The Real Brian Show

Welcome to The Real Brian Show! We are excited to welcome Mayor Wade Troxell of Fort Collins, CO this week to talk about his vision of making Fort Collins a city for all. He takes a collective, rather than factioned, approach to acceptance and encourages the recognition of all people groups. In This Episode Mayor for a Day to Mayor Mr Troxell’s background and pursuit of robotics It’s the people who make this city great A City for All Having respect and listening to each other to accomplish more A City for All Do you know the name of your mayor? I don’t. Well, I did after I Googled it. It’s interesting, though, in thinking about my perception of community based on the degree of involvement I have. After visiting Fort Collins myself, last summer, and seeing how it truly is one of the best places to live, it’s a little underwhelming to return to my suburban Minnesota home, look around, and wonder who in the world is running this place. Our reluctance, lack of interest, or lack of time that prevents us from get

It's Monday and we're glad you're joining us on the new format journey of The Real Brian Show! Starting this week, you will find three installments of the podcast ready for your consumption on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. Monday is Encouragement Day! Using stories and experiences from his own life, Brian will guide conversations toward making the most out of our day, out of our week, and hopefully set us all off to a great start. Experience Life My life has been a little crazy lately. I've been an entrepreneur most of my life, behind the mic and piano most of my life, and the blessing and curse of engaging in those activities is that there are always opportunities with potential. Some work out, some really work out, but many don't. You spend a lot of time working for little to no return. On the other side of that, when you do the right thing... things rock! I've spent a lot of time with people lately, wanting to make a difference, but have had to stop and ask myself recently whether I'm actually enj

Welcome to the Real Brian Show! This week we're in a scratch your own niche sort of mood, so this shorter-than-usual episode is chock full of recommendations and reviews about the things Brian has discovered. In This Episode Coffee cupping Expounding on the new show format. Music: BrunuhVille, Future of Forestry TV: Stranger Things, Speechless, Powerless Movies: Hidden Figures, Split Scratch Your Own Niche We always want people to scratch our niche, don't we? We want them to give us what we want. Sometimes, here at the Real Brian Show, we just want to let our freak flags fly and tell you whatever we want. And so that's a lot of what this episode is! If you've been listening to Brian, or if you're here for the first time, this episode is literally outlined with some of his most favorite things. Give use your music, tv show, and movie recommendations in the blog post comments! Music I knew I recognized the name BrunuhVille when Brian brought it up. As a programmer, by trade, sometimes it's difficult to write

Hello and welcome to The Real Brian Show! Whether you're coming across this podcast for the first time or you've been with us from the beginning, we're so glad that you found us! We hope that it won't be a one-way street, either. Let us know who you are, either by joining our Facebook group or leaving a comment in this blog post. In This Episode The hobbit hole has undergone a remodel. Jason Van Orden of Internet Business Mastery joins us! Ready to become the best you? The ingredients vary. Ideas for changing up the format of the podcast. The Shadow pops in! Become the Best You If anyone has ever told you, play to your strengths, you'll perhaps understand why it is such a commonly used phrase. The things that come naturally to us, whatever that might be, are inherent skills that are essential to leverage. These skills come so easy that it feels like we're cheating when we use them. Hint: you're not cheating! The discussion on the podcast this week, between Brian and special guest Jason Van Orden, has a lot

Ever wondered how you might create the life you want? We'll be the first to admit that the answer isn't one-size-fits-all, but the conversation in this episode of The Real Brian Show can help refocus the path to that life. When I choose to adopt these methodologies in my own life, I am surprised to find that the life I want while I'm living selflessly is very different from what I want when I'm living for myself. How does living differently change what we want? Perspective. In this Episode Tired of the negativity... Developing a new morning routine! New Music. Check out Danger Silent Ostrich meat, Apple Cider Vinegar, Cinnamon Cubano Welcome Kate Erickson! Attitude and how it can change the world. Keep the Bedroom Sacred I know where your mind went with that header! Reel it back in so that I can expound on this sacredness I speak of. Brian explains his new morning routine in this episode and it involves not keeping his cellphone in his bedroom. No more with the cellphone alarm clock! no more with the social

Welcome back to The Real Brian Show! We've got a great lineup for you today, including a discussion with Steven Brandon. Brian and Steven were paired together to cover The Big Bang Theory for TV Talk several years back and have kept in touch ever since. In This Episode Welcome Steven! Finding love in reality... shows Saying yes. Trying everything. Hailing from the Land Down Under, Steven brought his talent and prowess to the U.S. where he now works and lives. From an appearance on Wipeout (the blind date edition) in 2010 to Dating Naked in 2014, Steven has stretched his theater muscles in a variety of ways that have now landed him in L.A. with the Canned Laughter entertainment company. Currently, Brandon is working on a musical version of Game of Thrones which will debut in February 2017. After listening to Steven talk for awhile, it's no surprise that one of his primary super powers is creativity. He's buzzing with energy and has a philosophy well suited for an extrovert: say yes, try everything. It has, u

Welcome back to The Real Brian Show! We'd like to invite you back to our room in this episode to see the view, if you know what we mean. Don't know what we mean? Well, then it's good we brought Martin (aka The Flash) back. In This Episode Texting & Driving. Really?! The Flash returns! Phone and Social Media Addiction Come See the View I'll let Brian and Martin share the full story of where this line became a comedic staple of our friendship, but it falls into the category of not realizing what you've said until after you've said it! Witty banter and friendly jabbing requires a healthy dose of euphemisms and double entendres. If I'm not mistaken, we stumbled into this particular double entendre at DragonCon with the second guest of this episode, Martin (aka The Flash). It was a memorable weekend and lives on through the inside jokes we carefully cultivated. Over the last several years, many of the best friendship I've developed have been as a result of podcasting. We've had Martin guest host on The Real

Welcome back to The Real Brian Show! We hope you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! The end of the year was chalked up with some interesting events to cap off what can only be labeled an interesting year. To get us back in the groove and start off 2017 on a note of positivity and generosity, Brian catches up with Julie Damschroder, a lawyer-turned-franchise owner, and gets a glimpse into her experiences. Leaving her desk behind, Julie realized her passion for baking could be realized with a bit of elbow grease and a whole lot of love. In this Episode Social Media: Love it or Lose it? Wind is the devil's breath. Finding lots of good music! Currently watching: new TV/rewatching Rogue One Welcome Julie! Fort Collins Baking Nerd. Giving someone else a chance Great Harvest Bread Do you have a Great Harvest Bread near you? We have them here in Minnesota and I never pass up an opportunity to pick up a loaf of Pumpkin Bread. I did not realize, however, that each location is an instantiation of a franchise!

Merry Christmas! From all of us at the Real Brian Show, a very Merry Christmas! In this farewell-to-2016 installment of the podcast, we bring you yet more Star Wars, plenty of talk about Christmas, and an amazing conversation with Nicholas McCarthy about his experiences as a concert pianist. In This Episode Buddy the Elf pops in! Christmas & Star Wars with Martin Donison Nicholas McCarthy has a unique handicap for a concert pianist...and yet, WOW! Wear That Cookie Well Nicholas McCarthy was born without his right hand, but he was also born with an extraordinary aptitude for piano. If that combination doesn't make sense, you will be astounded by the interview in this week's episode of The Real Brian Show. Brian and Nicholas dig in to the prejudice produced by the inherent handicap having only one hand presents and how the challenges he faced as a young person grew him into exactly who he needed to be as an adult. More than simply rising to the occasion, or facing adversity head-on, Nicholas's story is on

Welcome to The Real Brian Show! Because Star Wars: Rogue One will be gracing the big screen this coming weekend, a heavy focus of this episode will be on that upcoming blockbuster. As always, we'd love for you to join the conversation! Please visit our website for details on how to get in touch or leave a comment on this blog post. Unsure what to say? Start by telling us what your favorite Christmas movie is. Mine, you ask? It's a Wonderful Life. Hands. Down. In This Episode A chat with Han Solo Nitro. Cold Brew. Coffee. It's the most wonderful time of the year. What's your favorite Christmas movie? Welcome, Kyle! Let's talk about ROGUE ONE! The line between being respectful... and flat out fake. Rogue One I enjoy the Star Wars story. I enjoy any story that does "world building", by which I mean... establishes a strong framework or foundation for its premise and commits to revealing as much as it can of that world through dialogue, costume and scenery. Star Wars commits, and I appreciate that. I would not c

Welcome back to The Real Brian Show! We've got a great line-up for you in this episode as we talk about racism, and its more general ancestor - bullying. Racism is just one of the hot-button social issues that plagues our society. The cause and effects are deeply rooted into our society, but that doesn't make them untouchable. In fact, it makes them even more tangible. In This Episode Welcome to CJ Thunder (aka Carl)! Super secret hot cocoa recipe... Racism: what are it's roots? Experiences with bullying. How do we fight bullying? Chewbacca joins the conversation More from Lee Stephen, including comments on adversity, advice for aspiring writers, and some big truth bombs. Bullying The famous quote from Eleanor Roosevelt oft comes to mind when talking about adversity and bullying: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Also the old adage: "sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Quotes and sayings, like these ones, might encourage us to take the power away fro

Welcome back to The Real Brian Show! We've got a great lineup for you today, including special appearances from author Lee Stephen and Jedi Master Yoda. In This Episode Thanksgiving is over. Now... Christmas! Coffee & tea recommendations. An amazing "unleash your superhero" moment! TV News: DC Shows crossing over this week, Arrow's 100th Episode Tony drops in to talk video games and review the new sci-fi movie Arrival A general observation of people ignoring driving and traffic laws!! Lee Stephen joins! Want to know the inspiration for his books? My Own Harmony "...The code is more what you'd call 'guidelines' than actual rules." -- Captain Barbossa Pirates of the Caribbean In this week's episode of The Real Brian Show, there are a couple conversations about rules. It's interesting the way all these conversations came together, because it really draws out the dilemma we see on a broad scale in modern culture. On the one hand, we have rules that are meant to protect us. Laws that are put in place to tr

We are so happy to be back with an all-new episode of The Real Brian Show and are so thankful you're joining us once again. If you're wondering why this episode is labeled #1 (or 001, depending on where you're looking), don't worry... you haven't gone crazy. Or maybe you have, I won't judge. Brian used the first seven episodes of The Real Brian Show's initial launch to regroup, reassess, and reconfigure a few things, and he'll tell you all about it within the first five minutes of the show. So don't worry, you are in the right spot! In This Episode Start. Stop. Start again. What happened to the Real Brian Show? A look ahead at conversations that need to happen in the post-2016 election era. Agendas on television and why they're not our cup of tea. An amazing conversation with nutrition-happy John Lee Dumas! The Phoenix Rises Appropriately, the phoenix in Greek mythology describes a creature which rises from the ashes of its predecessor. Part of the legend of this creature is that it first must die in a huge

In continuing on the tradition of there being never a dull moment on The Real Brian Show, YouTube comedian and emotional life coach JP Sears (and his creative muse) join Brian this week! In This Episode Meet JP Sears, the character The real JP Sears emerges! Nerding out about creativity Using humor to help, not to hurt. Avoidance creates deeper wounds. JP talks about WHAT holds us back from unleashing our own superhero What's next for JP? Awaken with JP Comedy, in its classical conception, was designed as a means to relate humans as social beings rather than the privatization of some of life's most basic elements. By holding up a hypothetical mirror, and reflecting the perceptions of idiocy or awkwardness through the lens of culture, an almost healing awareness is drawn. It is incredibly fascinating to me that comedy's origins can be found in Aristotle, from whom we derive our notions of Western philosophy. From the same man who gave us writings on everything from physics to ethics to poetry, we also get a

The movie-quoting, wrestling-calling, classic humor loving Jason Bryant joins The Real Brian this week to talk about how his passion and commitment to investing in his inner nerd led him to the 2016 Olympics in Rio. In This Episode Movie quotes are just so dang quotable! Turning everything into politics makes us too uptight. Jason's fun, personal fact has to do with his daughters... The saturated book market and listening at 2x speed. What is Jason's super power? Getting geeky for stats. How the opportunity for 2016 Rio came up. Announcing at the 2016 Olympics Today I released an episode for Golden Spiral Media's Stuff I Learned Yesterday podcast about the idiom "pie in the sky". Jason's description of the journey that led him to being an announcer at the 2016 Olympics in Rio struck me as one of those things we think of being wonderful to contemplate while, at the same time, having it in the back of our minds that it is never going to happen. And that is basically what the idiom means: nice to think about,

Happy Superhero Friday! What makes a Friday "Superhero Friday"? The short answer is that, honestly, we don't really need a reason. The long answer will be discovered by listening to this first installment of The Real Brian Show's Friday edition. Tune in for more information! In This Episode What is Superhero Friday? Little bit about Brian, his wide variety of interests and how he hopes that wide variety will appeal to you. Let's be collaborative with Spotify! Brian explains what he means by "unleashing the Superhero within". How can we change the world by being Superheroes? Here's an idea! Gloriously Heinous Far be it from Brian to utilize an episode title that actually has something to do with what he's talking about, right? When thinking up naming conventions, for just about anything other than something programming-related, I'm always intrigued by what ultimately ends up becoming such an iconic part of that entity's identity. Friends and the convention of "The One With..." or "The One Where..."; One Tree

In this installment of The Real Brian Show, we’re pleased to present an interview with actress Amy Gumenick! To learn more about Amy's roles, please check out her IMDb page! In This Episode Sweet tooth triggers Attending conventions What does Amy nerd out about? Amy shares how living in a world of imagination encourages her to give back It’s hard to stay grounded, how does Amy do it? Amy Gumenick This week’s interview with the lovely and talented Amy Gumenick will have your mouth watering from beginning to end. While the conversation starts off about sugar, and what really makes Brian's and Amy's sweet tooth ache, it develops from there and we uncover another truly remarkable gem in the sea of Hollywood actors. I love conversations around how people approach their craft. Whether it’s discussing approaches to development with a fellow programmer, or the writing process with a fellow writer, or listening to my grandpa tell stories about how he dealt with projects while he was in the lathing trade, hearing som

In the first interview from The Real Brian Show, we're excited to present an interview with Garrett Wang and Megan Elise! In This Episode - Working on the set of Star Trek: Voyager - Exerting superiority can limit opportunities for others - Relationship advice - What do Garrett and Megan geek out over? - Garrett and Megan talk about their inner superheroes - Disarming others with your own personal brand of superhero - Negative reactions have a negative effect - How we're treated dictates how we act - Encouragement from Garrett and Megan - The counseling side of bullying Meet Garrett Wang What better way to start off the interviews featured on The Real Brian Show than with Garrett Wang (Star Trek: Voyager) and Megan Elise! Since the day Brian met Garrett Wang at DragonCon, all I’ve heard from him is how awesome Garrett is and how down to earth Garrett is. So it is very appropriate that we kick off interviews with an actor from Brian’s favorite show (Star Trek) and an actor that embodies some of the rarest char