WV Uncommonplace : Uncommon Conversations

Melissa Pyrch is a high school English teacher who motivates her students to dream big. She encourages them to step into the spotlight because she believes everyone deserves to shine.

As the writer of Beyond The Bell: Lessons High School Failed To Teach, Melissa shares her own coming of age stories and what she has learned from her 20+ years of teaching. Melissa offers truth, guidance, and reassurance for teens; they are not alone.

Anja Skodda is the Founder/CEO/Chief Scientist of HappyBond, a company that produces human grade, nutrition essentials and food products for pets and humans.  HappyBond’s mission is to extend the Healthspan of pets and make pet people happy.  At HappyBond, she leads product development and partnerships, applying her bioengineering education and experience.  For over 20 years, Anja has combined her scientific training and entrepreneurial drive, to a variety of business ventures. Anja studied biotechnology from the Technical University of Berlin for seven years, specializing in tissue engineering of cartilage and skin.  During this time she worked on protein expression at Novartis in Basel. Her research at Novartis expedited the production of new drugs through the use of fluorescent markers.   Her biotech work includes developing the automated technology to scale the drug screening for rheumatoid arthritis, and avoiding animal testing. Anja started her entrepreneurial career in 2006, launching a Bullywood, a corporate company in Stockholm.  She organized and ran the venue and services end to end.  She grew it to host 200 events a year. Following her passion for horse riding, in 2010 Anja moved back to Germany to train with the world’s best dressage riders.  She sold Bullywood in 2013 to fund the development of a collagen essential to prevent joint issues in her dressage horses.  This development ultimately became HappyBond’s first breakthrough product.  In 2016, Anja developed a groundbreaking product for humans. A beauty drink called ‘Anti Everything’, a collagen infused vodka cocktail, simultaneously delivered  anti-aging benefits and a nice buzz. The product launch went viral and generated media coverage around the world. One year later, Anja created ‘HAPPYBOND’ in Berlin and  Venice to commercialize a breakthrough collagen formula that builds, maintains and repairs mammalian joint & hip cartilage. Her inspiration was to help Tony, her beloved bulldog, to overcome arthritis and skateboard again.  Within weeks of taking the supplement, Tony, was pain-free and back riding his skateboard.  In August of 2019, she partnered with Cesar Millan, the “Dog Whisperer” and within a year they Extended to HAPPYBOND to strengthen the bond to your best friend and encompass all products, people and pets. HAPPYBOND is approaching whole health for pets: Body, Mind and Play and they provide Healthspan knowledge in the “wild West” of Pet products. Anja currently resides in Venice California and bulldog Nando, who is HAPPYBOND’s Chief Tasting Officer.

Influenced by my parents. My Mom and Pop rebuilt the house around us.  Repairs or improvements were expensive, so my parents were DIY animals.  Pop learned to hang sheetrock, Mom learned to tape seams.  We grew up watching a florist and a bookkeeper tear pipes from the walls to reinvent our home.  No project was out of reach.  Way before Youtube, they just dove in and figured it out.  By 14 I was helping a neighbor renovate HIS home.

My Start in woodworking:

A birthday gift when I was about 10 changed my life.  Opened it, confused to find a block of wood.  Now, we were not wealthy…but a block of wood? Really?? Another gift followed, the wooden box of an Exacto carving set.  I carved that block of balsa into a treasured keepsake. My right hand has been trying to murder my left hand ever since.

The early lesson was that work provided what you could imagine, instead of what you could buy. The problem solving and tool skills served me well through a 35-year commercial photography career in Manhattan, building out 4 studios along the way. I hold 2 prior US patents, and a bootstrapped background in product development, which earned bringing a product for large-format digital photography to market around 2010.

Carved wooden canoe -  The first thing I ever made.

The first thing I ever made. As tools outgrew storage a shop got built in the basement, skills improved and work grew more refined, I confronted the question that haunts us all: “Pins first, or tails first?“  Determined to get it right, the boxes that covered shop surfaces were chopped up or given away. Bought Euro and Japanese backsaws and learned that my chisels weren’t really sharp. Building other people’s jigs, and watching endless videos of experts contradicting each other. Every jig, trick, and hint aimed at the same thing: The Transfer.  TailSpin Tool 1.0 TailSpin 1.0 In 2015 I tried to eliminate the transfer. With patents filed, rounds of prototypes and tests began. The videos and work-arounds proved the problem was pervasive; not just mine. Fast-forward 5+ years to Calibrated Collinear Marking Tools.  The first small run was CNC machined in brass and stainless. The plan was metal production. That changed when two of my test dummies (Thanks guys!!) reported the brass didn’t hold up to their marking knives. Decided to go composite. Covid nixed a video re-shoot.  Now they’re lighter, easier to use, and less likely to take or dish damage from bench to floor & back. Cheaper to produce also, the original price was projected at $150/set!  So there you have it. Peace in our time. The Pins vs. Tails feud is over! You’re welcome.

https://www.tailspintools.com/

Johnna Devereaux has been a small business owner for over a decade. Devereaux is the founder of Fetch RI, a holistic pet boutique and supply retail store.As a Clinical Pet Nutritionist, Devereaux has been invited to speak at veterinary hospitals to speak about the benefits of proper nutrition for dogs and cats. Devereaux has also been a repeat presenter at Potters League University, teaching children and adults the benefits of feeding pets in a species-appropriate way. Devereaux’s writings can be found in Animal Print magazine, Rhode Island’s Family Guide and the 2019 Health and Wellness Guide for Southern New England.

Devereaux has been featured as a Trailblazer in the pet industry by Pets+ Magazine and her store, Fetch RI, has been awarded “Best of Rhode Island” by Editor’s Pick and Reader’s Choice. Fetch RI has also been awarded “Top Dog” by Animal Print magazine. Devereaux has completed a BFA from New York University and the Clinical Pet Nutritionist program from the Academy of Natural Health Sciences.

Mike Banks stops by and talks about the good ole days and life in general ......

It was asked that I do one more of these episodes about how I feel about things

Harrison Baron is an entrepreneur who owns several companies. He has assisted thousands of people and hundreds of companies in their ability to find new clients as well as increase their sales and marketing.

Harrison has also been featured on dozens of expert podcasts where he sheds his insight on how social media and, predominantly, LinkedIn can have a serious impact on his business.

Everlong the book : Laura and Dave return to talk about their book.*Retraction episode had an audio issue and has been fixed .

Stephanie and I talk about her podcast and just general podcasting issues and things of that sort

Destiny Dehaven stops by and talks about the BS detector . Here is where to find her Facebook: www.facebook.com/yourmagicaldestiny

Instagram: www.instagram.com/yourmagicaldestiny @yourmagicaldestiny