Mine the Gap

Have you ever thought about starting a business? Maybe you have a crazy idea or maybe you want to turn your hobby into a little extra income. Either way, this is the episode for you. Jordan interviews our very own Cameron Gonzalez and his business partner (and former guest), Matt Arnwine, about their latest venture: No Raisins. They share how they built a partnership through numerous failed businesses, how to effectively refine an idea and ways to build a product roadmap. Not sparing any topic, we get into the details of legal, operations and supply chain, marketing and branding, finances and much more – all things you’ll need to start a business!   To learn more about No Raisins, visit noraisinstrailmix.com and use the promo code “MTG15” for 15% off your purchase.

Last week’s episode got us thinking – there are so many ways to define creativity. Is it a process? An output? An expression? News flash: it’s ALL of those things (and more!). We play back some of the answers our guests have given while Cameron and Jordan discuss their views, hot takes and opinions on the definitions.

Haley Stewart is a media & brand manager at Fitsyn, a white-label loan marketplace and financial services CRM. After doing “the big agency thing,” which took her all over the world, Haley felt completely unsatisfied. She left her job, moved back in with her parents and started from scratch. Haley walks us through how she re-thought her entire career path and set off on a new journey, in an industry and role she least expected. You can learn more about Haley and read her writings at thanks-bye.com, or connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Matt Arnwine is an engineer, product designer and entrepreneur. Matt shares about the intricacy of his role as a tooling design engineer at Lifetime Products and how being laser-focused on the details helps him align the ideal state with reality. We talk about the positive impact of collaborating early and often with your team, how you can line up what’s in front of you when presented with a problem and the importance of stretching when facing a new challenge. Finally, Matt shares about the benefit of seeing the beauty in everyday things and how, when you find inspiration, taking action on it is the most important part. Connect with Matt on Instagram, @mattarnwine.

Abbie Deal is a freelancer and graphic designer at Passion City Church. We talk about why she decided to freelance first and join a team later in her career journey, and unpack the differences between the two. Abbie walks us through how Passion pivoted it’s annual in-person conference to online and what the takeaways are for event planners, designers and marketers. Lastly, we talk about the importance of trusting your teammates and why it’s important to strengthen and walk alongside them. Connect with Abbie on Instagram and see her work at realdealdesign.net.

Gary Ware  is a corporate facilitator, keynote speaker, certified coach and self-proclaimed “creative catalyst.” After experiencing burnout in his pursuit for success and happiness, he realized that what was missing was play. Gary uses the power of applied improvisation and other playful methods to assist people in unlocking creativity, confidence and better communication. We talk about the danger of burnout in your 20s and how you can rebuild your play muscle, which also rewires your brain. To help us understand how we play best, Gary talks us through the play personalities and challenges us to experiment in our play. Lastly, we talk about harnessing the power of improv and learning to say “yes, and” in your career. Connect with Gary on social media (@GaryWare) and text “PLAY CHALLENGE” to 619-304-3537. You can learn more about Gary’s work from his website and take the play personalities assessment at breakthroughplay.com/playpersonalities. Additional Content: Watch the Kodak Carousel pitch from Mad Men. Read about Project Aristotle in the New York Times, or go straight to the source: here and here. Check out The Atlantic and NPR’s work on post-Olympic depression. Listen to Simon Sinek talk about developing an infinite mindset on Dare to Lead with Brene Brown.

Brian Hatcher is a senior audit associate within the national audit solutions group at KPMG and the founder and director at Hatch Capital, an organization dedicated to building financial literacy in the next generation through educational courses, scholarships and investing opportunities. Brian joins the podcast to talk all things money (yes, everyone’s favorite topic!). We cover everything from budgets to investment strategies, talk about ways to gain financial literacy and how to set money goals. Bottom line: it’s all about identifying your financial goals and getting creative with how you get there. Learn more about Hatch Capital at hatch-capital.com and connect with Brian on Instagram.

Bryony Melhuish is the owner and creative director of Shiift Creative, a brand + web studio serving companies across the globe. We talk with Bryony about the differences in advertising for US and UK brands, why it’s important to dig deep into project goals and how to extract inspiration by being focused on the process. She challenges listeners to ask themselves, “Where do you want to be in 5 years time?” and take steps today to design the life they want to live. Learn more about Bryony at shiiftcreative.com and connect with her on Instagram. Additional Content: “Pricing and the Psychology of Consumption,” Harvard Business Review.

Inspiration always seems to come when you’re least expecting it and never when you need it. We’re revisiting the answers to, “Where do you go when you’re searching for inspiration?” from our first 25 episodes. The results might surprise you — what we’ve found is that inspiration is everywhere and you can find it in any way imaginable.

Jordan Hovater (yes, our very own!) is chief marketing officer at Embassy Social, the influencer marketplace. Cameron turns the tables on Jordan, who shares about his career journey and how it took him a while to figure out what he wanted to do and where his skill set fit best. Jordan challenges listeners to get specific about the life they’re working towards and find ways to close the gap in the meantime. He also shares about the importance of using design in the right way, which he says, “always has a direction.”  Breaking down the conversation as they go, Cameron and Jordan discuss if advertising really works, the challenges that come with a job search and what they’ve learned about creativity in 25 episodes of Mine the Gap. Connect with Jordan via email, Instagram or LinkedIn and follow his company, @embassysocial. Additional Content: Listen to the Freakonomics Podcast on advertising’s effectiveness – part one and part two. Read “Grit,” by Angela Duckworth or watch her TED Talk on the power of passion and perseverance.

Josh Snead is the co-creator of “SEC Shorts,” a sketch comedy series that explores the crazy world of college football in the south. Josh tells us how sketch comedy series got its start and why humor is such a powerful tool to comment on real life. He breaks down the team’s content and production process, talks about the role comedy plays in marketing and shares why it’s important to know your audience. Finally, Josh challenges creatives to stop questioning themselves and to move past the idea phase and produce something that’s meaningful. Watch “SEC Shorts” on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, or Saturday mornings on SEC Nation; connect with Josh on Instagram and Twitter.   Additional Content: watch SNL’s “Dr. Wenowdis” sketch.

Erin Combs is an associate consultant, market research at one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. She shares how marketing research has taught her to anticipate and challenges 20-somethings to go “beyond just understanding the technical part” of your job and to find ways to add intangible value to your team. We also talk about the importance of asking questions to point out others’ blind spots and Erin shares why it’s important to triangulate your personal and professional growth. Connect with Erin on LinkedIn.   Additional content: Daniel Goleman on “What Makes a Leader” (emotional intelligence explained). Take the test – determine your EQ score! Learn more about psychological safety from a Google experiment or the Harvard Business Review.   Note: views expressed in this interview are Erin’s own and not, in any way, a reflection of her company.

Eleanor Stenner is a Birmingham, Alabama-based wedding photographer capturing joyful, effortless weddings that will make your jaw drop. Originally from Brighton, England, she moved to the States when she was 12. We chat with Eleanor about how growing up in different cultures gave her a global perspective and she shares how the camera is a magnifier to help tell the stories of her subjects. She also discusses the challenges of staying true to her visual style while also crafting a unique story for each client. To end the show, Eleanor challenges listeners to be continuous learners and helps the guys perfect their British accents while leading them through a “Double Decker Dialect,” her content series exploring the difference in English and American words and pronunciations. See more of Eleanor’s work on Facebook, Instagram or her website, eleanorstenner.com, and catch all of her latest puns on Twitter.

Karl Chester is an assistant art director at Markstein, where he specializes in graphic design and illustration. His work ranges from print and digital to identity and web for numerous clients across a broad range of industries. Karl joins us to chat about how creatives can reclaim the narrative around the value of design and the importance of getting on the same page as your client at the beginning. He walks us through his design process, which is all about research, building relationships and asking the right questions and tells us how he identifies the right type of design for each project.   You can find Karl on LinkedIn or reach out to him via email.

Lindsey Nance is a traffic anchor for WSMV News 4 Nashville. She gives us the low-down on how she maintains the energy and consistency necessary for a successful career in broadcast news. Lindsey also shares how uses creativity to make her reporting stand out and how her station differentiates itself from other broadcast news stations. Lastly, we talk about the difference between discipline and motivation and why both are necessary to grow your career. Follow Lindsey on Instagram and Twitter; catch her on WSMV News4 Today each weekday morning, starting at 4 a.m. CST.

The decision to pursue graduate education is big, complex and personal. It’s a complicated decision made more complicated by how COVID-19 has affected the economy and the way we live life. We invited four people, with four different degrees, to share how they made the decision to go to grad school, what their experience was like and what they’d do differently.

Jake Wilks is the national director of sales at Athletic Recovery and Performance, where he sells to professional and NCAA sports teams and rehab and performance clinics across the country. Originally, Jake didn’t intend to build a career in sales, but once he realized sales is mainly about building relationships, he was all in. He shares his transition from being the product to selling the product and talks us through how to overcome objections whether you’re selling to an individual or an organization. He also tells the story of how he landed his current role, which included an Uber ride to a random address and unexpected meetings with the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees organizations. Connect with Jake on LinkedIn or Instagram; email him at jake@athleticrecovery.net. You can learn more about the Firefly at recoveryfirefly.com.

Ceci Mula is a creative director and branding consultant that helps artists and brands hone their look and feel through graphics and branding, styling, photoshoots, social media and more. She’s worked with stars like Miranda Lambert and Maren Morris and many country, pop and indie up-and-comers on projects ranging from cover art to music videos and everything in between. We sat down with Ceci to talk about how she got into the industry and learn about her design process, which is largely driven by data, emotions and inspiration. Ceci gives advice for managing professional relationships and challenges everyone to do the hard work that comes with putting your emotional and mental wellbeing first. Find Ceci on Instagram, @cecis_endless_pizza, and keep an eye on her website for exciting things dropping soon!   Additional Content: - Purchase Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. - Listen to Brene’s TED Talk, “The Power of Vulnerability,” which has been viewed over 50 million times.

Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jordy Searcy grew up playing music and found his voice early on. In 2014, he landed a spot on NBC’s “The Voice,” where he began blazing his own trail as a songwriter and vocalist. His 2018 EP, “Dark in The City,” was met with critical acclaim and his latest album, “Love? Songs,” delivers exactly what he is known for: authentic, original music driven by his faith, emotional depth and his intrinsic desire to connect with an audience.   We chat with Jordy about his songwriting process, how he collaborates with other artists and what he loves about playing live music. He wows us with how in-tune he is with his current spot in his career arc and challenges listeners to keep coming up with ideas. Plus, Jordy writes a song with us in real-time and breaks down how some of his biggest hits came to be. Pre-save Jordy’s upcoming single, “Only Know How to Love You,” and check all of Jordy’s records wherever you listen to music. Find him on Instagram, @jordysearcymusic, or on his website, jordysearcymusic.com.

Noah Herrin is a 25-year-old communicator and pastor based in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a trusted voice to the Gen-Z and Millennial generations and his messages have been received by thousands around the globe as he encourages people to not just know Jesus, but to follow Him. Noah tells us how he has learned to be an effective public speaker and shares what he believes are the two keys to communication. He also challenges us to “say yes to everything,” shares how an early morning run finally landed him a mentor and tells us about the writing and publishing process for his new book, “Viral Jesus,” which is available today on Amazon.   Find Noah on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Check out his podcast, All Our Ways, wherever you get your podcasts and learn more about his church at myneighborhoodchurch.live.   Books Recommendations: “Communicating for a Change” by Andy Stanley “wrecked Noah’s life” – buy it Amazon. Learn the art of asking good questions (and a lot more!) with Dale Carnegie’s classic, “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” Develop your public speaking skills with “Talk Like Ted.”

Alexis Barton is a communications consultant and multimedia storyteller. Her style expertise has been featured in Same Chic Different Day and in magazines and television networks. As an award-winning journalist and writer, her work has been featured on NPR, The Moth, Shondaland.com and The Daily Beast, just to name a few. Alexis breaks down her writing process and talks about the difference in journalistic-style writing and writing in the marketing communications world. We also talk about what you can learn from Don Draper, how to ensure your message is heard and why it’s important to align your behavior with your desires. Connect with Alexis on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter. You can learn more about her at alexisbarton.com.

Justin Robinson, AKA “Chef JRob,” is an entrepreneurial chef that offers private dining, meal prep and catering through the Chef JRob Experience. He has participated in Food Network’s Iron Chef Showdown, made the top 80 on Season 10 of Fox’s MasterChef and is also a member of the Traeger Grills Pro Team. We talk with Justin about his self-taught cooking journey and how his day job informs (and funds!) his side hustle. He tells the story about the first time he cooked for Monica Brown, talks about what it was like competing on MasterChef and shares advice he got from Steve Harvey.   Learn more about the Chef JRob Experience and check out Justin’s brand new cutlery line and cookbook, “Just In Time,” at chefjrob.com. He is @Chef.JRob on Instagram.   Additional content: Check out “Good to Great” at Jim Collins’ website or on Amazon.

Will Siskey, a serial entrepreneur, tells us his story of starting Sparrow Health & Performance right after graduating college and what it was like learning to work and being your own boss at the same time. We also talk about the importance of surrounding yourself with people who are better at your craft than you, a lesson Will learned in high school while playing tennis, and how being your best self – both as a professional and a person – starts with you. He also gives us the down-low on another of his ventures, OptiO2 Labs, and how he’s helping athletes train smarter, recover faster and perform better.   Learn more about Sparrow on the web, Facebook or Instagram and get on the mailing list for OptiO2 Labs’ launch at optio2labs.com or connect with them on Instagram. You can follow Will on Instagram, @willsiskey, and email him at will@sparrowclinic.com.   Additional Content: Watch Will’s story of overcoming alopecia and starting Sparrow Clinic. Learn more about “Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard” at the Heath Brothers’ website.

Jimmy Truong is the founder of Epilogue Roasters, a coffee roasting company focused on one simple thing: sourcing and roasting the best coffees available and sharing them with the friends made along the way. Although he originally studied to be an art teacher, Jimmy dropped out of college when he realized his true passion was hospitality. We talk about why we need to de-stigmatize working in the restaurant industry, the importance of human connection and how to find creativity even in monotony. Plus, Jimmy tells us what it’s like competing in the U.S. Coffee Championships and gives us the drop on some exciting news!   Follow @jimmy.truong and @epilogueroasters on Instagram. You can learn more about Epilogue and buy coffee (shipping nationwide!) at epilogueroasters.com.   Additional content: Check out the book Jordan references, Garden City, here. Read Together by Vivek Murthy. Learn more about Danny Meyer’s concept of Enlightened Hospitality or purchase Setting the Table on Amazon.

Adelaide Matte is the founder and CEO of Adelaide Matte Designs (AMD). She’s a bold, fun and creative force to be reckoned with that has worked with a diverse portfolio of businesses on everything from branding and graphic design to events and content promotion. She tells us her story of applying to over 65 jobs her senior year of college and gets real about the ups and downs of entrepreneurship and the importance of mental health and work-life balance. Plus, Adelaide shares her philosophy on brand building with us and how events can be a powerful marketing tool.   Follow Adelaide’s personal page, @adelaidethecreator, or her company, @amdbirmingham, on Instagram.   Additional content: Find out if you’re synesthetic here with this synesthesia test. Learn more about Contagious by Jonah Berger on his website or buy it on Amazon. Read the HBR research on positive work cultures and Ready Nation report on childcare and the workforce.

Grace Bowes is an associate marketing manager on ESPN’s Sports Marketing and Brand Strategy team. She shares about her time working for the Worldwide Leader in Sports, including all about her efforts on a recent WNBA marketing campaign that resulted in her becoming BFFs with the FedEx Guy. In addition to her day job, Grace is also a market mentor at Monat, a multi-level marketing company. We dive headfirst into the controversy of MLMs and “pyramid schemes”, talk about mindset and how to create the life you want, even in your 20s.   You can find Grace on Instagram, @gracebowes.   Additional Content: Read the GQ Article Jordan references that gives the download on the #OrangeHoodie. See Michael Scott get caught up in a pyramid scheme in this clip from The Office.

Buddy Overstreet is a branding consultant who works with established sports brands and startups. A leading creative in the sports world, Buddy has worked for some of college athletics' biggest brands, including Notre Dame Football, Florida Football and Duke Basketball. The former Alabama Athletics creative director shares how he got into the industry, where he goes for inspiration and how he walks the tightrope of control and trust during the creative process. Today, Buddy is the creative director at Knight Eady, a creative agency driven by a belief in sports. You can connect with Buddy on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Visit KnightEady.com to learn more about Buddy’s agency and their podcast, We Believe in Sports. Listen and subscribe here, there or wherever you get your podcasts.

Micah Green-Holloway is a brand advertising manager at Truist (formerly BB&T and SunTrust banks), but life wasn’t always so simple. He tells us his story of overcoming a difficult upbringing prior to achieving immense success in high school and college. We talk with Micah about the role you play in your company’s culture, how to increase your value as an employee and why you should give back in whatever way you can. Micah also dishes the details on developing the Truist brand and how that’s energized his team and work. You can find Micah on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Molly McCoy is an interior designer and WorkLife Center sales representative at Steelcase. As a leading architecture, furniture and technology company, Molly and her teammates solve workplace issues and create meaningful engagement in physical space through user-centered design. We talk about what that sentence actually means and how she wears different hats as both a designer and a salesperson, all while credentialing herself as an expert very early in her career. Connect with Molly on LinkedIn and find her repping her southern roots on Instagram, @itsmollsyall.

Savannah Clay, RN is studying to be a nurse practitioner; Cullen Johnson is an engineer, musician and photographer. Together, the couple started a YouTube channel while undergrads at the University of Tennessee. They share what it looks like to create and collaborate as a couple, but also how to compartmentalize creativity when it’s needed. We also discuss the Black Lives Matter movement and the importance of showing up and having conversations even when they’re difficult, and recognizing the gaps in our society that we need to work through, together. Follow Savannah and Cullen on Instagram and check out @CullenaryArts or Cullen & Savannah for more content. Cullen’s recommended resources for supporting Black creatives:  Matthew A. Cherry Netflix Black Lives Matter Recommendations When They See Us 13th

Matt Mewbourne is the founder and owner of Rekindle Candle Co., a purpose-oriented candle shop offering toxin-free, hand poured candles infused with essential oil fragrances. He shares with us how he battles the fear of imperfection and what he’s doing to scale his business so Rekindle can make a greater environmental impact.   Rekindle candles are available at rekindlecandle.co for shipping across the United States. Connect with Rekindle on Instagram or Facebook and find Matt on Instagram.

Monroe Jones is a Grammy Award-winning producer and musician. He has produced, written for or played with Stevie Nicks, David Crosby and U2, among others. Monroe is also a serial entrepreneur, founding SongLever and Epic Media Partners. He joins the pod to share about his accomplished music career and how he’s built a diverse skill set, inside and outside of music, that’s served him well despite massive industry and career disruption. Learn more about SongLever or EPIC and connect with Monroe on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter.

Courtney Tyrrell is a community manager and fitness instructor at Alchemy 365 in Denver, Colorado, but that wasn’t always the case. She gives us the low-down on the many twists and turns in her career path and how her gym has had to adapt during COVID-19, which has resulted in finding new audiences and revenue opportunities along the way. You can find Courtney on Instagram at @court.tyrrell and @clean.beauty.with.court. To learn more about Alchemy 365 or try a digital workout, visit alchemy365.com or follow them on Instagram.  

Maurice Fider is the Strategy Operations Manager at VaynerMedia and is an alum of several agencies under the VaynerX umbrella. Having also spent time on the client-side, Maurice knows first hand the challenges creatives face and shares his story of re-learning how to use his creativity and ways to get creative when resources are tight or your abilities are limited. Connect with Maurice on Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Brett Schultz is a Brooklyn, NY based Comedian, Host and Actor. He is active in the NYC comedy scene where he performs regularly at the People's Improv Theatre and produces digital shorts that have accumulated over 12 million views by his 235k followers on social media. Brett views comedy as a way to alleviate tension in pointing out truth and helping people laugh about the hard stuff. Brett joins us to share why your point of view matters and how to leverage your perspective to create something new. You can find Brett — and all his hilarious content — on Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

Mine the Gap helps 20-somethings make sense of what it means to “be creative.” From designers to entrepreneurs, performers to teachers and every job in between, we give the mic to everyday people to understand what creativity means to them and how they’re using it in their work and life to mine the gaps. Mine the Gap premiers June 9th, 2020.