Jon of All Trades

This is it. The last episode. This show debuted on March 18, 2014 with three episodes – Mike Gaughan, Cindy Sovine, and Jason “Bird” Calloway were my guests – which means that this show has been active for a week shy of 11 years. 372 numbered episodes, 421 total episodes, and 444 blog posts later,...

Tacos! We're talking about tacos! And tequila! What else do you need me to write here to get you to listen to this? Ok, fine. Uno Mas Taqueria has been on South Pearl Street in Denver and on Olive Street in Fort Collins for the last 11 years, and Brian has been with them the...

Rob Rover Rushing is on the road more than 300 days a year, so it was with some effort and luck that I caught him while he was home in Denver and that we were able to meet at East Fax Tap and chat for an hour. He's the Co-Founder of Punk Rock Saves Lives....

Jason zumBrunnen is Co-Founder and Head Brewer Emeritus of Ratio Beerworks, a Denver craft brewery with roots in the punk rock scene and a DIY spirit. I've visited Ratio more times than I can count whether I'm taking people from out of town there, seeing a concert, or just plain old enjoying a pint because...

James Hilovsky is the Creator of The Fran Dream, a franchise consulting company that matches up existing and aspiring entrepreneurs with successful franchise business opportunities. Notably, he works with a lot of retired professional athletes to match them up with opportunities as their playing career winds down. We discuss how he got into this line...

Jean Eddy is the President and CEO of American Student Assistance (ASA) and the author of the book Crisis-Proofing Today's Learners: Reimagining Career Education to Prepare Kids for Tomorrow's World. During Jean's tenure, ASA has pivoted from a 65-year history of helping students with college financing and repayment options to a new focus of helping...

Shawn Drotar is the co-host of Sandy and Shawn on Mile High Sports as well as its Senior Editor. He has an incredible resume having done turns at ESPN and USA Today nationally, and a couple of tours of The Fan and Mile High Sports here in Denver. He has incredible intellect, insight and a...

Jeopardy! Superchamp Christopher Short returns to the show after first appearing 9 years ago in Episode 44 as part of #GeekMonth when he was but the Head Editor. I've always adored the whole vibe of Geeks Who Drink and used to play a ton. Then we had some damn wiener kids, go out a lot...

Jeremiah Ludemann is the guitarist for The Frickashinas, one of my favorite bands which is obvious since I've also interviewed their lead singer Justin Duran and featured them in the JOAT 50 Song Countdown. He's also the mastermind behind 420 Punk Fest Denver, which is right around the corner. This dude and I hit it...

Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough is the Director of The Body Politic, which airs as part of the ACT Human Rights Film Festival, presented by the Colorado State University Department of Communication Studies. Here's a synopsis of the film: Like many areas in the United States, the City of Baltimore has been plagued by gun violence....

My thank you to you for helping this show reach its incredible 10 year milestone is the First Lady of Denver, Kathy Sabine. She is 9News Chief Meteorologist, joined 9News in 1993, and has won boatloads of Emmys and other awards. At this point, she is a Denver institution and a delight to pretty much...

This is the humble space where I produce this little show of mine for 10 years and counting. I've got my laptop, a monitor, a mic, an ergonomic upright mouse because I think I'm getting carpal tunnel from all the podcast editing I do, my Zoom recorder, pictures of my girls, sunglasses, and some of...

Back in 2019, I reconnected with Shalisa Pouw – a friend from elementary school – and we talked about her work as a Denver Nuggets dancer, in the fitness industry, and for DiningOut. That episode can be found here. She's back, and she's brought her husband Jeff Suskin with her as I talk to the...

Aditya Varanasi is the CEO of Awarity, a company that offers world-class advertising at affordable prices. They utilize banner ads on the most highly trafficked websites in the world and utilize connected TV all targeted by zip code to ensure businesses of all sizes are supercharging their marketing efforts. Before founding Awarity, Aditya was a...

Dr. Marcy Willard is the founder of Clear Child Psychology. Clear Child Psychology partners with families to provide diagnostic assessments, clarity and a customized roadmap for supporting their unique child. Their goal is to free families from the burden of unknowing and to connect kids with the help they need to find their own path...

Sun Roesslein is the newly appointed President of the Sports Field Management Association (SFMA), based right here in the Denver metropolitan area. SFMA is a non-profit dedicated to empowering and providing resources for the professionals who oversee sports fields at pro stadiums, universities, K-12 schools, and local parks and recreation facilities. These are the highly-trained individuals who ensure that...

Hi there! It's been a hot minute since I've been on this page. Where have I been? I'm glad you asked! I left one show I was doing back in July and decided I needed some anonymous downtime. I had some surgery. I've been focusing on client work. Mostly I've just enjoyed laying low and...

Douglas Derrick is one of the coolest guys I know. He's the inspiration for Negroni Week, which just happened. He has a Portlandia sketch that parodies his mixology chops from his time as a bartender. He's a champion angler. Above all that, he's just really fun to hang out with when I go to Portland...

After doing this show for 9+ years, I thought I'd pretty much covered it all. Buddy, the fact that this show can still surprise me is a gift. Ed Gazvoda is the creator of Fireless Cremation, which is an alternative to the traditional, petrochemical cremation we're probably all more familiar with. So, how is it...

Brenden Kumarasamy is the Creator of MasterTalk, where he has speaking engagements, leads workshops, and offers individual coaching. Here he is in his own words from his YouTube channel: After coaching many business students on how to give amazing presentations for 2 years, I quickly realized that public speaking is a very difficult subject to...

Josh Martin played seven seasons in the NFL and got an Ivy League education at Columbia University. He's returned to Denver to open a Smoothie King franchise in the Central Park neighborhood. He joins me to discuss his NFL career as we discuss a multitude of facets of it. What was his first day like?...

Stacey Dee (the one on the right in that picture, seen with her bandmate Linh Le), is the lead singer of Bad Cop / Bad Cop, one of my favorite bands. She joins me in advance of the Punk Rock Saves Lives Fest coming up on Saturday, July 22 at Ratio Beerworks in Denver. We...

Plasma Canvas is the self-professed “LOUDEST, GAYEST BAND IN THE WORLD.” And I can tell you personally that their new album DUSK is fantastic. I welcome their lead singer Adrienne Ash to the show to discuss it, what was in store for Plasma Canvas before the pandemic hit (it's crushing), how existing as a lead...

I only know Ryan Nanni from Twitter – he's @celebrityhottub – and I don't really know him. I only know that his tweets consistently make me laugh and he's someone I'm happy exists in my feed. So one night I happened to check out his full profile, and found this pinned tweet: Pay dirt! I...

I work out at the same time and same gym as Peaches ‘n Diesel. Of course, that's not how I know her, but one of our instructors (thank you, Jackie!) hipped me to her Instagram page. I was instantly taken with it. I then found out her dog, Jolene the Dolly Doodle was even more...

According to Drew Francis, “The state of Colorado has 58 peaks that rise over 14,000 ft in elevation. The current record to climb all the peaks is 9 days, 21 hours, and 51 minutes. My goal for the summer of 2023 is to break this speed record, climbing more than 150,000 ft of elevation, 300...

The Jon of All Trades Podcast is officially 9 years old! If you had asked me when I started if I would still be doing this show 9 years later, I don't think I would have said yes. But the truth is, while this show didn't achieve the heights I wished for it when I...

Kip Wilson is one of the creators and co-hosts of Stoned Appetit, a podcast where he and his co-host learn something new every episode, but “cover food, booze, weed and live music.” Sounds like a damn good time! He's also my compadre at Mile High Life where he blogs and makes video content, and I,...

When Tom Breihan was my guest two and a half years ago on Episode 253, we talked primarily about movies and how PR people can stand out in an endless swirling sea of crappy pitches. It was an incredibly fun chat, and although I had been a weekly reader of his prior to that, after...

Joe Vostrejs is Principal, Partner, and Founder of City Street Investors, whose “custom crafting philosophy” means the firm creates projects that synchronize the needs and desires of the community with investment in under-appreciated assets. It also means, the places they create, in particular the restaurants in their portfolio, are unique, tailored toward the local community,...

On this solo episode of the show, I talk about how true creative freedom and fulfillment comes from the grind. It's counterintuitive, but we all have hours to fill in a day. If we fill those hours with work that we find meaningful, challenging, and enjoyable, our lives are thereby much more fulfilling. This is...

On October 25, we, the parents of students at Palmer Elementary, received an email titled “Declining Enrollment.” I imagine parents of students at the other 9 schools proposed for closure or consolidation received a similar email on Denver Public Schools (DPS) letterhead. The DPS Board has been tasked with voting on this plan November 17....

I don't remember how I came upon Gogo Germaine's book the first time, but as soon as I became aware of Glory Guitars: Memoir of a '90s Teenage Punk Rock Grrrl I knew I had to read it. So I ordered my copy, devoured it, and then reached out to Gogo directly. We sat down...

Julian Rubinstein is the author of The Holly: Five Bullets, One Gun, and the Struggle to Save an American Neighborhood, a book that has earned widespread acclaim since its release. Here's the synopsis from the website. In The Holly, the award-winning journalist Julian Rubinstein, who grew up in Denver, reconstructs the events leading up to the...

Bruce Lambert is the owner of Dog House Denver, Denver's premiere doggy day care. From their website: “At Doghouse Denver your dog will enjoy constant care and supervision from our loving, skilled, and knowledgeable handlers. Our team is passionate and experienced in interacting and engaging with dogs of all temperaments. Dog House Denver is not...

Kersti Bryan has appeared on this show before. In fact, it was exactly 300 episodes ago when she was my guest on Episode 37. Weird, right? She's back again and this time we talk about her recent role on Tales of the Walking Dead largely opposite Terry Crews and her short film Egg Party, which...

David Roth is an Editor at Defector.com, one of my absolute favorite websites (and, by their own tagline “The last good website), and he's in that photo showing me a baseball card for Lastings Milledge, who is a definitely a guy some of us remember. David is a superlative writer and while the bulk of...

Summer is my favorite season by far. And it's this time of year that I start to feel a tinge of melancholy because I know this magical time is ending, which also happens to coincide with my birthday. Why do I love summer so much? I answer that question from as many angles as possible...

Kyle Krueger is the Co-Founder of Kru Creative. When you visit their website, you're greeted with this: “CREATIVITY IS FUNDAMENTAL TO HUMAN CONNECTION. It is not about standing out anymore, it is about connecting. We curiously explore your problems and why they matter.  And deliver impactful graphic and motion design solutions.” I like that, and it's...

Ryan Estes is the Co-Founder of Kitcaster, the world's premier podcast booking agency. He's also a podcasting OG whose podcasting origin story goes back to 2008, so he's been through virtually this entire industry's evolution. More importantly, Ryan is someone I consider both a professional friend and role model. I can go months or even...

Stacey and Josh Davis (pictured) are the Co-Founders of JAD's Mile High Smoke, the first Cannabis Bar in Colorado. What is that? It's just like any other bar, except you order cannabis products instead of alcohol products. Cool, right? Josh and Stacey certainly think so as they're the very first ones to establish such a...

Conor McGahey is the radio voice of the 2022 Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche for Altitude Sports. I talked to him the day after the celebratory parade that brought 500,000 people into the city (and no arrests!) about this insane Cup run, his career, and our mutual friend Reed Saunders (who is directly responsible for...

I'm not going to bore you with a lot of text here. I've been 40 years old for about 10 months and it's a total mindfuck for two reasons: Ideally you have the freedom to be who you most want to be and the resources to achieve that; You are out of excuses for your...

I first met Justin Duran in like 2002 when he was fronting a band called Dysarranged. He was a guest on my college radio show in preparation for a big, all-day punk rock festival one of my colleagues was putting on. We hit it off immediately. When Dysarranged broke up, Justin (and his co-lead Brian,...

Megan Carvajal is the Executive Director of The Blue Bench, the Denver Metro Area's comprehensive sexual assault prevention and support center, and an organization to which I have given money for many years. If you'd like to give money yourself, you can do that through this link. On this week's episode, we discuss how Megan...

Joe O'Dea is currently running for a seat in the United States Senate representing Colorado and seeking to defeat incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet. Here are the first few sentences from his “Meet Joe” page on his campaign website: Joe's a political outsider, and a conservative. Joe O'Dea is the CEO of a Colorado construction company...

If you were a fan of The AV Club, as I was and largely still am, then it's safe to assume one of the features you looked forward to at the end of each year was The Year in Band Names. The creator of that delightful and staggering annual piece of work was Kyle Ryan....

Julio Trujillo made his first appearance on this show more than 7 years ago on Episode 42 as part of pub quiz juggernaut team The Slumpbusters. Since then, he's gone on to be a runner-up on Jeopardy! and a winner of the ABC game show The Chase, while still kicking ass at pub quiz all...

Sean Rueter is a blogger and Manger of CagesideSeats.com, a daily stop (multiple times, actually) for me on the internet, and one of the best professional wrestling blog sites around. I've read Cageside Seats for years, and I can't believe it took me this long to consider inviting one of their writers onto my show....

I'd say it's hard to believe it's been 8 years since I started this show, but that's a complete lie. I think about this show constantly, and anyone who's ever produced content regularly for any extended length of time knows it lives in your head to whatever degree pretty much all the time. That photo...

Ed Vincent is CEO of FestivalPass, a new startup that offers subscriptions to live event ticketing. Here's how they describe themselves on their website: festival Pass believes you deserve transparency. We will never add fees at the end of your purchase. Price you see is the price you pay. No added fees AND up to...