Michmash

The lovely Khalia Collier, owner, and general manager of the St. Louis Surge, and I chat about Khalia taking sports to the next level, what Surge does on and off the court, recruiting based on character, the Surge experience, STL made, where she finds her players, admiration, women's sports vs. men's sports, the Surge experience, basic life-skills for kids, Blue Ocean Strategy, positivity and energy surging, Surge games, bleeding green, growth, entrepreneurship, high-risk, high-reward, being self-made, collaborations, fear is a beast, the next generation, rebuilding their roster, advice to women wanting to play for Surge, walking the walk, why Surge?, Team Luxury, St. Louis Women's March, moving forward, 23, troubleshooting, favorite gift, women's sports sponsorship, and where you can find Surge!    Website - https://www.stlsurgebasketball.com

The incredibly business savvy, Josh Levey - owner of Medici MediaSpace, and I chat about the new studio - Medici, being the business guy, all the people that make up Medici, strategy sessions, Medici Magic, entrepreneurship, business problems, business mindset, marketing vs. sales, what people need, accountability, being there for people - entrepreneurship-wise, getting to the core, first meeting, transparency, fear of failure, learning through teaching, how was your day?, P & L statements, Mich's growth, Josh and his fish, refereeing youth basketball, argyle socks, playing minor league baseball, and where you can find Medici!  https://medicistl.com

The incredibly talented Meridith McKinley of Via Partnership and I chat about public art, the power of art, her TEDx experience, people experiencing art in everyday life, working with public agencies, New Mexico, where art funding comes from, St. Louis philanthropy, City Garden, artwork in St. Louis, Airport Art Advisory Committee, Terrazzo Medallion, Lambert International, the change of airports, Grand Civic spaces, art = community, the message of art, Alexandria, VA, The Getty, The Bean, time travel, Georgia O'Keeffe, The art of NOW, The Arch, her kids, comic books, kids and their social media talents, and where you can find her and her talk!    TEDx talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoGql51ku6U Website - http://viapartnership.com

The lovely Ms Chauna Payne, founder of Heavenly Hair - a hair-optional lifestyle brand, and I talk about hair loss, TEDx women's event, Alopecia, being the bald lady, hugs, boys and hair loss, Heavenly Hair Ever After, skin adhesive hair accessories, being relatable to others, Chauna having hair, her mother and grandmother being an inspiration, her love for wigs, volunteering for the Look Good Feel Better community, service to the community, wigs not being expensive, wearing a wig, maneuvering hair loss, being your authentic self, the need to celebrate bald women as a society, creating our own standard of beauty, dictating your own beauty, being versatile, The Muny Wig Department, the world of hair, endless possibilities, Chauna's experience with visiting schools, her love for kids, educating kids on hair loss, Tyler Perry, her hair loss journal, and where you can find her! You can find Chauna's book, Heavenly Hair Ever After, here - https://www.amazon.com/Heavenly-Hair-After-Chauna-Payne/dp/0692181113   

Tishaura Jones and I talk about her being the first woman to hold the Office of Treasurer in St. Louis, her college savings program, TEDx, her TEDx experience, making new friends, Treasurer duties, parking meters, her family, support that she received from her family, politics, prayer, "a lie doesn't last always", her growth, social media voters, squeaky wheels, being inspired by other city Treasurers, $50 Seed account, reaching a family through their child, student loan debt, the college experience, getting an education, education and wealth, the American dream, a few thousand dollars, financial statistics, social security, how money works, learning from elders, new payday lenders, her first speech, her dreams for St. Louis, zipcodes, favorite cartoons, giving up cable, and where you can find her! 

The incredible, Sophia Hayes and I talk about climate change, sciencing the heck out of climate change, the technology that can capture CO2, approaches you can take to help, bad news surrounding climate change, simple proposals, factories producing CO2, catalytic converters, materials to help control CO2, being a professor at Washington University, a sponge, planting trees, grassroots support, her journey to becoming a scientist, Berkley, being an undergrad, magnetic resonance, California, pools, her family, becoming a curious and independent woman, journey to St. Louis, Wash U, grad school, Germany, large beers, her TEDx talk, Save the Earth Club, being inspired by TEDx, international relations, Japan, Japanese Art, the creativity of science, Japanese culture, favorite childhood book, Lord of the Rings, and where to find her! 

Rebecca and I talk about her book Witty Kids, channeling your imagination, endless possibilities, TEDx, Rebecca's TEDx experience, the gift of the idea, the importance of childhood imaginations, growing your imagination as you age, self-reflection, reading to your kids, Jersey, black kids being successful, the perfect body, diversity, platforms for all, Rebecca visiting local schools, SLU, the corporate world, walking away from the corporate world, being an author, the future of Witty Kids, being a mom, inspiring her kids, WE Day, track and field, SEMO, favorite Mom memory, being a girl mom, and where to find her... - https://www.wittykidsclub.com

Krister and I talk about color-coordinated, Laura Jones, Talk Shifts, it will be published no matter what, investment in a brand, simple practical say-this-not-that, French and German, learn a new language as an adult, business and personal divorce, Dr. John Gottman, complete opposite of relationships first, interviewer got a 6 (I got a 10 – yay!), scale of 1 – 10 opens up conversation, weird rooms, sex therapist for people in alternative relationships, Vern Harnish, The Father’s Creed, Leadership Archeologist, Non-Violent Communication, 30 employee ceiling, trapped inside your own business, and talkshift.com/quiz.

Kristy and I talk about #shecan, powerful women, 20 things in 2 silos, bizperation.com, not work when passionate, creativity and innovation space, how to prioritize, asking questions is a skill, endurance for your mind, analyze gaps and strengths, avatar card, think beyond what you see, in a slump, tippy top need, generate clear ideas about clients, warm up your thinking, words and words, take signals to shift from work to home, kids are out of the nest, risk taker, know the purpose, writing 3 books at one time, Drink, Sync, Launch, buzzy brain, and a brother Neil update.

Earthworms, KDHX, bubbly happy “Green Jean,” thought I had blown it, TEDxGatewayArch, July 1, 2019, Steve Sommers, transforming experience, Jen the make-up artist, negativity a companion, Ginger Rogers tap dancing backwards in high heels, young feminist in the 70s having a fabulous time, negativity would not let me go, flesh-eating bacteria oh goodie!, Holy Ma-lo-lo, ecological landscaping, making green being more of a norm, cultural shift, women naturally collaborate, we are all needed, formless generic show, I am never bored, compost with worms, guilt sucks, prairie dropseed, does not get weird and tall and dorky looking, Bring Conservation Home from St. Louis Audubon, bee lawns and leave that to the Crawleys.

Yvonne Osei and I talk about the politics of clothing, TEDxGatewayArch, exciting and nerve-racking, a stage to tell a story is powerful, Ashanti Kingdom, Accra, witnessing how art manifests, inspiration from people, asking deeper questions, Utopia of Love, beauty in St. Louis, western art education, travel memories become a part of who you are, action of adorning, hair as sisterhood, creative think is integral, advocate for the arts, think critically, arts are saving lives, hybrid courses, @eveofon, http://yvonneosei.com/, skin and body parts textiles, photomontage, comfort is primary and Michael Donovan.

Tom Gargiula and I talk about Windmill Wellness, IRL, 7 pillars of health, nervous system runs entire body, body is made to heal itself, nerve interference, better, deeper, longer, faster healing, proper hydration, coffee is fantastic, Purity coffee, ginger and lemon tea, sourced properly, internal and external environment, Netflix as motivation, driving in silence, St. Louis is a top giving city, stock a food pantry, ripple effect life mastery, the guy in the picture, chiropractic developed in 1895, blind date, Don Quixote, doesn’t roll off the tongue and you’re not Dutch.

Sudiksha and I talk about learning advocacy, wearealwayslearning.com, learn the hard way, money-making, good-paying job handed to me, a lot of people in that boat, flailing and overwhelming, a degree for everything, starts with you, focusing on external, start from within, power though, failure is a sore subject, asking for help, STEM field, Brian Lunt, if I had a magic wand, filled with anxiety, start being an adult, worthiness, need permission, learn what you don’t like, golden globe, Elizabeth Gilbert, eating your shit cake, entrepreneurial mindset, imposter syndrome, 3 things you failed at today, playing it safe, Lakshmi, build a network, reintroducing wolves and bara.

Wally Siewert and I talk about TEDxGatewayArch, political philosophy and ethics, real-world political philosophy, responsibility is on them, not participating is a decision, moral importance, my opinion was represented, why should you obey the law, producing widgets, government as background noise, iPhones go away, protesting in Lebanon,  radical experiment in people power, with freedom comes responsibility, perfect form of government, fore-parents, rules on how we make decisions, constitutional convention, FOCUS St. Louis, need for vigilance, limitation of language, concentrated wealth and foreign interference, Baltic Avenue and a beautiful medieval city on the Austrian border.  

Jermaine and I talk about fighting spirit, MMA, UFC, training in North County STL, charming a cobra, assessing every step, Wrestling at the Chase, The Killer Bees, Brian Madden, I was a gangster, Enter the Dragon with Bruce Lee, felt my arms crack, that Muay Thai stuff, Russian Sambo, Judo group in IL, stick your fingers in the fool’s eyeballs, mentality to defend yourself, world champion at 12, some even look like nerds, best way to win a fight is for it to not happen, fighting is the last form of communication, Medici MediaSpace hidden dojo, the whole Levey family, they learn how to kick butt, then go to Timothy for guitar lessons, first MMA world title belt from Las Vegas, Bam Bam, and Warden Duane.

Sarah and I talk about green team, overwhelming environmental issues, outside of my sphere, 7-week auditions and didn’t even know it, Thomas and Leah of Imprensia, leadership & communication, power of individual action, something we undersell, graphic and exhibit designer (it’s a thing!), free snacks at PGAV, step up your green game, bring your tote in with you, zoos, aquariums, theme parks, there’s a stuffed lion, St. Louis Aquarium in a train station, use design to change hearts and minds, spy work, GPF, possums are kind of badass, they go cross-eyed, prehensile, apples and cows, Harry Potter Festival, interning at Discovery Channel, dress up as a shark, volunteer to be tortured, perennialstl, upcycling, save up your yogurt jars and 1 million plastic water bottles per minute.

Jack and I talk about TEDxGatewayArch Crash Course, thought I was doing a talk, making fake instruments, learned a couple of licks, multiple streams of income, song about some dog, listening to lots of records, execution of vocals,  cool nuance, vinyl has outsold CDs this year, we don’t listen to the whole album anymore, musical bridge, interlude, Croy and the Boys, arts start the movement, hard border with county, St. Louis is an authentic city, acknowledge history, hope for best, stroller status for all guitars, affinity with Spain, endlessly eye-opening, South America and that opening lyric.

Heidi and I talk about 550 KTRS, 22 years with KSDK Channel 5, crazy fortunate and lucky, started as an intern, Art and Jennifer are my TV mom and dad, teamwork, take constructive criticism, Show Me St. Louis, Mike Bush, Malcolm Briggs, Trey Wingo, how many home runs Babe Ruth hit,  a modicum of respect, listen to your gut not the noise, Kelly Jackson, 2 Chicks, The Trolley, do your own hair and makeup, 24/7 news cycle, you used to sit down and watch the news, earning 11s, 9 Network, Living St. Louis, TV is glamorous, lighting is such a thing, Hover Light (available soon!), Ellen's set, pull the curtains back, J-Lo is head to toe beautiful, All American Girls Baseball League, Erma Bergmann, The Muny, The Fabulous Fox, Blondie the Sloth, Ameren and The St. Louis Zoo.

Chad and I talk about Matt D'Rion, Worry Free Marketing, path forward, marketing is a different animal, write a novel, holistic work, next shiny object, calluses on the fingers, Gutenberg press, access to a field and areas of knowledge we never had before, Dewey Decimal, as smart as Google, we are the translators, we tricked you into buying cheap shoes, walked up the hill both ways, The Secret Life of Trees, latch on virality, don't tell Roto Rooter, ends of earth for clients, business owners get confused, fundamentals of marketing developed in 1920s, jumped too soon, instantaneous testing, the boogeyman, cool mom, punk accordion band, Emily Lane, dream car, teal, salmon, yellow kitchen, Max the Corgie, Bella, Pugs, 3 cats and a fox. 

Jennifer, Mark and I talk about passion, Ollie, heart community, The Clover and The Bee, pediatric heart research, the disease that took our son, followed our hearts, structural malformation of heart, valve replacement, medicines for whole life, congenital heart defects, generosity, heart and soul of work we do, take all the love we received and put it back into the world, parents get left behind, hospital care packages, heart families, Olive + Oak, homage to the boys, lift up our community, Maddie and Annie, Jessie's uber-creative mind, pastries, coffee, espresso, Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation and Eat, Drink, Love in November.