What's Your Passion?

Mavli Hemani is the Founder and CEO of Cravosity, a Chicago based startup that is using technology to bring people together around the dinner table. They are building an app that takes the stress out of coordinating with your group of friends and ensures that everyone's opinions are heard in order to create the best dining experience.Malvi has an awesome story. Ever since she was a kid, she's had an engineering and build-it-yourself mindset, and it's clearly the reason Cravosity has gone from idea to product in just the past year. Malvi is currently in grad school getting her MBA, but her passion and dedication to this idea has kept her going through the long hours and brainstorming. Check out their platform at cravosity.io and be on the lookout for their launch this summer.

Cole Pefanis is an outdoor and adventure enthusiast from Anchorage, Alaska now residing in Denver. His passion for the outdoors has remained a focus in his life, from his time as an Eagle Scout to hiking numerous mountains over 14,000 feet to his most recent accomplishment of the Colorado Trail. He has plenty of stories to share from these experiences, so listen in as he shares why he seeks out this passion and what he's looking to do next!!

Vin Singh was born and raised in India, and  he moved to Australia to attend University, where he landed a safe corporate job. After working in this job for 17 years, he felt called to a bigger purpose, quit his job, and sold everything. He then set off on a few years of travelling and exploring many different countries. About a year ago, he settled in a beach town in Ecuador, and he is now working on a new passion project called Free Lunch Coffee. For every bag of coffee you purchase, they provide 10 meals to kids in Africa. After the pod, head over to freelunchcoffee.com and use the code "passion" at check out to get a 15% discount.

Stewart Taylor is a singer/songwriter from Connecticut who has made his way around the music industry over the past decade. After finding his love for music as a kid, Stewart has dedicated his life to this calling. From grade school plays to American idol to attending Berklee College of Music to gigging around New York City, Stewart has definitely put in the work. He landed in LA about four years ago where he is currently songwriting, putting out his own music, and hitting social media. This is without a doubt a calling, and we applaud Stewart for living it out. Go check out his work @imstewarttaylor on social media.

14 years ago, Calum McGuigan moved from Scotland to Canada to play rugby.  Shortly after, he started his own Events and Marketing business, which was listed on Canada's Growth 500 TWICE! After 11 years of success, COVID hit his industry hard, and he sold his company in July...which brings us to now. Calum just launched a new lifestyle development app called Shape & Foster. The app itself mirrors the personal development journey Calum has been on over the past few years, and you can tell he's put immense passion  into this product. Shape and Foster looks at health holistically, from financial well being to fitness to mental health and so much more. Go join their community at shapeandfoster.com

Christian Sparacio is an up and coming singer/songwriter from New Jersey. He's been grinding for the past couple years on releasing songs, finding  his sound, and building a community around his music. He doesn't have a ton of songs out there, but we think every one of them is a masterpiece.  Stick around for the full episode to listen to Christian perform an acoustic version of his new song "About Time". After the pod, go check his stuff out wherever you get your music.

Jay Shifman is a speaker, writer, and podcaster from Cincinnati. After battling and recovering from substance misuse, Jay has dedicated his life to ending the stigma around these issues. He has created a podcast and platform called Choose Your Struggle where he shares his story and brings guests on to talk about these stigmas. Jay is an incredibly passionate guy, and it was a pleasure diving deep into these important topics. After the pod, go check out all of Jay's work at jayshifman.com and end the stigma.

Today on the pod, we've got not one, but two dudes with the same passion: coffee. One loves to roast it and the other loves to drink it. Cash Cameron has been working on and off at a roastery for the past couple of years, which has facilitated his love and knowledge for the coffee process. Our other coffee connoisseur, Benjy Goldberg, is working on a project called Dr. Cold Brew, which aims to highlight coffee shops and the baristas behind the counter. All in all, just two standup guys talking about coffee for an hour. What more could you really want. After the pod, go check out Benjy's project at drcoldbrew.com.

Seven years ago, Amy Littleson started her blog and platform, “Amy Believes in Pink”, as a way to cultivate her creativity when she was a Freshman in college. After grinding and mastering the business of blogging, Amy has built a community of over 100,000 people, and she just started full time this year with her project. Amy's passion for her platform and her community is incredible, and the impact she's had on others is remarkable. After listening to to her story, go check out her work at amybelievesinpink.com. 

Dallas Akins is an actor/performer living in Paris, France studying  at the Lecoq school for physical theatre. Dallas picked up his life and moved out to France a couple years ago to pursue his passion for performing, and his story has been so fun to follow. He's involved in many projects, one being a science show for kids called Professor Universe, and he's started his business, Wow O'Clock.  Give this one a listen and go check out his site wowoclock.com.

Parker Olson is a 24 year old living in Seattle, and he recently launched a company called Forij. They sell granola products, but it's not your typical granola; it's all based from functional mushrooms, such as Reishi and Lion's Mane, with many benefits including energy, immune support and mental focus. Parker's passion for this company, the products, and its impact is incredible, and we are excited to follow along with their journey. Go check out their stuff at forij.co. 

Chloe Vorseth joins us today from Miami where she is pursuing her PhD in earth systems and environmental economics. Chloe has a passion for the environment, sustainability, climate change, environmental policy, and so much more. Our conversation gets deep into what's going on with our environment,  and Chloe gives us her optimistic take on climate change and also provides some tips on how we can help the cause.  We have no doubts Chloe passion for the environment will help her make a big impact on this world.

Four years ago, Sarah Hart and her partner traveled to Palestine to document photos and stories of Palestinians to bring awareness to the conflict happening in the region. Her passion project turned into a book, photo exhibits, and outreach that still is relevant today. Their efforts are truly remarkable and inspiring, and they are looking to embark on future endeavors and projects in the region. Go check out their work by searching "Portraits of Palestine."

Kate Bentsen is a singer/songwriter from Houston who now is up in the Big Apple pursuing her passion of music. Kate is working at Spotify, but on the side, she is writing and producing her music. She released an EP last year and is now working on an album. Kate puts tremendous thought and purpose into writing her music, and her story filled with passion, hard work, and joy.

On the pod, Ben chats with Jevic Bosele, a refugee from the Congo, who now resides in Lexington Kentucky. From an early age, Jevic knew that he wanted to be his own boss and be a creator. Over the past few years, he's channeled tremendous energy and passion, that stems from his roots, into so many cool endeavors, and he's used some extra time during COVID to kickstart these ideas. If you're looking for some inspiration on how to take on new projects in your life, then Jevic has you covered. 

On the pod, Ben talks with the co-founder of Shakti Power Yoga, Lauren Farina-O'Brien. Back in 2012, Lauren and her sister opened up their yoga studio in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee, and a few roadblocks, challenges, and memories later, they have created this incredible community. Lauren's passion for yoga and helping others find growth through this practice has kept her grounded along this journey, from the beginnings of living in the studio to now leading students through Shakti University.

On the pod, Ben sits down with technology guru, Tim Schofield. Over the past nine years, Tim has created a name for himself in the YouTube space as a tech reviewer, or “techy”, and he has grown his community to over 600,000 subscribers. Tim has partnered with the biggest tech companies out there as a means to showcase their products. What started as a college dorm room hobby has turned into a career, and his passion journey is pretty dang inspirational. You can find Tim's tech reviews by searching “Your Tech Simplified” on YouTube. 

On the pod, Ben sits down with the happiness guru, Brian Dubow. Over the past year, Brian has been working towards a certification in Happiness Studies to learn more about the five pillars of happiness, and how he can inspire others to do put these pillars into practice. Brian talks about the science and research backing some of these incredible findings, and he provides some tips on how you can improve your happiness and well being. After listening to the pod, go check out Brian's blog at hitofhappiness.com.

On the pod, Ben chats with Joe Van Deren, who he met about a year ago while he was walking El Camino de Santiago in Spain. Although Joe is young, he has made a conscious decision to dedicate his life to experiences, learning, and travelling. Joe just finished up his first year as a math teacher in Morocco, and he's now beginning the next step in his passion story. If you're interested in exploring new places and leaving your comfort zone, you're going to want to listen to what Joe has to say. As Joe mentions in the pod, you can contact him at jgvanderen64@gmail.com.

On the pod, Ben sits down with Robbe Tarver, a coach of the soccer program at the University of Evansville. Shortly into his college career, Robbe decided his love and passion for soccer, competition, and coaching was going to stay at the forefront of his life and aspirations. Over the past 5 years, Robbe has been climbing his way up the coaching ladder, and his story is one worth listening to.

During this episode, Ben talks with his good friends Jack Cleary and Fabien Celestin about their passion of music and how it's been ingrained in them from a young age. They talk about careers, mentors, the importance of enjoying the experience, and how to get started on your journey.

During this episode, Ben sits down with Caroline Suttlehan to talk about her passion of art and the unique journey it has brought her on over the past year. They discuss the lessons she's learned and the personal growth she's experienced on this adventure she's describing as a sabbatical.