Tension Theory

PAUL ANGONE is a best selling author, and that might be enough to say to let you know what his story is like. To be a best selling anything, you’ve gone through some stuff. And Paul, he’s gone through some stuff.He knows what the late nights cramming your dreams in the cracks of your day job looks like, year after year, with no major success looks like. He also knows what finally getting that success looks like, and he got there through not giving up and “warring for hope.” You need to listen to this if you’re asking yourself “what do I do next?” because Paul has some of the boldest answers you could dream of.

HANNAH CUPPLES is a chef, and an incredible creative person. Her passion and tenacity for creating delicious food is endless. More than just food, the way she approaches her art is an inspiration for me. In this episode, we talk about that passion and how to stoke the flame for pursuit. If you’re wondering how to keep the train moving, or even wondering where to turn in life, I think Hannah has some words that are going to inspire you.

JOSHUA OLSEN is a record exec/studio owner in Denver, CO. As a former signed musician, he’s understood the pursuit of music from an artist level, and now at the business level working with some of the biggest major studios around the nation, and curating artists in the Denver are to compete in the national market. Through all of his work, he’s discovered and understood the impact narrative has on an artist’s career. If you’re wondering how to grow your audience and compete in a way that sets you apart, maybe Josh can unpack what a narrative can do for you.

BECCA SCHEPPS started her Kombucha Brand as a quick pun on Mortal Kombat, and now she’s in Whole Foods stores across 6 different states, and growing. What does it mean to be curious about something, and then go do it? This episode is all about that crazy drive to create, and to ride a wave as hard as you can to keep it going. Becca’s aptitude to create story is what has made Mortal Kombucha succeed, and you’re going to hear how she keeps it going.

BEN HIGGINS is a name you might recognize from The Bachelor. Yeah, that bachelor from TV. But, maybe you don’t know who he is outside of reality TV, and if that’s the case, I’m over excited for you to listen to this episode today.Ben is an incredible entrepreneur and an inspiring human. His philanthropic heart is huge, and the way he pursues people was something I took away from this episode. What he has to say about the pursuit of significance is going to make you think deeply about life, so if you need a bit of perspective on what’s important and what’s possible, this is your episode.

LAUREN WALDRON is first, the most beautiful and inspiring person on the planet. Second, she’s my wife. Third, she’s one hell of an entrepreneur.Summer of ‘19 she started Cultivating Beauty, now Cultivating, as a way to gather women together in the Denver area and redefine what beauty constitutes as a woman. There’s a societal and cultural pressure that puts women in a box of beauty, and through Cultivating Lauren and her team offer a place to explore the honest depths of what it means to be beautiful.Their events are breathtaking, and the women who attend always leave feeling full and valued, something I think we could all take notes on. Lauren is a host that does everything in her power to make you feel seen and known, and this episode is all about what it means to start something special. We talk about the pressure she feels to be perfect at whatever she’s doing, and also about the importance of vulnerability in positions of authority.If you’re wondering if that idea you have is worthy to put into motion, or if you even have what it takes, I invite you to listen to someone who is stepping out right now and pursuing her thing.

MIKE PECCI is a film director from Boston. He’s currently in LA jumping on the chance to direct feature films, and let me tell ya, he’s going to blow up. Everything I see him put out I fall in love with, especially his short films he’s done over the last few years. His talent is through the roof, but what I also really appreciate about Mike is his ability to see through the crap and shoot straight. He’s not afraid to be fully himself, and I think that’s important when chasing something. This is an episode for those of you who are in the filmmaking business wondering how to figure this crap out, and it’s also for those who aren’t in the film business who want a peek into what chasing something means.

JENNY JOY spent her last $30 on cleaning supplies to start a business the day after she lost almost everything. What she didn’t see in that moment was that investment would eventually turn into a half million dollar business and completely turn her life around. In the moments of figuring out what to do when she was at the bottom, she made a hundred calls to friends and family asking to clean their house, and to Jenny this was shameful and embarrassing… but if she didn’t take this first step, nothing afterwards would have ever happened. If you’re in between a rock and a hard place right now, Jenny has some words for you.

ERIK LOKKESMOE heads the team at Aspiration Entertainment providing the support for many amazing feature films and documentaries out of the wood - HOLLYwood. His approach is far from the ordinary. The way they take a film and market it these days has to be creative to stand out from the crowd, and their team is one of the best at it. With films like “Peanut Butter Falcon” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” they engaged their creative determination and brought art to the masses. This episode is for anyone trying to figure out how to do “it.” Because, they’ve done it, and are continuing to do it.

MARLON HALL is an anthropologist, a philanthropist, a poet, a speaker, a writer, a wordsmith… basically any form of bringing love and deeper understanding to people, Marlon does it. Marlon has understood from an early experience that knowing your “why” is the most important thing you can DO when doing any type of business or independent activity. From your why, you’ll be able to define and develop everything through a clear and beautiful lens. We also chat about something interesting called the “ecotone,” and you’re going to want to catch that because it’s pretty eye opening for anyone who doesn’t like to be uncomfortable…

DAVID ROGER is the founder and CEO of Felix Gray, a company that is committed to helping people through making work a bit easier. Their glasses filter blue light and help reduce eye strain, so us creatives that stare at the screen for hours on end can reduce the amount of “ugggghhhhsss” we might say. Yes I am an owner, no this is not a sponsored episode, these friggin things work and they’ve changed my work life. In this episode, we dive into how he’s always wanted to help a ton of people, and how he does that with these specs. If you’re leading a team, this episode is one you’ll have to listen to.

ERIC BANDHOLZ is the founder of Beardbrand, a men’s style brand for, you guessed it, beards. But, what sets Eric and his team apart is how they approach their brand in the details. They’re not interested in just selling a product, they’re mission oriented and focused on promoting awareness for self improvement. Eric’s purpose behind Beardbrand is to build men from the inside out, encouraging them to be better today than they were tomorrow, on and on. That passion is present in the overall theme of Beardbrand, down to the smallest details like the unboxing experience. If you’re wondering how to set your brand or pursuit apart, this is the episode for you.

JESSIE MCPHERSON started her career after an attempt at the college life. She quickly realized during that first year that college wasn’t working, and she needed to do something creative. From there, she pursued beauty school and took off. Along the way, some qualities that have stood out to her have been capped by the idea of vulnerability. As you connect with yourself and those around you, your reach and impact, and ultimately your success, build and explode. In this episode we talk about her process of experiencing that, and how it’s shaped her success now.

JAMES MCKENZIE is an incredible cinematographer over at the just as incredible agency Bruton Stroube in St. Louis. Over his 10+ years behind the lens, he’s experienced many shifts and curveballs on shoots big and small, and how he’s learned to steer the ship when things start turning sideways has allowed him to succeed in abundance. Things go wrong in your pursuit, it’s inevitable. Welcome to the Tension Theory. And how James decides to maneuver these things really encapsulates what it means to live within that tension and push through what seems impossible. The thing he’s learned is, sometimes these changes are actually better in the end…

LUCAS J HARGER approaches his job with a certain finesse that is more than inspiring. His creativity is off the charts, and his ability to mold his process to every project is a skill he’s developed over the years as he’s pursued the editing lifestyle. He never approaches his work the same way twice, and he allows each spot/film to breathe how it wants to breathe. He also recognizes how important building strong, vulnerable, and creatively inspired relationships are to longevity in a career. If you need a shake up and some creative energy to continue pursuing what you’re after, listen to Lucas.

JOSHUA BINGAMAN, founder of Helm Boots in Austin, TX, is what you might call a serial entrepreneur. He’s what he might call himself a guy with an entrepreneurial disease. However you’d like to spin it, Joshua has build multiple businesses and endeavors from the ground up, and has experienced what it takes to succeed in many different forms. He understands that the path to success goes through many brick walls that you have to break down and smash through, and the only way to do that is with endurance. If you’re building or pursuing something right now and it feels like all you’re doing is running into walls all over the place, this episode is for you.

RACHAEL KAY ALBERS is an agency owner who specializes in building brands into well oiled, powerfully original machines. She knows that one of the major hinderances to getting moving is “brandcrastination”, the act of perfecting minor things in your brand/business/project that don’t have enough ROI to justify the extra hours poured out. In this episode, we talk about that idea of brandcrastination, and some strategies around it. We talk about some really important insights into building something you’re passionate about.

Harold Sims is a chef who’s been a people pleaser his whole life. Arguably “people pleasing” is a negative trait, but one of the things that has allowed him to truly thrive at cooking food for people IS the people pleasing. As he’s stepped into this role, he’s learned how to hone this usually undesirable trait into one of his best skills because it allows him to truly listen to his clients. In this episode, learn how to do that with yourself, how to stand up with what you think might be pulling you down.

This is the story of a creative/entrepreneur featuring my awesome guests. If you’re in a place right now where creating or doing feels impossible, you feel like you’re failing, you feel like it’s out of reach… I made this episode for you

TRENT JAKLITSCH is a narrative and commercial director, and what I love about his work is how gripping it is emotionally. He knows how to pull the right heart strings to draw the viewer in close, and impact them in ways that last longer than the project. The way he does this is the most important aspect to creating: taking risks. Risks in creating look like doing things you aren’t sure will work, but believe in the process so much you’re willing to jump off the cliff and try. We talk about that in this episode.

DAVID KRUTA is a cinematographer who’s been in the film game for the last 10 years. He’s worked with some of the biggest directors and on some of the biggest projects, and through it all he’s learned quite a bit about what it takes to be a creative. We talk about that journey and the process of becoming great in this episode.

Shad is a hip hop artist from Canada, and you might also recognize him as the host of “Hip Hop Evolution” on Netflix. His understanding of what it means to pursue art is vast and deep, and in this episode he lets us in on his process of creating and why he creates. He gives great insight to push through failure and understanding yourself more as an artist, and also what values you can bring to your children through appreciating art. This one is full of goodness, so gear up.

Rachel Burney is a men celebrity stylist, or if you want to be in the industry “groomer.” I had an incredible conversation with her about why self care matters so much, and what she has to say is impacting to the core. She sees the pressure to be “put together” so clearly with her clients, because they’re in the brightest spotlight possible most times. The way she approaches serving them with her talents is inspiring and eye opening to what taking care of yourself means, and looks like. It’s not just about looking beautiful.

Derek Evans is the co-founder of Project 615 in Nashville, TN, a t-shirt and apparel company that enlists local designers to create unique designs for their merch, and with the sales they fund recovery programs locally and internationally. Their mission is to change the world through something as simple as a t-shirt. This mission was actually birthed from Derek’s personal experience with poverty, but through that experience he was able to bridge the gap and empathize with those he wanted to reach.

RYAN SCHEER is a photographer in Denver, CO, and an old soul that knows what creating great art means intrinsically. My favorite thing about him is the honesty he pursues his craft with, and the willingness to dive deep into vulnerability as a person and a photographer. He’s made it a priority to discover more of himself and his story in order to put that into his work, and it shows with the depth of his projects and who he is as a person.

EPPIC is a hip hop artist who’s been in the game almost a decade. His YouTube presence is impressive to say the least, and the amount of fans he’s reached through his music is vast. Where he’s at now as an artist, however, is more purely himself than it’s ever been, and in this episode we dive into why. We hit some heavy topics, and Epps shares some bold vision for other creatives as he pursues his dream.

Jeff Venable is a director from Nashville, TN who’s worked on and with some of the biggest talent and shoots you could think of. One thing that sets him apart from the rest however, is his ability to let everyone know that what they bring to the table is valuable and crucial to the success of the project. His candor is of the highest caliber and that makes working for him inspiring, and ensures everyone is on top of their game. We talk about that in this episode of Tension Theory.

Matt Stoneback owns a live audio production company called EddySound, with a DBA called RokBox aimed at high school events. His entire life is creating stunning lighting shows and blowing people away with huge and loud sound. His road to success started humbly with just a couple light stands and speakers, but it’s grown to service almost every high school in the Denver and surrounding areas. His hard work is in keeping step with his mantra “patience + persistence = payoff,” and he explains why this has been so important to him in this episode.

I love master painters from the renaissance era. They knew how to use technique to draw emotion out of the viewer and tell a story with skill and precision, and it’s because they spent years learning their craft to build a toolset for the highest expertise. I would liken the wisdom and skill of my therapist to that of a master painter. David Donaldson has been a practicing psychologist for the last 55 years, over 2 decades longer than I have even been on this planet. He’s helped me develop in many areas of my life by using his endless wisdom to draw me closer to truth, and it’s had a deep effect on me as a story teller and creative. I’m stoked for you to get a peek into that today.

Ryan Connolly has directed over 14 short films, and has amassed over 1.7 million subscribers and 170 million views on his YouTube channel: Film Riot. These are incredible accolades, but for Ryan, it’s only the beginning for him as he pursues his biggest dream of directing a feature film. I’ve been a major fan of him and Film Riot over the years, and his drive is unmatched. Countless times I’ve found the inspiration I need through one of his shorts or DIY videos. In this episode, we discuss what it looks like to chase something so massive while staying true to the process.

Krista DeYoung founded Girl Above, a non-profit that helps young women redefine their broken identities by walking alongside them in their journey. Krista knew from the early stages this organization was going to impact lives across the world, and as that potential grew, so did her fear and self doubt. Before and during founding Girl Above, Krista had to face her own identity challenges and learn her true calling as the head of GA, and in doing so realized that her personal past experiences actually equipped her to step into this calling.

Joel Burns is not only a professional drummer in Nashville, TN, he’s also an accomplished writer with a book and a few blogs under his belt. He embodies what it means to live a life chasing a dream, but he understands the deep nuances of living a creative lifestyle in the world of child stars and hurried careers. If you’ve ever asked yourself the question, “what am I even doing right now?,” this episode is for you.

Jessica Sparzak is the owner of Pickletown Flower Co., a unique floral design studio on wheels in Denver, CO- said another way, a "flower truck". In this episode she tells the gut wrenching story of how PT.F.Co. actually blossomed from a long battle with debilitating physical pain, and how she created beauty from a place of complete brokenness.

My name is Sean Waldron, and I'm the creator/host of Tension Theory. If you're wondering what this podcast is or why it exists, this episode is for you.