My Views Are My Own

Chaz Powell is an explorer, expedition leader, bushcraft instructor, and ranger. He undertakes remote expeditions on foot along Africa's wildest rivers to raise funds and awareness for wildlife conservation and anti-poaching. In this episode, he tells me about traveling over 2,000 miles solo on foot along the Zambezi River from the river source to the Indian Ocean, avoiding land mines and lions, while also surviving extreme heat and dehydration. He also tells me about journeying across Madagascar while following the Mangoky River, where he met many amazing people and encountered one very dangerous group of bandits. We also discuss what might be some future solutions to the global crisis regarding wildlife habitats and illegal poaching.

In this episode, I am joined by singer, songwriter, author, and musician Giulia Millanta to talk about songwriting, music, and the power of relationships. We discuss healing fractures, whether it be a fracture of the occipital lobe from falling off a horse, or healing a fractured human relationship. Giulia plays guitar, upright bass, and ukulele, and sings in four languages. She has toured with some of the world's most successful musicians, and believes storytelling is one of the most important things music can accomplish. Giulia explains to me the meaning of one of my favorite songs of hers that I didn't understand, why it's so important to appreciate human artists in a world being overtaken by AI, and what it was like playing shows and spending the night in some of the most haunted venues in the world.

In this episode, I am joined by professional football player Bianca Mouton, who plays defensive tackle for the Seattle Majestics in the Women's National Football Conference. Bianca is also a driven businesswoman who serves as a community leader for women in sports at WISE (Seattle Chapter), and is an all around rad person. Bianca tells me the story of how she became a professional football player as a walk-on and shares her best stories from working security for the Seattle Mariners. Off the field, Bianca works as a project manager and a chief of staff to help maximize the work and impact of wellness and business professionals.

In this episode, New Zealand musician Lexytron joins me to talk about the weather, what is the best kind of bread, and how we feel about the current state of the world. I add the word "sardonic" to my vocabulary, and we talk about what it's like having someone describe your music back to you. We debate which is the most sardonic band, which is the least sardonic band, and which Australian animals we think are most likely to eat us.

In this episode, actor, stunt driver, and movie producer Cecile Cubiló joins me to talk about Tokyo drifting, making movies, crashing cars, and living life. We discuss her extensive career in stunt driving in shows like West World and what it's like pulling a stunt with millions of dollars of equipment on the line as well as the lives of other performers. We also discuss one of her latest movies, Neighborhood Watch, where she stars alongside Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Walking Dead) and Jack Quaid (The Boys) and how they pulled off such a rad movie.

In this episode, Brooklyn-based comedian, voice actor, and writer Allie Lawrence joins me to help make sense of this wild, wacky world we live in. We set out to heal society. And even though we didn't heal all of society in one podcast episode, boy did we sure get close. We investigate the appropriate ways to approach road rage, trash art, and the dangers of living in a too-litigious society. I talk with Allie about her comedy series "The Barista Diaries" and we recreate one of the most realistic coffee shop scenes in history. And we make an amazing MadLibs script about the American Dream.

In this episode, award winning filmmaker, storyteller, and host of the podcast "The Film Nuts Podcast" Taylor D. Adams joins me to discuss filmmaking, movies, and why we love them. Of course Taylor is first put through a psychological test to ascertain his movie watching mentality. We discuss Taylor's short film "Time is the Thief of Memory." And then of course Taylor goes through another rigorous challenge of film knowledge and creative obstacles.

In this episode, actress and ER nurse Eden Lee joins me to get to the bottom of a couple bizarre conspiracy theories, give great advice on writing fan fiction, and discuss how she balances her two very different careers. We talk about her Netflix limited series "Zero Day," where she acts alongside Robert De Niro as Special Agent Angela Kim. We also discuss the difficulties of creating media that directly reflects current events in a world where the media cycle is non-stop and overwhelming. I do a perfect impression of Robert De Niro and Eden takes a pop quiz on quotes by fictional presidents vs. real presidents.

In this episode, I am joined by explorer, innovator, storyteller, lawyer, and climate activist Tiffany Duong. She tells me the story of her experience holding onto a rock on the bottom of the ocean, deciding to let go and go with the drift, and how that one moment in her life helped her decide to leave her career in corporate law to become a leader, educator, and campaigner for the planet. We talk about swimming with orcas in the Arctic, as well as one of the most incredible and inexplicably thriving reefs in Honduras. We also discuss accidentally falling into a role on a movie set, working with former Vice President Al Gore, and some of the most exciting developments on the horizon for environmental protection.

Spooky Season is upon us, and stand-up comedian Hunter Collins joins me on the podcast today as a foreign correspondent deeply embedded in the Czech Republic. If you love learning, get ready to learn. We discuss some of the most undiscussed news stories, such as the grand prize winner of the Python Florida Challenge in the Everglades. Things get a little bit more intense when we discuss that the Czech Republic is building the first soccer stadium larger than Hunter's hometown stadium in Montreal, Canada. We inform our listeners how, why, and if there are more vampires in the Czech r\Republic than Canada and then we get extremely scientific with Cryptid News. Guess what?? A dog's sense of impending disaster might just save your life. And of course, we have to talk about the upcoming release of Hunter Collins' sketch comedy horror album Monster Orgy.

In this episode, I am joined by professional diver, ocean and cave explorer, shark ecologist, photographer, speaker, writer, and conservationist Cristina Zenato to talk about shark behavior and how to care for these vital members of the ocean ecosystem. Cristina alone has pulled out over 300 fishing hooks from sharks' mouths with her own hands. She tells me how she first got started doing this and how she has developed close relationships with so many of the sharks she's helped in the reefs of the Bahamas. We discuss how certain sharks have personalities and Cristina dispels many of the widespread myths about sharks. We talk about her organization People of the Water and how she was able to make sharks a protected species in the Bahamas, which was a major legislative victory. For more information about Cristina's work, visit https://cristinazenato.com/

Bruce Grossman is a photographer and filmmaker from New York City currently based in Denver, Colorado. He is currently premiering his short documentary "FRANK," depicting the life of Denver tattoo artist Frank Simanton. Bruce and I discuss his strategies and processes for finding a great story and telling it in a compelling way that allows audiences a close personal glimpse into the real lives of ordinary yet impressive people. Bruce tells me the story of how a project he began but was ultimately unsuccessful in eventually resulted in a year of manic photography of some of the most skilled tattoo artists and their work, and then led to the creation of not only "FRANK," but also a successful coffee table book. Bruce explains why he's not going the traditional film festival route and is instead promoting his work on his own. He also encourages me to take my own short documentary film idea and run with it, because it not only sounds cool and rad, but also why not.