The Real Brian Show

In this installment of The Real Brian Show, we welcome author, speaker, and entrepreneur Cardiff D. Hall. His book, Tide Turners, was just published in January! We're so excited to share this interview with you not just because Cardiff is a gifted storyteller, but because of how encouraging and inspirational his experience is. After you've listened to the interview, please check out his website and, perhaps, buy his book! In This Episode Welcome, Cardiff! Where did it all begin? A change of perspective in order to take control Time Turners & taking action! Passing on what he's learned Being of value to others Take Control Those of us who don't run our own business have likely had the nightmare, literally or figuratively, where we are unceremoniously fired from our job. Perhaps the reason, in our nightmare, is a self-concocted, far-stretching reason, or perhaps there is no reason at all. We sign that employment contract and promising to give over 40+ hours of our life to a company that will, in turn, giv

You've got a "Good" card in your hand, I've got a card in my hand, and there is still one card face down in the deck. Do you pick from my hand or Go Fish? Luckily, we have much more control over how we accomplish our tasks, but when we want things to be good, we need to understand the implications of our next decision. In this installment of The Monday Experience, Brian dives into a lesson that has served him well and helps to illuminate difficult decisions. Pick Two There are millions of little decisions to make when accomplishing a big task, but those decisions change fundamentally when we've chosen a certain path. That path is controlled by picking two of three options: good, quick, and/or cheap. Any which-way you pair these up will lead to different outcomes and different efforts. None are inherently bad, but some are likely better than others. When you sit down to start a new project, do you think: I don't care what crap I come up with, I just want it to be quick and cheap? Be honest... hardly ever. The

Happy Superhero Friday! We welcome a new guest in this installment, Luke the Mad Scientist! Luke and Brian go way back to the days of radio and though they still game together, they haven't yet reunited on radio's most direct ancestor. For this episode of anything-goes, we really mean anything goes. From space wizards to elk meatballs to a health hack of the week... they cover it all. In This Episode Welcome, Mad Scientist! Movies: Beauty & the Beast, Power Rangers Mad Scientist & Med School Overwatch and customization Affogato and Elk Meatballs Fill your mind with something positive, joyful & encouraging Fun Is Overrated Fun is overrated. Be responsible! Because here at the Real Brian Show, we're all business. Not monkey business, straight up business. Yeah, that's sounds like us. Not! We like to have fun here and advocate that it is far from overrated, but sometimes the world likes to tell us to "take a chill pill" and "come down off that cloud" while we're having fun. Take an hour today and j

We've got a sweet, on-location interview for you in this installment of The Real Brian Show! From the factory of Nuance Chocolate we hear the sound of delectable chocolate being made... in one of the most honorable ways you can imagine. Brian got the opportunity to talk with Toby Gadd, the co-founder and co-owner of Nuance Chocolate, a Fort Collins-based chocolate factory. In This Episode Welcome Toby! How did Toby get started? Where did Nuance Chocolate come from? A little on where the beans come from and how they're ethically acquired An audible tour of the factory Nuance Chocolate An infatuation with chocolate which began in Costa Rica after visiting a chocolate museum, Toby and Alix Gadd decided to launch their own, rather rare, bean-to-bar enterprise. What's better, they're both committed to making this world a better place... which means they commit their business to purchasing the ingredients that they use in their factory in a fully ethical way. Fully ethical? What does that even mean? I'm not just

In this installment of The Monday Experience, Brian digs his fingers into the very real world of bullying. Bullying doesn't stop as we grow old; it changes, perhaps becoming more sophisticated or less overt (or not), but bullying does not discriminate by age. He takes a little time to lay out his definition of bully so that it might draw out what bullies might exist in our lives and give us a chance to get out in front of that bully. StopBullying bully (v): "use superior strength or influence to intimidate, typically in an effort to impose a will" The word bully exists in two forms, as the noun (the person or entity that forcefully imposes their will on a weaker subject) and as a verb (the act of utilizing superior strength to forcefully impose that will). Back when I used to do the Stuff I Learned Yesterday podcast at Golden Spiral Media, I would often throw out a word-of-the-day at the top of my installment because I believe in the importance of understanding terms in order to properly talk about somethin

Happy Superhero Friday! In this installment of Anything-Goes, I, your fearless blog post-writer, come out from behind the curtain and join in the discussion. I join Brian and Sarah in this episode and we cover a lot of material. Since I'm part of the discussion this week, what you'll find in the blog post is information you never really cared about in regard to manatees. And why they are our nemeses. In This Episode MADNESS! March Madness & the like... Of The Week: TV Shows, music, movies, lifehacks Presidential Debate: Gender Swapping Manatees Manatees, aka Sea Cows, are our nemeses. Why, you ask? We hate to totally blame it on rhyming, but that's largely why this phrase began to get tossed around. Interestingly, though they are often colloquially referred to as sea cows, they are more closely related to elephants. Their slow nature and tendency to be eaten by other animals is slightly contradictory to their ability to swim swiftly. I might label elephants as majestic, but certainly not graceful... And

Meet Jason Hartman! This is one interview you're going to want to listen to because there are many takeaways for us all, whether you're on Wall Street or making good money or trying to be successful in whatever enterprise you choose. Jason upholds the definition of consistency, of slow and steady, and of working smarter (not necessarily harder) as an approach to business. We're so excited to share this interview with you and hope you will take a little extra time to check out Jason's websites. In This Episode Welcome, Jason! The 2-track approach Great mentorship yielded a successful slow and steady mindset Investment: Thou shalt maintain control Some excellent advice Wall Street You know what they say... When you mess with the bull, you get the horns. I took this picture of the famous Wall Street Bull on my first trip to New York last year. When my small, Northeast Minneapolis company was acquired by an international company, my eyes were opened to a whole new world of business. Wall Street is no joke. New

This week on the Monday Experience, Brian starts a discussion that is larger than any single policy change. While the provoking circumstance was related to homelessness, there is a pervasive entitlement idealism with an approach to policy making in this country that needs a makeover. As much as we should feel responsible for our fellow men, we should also feel responsible for the culture we're passing on to each generation. Donations vs Government Funding A lot of research effort goes into understanding the typical American's approach to charitable giving and the close coupling to tax breaks or perception of taxation (or lack thereof) of the money being given. Most people would respond to direct questioning about why they donate with affirmations around trying to make a difference or to feel good about doing good, but when there's talk around changing how that money given to charity is taxed there are some significant shifts in idealism. Tax breaks around charitable giving drastically increase the percentage

Welcome to the Real Brian Show! We're here wishing you a Happy Saint Patrick's Day AND a Happy Superhero Friday with another installment of anything-goes. We are not raising our rates for this double feature, but hope you will find twice as many reasons to share the show. This week we made it into the Top 200 on iTunes, and that is all thanks to YOU! Thank you for listening and being part of this community. In this episode, Brian chats with Whitney whom he met at Happy Lucky's Tea House (which we got to hear a lot about on Wednesday this week!). In The Episode Irish, Irish, Irish ...and a little of Japan Music Drinks & Food (Tea, Wine) Logan Male Modeling ATTITUDE! Saint Patrick's Day I would be remiss not to share some of my favorite Irish pleasures on this Saint Patrick's Day. Irish culture is one of my favorites to read about, rich in its history and its distinct culture. For a nation that has seen so much suffering, they've given the world some of the most distinct sounds in Celtic music and possess

People who drink a lot of tea every day tend to be on the chattea side, if you know what I mean! In this case it pays off well because George Grossman of Happy Lucky's Tea House shares his wealth of tea knowledge with us in the latest on-location interview of The Real Brian Show. Whether you hate tea, casually drink tea, or consider tea one of the major food groups, we hope that this episode will be enlightening as to what the big deal is around the most popular beverage in the world. In This Episode Introducing... Tea House royaltea George Grossman! Steeping, oxidation, flavor Why we slurrrrrp All roads lead to Oolong Why tea caffeine is different from other forms George's time as a photographer Employee retention Training your palate is key to a healthy foundation Tea House The interview in this episode takes place at Happy Lucky's Tea House, nested in downtown Fort Collins, CO. If you can't map your next road trip through Fort Collins, try taking the virtual tour on their website! Brian sits down with Ge

Welcome to another installment of The Monday Experience! While playing the video game Overwatch, and consequently getting my butt kicked, a lot of things fell into place for me in a matter of seconds. Confidence or fear? Playing it nice or going after what I want? I want to share that story with you and provide a few insights on my observations. Confidence or Fear? Recently I was playing Overwatch and found myself in a situation where my team, and I personally, were getting trampled. I was getting shot at and quickly losing health and found myself just running away from the fight, licking my wounds and searching for a health pack. But I realized I wasn't just running away to find health, I was trying to save myself. I was running away in fear rather than as some strategic ploy. Here's the kicker: the guy who was shooting at me followed me in my attempt to run away. He hunted me down and still killed me, even though I was running away. At that point I thought the match was over. In that moment it struck me; I

Happy Superhero Friday! The dynamic duo of The Real Brian and Miss Light are joined this week by friend Kim for another installment of anything-goes Friday! We talk about how terrible wind is, how amazing finding new music is, what games are getting played and what movies are being watched. In This Episode What's up with the episode title? New music! What are you drinking? TVs & Movies Getting out and being the best me! Viscerally Vicious Vegetation Enough about vegetation! Let's take a close look at this fricken chicken. A gift from Kim to Brian (which, as you can see, is actually a rooster... not a chicken). Really, we just wanted an excuse to show this rooster-chicken to you. And, really, as Brian and Kim said, it brings to our minds the simple fact that sometimes all we need is simple, every-day humor. Sit and laugh at that rooster-chicken for a while and tell me you don't feel better. Interestingly, there is a restaurant in Michigan called the Frickin Chicken Shack. Road trip, anyone? Since we're o

Welcome back to The Real Brian Show! This week we have the pleasure of welcoming Brian C. Roll to the show. Brian (the real one) and I had an opportunity to meet, talk, and share a delicious Giordano's Pizza with Brian (our guest) and discovered an extremely talented, passionate artist. Brian Roll found an incredible niche in producing beautiful art for comic book and genre television and movies. Checking out his website is an absolute MUST! In This Episode Meeting at Heroes & Villains Welcome Brian C. Roll of Odyssey Art Learn more by doing People are looking for PASSION! Learn More by Doing Planning and thinking has its place in every process, but without action there is no product. In the wise words of someone in the past: "Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you." Most people attribute this statement to Thomas Jefferson, but there's really no record of it. It would make a lot of sense as to why Jefferson might have said it, though, when taking a serious

It's Monday! That means a new week is upon us filled with fresh opportunities. In this installment of the Monday Experience, I share why the phrase "I got your back!" means so much to me and how I think we could all do with stepping up our game. In the spirit of encouraging those around us and standing up for what's right, this concept bears more weight now than ever. Got Your Back Have you ever experienced someone getting your back? Literally, standing up for you in a fight or ending a gossip train that was speeding a hundred miles an hour? Or maybe you are that person. Maybe you get someone else's back in a fight or put a stop to a degrading conversation. From the military (got your six) to sports teams, the concept is nothing new. I've been blessed to experience people who get my back when it's truly needed, but I also have to admit that it is a rather rare occurrence. Instead of standing up for me, these people who know I need them leave me high and dry. I know I'm not the only one who's experienced this

Happy Superhero Friday! In the latest anything-goes installment of The Real Brian show we get another peek inside the lives of Mr. and Mrs. The Real Brian. From the health benefits of turmeric and chocolate to the importance of dressing nicely (and the incredible challenges at Brian's size 14 shoes!) to exploring the differences of personalities with the help of personality tests, we cover a lot of ground today. In this Episode What have you been drinking? Music recommendations! (Check out Jamiroquai and Ellogram) Turmeric, chocolate and eating healthy John Wick 2 Don't judge me by my shoes! Personalities make the world go round. Groot Unicorn's Horn The unicorn's horn is steeped in legendary mystique. There are early writings about unicorns that originally assigned healing properties to it. (It's a story about a snake poisoning a lake which many animals were drinking from. The unicorn makes the sign of the cross with its horn before drinking from the lake itself. The poison becomes harmless and all the an

We are excited to welcome Dr. Tim Flynn to the Real Brian Show! The doctor is in the studio with Brian in this installment and together they walk through what it really means to manage pain. Pain is not a disease, it's a symptom of something your body is attempting to draw your attention to. Using stories from Brian's life, and interesting encounters Dr. Flynn has had over his career, we hear a well-rounded discussion of how pain management is a body, mind, and brain battle. In this Episode A little about Dr. Flynn Nerding out about the body Everything is so connected Pain management the wrong way Mind over matter and visualization... Manage Pain Dr. Tim Flynn is a leader in musculoskeletal physical therapy and has an extensive background in evaluating, treating and helping patients to manage pain in the thoracic spine and rib cage. He is board certified in Orthopaedic Physic Therapy (OCS), a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (FAAOMPT), and a frequent research presente

Welcome to the Monday Experience! In this installment, I want to break down the difference between the abundant vs poverty mindset and how we might go about teaching ourselves to seize more of the former. Being around people who are continuously plagued by negativity and defeatism can get wearing, so let's make a change in ourselves and try to spread it around! Abundant vs Poverty Mindset I've always been a positive person, annoyingly much. I've had the can-do attitude which has helped me to look past a list of impossibilities to overcome and declare that we will find a way to make this possible. In spite of this, I found myself surrounded by people of the poverty mindset during a time in which I was experiencing some pretty traumatic and negative circumstances. I don't blame these people for my attitude, but I can't help wishing they'd become more abundantly-minded. That mindset rubbed off on me during a dark time. I went from the can-do attitude to the it'll-never-happen, I'm-useless attitude. I went from l

Happy Superhero Friday! This week we're doing these things the Wookiee Way and thank goodness that Miss Light is back to help out. From the delectable drink choices of Mr. and Mrs. Light to the Star Wars Costume exhibit in Denver to having a healthy relationship with other people, this installment is packed. In This Episode Mounting and dismounting unicycles... Fine tuning my 90s music playlist Coffee, cheese muffins, and healthy desserts? Star. Wars. Costume. Exhibit. Comics and Game Shop Having healthy relationships The Wookiee Way There are right ways, there are wrong ways. There is the long way and the round-about way. There are byways and highways. And then there is the Wookiee way. No one really knows the Way of the Wookiee, and those who think they do tend to have disagreements among themselves. On the whole, I tend to take the Philip Stanhope approach: "Anything worth doing at all is worth doing well." And wow, can that approach get exhausting. Whether we're talking about our passion in life or a p

What if your office was on a beach? What if... one day you chose to work alongside the amazing fragrance of freshly brewed coffee and idle chatter, and the next you chose a picnic bench in your favorite park? This week's guest, Erica Duran, shares her experiences building her own freedom-based business and then how she was able to go on and help others to do the same. In the end, Erica wants everyone to discover work-life balance in the way she did. In This Episode A little background on Erica. Welcome, Erica! Where did it all begin? Going from hotel management to a minimal lifestyle to helping others help themselves. Outreach is key. Work-Life Balance The foundation for this week's discussion pairs nicely with some ongoing conversations we've been having lately on The Real Brian Show! We've addressed experiencing life, taking the time for exercise and still enjoying a cookie now and then, and essentialism; and all these topics tie into a broad, over-arcing pursuit of successful work-life balance. A term of

In this installment of the Monday Experience, we dive into the concept of essentialism. While I was deliberating on stepping down from Arrow Squad, Kate Erickson recommended a book on essentialism. The more I read, the more I realize how much of this I need to put into practice. Essentialism What exactly is essentialism? Philosophically it refers to the concept that for any specific entity there are a set of attributes necessary to its identity and function. The pursuit of essentialism, therefore, is a pursuit of what is necessary to our own identity and function. As much as Arrow Squad was a tremendous opportunity for me, and was pivotal in my transition from radio, I recently realized it was no longer one of those essential things in my life. I was feeling extremely overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious. I was working on way too many things all the time and producing very little. The community of Arrow Squad and what that podcast built over the last three years was a good thing, so how do I let it go? A couple