My name is Brady Ryan and I am a sea salt farmer on San Juan Island in Washington State. Ever since I was a child I have felt like my main skill was not that I was smarter or stronger or harder working or braver than anyone else, I was just a little more
Today we are joined by Molly Moon Neitzel!Molly is the founder and CEO of Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream, a Seattle institution known not just for its insanely delish scoops, but for its bold commitments to fair wages, progressive values, and community care. Under her leadership, Molly Moon's has become a model for how small businesses can balance customer happiness and employee wellbeing.
Today we are joined by Natasha Clower, a Clarity Coach and Mentor for Men and a Best Selling Author. Natasha guides corporate managers, founders, and entrepreneurs to an unshakable inner clarity to attain their destiny and goals with ease. She works to deliver profound transformations in just hours instead of months of ongoing coaching compared to traditional methods. During these recalibrations, she engages all levels of your being - mental, emotional, energetic, ancestral, intellectual, physical, soul and spirit, and family constellations.
Today we are joined by Dr. R.P. Oates, founder of INergy Wellness in Friday Harbor, Washington. R.P. is a multidisciplinary scientist who's previous career spans two decades of research experience across chemistry, toxicology, and biotechnology. Holding an MS in Organic Chemistry with a focus on photochemistry and a PhD in Toxicology focused on how physical forces in nature impact biological systems. At INergy Wellness, R.P. now offers personalized sessions of FDA-cleared full body red light therapy, Infra red sauna, and cold plunge for optimal cellular wellness designed to guide clients toward their own unique path to wellness on San Juan Island. For those curious about the book quote we discussed in the interview, here it is below!“The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn."TH White, from the book The Once and Future King
Today we are joined by Dr. Andrew Fleming. Dr Fleming is a clinical psychologist, founder of The Seattle Clinic, and a member of the clinical faculty at the University of Washington. He completed his doctoral study in child clinical psychology at the University of Washington, his internship in child & adolescent psychology at the UCLA Medical Center, and fellowship at the UW School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. His research was focused on improving interventions for teens, young adults, and families affected by ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, eating disorders, and suicidal behavior. Recently his focus has shifted to couples and families and he has just recently moved on from the Seattle Clinic.
Today we are joined by historian and author Boyd Pratt. Boyd's previous three books about the San Juan Islands were Lime: Quarrying and Limemaking in the San Juan Islands, Island Fishing: History and Seascape of Marine Harvesting in the San Juan Islands amid the Salish Sea, and Island Farming: History and Landscape of Agriculture in the San Juan Islands. His newest book, which came out in 2024 is The Disputed Islands: Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times in the San Juans 1850-1874.
Host Note: This was recorded about 3/4 of the way through 2024, and eventually I did meet and surpass my goal of meeting 365 new people last year! I hope to do it again in 2025, choosing life (breaking the ice with new people) over comfort (keeping to myself) in small ways day by day.
Danny Sherrard is the founder of Island Verse Literary Collective (IVLC), a nonprofit organization honoring the voices of the San Juans. He is the youngest person to have won the Individual National Poetry Slam in Austin (2007) as well as the World Poetry Cup in Paris (2008). Write Bloody published his first collection of poetry in 2009. Between 2008-2020 Sherrard toured and orchestrated poetry workshops across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe. A Pushcart Prize nominee, his poetry has appeared in numerous publications across the United States and Europe. He is currently working on many forms of literary magic with the arts community throughout the San Juan archipelago. He has just recently finished a new rendering of the Epic Gilgamesh.
In this episode I am interviewing a member of the U.S. Navy. The opinions expressed in this podcast are their own and do not represent those of the Department of Defense or Department of the Navy.Brett Percich is currently serving as an Engineering Department Master Chief (ie the Senior Nuclear trained enlisted Sailor) at Submarine Squadron 17which is the ballistic missile submarine squadron for the pacific fleet, the largest submarine squadron in the Navy with 14 crews attached to 7 submarines. He has been in the navy for 21 years now, and has accumulated an impressive list of recognitions of his leadership. I brought him to see what I could learn from him about leadership, team building, creating growth cultures, how he handles stress and much more!
Alex Pitschka is the owner and composer/prodcer of Montage Music. Montage Music is a constantly-evolving collection of music and sound design, with the goal of giving trailer and promo editors the best, most-inspiring sonic material for crafting hard-hitting, evocative trailers, teasers, tv spots and promos. Their contributors include multiple Oscar and Grammy winners, and nearly all of their cues get used within months of their release, and can be heard in hundreds of movie trailers and TV campaigns including Jupiter Ascending, The Imitation Game, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Edge of Tomorrow, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Into the Woods, Exodus: Gods and Kings, and many, many more.I brought Alex on to talk about all things musical creativity, movie trailers, small business, and much more. Enjoy!
Adrian Kilpatrick is a lifelong resident of Friday Harbor Washington and a candidate for San Juan County Council in the primary election of August 2024. He has served on the San Juan County Climate and Sustainability Advisory Committee and the Friday Harbor Arts Commission.I asked him on about his experience entering into community work/politics as a novice, how he understands the connection between national and local politics, the vulnerability of campaigning and what he's learned about governing from his many years at Burning Man.
The asking of worthwhile questions is a fine art, and it's something I'd like to spend the rest of my life working on. Join me as I think through what few lessons I've learned in the opportunities I've been gifted to get to interview people.
Kevin stalker spent 14 years as a correctional officer in Washington state prisons, and he was kind enough to join the show to talk about what he learned about himself and about life in his time there.
What's the right amount of judgement we should be expressing in our conversations?
Dr William House is physician and owner of Eventide Health in Friday Harbor Washington . He is also one of the more thoughtful people I've had the privilege of speaking to and is working hard to help move healthcare forward in patient centric ways. Join us as we discuss how he navigates his patients embarrassment and fear, how he has transformed his primary care practice away from the insurance model, the traumatic event that inspired him to enter medicine, how his work has changed the way he carries on conversations and much more!
What is the most life giving way to deal with the timeless feeling of missing out?
What role does curiosity play in a restaurant? What is the connection between mountain climbing and cuisine? How do you maintain a throughline of values during a major career change later in life?Join me as I ask these questions and more of the amazing Maria Hines!Maria Hines was a Seattle restaurateur and Award-winning chef for many years, being recognized with the 2009 James Beard Award Best Chef Northwest. She is also the co-author of the cook book Peak Nutrition: Smart Fuel for Outdoor Adventure. Maria cooked professionally since age 17, opening only the 2nd certified organic restaurant in the nation in 2006-which wasTilth in Seattle WA. Tilth which was quickly recognized as one of the top 10 new restaurants in the nation by the new york times. Since moving on from running restaurants she has been using her entrepreneurial experience to work with a variety of food and beverage operations, consulting, developing retail products and building storytelling content for companies aligned with her values.You can learn more about Maria and her work at her website and support her non profit Blue Sky Minds here.
Amber Edwards is a Platinum Results Coach and Business Results Trainer and I personally have had the privilege of working with her as my life coach for a year and a half now. Join me as we explore how she approaches coaching and how she integrates it into the meaning of her life!
Some questions/dichotomies I'm thinking through around my news fast...Am I burying my head in the sand or aiming my attention where my agency lies? Is it privileged selfishness to ignore the news or is it wise self care? Is news anxiety producing only because we don't act on it and through organizing and action we reduce our anxiety, or is the fundamental business model of the news industry giving us a distorted sense of the nature of reality by taking advantage of our evolutionary predilection towards negative information?
Jesse Visciglia is the Head Brewer and part owner at San Juan Island Brewery in Friday Harbor Washington. Join me as we discuss all things beer and brewing like...-How to taste a new beer-The role curiosity plays in brewing-How a former middle school science teacher found his way into commercial brewing-The relationship between inebriation and the art of fermentation-Are expensive beers better?-The hegemony of the IPAAnd more!And I make an embarrassing confession to Jesse at the end of the interview :)I hope you enjoy this conversation about beers as much as I did!Learn all about the beers Jesse makes for San Juan Island Brewery here.
Nathan Kessler-Jeffrey is Executive Artistic Director of the San Juan Community Theatre and has been teaching, directing, and acting in theatres, colleges, and high schools for over two decades. He holds an MFA in Directing from Rutgers University, and his teaching specialties include directing, acting, stage combat, and rehearsal techniques. He is the former Education and Outreach Director for Taproot Theatre Company in Seattle, and has been a guest instructor at high schools, colleges, and universities.Nathan's directing work includes productions for San Juan Community Theatre, Taproot Theatre Company, Driftwood Players, A Contemporary Theatre, American Globe Theatre, Abilene Shakespeare Festival, Transparent Storytellers Theatre, and the Seattle Play Series. In January of 2018, he joined San Juan Community Theatre as Executive Artistic Director and now divides his time between directing, acting, teaching, and leading SJCT's team of staff and volunteers.
Maria Michaelson is the co- founder and co Director of Alchemy Art Center in NW Washington. She received her BA degree in Ceramics from the California College of Art in 2009. Maria spent many years in West Africa learning the craft of bronze casting. In 2016 she was an Artist in Residence at 69 Rue de Rivoli in Paris, and for 8 seasons she has participated in the San Juan Island Artist's Studio Tour. Since 2016, she has been working to create Alchemy Art Center, where her art practice is currently based.
Is the courage it takes to create connections with new people zero sum?
Clayton Banry is a community educator at the Joyce L Sobel Family resource center, a morale officer at San Juan Island EMS and has been a huge part of the Friday Harbor community for many years, and I was excited to have a chance to talk to him!The Joyce Sobel Family Resource Center:https://sjifrc.org/YAAShttps://www.sanjuanjournal.com/opinion/disability-awareness/San Juan Community Theatrehttps://www.sjctheatre.org/
How should we go about connecting the dots of our past into a narrative of who we are? Which types of narrative are "true" and maybe more importantly, which types are useful?
After a childhood spent in the jungles of Ecuador, Roger Johnson was educated in the United States, and holds a degree in Engineering and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Minnesota. From 1988 to 2010, Roger was Founder and President of Radiant Optics, Inc -- a successful commercial enterprise that marketed a radiant heat system based on a biomimicry patent in optics. The system can be seen in Home Depot stores countrywide. In addition to patents granted to Roger related to radiant heating, he has patents pending in connection with the Kinetic Response Helmet (KRH), and others in various stages of planning. Roger is the founder and creative lead of Eidon, LLC. He expects that the KRH will be the first of many projects with the group.
Is alcohol a sacrilege or a sacrament? Does it matter how we answer this?
Russel Barsh is the director of Kwiaht-Center for the Historical Ecology of the Salish Sea. He studied at Harvard, taught at the University of Washington, and worked for many years at the United Nations on indigenous peoples and their ecosystems before returning to the Northwest and organizing Kwiaht. With a background in human ecology he is especially interested in cultural and economic factors influencing human impacts on the environment, the role of schools, and adaptation of animals and plants to humans. He lives on Lopez Island Washington.
What elevated feeling do you find yourself craving, but maybe having a hard time articulating exactly what it is, let alone how to get there? For me it's the sensation of not being in the center of the universe-in other words I crave the feeling when the optical illusion that is "I'm at the center of the universe" drops away. Join me as I try to put my craving into words.
Mark Bitterman is an American entrepreneur, food writer and world traveller. He is the author of the James Beard award winning book "Salted: A Manifesto on the world's most essential mineral" along with 4 other books on salt and bitters. He is the owner of The Meadow, a boutique that specializes in a huge array of artisan salts, bean-to-bar chocolates, cocktail bitters, and other products. The Meadow was founded in Portland, Oregon, in 2006, and has expanded to include three locations in Portland and one in New York City.Getting to talk to one of my personal heroes Mark Bitterman was a real treat and I hope you enjoy it and also check out his awesome and unique company The Meadow and his awesome books!
Have you had the experience of passing someone in a car and waving to them and them just completely being in their own world and not seeing you? That experience has always stuck with me and I think it's got something to do with curiosity.
What makes for great conversation? Conversation that leaves you feeling enriched, that taps into your best self as opposed to your worst and in which you genuinely learn something?Listen in as I'm joined by my brother Tyler to try to elucidate some principles of high level conversation and then take a stab at practicing them!
Parenting is full of interesting philosophical questions. Join me as I think on a few of them that have been bopping around in my brain. As always what I am aiming for is not answers but rather useful rumination. I am seeking to be an intellectual ruminant.
Is the human brain more wired towards story than a set of rules to follow?Can religion prescribe behavior without trying to describe reality?What is the most successful example of religious violence?What is the difference between a cult and a religion?These questions and more I discussed with Rebecca Moore. Rebecca Moore is Emerita Professor of Religious Studies at San Diego State University. One of her research specialties is new religious movements. She co-edited "Peoples Temple and Black Religion in America" and authored "Understanding Jonestown and Peoples Temple" . Her book "Beyond Brainwashing: Perspectives on Cultic Violence" came out in 2018 and "Peoples Temple and Jonestown in the Twenty-First Century" came out in 2022. Moore also specializes in the history of Christianity. Her book "Voices of Christianity: A Global Introduction" is a text-reader for college courses. "Women in Christian Traditions" offers a feminist analysis of the role women have played in the development of Christianity and "A Blessing to Each Other: A New Account of Jewish and Christian Relations" is one of her newest books. Check out the amazing Jonestown Institute here
It seems to me that being able to sense which mode of thinking we are operating in-attempting to be right or attempting to get it right, really matters. Listen in as I do a short musing on it.
Amanda is an ethnobotanist and cultural anthropologist. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in anthropology at Washington State University. She researches ethnobotany (including traditional foods and medicines, among other topics) in the Americas, with recent and ongoing projects in Mexico, Guatemala, and the US.Read here awesome blog here Follow her on Twitter hereFollow her on Instagram here
The impulse to say "knock on wood" after certain types of sentences is very strong in me. But lately I've been feeling like rejecting the impulse. Listen as I try to muddle through it. From Wikipedia:"Knocking on wood (also phrased touching wood) is an apotropaic tradition of literally touching, tapping, or knocking on wood, or merely stating that one is doing or intending to do so, in order to avoid "tempting fate" after making a favorable prediction or boast, or a declaration concerning one's own death or another unfavorable situation."
For Adam Summers, natural history and the practice of biomechanics starts with those moments where you witness an animal or plant doing something that you can't quite understand. How did that eagle fly upside down? How did that fly land on the ceiling? How did that suckerfish stick to that rock? I find Adam to be one of the most captivating communicators of science and enthusiastic curiosity I've ever encountered, I think you will too. See his bio below and find his Twitter profile here. Adam Summers is a professor in the department of Biology and in the School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences at the University of Washington. He now runs the comparative biomechanics and biomaterials lab at the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Labs. Current research topics include the evolution and mechanical properties of cartilage and tendon, swimming mechanics of sharks, respiratory patterns of sharks and rays and solid-solid interactions in aquatic organisms. This work has led to more than 90 publications and two patents. He has consulted on films (including one of my personal favorite movies, Finding Nemo), television and for 8 years his monthly column in Natural History Magazine – ‘Biomechanics', brought comparative biomechanics to a wider audience.
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