#8: The Man Behind the Mic

For over 10 years, Ryan Kendrick has been hustling his way around Hollywood to land the NEXT big opportunity. Originally being a yes man, Ryan took every opportunity he got, didn't matter the pay or role, he was just looking for the experience, opportunity and make life long connections. Having a reoccuring character on Peacock and a few big commercial breaks, Ryan has momentum in his favor and isn't stopping anytime soon. 

Nameless James was once known by everyone as Jack. But after being laid off during the height of the pandemic, he created his online identity to have fun with. Always a creative, he took his passion for writing, rap, and comedy to short form skits on Tik Tok.  Plataued growth, worrying about the next paycheck, finding a groove, creating receptive content... These are only some on the struggles content creators face. Learn of Nameless James come up, his present and future ambitions in the creative content space.

When Haley Kowalewski (@femmefinancialcoaching) heard about how her 401k through her employer was being completely underutilized and how much she could retire with by just being consistent, she was irritated. Why had nobody taught her the fundamentals of investing? She had no formal education in finance, but as she began to self teach financial literacy through books, podcasts, speakers - she began feeling empowered. Soon she was teaching others the power of investing.  As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Haley looks to reach audiences who historically have the biggest hurdles when it comes to financial literacy. With 144k followers on Instagram and 122k followers on TikTok, Haley went from a corporate recruiter to utilizing her entrepreneurial spirit through financial coaching and content creation.

Alex Day has spent his entire professional career growing within that he sports media space. With a unique journey - listen to where it all began. The highs of incredible guests/opportunity, the lows of the pandemic/losing his dream job, and his plans moving forward. 

Joe Masinter shares his journey from addict, to Founder of Good Morning Recovery, a treatment program and community for those looking to overcome the depths of addiction. Joe outlines his work, before getting vulnerable to share his own battle with addiction. Now over 3 years sober, this story will bring insight, hope and possibly a resource for anyone with a loved one struggling with drug or alcohol abuse. 

Will Nork has done it all. Sales (ADP, Paylocity), acting (Netflix), model (Buttercloth), nightclub promoter, loan officer, and life coach. Learn not only the journey, but the mindset approach to continuous improvement for Will, as he uses self-reflection and annual audits to assess what next move is best. 

Student Painters is one hell of an internship program. Not only was it a true survival of the fittest, but it was an incredible networking hub with an awesome alumni network.  Dan Smith (University of South Carolina) and I (College of Charleston) met during a sales conference in January 2014. A year later in the program as mentors, we would meet Leo Adams (Clemson) - creating lasting connections from there.  This episode dives into the mindset of 2 two entrepreneurs, and their journeys to running multi-million dollar companies: a national Drone business and a Play Ground empire. 

To kick off Season 2, I packed up my studio up for the first time to record in the workplace of my guest. Jake Spooner (Co-founder of Estate Coffee) takes me on a tour of a co-roasting facility in Chinatown, as he works on his roast for Tower 15 Coffee Co.  Jake walks me through the coffee process: sourcing, shipping, roasting, packaging, preparing and tasting. As we take a deeper dive into the art of coffee, Jake share's his journey and how he got to where is is now.

Kenny Hansell gives a brief overview of his journey and the mission of the Espresso-Self Podcast series. 

If you know anything about Hollywood, you are aware this pocket of LA attracts unique characters across the world. Alex Phillips doubles down on this notion to define extraordinary.  Born in the South and raised in the Midwest, Alex knew college wasn’t for him and dropped out to send it one way to the Gold Coast. MMA trainer, comedian, actor, gamer, writer and outspoken bad ass - this episode is about tapping into the back story behind the man on stage.