The Gray Matters

[Episode 12] Simon Boyle is a renowned chef, philanthropist, and founder of Beyond Food Foundation and Brigade Bar+Kitchen in London Bridge. Simon takes us back through his unusually creative culinary journey to becoming an award winning social entrepreneur. You'll hear some entertaining stories about childhood in northern England where he would run home from school to bake and cook just to avoid doing his homework. And learn about his serendipitous selection, out of hundreds candidates, to be the only apprentice sent for training, at 17 year old no less, to London's famed The Savoy Hotel. A dream come true! In the back of his mind he always felt there was more to life than preparing food for wealthy people in a luxurious hotel. After years in the kitchen at various locations, as well as a short stint in corporate America, he eventually founded Beyond Food Foundation and Brigade Bar + Kitchen. This empowered him to make a social impact, working to help homeless people across London. Beyond Food was set up to help rebuild their lives by sharing his cooking skills and knowledge around food. He will tell you he has truly seen first-hand the real power of food as a catalyst to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty. Since 2005, Beyond Food has helped the lives of many struggling people every year. We hope you enjoy this fun and inspiring story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alastair Creamer takes us on a creative journey starting with his childhood in England and passion for music, up through his period working in the corporate world, which then ultimately led to his true calling – an expert in cultural transformation for both businesses and individuals. For the past 30 years, Alastair has been an inspiring advocate of change, working with companies and organizations, with leaders and leadership teams around the world. Helping release change in their organization while empowering the people to embrace their personal purpose. Listen as he reflects on the various moments that impacted his journey and got him to where he is today, including the loving wisdom and guidance of his father. Alastair speaks with pure transparency and studied expertise, which truly captures his unwavering commitment to helping companies and individuals make the workplace better, and as a result, more productive. And that commitment does not appear to be waning anytime soon, as he's recently rebranded his company as Creamer & Milliken, joining forces with a highly respected veteran of the corporate world and seasoned cultural guru as well, Doug Milliken. Alastair sprinkles this episode with thoughtful insights and shares the positive impact his chosen career path has had on his life. This is a wonderful listen. Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peter de Menocal is the eleventh president and director of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. In this episode you'll hear about his amazing journey and distinguished career as Peter takes us back to that serendipitous moment he found his future in the sciences, by sheer happenstance while hitchhiking as a teenager from upstate NY down through coastal Massachusetts. Before that day, he'd never shown any real interest in the ocean, let alone the sciences, beyond spending summers swimming and sailing in the Long Island Sound, but as fate would have it he stumbled into a situation that would awaken his passion for the ocean. But you're better off hearing him tell the story of that day that sealed his fate and inspired a 30+ year career and commitment to our oceans. And after three decades at Columbia University as a professor and then Dean of Science for the Faculty of Arts & Sciences, to his current role at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, his commitment to our oceans is still as strong as ever. Listen as he shares his optimism about how we can still make an impact and help save our oceans, but there is work to be done. With numerous awards, degrees and recognitions of excellence, Peter is truly passionate about what he does and is an inspiration to us all. We hope you enjoy his story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jim Kaat is a Hall of Fame baseball player whose pitching career in Major League Baseball spanned an unbelievable 25 years! Baseball fans will certainly enjoy listening to Jim as he nostalgically reflects on his steady rise from a small town in Michigan to the major leagues. But even if you aren't a big fan of the game, you'll still appreciate his good nature and the strong values instilled in him at a young age by his parents. His unwavering humility has made him one of the most endearing players of his generation. He truly has contributed much more to the game of baseball than just his dominant pitching arm. His pitching career spanned 4 decades, which would be unheard of in today's big leagues. Winner of the prestigious Golden Glove award 16 times, elected to the All Stars for 3 seasons, World Series winner in 1982, and 2022 inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame, Kaat was also a successful sports broadcaster for 22 years after he retired from pitching. Anyone who knows Jim both personally and professionally respects and admires him for his positive attitude when it comes to the game of baseball, and the game of life. You don't want to miss this episode. There's something in it for everyone! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Clinton, former president and publishing director of Hearst Magazine, shares some captivating insights and stories from his best selling book, ROAR into the second half of your life (Before It's Too Late!). People are living longer, and we should stop saying things like “getting older”, but instead say “living longer”. It's a fact. Michael has the research and success stories of people he's interviewed for the book to back it up these truths. The idea of “retiring” can now be seen as “rewiring” for the years ahead. Be a “re-imagineer” and start reimagining your life now, before others do it for you. Whether you're in your 50s, 60s, 70s, even 80s, it's never too late. Have a listen. This episode was truly informative – and also a lot of fun too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Michelle Barr is a successful Spiritual and Transformational Coach & Consultant who helps people turn their hobbies and passions into profitable businesses. With a Doctorate in Transformational Spiritual Coaching and a Masters in Counseling and Guidance, Michelle has been helping people transform their lives for more than 25 years. Ten of those years were spent as a therapist specializing in crisis and trauma before giving up her license to build her business as a coach, teacher, and speaker. And for the past 15 years she has been helping her clients create the life they are striving to achieve. Listen as Michelle takes us back to a very difficult time in her life where she was in a toxic relationship, her best friend was dying of cancer, and she had a real awakening that inspired her to “clear a path to her soul” as she puts it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lisa Stewart is a successful Hollywood animation producer who grew up loving everything about the movies. She couldn't get enough of them, and watched every old and new movie she could. This passion ultimately led her to Hollywood shortly after graduating from Stanford University, without any real plan, except her determination to work in the entertainment business. In fact, her only real contact there tried to discourage her from even coming to Hollywood at all. Fortunately, she didn't listen to him, and with her unwavering perseverance and smarts, mixed with some serendipitous moments, she found herself working on the first season of The Simpsons. That led to other gigs on iconic movies like Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous. Then the animation execs came calling. She hesitated, but decided to take on the animation project with a little extra encouragement from Chris Rock who told her, “Lisa,do the cartoon!” Well, one project led to another, and she's been producing big animation movies ever since. Most notably, Lin-Manuel Miranda's Vivo. Join us as we listen to Lisa take us on her creative journey as Hollywood producer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Weiss is a full-time artist, writer, and photographer. His elegant stories and essays about life, illustrated with his whimsical cartoons and classic black & white photography, are enjoyed by over 49,000 readers of his weekly newsletter, “The Saturday Letters”. John was always an artist at heart, but he became a full-time artist in 2016 after 26 years in law enforcement. Not what you'd call a typical journey for a talented artist. John rose to the level of police chief of the Scotts Valley Police Department in Northern California, and holds a masters degree in criminal justice administration. Listen as John takes us through his unique journey as passionate by way of a law enforcement career. You'll hear how John found intriguing parallels between both two careers, and how his passion for his creative life continues to grow everyday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kristen Coffield, Health & Wellness guru, has been teaching people how to use food and habits to live younger, longer and better for over two decades. And she is the founder of the successful business, The Culinary Cure since 2014. Kristen takes us through her passionate journey to healthy habits and happiness – where she is today. She opens up about having a charmed life for many years, until it wasn't. Personal problems, family health issues, financial struggles, and other problems emerged. Her personal tsunami began to gradually pick up momentum, pulling her under, until it became overwhelming. She finally turned to the only things she could control–what was on the end of her fork. Tapping into her dependable energy and optimism, the core strengths of which she had relied on to get her through the toughest times, she turned her passion for healthy eating habits into the thriving business it is today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Newsom, environmental activist, founder of the Wild Yards Project and master storyteller joins us in a passionate discussion about native habitats. After decades in the entertainment business, he's found his true calling. Helping educate and restore what is native to your backyards, gardens, parks, really anywhere. And with a little research, patience, and environmental “love”, anyone can restore their land with native plants. David and his team can guide you on how to bring back what nature intended for your particular land, and then you can enjoy watching it thrive the way it was meant to. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dana Stevens, successful Hollywood screenwriter, dreamed of being in the entertainment business since she was a young girl. Like many others, she thought her journey to Hollywood would be by way of acting, but soon found her other passion for writing was a better route, and really would get her to the creative place she wanted to be. She has always loved writing and telling stories, and truly believes we all have fascinating stories to tell. So, after getting a good sum of money from one acting gig, she decided to use that money to write a script and sell it. She did. And has been writing and selling scripts ever since. Her latest release is her biggest to date, “The Woman King”, starring Viola Davis. Join us as we talk with Dana about her writing journey to success in Hollywood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Episode 1] Nicole Cadoret is the opposite of a wallflower. She's compassionate, empathetic, and outspoken when she believes something unjust is in desperate need of attention. When she locks in on something she believes in passionately, she becomes driven, a self described evangelical to make things better. Her drive was already well known as a graphic designer in NYC, when she was inflicted with sudden and permanent hearing loss one day in 2013 while playing with her kids. She needed hearing aids, but hesitated to get them. When she finally did get a pair, and in the process experienced an industry in real need of attention. She dug into researching the hearing aids market, and was astounded at what she learned, and vowed to make some changes for the better. In an almost surreptitious-like fashion she met two businessmen who felt the same way about the state of the hearing aid industry. Together they co-founded Lively. It was then she literally felt she'd found her calling, which had only come to light from personal necessity. What makes Lively different is their commitment to offering more affordable, versatile hearing aids. She and her partners are just getting started, and have big plans ahead for more changes for the better to help all of us who may see hearing aids in our “graying” future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Episode 13] Guy Alma is a distinctive individual. Although we certainly had the pleasure of talking with him about his journey culminating at The Camphill School, we soon realized there was something bigger. We realized that we were talking to someone who is wholeheartedly doing what they were meant to do with their lives. He lives and breathes his work at The Camphill School. It's rare that any of us meet people who are perfectly happy and content in their life's work. It's even more rare to find someone who is happy and content and inspired (and inspiring) to do what they do on a daily basis.If the friction in people's lives can be measured by the difference in what they want out of life and what they have, Guy has a very light load. We hope you enjoy getting to know Guy and that he can inspire you to find that one thing that brings you lifelong contentment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Episode 12] Teresa Laughlin is a woman of many talents. She is an actress, a fashion designer, a photographer, a publicist, a sailor, a woodworker and she may even become a race car driver in the near future. Teresa is passionate about a variety of things but what we found amidst all of her interests is her overarching passion for the excitement of new activities and experiences. She loves to learn and is fearless about jumping into the unknown. She thrives on the excitement of learning a new skill whatever it may be.In looking back on our discussion with Teresa, her passion for learning seems to be focused in two areas. The first is the thrill of something new. We all remember when we first learned how to ride a bicycle. Those firsts are exciting but unfortunately they only come once. Riding a bicycle is still fun but it's never like the feeling you get when you first learn to ride. Teresa loves those firsts, and who wouldn't. She is an explorer of sorts, actively seeking new things to learn and experience.There is also the meditative part to Teresa's passion. She immerses herself into things so fully that everything else fades away for a time. The mental focus that comes from doing something with your whole heart and soul can be therapeutic. Our sense is that she finds tranquility in those times of focus.May we all be as fortunate as Teresa in finding joy and fulfillment in so many things. We hope you enjoy listening to Teresa's story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Episode 11] Scott Harrington has found a way to make his passion do some good in his community. He is truly doing what he's been put on this earth to do.In this episode, Scott talks about his time as an educator and about his passion for woodworking particularly woodturning. There is a moment in the discussion where, in speaking about woodturning, Scott says he likes to bring out the beauty in wood. In this we realized that that simple statement sums up Scott's purpose in life. As an educator, he strived to bring out the beauty in his students, giving them the skills and inspiring them to be the best people they could be. It's that same sentiment that he applies to his passion for woodworking. Scott ultimately combines the two by bringing out the best in children through teaching them about woodworking.What a great thing it is to bring out the beauty in everything you do. We hope you enjoy this episode and are able to find some beauty in the things you do every day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Episode 10] Gary Allen is living life on his own terms and loving every minute of it.When we spoke with Gary about his passion for long distance running there was something else about his that became clear. There was something about Gary that was special, something that came before the long distance running and it struck us in one of the simplest things Gary said.Challenge yourself, test your limits. There is nothing that you cannot do, as long as you're willing to put in the work. Gary's approach to running, and to life, is to challenge himself on a daily basis. With that attitude, and a passion on which he can apply that attitude, Gary is living a fulfilling life.Challenging ourselves can certainly make life interesting and challenging ourselves in doing what we love can give us all fulfilling lives. Do some little thing today and tomorrow do a bit more and soon enough, we can all be running our own marathons. Our journey is more important than the destination.We learned a valuable lesson in this episode, we hope you find Gary's story valuable too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Episode 9] Bill Bancroft has been called the "chef of wood" which is a weird and wonderful way to think of him. In this episode he talks with us about his passion for his art of furniture making. He admits he's matured in his craft over the years. It was especially interesting to hear him discuss the balance between utility and expression in his art. Furniture design, in most cases, is functional but there is also an aspect of creativity to it. When furniture design no longer possesses any functionality, it becomes sculpture. And while we are fans of the plastic arts, what struck us is the discipline Bill has developed to balance his personal artistic expression with the functional aspects of his chosen medium. Can it still be called a chair if you cannot sit in it?His journey to find and keep that balance has been a life-long endeavor. That applies to us all in different ways, aren't we are all trying to find that balance between what we need and what we want. You're never too old to learn something new. We hope you enjoy hearing Bill's story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Episode 8] Steven Wilson is still living those carefree days at the beach of his childhood. For him, that thrill of youth that we all feel is captured in his passion for surfing. Surfing became that connection, that path to happiness. Over the years, Steven has been able to carry that joy with him and although life is much different for him now than it was on the beach on Eastern Long Island in the 1970s, that connection to those experiences affords him perspective on life today. We hope you enjoy our conversation with our good friend Steven Wilson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Episode 7] Mark Berman makes it all sound so easy. From that spark of learning his first two chords to becoming a renown pianist and composer, you realize in talking with him that his journey is the perfect example of the saying If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. While nothing in life worth doing is ever easy, Mark's positive attitude and energy have helped him endure the fickle music industry.We walked away from our conversation with Mark impressed with his talent and accomplishments, thrilled that he's still passionately working, but also in awe of his peace of mind which comes from the satisfaction of doing what he loves. Mark is proof that you can make a career by following your heart. Mark was always going to be a musician at heart no matter what he did as a profession. In his case, they are one and the same. It's your heart that matters most. We hope you enjoy our chat with Mark Berman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Episode 6] Elizabeth Turk's creativity cannot be confined to the studio. This much was clear as we discussed her passion for her art and being an artist. Although she is well know for her work in marble sculpture, Elizabeth naturally sees creative opportunities all around her. If art is meant to connect people, her sculptures are only one way in which she attempt to foster those connections. Those sculptures force you to see things differently, hard stone formed into what looks to be a pliable form, and breaking out of her studio, her immersive pieces force us to interact with one another differently. And in that process, she hopes, exists the opportunity for us to learn something new about one another. It's that process of discovery that drives Elizabeth and which she wants to share with her audience through her art.We were inspired by our conversation with Elizabeth.We hope you feel the same when you listen to her story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Episode 5] Adam Reist always finds a way to make things happen. His story is one about perseverance and positivity. Those two traits, in combination, have allowed him to develop his passions into a personally fulfilling and meaningful career.His journey may not have been what he initially expected but he always found a path forward and more importantly has always stayed true to himself. You can hear his love of filmmaking and music in the stories he tells. For Adam, the obstacles he faced on his creative journey were embraced as creative challenges. One can't help but get caught up in his positive energy as he tells us his story about where these new challenges have taken him in life. Listen to this episode and you'll hear it for yourself. With the right attitude, there is nothing you can't accomplish. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Episode 4] Josh Rose joins us to talk about his lifelong love of photography and how he's been able to build a career around doing what he loves. When you do what you love as a career, it forces you to approach each project from a business point of view. You apply your creativity as part of your business for the benefit of your clients. No one asks you why you do it, they are mainly interested in your application of creative solutions to benefit their business. And although that is an important aspect to the creative professional, we here at The Gray Matters are solely interested in why our guests do what they love to do.In this episode, Josh talks about how he feel in love with photography and why he still does it. As a seasoned creative marketing executive, Josh tells us how he got hooked on the creative process, and how even to this day, in every opportunity, he's searching for that moment of inspiration that he first felt when he was young taking his first pictures with his first camera. He's still chasing that original feeling and that personal creative journey is what makes Josh special. We should all find something that drives us to express something personal. Why we do it is just as important what we do and we can all relate to Josh's story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rafael Ferrer talks about how his early influences, and his love of pinball, led him to develop a passion for lyrics and lyricists that he embraces to this day. Rafi, as his friends call him, talks about growing up in a creative family and how his interests have been shaped by being immersed in the entertainment industry. Where words have meaning and language has rhythm is where Rafi finds his passion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Allan Karl shares his story about what inspired him to pursue his dream and accomplish something no man has ever done. In Allan's words: “I will circumnavigate the globe alone from top to bottom, and all the way around.”For Allan, he chose to do this journey on his motorcycle, a single cylinder BMW F650GS Dakar. With a few important modifications to his bike and a packing list that grew shorter as he realized what he really needed, he set off on July 4, 2005 and began the journey of his life that would span two years and cover 62,000 miles through more than 50 countries and all 7 continents including the Arctic Ocean and Circle.Allan Karl was feeling something was not right about his current career path years ago. Then came 9/11, and that confirmed that he did not want to spend the rest of his adult life confined to an office space, doing something he did not have a passion for, just to make a lot of money. Instead he followed his passion for adventure travel, photography and connecting with people. And then when he read Neil Peart's book, “Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road”, that was it, he was ready to pack up and really go. So, he sold everything he owned, bought a motorcycle and started his journey. Three years. Five continents. A broken leg in Bolivia. An uncomfortable encounter with guerilla militia in the jungles of Colombia, and much more. Back in the states, he wrote a book about it called, “Forks:A Quest for Culture, Cuisine, and Connection”. And one thing you will hear, Allan is not done traveling. Still a lot to see. And now his career revolves around his passion for travel (as well as, cooking, photography and motivational speaking too). Beyond this, he has a deep passion for connecting with new people, from different cultures. He often uses a mantra , “Stay curious”. We caught up Allan, homebound for the first time in a while. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jacqueline Porter saw The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center at the age of 6 and she was hooked. In this episode Jaqueline discusses her journey as a dancer, performer, and ultimately a dance teacher. From her early days studying at the world-renowned Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, to moving to New York City at the young age of 17 with dreams of stage stardom, to founding The Dallas Dance Conservatory, she has no plans for slowing down.Today, Jacqueline continues to embrace her passion for dance to the fullest as a teacher. Sharing her passion and instilling the love for dance which she had as a young girl into a new generation of dancers. From Pennsylvania to New York City, from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to Jerome Robbins' Broadway, through love and heartbreak, always with the passion for dance by her side, in heart and soul, she has truly found her calling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.