knitted hats to classmates, parents dealing with mental health, quilt pants, her company Thunderpants, buying local, the economy, and marine biology.

In this episode, Sam meets the owner of Cafe Zamora, Hector Mejia Zamora. They chat about growing up in Guatemala, working on his father’s coffee farm, growing his banana business from $50 to $15,000 in sales each month, moving to America, the phrase that made him want to start a business, putting people first, his father going to school with no shoes, getting rid of the middleman, what fair trade actually means, the gap between wealthy coffee farmers and small coffee farmers, and implementing educational programs in his village in Guatemala.

In this episode, Sam meets director, filmmaker, photographer, and entrepreneur, Stephen Spurlock. They chat about moving around the country, his childhood thoughts of Wisconsin, building with Lego, shooting his first video at 16, his passion for music, learning the guitar, how he got into visual effects, working on The Avengers film, 27 hour shifts, camping, traveling changing his life perspective, his love of bikes, and starting his own business.

In this episode, Sam meets the amazing artist and muralist, Travis Fields, also known as Campo Graphic. They chat about where the name Campo Graphic came from, growing up in Ohio, artist residence vegetable farms, getting into graffiti, the history of graffiti, finding your style, his parents reaction to his graffiti, the transition away from graffiti to murals, graffiti rules, his Robin Williams mural story, painting Amanda Gorman on a building, and doodle grids.

In this episode, Sam meets the talented and award-winning singer-songwriter, Joshua Burnside. They chat about growing up in Northern Ireland, his eclectic musical sound, recording an album in Columbia, wrong weather forecasts, his song ‘Whiskey, Whiskey’, writing random thoughts into your phone, fear of death, writing music, technophobia, the pandemic's effect on live music, creating music with his brother, and playing pub gigs.

In this episode, Sam meets Rob Brennan, owner of Supermoon Beer Company. They chat about the start of the brewery, brewing beer with wild yeast, his inspiration from Belgian breweries, beer having a sense of place, his first beer memory, jam bands, working at Penrose Brewing Company, not having to be Michael Jordan to be happy, working with Third Space Brewery, great local produce in Wisconsin, where the name Supermoon comes from, and the fascinating science behind pellicles.

In this episode Sam meets artist, illustrator, and graphic designer, Melissa Lee Johnson. They chat about moving to Arizona, drawing people accurately, art camp, how collaging inspired her work, being a serious teenager, illustrating books, winning a Communication Arts Award, interior design, her rescue chihuahuas Bambi and Sparkle, and being the Sauce Boss on Instagram.