The Work Ethic

Nick is a globally respected culture first community and economic strategist. He is a 4x entrepreneur (3 exits), venture capital investor, real estate developer, and ecosystem builder.
His work in startup ecosystems has been recognized by organizations like Google, Brookings, Milken Institute, and Bloomberg. He has been interviewed for Bloomberg West, BBC, USA Today, Entrepreneurship Magazine, and Fast Company.
He has developed national job strategies, award winning education/workforce training programs, and youth leadership development programs. Nick is a Milken Institute Young Leader and the founder/CEO of Innovation Collective. He has spent time in over 200 cities in the last decade working with government, education, industry, and in his words, most importantly the community as he focuses in on the reproducible art of community lead ecosystem development.
He is Puerto Rican-English, loves hiking deep in the woods of Idaho and can often be found camping in the woods with his two sons. Nick spends most of his time in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. FlourishingPledge.com

From youth hostels to the university and now large community centers, Mark Gesner has a long track record of fostering community engagement and working with others to make positive social and economic impact. This conversation explores his core values, his love for social enterprise, his thoughts on leadership, and some of the foundational lessons that he has carried with him throughout his life and integrated into all of his work.

Enjoy!

While many of you know that I work with an organization called WellBuilt Cities you might not know that I have been working with other city builders from around the nation with Hugh Halter and Taylor McCall. Hugh and Taylor have written a book called Brave Citieswhich is due to be released in just a few months. In the book they explore lots of questions about the changing landscape of faith, church, and life. They share countless stories and lessons from their experience cultivating Kingdom ecosystems. The Grey Pages Podcastis where Hugh, Taylor, Jon & friends explore and reflect on this journey together. There are a lot of publications out there known as White Papers that give an in-depth report or guide on a specific topic over which the author has deep knowledge and mastery. Grey Pages are not as much of a guide or a report as a shared journey of discovery. Things are not always as black and white as we might like, join us as we journey into the grey.

This first episode is now available on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts. Please subscribe, rate, share and join the Brave Cities journey.

This is such a fun conversation! Eitan is a passionate marketing and tech innovator. He's a serial entrepreneur with several lifetimes worth of stories! He is a deep thinker with a real gift for simply stating the profound.

Nathan Bond, artist and educator, settled in NYC after graduating from The Rhode Island School of Design.  Nathan accepted a teaching post at Parsons School of Design where he was a professor for over 16 years.  During his tenure, Nathan passionately guided students in Drawing, Illustration Concepts, Advanced Painting and Senior Thesis.  

Nathan’s work has been exhibited internationally from London to Japan to Spain, and all over the United States from New York City to Washington D.C. to Colorado.  His work is included in several public and private collections - most recently, his work was added to the permanent collection at The New Britain Museum of American Art.  Nathan has also launched an NFT collection called Sweet Baby Jebus and he’s also in the process of of launchingFair Share Publishing.

This was such an incredible conversation and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!

Ashley is amazing. Her story and her work have so much to offer. She has continued to evolve as new opportunities have presented themselves and her journey has taken her through the worlds of social media marketing, consulting, social entrepreneurship, and now tech. This episode is packed with wisdom and beauty. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

Follow he on Instagram

Learn more at

ashleycaron.com

The audio is hard to hear with some of the audience questions but most of it seemed decent enough. I was happy to find this old archive!

Sandye is a master transformational coach for organizational leaders and women entrepreneurs. Her mission is to help people fully actualize their gifts and talents to manifest their greatest impact without sacrificing their experience of personal fulfillment. Jon and Sandye's conversation meandered among some of the deepest questions from the start of their dialogue as Sandye took the intro prompt to introduce herself into the deepest of reflections on the question "who are you?" There really is something here for everyone as they dig into concepts of freedon, identity, sacrifice, struggle, and so much more. Please enjoy this conversation!

You can learn more about Sandy or connect with her at sandyebrown.com

Chico Lopez is a famour breeder of and advocate for the American Pit Bull Terrier. He has given his life to breeding the best of the best to preserve the original Pit DNA. His love and passion for his work is beautiful and listening to him talk about these dogs highlights so many of the virtues that this very show was designed to explore in human beings. We have a lot we can learn from the real American Pit Bull Terrier

Learn more at http://chicolopez.com/

Follow Chico at https://www.instagram.com/realchicolopez/

Dirk is the Director for the Center of Entrepreneurship and the University of South Florida's Muma College of Business. He is passionate about connecting students with both theorists and practitioners as they build their own solutions. This discussion offers a really great look into the ways that universities are building environments incubation and acceleration of the entrepreneurial spirit and enterprises. 

Mauro Costa is the founder and CEO of Bulkitrade, a B2B international trade marketplace focused on connecting emerging brands with international retailers. This is an incredible conversation with Mauro and he shares about the many moves that have led him to where he is today. -enjoy 

Mark E. Leib is, among other things, a playwright that has been producing plays that have been on stages throughout the nation since the 1980. Leib's plays and adaptations have been produced at the Players Theatre in Greenwich Village (Art People), the Manhattan Punch Line (Terry by Terry), the American Repertory Theatre (Terry by Terry and adaptations of The Marriage of Figaro, and Platonov) and at the Edinburgh and Singapore Theatre Festivals. His play The Return to Zion was chosen for a staged reading at the Southern New Plays Festival at New Orleans’ Southern Rep, and his play Tongue was a winner in the short play festival at Florida Studio Theatre. Leib was the first playwriting lecturer at the Institute for Advanced Theatre Study at Harvard University, and taught playwriting and various drama survey courses for Harvard Extension School from 1981-1990. He received his BA in Government magna cum laude from Harvard College, where he was president and poetry editor of the literary magazine The Harvard Advocate, and his MFA in Playwriting from the Yale School of Drama, where he won the CBS Foundation Prize in Playwriting. He now teaches playwriting, screenwriting, and fiction at the University of South Florida. Mark also worked as a theater critic for Creative Loafing in Tampa Bay and Sarasota for more than a decade beginning in 1998. His criticism won six awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, including two first-place statewide Sunshine State Awards for Critical Writing.

This year Mark has a new play and a novel both coming out. Jon and Mark discuss both the play and the novel, among so many other fascinating topics in this conversation. Please enjoy!

I was so excited to have David Dennis (the 2nd most listened to episode) back to siduss his new book, Gameness. 

Gameness | Land on Your Feet, Not on Your Feelings

What's gameness? We often hear the cryptic question, “Got game?” But gameness isn’t just about sports . . . it’s about life. It’s a person’s ability to live beyond the inevitable problems and pains that threaten to derail us from our fullest potential. It’s realizing that God didn’t put us on earth merely to survive . . . but to take charge of our lives! Gameness means living each day with a never-quit mindset, resoluteness to a purpose, a fighting spirit, and the will required to act beyond our feelings. What is it about those who face life’s biggest heartaches and find a way to bounce back and turn setbacks into breakthroughs? They’ve found the secret of making life work, and in this book, David Dennis explains the secret to all of us. These aren’t academic concepts to David. He has lived them, refined them, and now, he’s imparting his wisdom to the rest of us. Buckle up, hold on tight, and be ready to be challenged like never before.

After minting his Jolly Roger, Will prompted this conversation to cover some basic questions that he felt would have made it easier for him to understand and feel comfortable getting started.

Here are some helpful links:

Wallet set up instructions

Down the Rabbit Hole Series

Mint Jolly Rogers at www.wellbuilt.city/jollyroger 

This was a great conversation to kick of 2023! I had the opportunity to join Mark Gesner the President of Community Engagement & Communications at St Leo at his office on campus where he was hosting Isaac McCoy, who among many other things is Dean of Stillman College School of Business. Since Mark assured me that he would be willing to do another episode to dig into his own story and relationship to work, we focused this conversation of Isaac's and  you are in for a treat! -Enjoy

We've discussed doing this for a long time and Ben and I finally got around to recording an episode where he steps in to interview me as a way to add my own story to the cannon of episodes on The Work Ethic Podcast!

Another show I did this year that I wanted to share with ya here. Enjoy

This is an interview I did back in April that I don't believe I ever shared here. So here ya go!

Dr. Kelly Page is a social design ethnographer, social and digital innovator, and learning entrepreneur committed to developing truly social cultures, people, and organizations with emerging and social technology.

Kelly has a Ph.D. in the Psychology of Web (Hypermedia) Knowledge and an obsession with learning innovation, evaluation, and social storytelling. She has over 18 years of experience working at the intersection of social innovation, social design, and learning of mediated social experiences for Startups, Universities, Schools, and School Districts, to Fortune 500 companies. She believes that innovative and entrepreneurial thinking is at the heart of creating truly social cultures, organizations, and leaders.

Andrea is a Director, Producer, Creative Director, & an activist

She started her career with a degree in psychology and worked as a substance abuse counselor in New York and Chicago in several treatment centers, methadone clinics, and public health departments before heading into advertising and media.

She is now an independent director and producer focused on commercial and branded content with a specialty in documentary-style storytelling for a variety of industries, causes, and brands that she serves through her production company, Heroine Films

With her deep experience in healthcare, education, financial services, behavior-change campaigns, and purpose-driven brands, she really shines when telling stories around courage, compassion, inspiring acts, and people who are generally just badass. In our conversation she makes her commitment to equity in the industry clear and drives it home with this profound observation: Women control 80% of consumer spending, yet don't feel advertisers understand them. Possibly because only 3% of advertising creative directors are women. With that reality in mind Andrea has been on The 3% Movement team as Executive Producer since 2013 and is also is a member of Alliance of Women Directors and Women in Media. 

This was such an enjoyable conversation filled with wisdom and insight. If you like Andrea half as much as I did you will love this episode! -enjoy

Rafael is a husband, father, and visionary. He is the Chief Impact Officer at The Norstar Group and as his daughter as his 3 year old daughter would put it Daddy be's nice for work." Rafael is a kindred spirit that has found himself in an enviable role at the intersection of web3, venture capital, community impact, building a better future for all. This was such an enjoyable conversation and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did! 

Enjoy this conversation with Bryan Cardwell, owner & operator of 2 Paddy Wagon Irish Pub's here in Tampa. 

This is a talk I gave at Waters Avenue Church on August 7, 2022.  

The passages for the day were:

Isaiah 1:1,10-20 

Psalm 33:12-22 

Hebrews 11:1-3,8-16

Greg is the founder and CEO at OneWork, where they are working to connect talent with meaningful careers. Jon was really excited to sit down with Greg after reading the following on their website: 

"We believe work is an unrivaled vehicle for opportunity and fulfillment. Work has the power to touch lives, drive innovation, enable change, and inspire others. But work without purpose, without a mission, is empty. We envision a community capable of facing the most pressing challenges and opportunities of our generation."

Greg and Jon had an awesome conversation as they compared notes on our relationship with work, vocation, purpose, and employment. 

https://onework.co/about

https://www.instagram.com/joinonework

-enjoy

Jim Schaefer is the owner and operator of Quality Title in Indianapolis. In this  conversation we discuss the impending impact of blockchain, funning a family business, kindness and happiness as a measure of success, and action as an antidote to despair. Jim's energy is contagious and his outlook on life and work is inspiring. -enjoy

https://www.tiktok.com/@jimschaefer5

https://qualitytitle.com

This episode stands apart from the other but it is definitely a story of hustle. An old friend has been selling cannabis forever. His tenacity and commitment to build a business regardless of it's legal standing has recently led to he and his partner being highlighted by the New York Times! They have build up a substantial business that has done really well pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the legal grey areas of the emerging cannabis industry. For Tarzan, its an issue of access. He is determined to make quality cannabis accessible in safe and fun settings. His story is insane so buckle up for one of our wildest interviews yet!  

Danielle is an Applied Behavioral Scientist. Her background is in human development - human growth and evolution over time, what humans need to thrive, social sciences, with a heavy focus on psychology and what drives behavior, including the often overlooked things like socioeconomic status, geography, and politics. She applied those principles to the workplace and built departments and teams, specializing in higher education before quitting my job a little over a year ago to explore her own interests and development.  Building a tiny house, learning drums, a patent pending, and diving down the Web3 rabbit hole have been just a few of the activities that have filled her time since the departure.  Dannielle is always an engaging and fun partner to dialogue with and I was so grateful to have this time to explore some of her thoughts on vocation, human development, as well as dig into her excitement about the implications of a #Web3 world.  -enjoy

Adam Davidson is an adjunct faculty member in the Judy Genshaft Honors College at the University of South Florida (USF). He teaches courses on knowledge and ethics, popular music, and walking! His walking course is called Citizen Walkers and the course perfectly embodies the very heart of theBe Pedestriancolumn. Here is the course description that students sign up for:

This course explores the political, economic, ethical, and social impact(s) of the mundane and everyday practice of walking. Marching for justice, raising money for cancer, seeking spiritual healing, calling attention to climate change, engaging with history and memory, and maintaining physical fitness (among many others!) all attest to the power and importance of walking in our lives and societies. Through embodied practice, theoretical analysis, and personal reflection we seek a greater awareness and understanding of the ways walking moves beyond the mere utility of traveling from point A to point B, and we challenge ourselves to engage with practices that contribute to the betterment of ourselves and our communities. In that light, we will also explore conceptions of citizenship and how/why some, but not all, conceptions compel us to engage our bodies and often our feet -- interacting with and interrogating these conceptions through our embodied practice (i.e. walking!).

All abilities and disabilities are welcome as we explore the implications of how diverse bodies move in and through our communities and how our communities engage with and accommodate all bodies. A cellphone or other photo/video recording device is required.

This is a recording from my time joining this incredible class

Liz Peralta is Co-founder + Vice President of Impact with Feed Forward. She is also a fellow Sorcerer Scholarship recipient with the VeeFriends community.  Liz has deep roots within the food and community development scene. She previously served as the Executive Director of the National Supermarket Association (NSA), where she served to protect the interest of over 500 supermarket owners in the tri-state area. She helped establish White House contact that supported bills being passed to help the most vulnerable New Yorkers, leading her to be selected as one of “city and state's NY power 100 list”. Liz has an incredible passion and mind and this conversation explores her love for food, community, history and so much more. Enjoy  

https://twitter.com/lperrr 

https://feedfwd.com/about

Sakari is Chef & Founder of Noble Promise and Co-Founder of Noble Promise Studios! He is also a fellow Sorcerer Scholarship recipient with the VeeFriends community. Sakari has spent over a decade working in some of the world's best restaurants, he's a 2016 SUNY Delhi graduate that competed on The Food Network's “Chopped”, and was even awarded a Michelin star at 24, all from starting off as a grill cook flipping patties at McDonald's! This was an incredible conversation and Sakari's passion is contagious. Enjoy.   

https://www.noblepromisestudios.com 

https://twitter.com/SakariSmithwick 

https://medium.com/@NoblePromiseStudios

Lilly is the Founder of HYPHENOVA (HYP). She has two decades of experience across public, private, and startup ecosystems and is a committed leader in expanding opportunities for underestimated and underrepresented communities. She is an alum and prior lead of Startup Leadership Program as well as the Founder of Propel Program, an incubator for underestimated early stage founders. She serves on the advisory board of POWRPLNT, which is committed to providing digital arts education, resources, and mentorship to thrive in the creative economy.   

https://twitter.com/lillyatpropel

https://hyphenova.com

https://www.jointhequest.app

William Cook is co-founder with lemonGRAFT a digital marketplace for buying local, homegrown food. They are empowering growers and shoppers to connect in their own neighborhood, making the most fresh, ethical, and nutritious foods on the market readily accessible. This conversation is a fascinating tale of how an architect turned to food systems to get at the deeper build he wanted to work on.

Learn more at lemongraft.com

Adam Mangana is the Executive Director of Optima Classical Academy VR school and is also the cohost of Ready Teacher One, a podcast about the furute of technology and education. He is absolutely brilliant and a joy to go deep with. Please enjoy this conversation with my brother Adam. 

Optima Classical Academy VR School is now accepting applications for the 2022-23 school year.

https://www.optimaclassical.org/

https://www.facebook.com/OptimaClassical

https://www.instagram.com/optimaclassical

https://open.spotify.com/show/54jkoFKKUSO4ttue3rmc6t?si=cd87b2a795c94bf3

This is such an engaging conversation with AJ Keller, Co-Founder and CEO at Neurosity. Neurosity is reimagining brain-computer interfaces and neuro-powered applications. I was so interested in the overlap of tech, entrepreneurship, and neuroscience in this conversation that I was tempted to just selfishly geek out with AJ the whole time. He did a really good job of speaking to the place of work in his life and I am sure there will be a round 2 in the not so distant future as I look forward to following their work. 

#ShiftIntoFocus with Neurosity

https://twitter.com/neurosity

Buy or Rent a Crown at https://neurosity.co

Please subscribe to Word on the Streets, Tampa's weekly newsletter aimed at helping you stay up to date, engaged, informed, and connected with your neighbors as we work together to see our city shine as a #WellBuiltCity

www.WordOnTheStreets.xyz

2021 was an incredible year and I had the privilege of sitting down for 12 interviews that captured so many amazing experiences and stories from the year. This episode has a brief clip from each and every interview from 2021. It is both a time capsule for future review as well as an introduction to each and every guest from the year. I hope it helps to know which episodes/guests you want to go back and listen to.

Please visit TheWorkEthicPodcast.com and click on "Join the Conversation" to share some of your own highlights from the year, ask questions, or just let me know about a particular show or thought that has been valuable to you.

Also, please go to WordOnTheStreets.xyz, especially if you are in the Tampa Bay area. There is so much that happens in our city and world each week that is really hard to keep up with it all. This newsletter and site is intended to offer a set of valuable and high level updates on things that we find relevant, actionable, interesting, or necessary for neighbors that share our dream for a #WellBuiltCity

Each week we will send our subscribers an email that contains a handful of curated information, updates, links, etc. Our goal is to help develop our community's love for the city, sense of connection, civic engagement, and general love of neighbors. We hope you find this effort valuable and we invite you to contribute content, suggestions, and finances as you are able.

Here's to an awesome 2022!

Max the Miata is a comic character created by independent artist David Hu (@max.the.miata). Max is David’s first-ever self-created fictional character.

David brings to the world of Max a decade of graphic design experience, a deep enthusiasm for car culture, and his lifelong love for American comics, Japanese anime and manga, toys, and cartoons. All these things gave David an emotional and mental safe space during his childhood, which was split between the United States and Taiwan.

Through his art and his interaction with the community, David hopes to bring positive, empowering life lessons to others—in particular young people and new artists in the NFT world.

David is active on Instagram (@max.the.miata) and Twitter (@max_the_miata).

I had the opportunity to join the crew at the Sustainable Living show on WMNF on 11/29. I wanted to share the episode with everybody tuned in here as well. 

You can learn more about WMNF here: https://www.wmnf.org

If you would like to listen to other episodes of the Sustainable Living show you can find them here: https://feeds.feedburner.com/sustainable_living

Praba is a neuroscientist that is working in IP with Moffitt Cancer Center after years of work as a researcher. This move was made out of his determination to see solutions actually hit the market and be made available to those who need them. He is also a Recommended Children's Book Author with the National Science Teaching Association. Praba has become a Social Entrepreneur that is the Founder & CEO Boon-dah Books which has developed a platform which includes a physical story/workbooks, hands-on DIY kits, and a complete digital interactive platform that supports the stories. Praba is a wealth of wisdom and this episode is packed with an engaging back and forth as Praba and I dug into so many aspects of his story, his work, and his deep knowledge of the brain. enjoy

Learn more about Boon-Dah at https://www.boon-dah.com/

This is an audio reading of the brilliant essay "Why Work?" by Dorothy Sayers. This has been such a meaningful essay to me and my own understanding of work and our relationship with it. The essay was written during the 2nd world war and offers such a powerful challenge to the concept of work in light of the changes made in our country during the war. While this episode is not like the others in that it is a reading of her material rather than an interview format, I think this might be one of the most important of all episodes in terms of an explicit articulation of some of the most basic premises of the show. I hope you find it as powerful and impactful as I have. 

For those who would like to read the essay, it can be found here:

https://tnl.org/wp-content/uploads/Why-Work-Dorothy-Sayers.pdf

Jeeyoon was such a joy to sit down with. She is an award winning concert pianist and host of the Journey Through Classical Piano Podcast. She recently added 'author' to her list of titles as she just published "Whenever You're Ready" which is an incredible book about the many lessons learned from a lifetime of developing her craft as a pianist. It is not a book about being a piano player though as the lessons and wisdom found in it transcend any specific pursuit and offer incredible tools and encouragement for all of you to take on any challenge "whenever you're ready!"   

Visit www.jeeyoonkim.com to learn more

About the book:

Jeeyoon Kim is a professional concert pianist who has performed in venues like Carnegie Hall, the Chamber Music Society in San Francisco, and the Stradivari Society in Chicago. As an accomplished performing artist and award-winning music educator, she credits her success to key disciplines, practices, and mindsets that she lives out every day. In Whenever You’re Ready: How to Compose the Life of Your Dreams(Greenleaf Book Group, Aug. 24, 2021), Kim gives readers a personal glimpse into her life, shares wisdom and insights she’s gained from her experiences, and shows people how to achieve their own personal and professional success.

Structured like one of the concerts she performs, this self-help book starts with a prelude and contains five movements, each focused on a different theme, such as forming habits and boosting creativity. Each movement is followed by a quick intermission that takes readers through a mini master class to help them gain an appreciation of classical music.

This book is about helping readers prepare themselves mentally, emotionally, and physically for their own performances. Whether they are hoping to land a job, practicing for a speech, training for a marathon, or trying to accomplish a goal, Jeeyoon’s book will offer them advice, encouragement, and practical exercises they can use to help them perform at their best and achieve their dreams. With warmth, honesty, and compassion, Jeeyoon speaks to readers who are in their own green rooms and invites them to live the life they hope for.

Praise forWhenever You’re Ready

“Like the succinct distillation of human emotion she creates in her powerful piano performances, Jeeyoon shares with us in these pages her personal ‘tool kit for life.’ A beautifully articulated, rare glimpse into the inner mind of a consummate musician and human being.”

—Susan Kitterman, Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus of the New World Youth Orchestra

“Whenever You’re Ready is the perfect resource guide for anyone who wants to improve upon their long-term professional or personal goals. For musicians and non-musicians alike, Jeeyoon’s well-thought-out musical structure and beautifully crafted narrative give you the lift you need to improve your mindset and perhaps appreciate some beautiful music in the process.”

—Tommy Phillips, President and Artistic Director of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County

Jay Hein serves as President at Sagamore Institute and is also the Managing Director of Commonwealth Impact Investing where he is continuing the work of a life long vocation. From the grassroots initiatives to the White House where he worked as Deputy Assistant to the President of the United States, Jay has spent his life building bridges between worlds that are all too often alien to one another. In doing so, he been helping develop policy as well as modeling and highlighting the principals and practices that make for effective compassion in general. I have so appreciated this brothers work and am always inspired after interacting with him. I couldn't be more excited to be able to introduce you to my brother Jay. Enjoy. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Hein

https://sagamoreinstitute.org

https://commonwealthimpact.org

I am so excited to share this episode of my conversation with Jaime! She is a new friend that I connected with while sharing groceries at a local community garden. She was there with a bunch of kids as part of their education with her Service Learning Micro-School. In this episode we dig into her relationship with work, her faith, the origins of the school, and some of our shared dreams for the future of both education as well as society itself. Her and I share a love for big ideas and a conviction about local concrete actions and I think that kindredness shines through in our conversation. This was a life giving conversation for both of us and we are planning to get together soon with a few others in the space to see where this all might be able to go. 

You can learn more about her schools by visiting www.servicelearningschool.com OR www.servicelearningmicroschools.org

This was such an enjoyable conversation with Walter. Walter Balser is the founder and the Open Partnership Education Network (OPEN) learnopen.org and the co-founder of RadSchools.org, both of which are platforms designed to help reimagine learning for the world ahead of us. He is also a college professor and an author who has been working to articulate new models of open governance in Education. Walter and I seem to share a lot of similar values and both cling to what seems to be a fairly shared vision for the future of our cities and our society. In this conversation we cover a bunch a bases and I hope this conversation serves as a great introduction to Walter, his work, and his vision for tomorrow. I hope many of you will decide to reach out to Walter and find ways to contribute to the education network as I think the man is really onto something and I pray this show helps connect some of you to the Open Partnership Education Network. 

This is an episode of Jason Sowell's Boldly Going Podcast (Jason was the guest on Ep 34 here) that Jon was on about a year ago. 

"An encouraging episode with Jon Dengler, Executive Director of The Well Incorporated and Host of The Work Ethic Podcast. Get some insight on his philosophy of shared work, how he defines freedom, and the wealth of the poor."

If you enjoy this episode and want to hear more from Jason then go to

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/boldly-going-with-jason-sowell/id1077453407

I am so glad that I had the opportunity to meet with Katy Rey, host of the Not a Great Whisperer Podcast. Her story is incredible and her openness with it is admirable. From felony charges, to infertility, and other major life changes that followed revelations made by those close to her, Katy seems well acquainted with the experience of disorientation. There are many things that happen to us in our worlds, but some events happen to our worlds and Katy is an exemplar of that one who remains open to what is earth shattering after having hers shattered again and again. I hope you can pull as much inspiration from her story as I did. Enjoy. 

Visit KatyRey.com for more. 

Shannon is Associate Managing Director and the Wellness Coordinator at The Moore Agency, Founder of BadAss Fitness, Regional VP with Arbonne, an 8 on the enneagram, and she has also adopted two sons and 4 rescue dogs. This was my first conversation with Shannon as we were put in contact by Melanie Hicks (of Ep. 44) who went on and on about Shannon's passion and work ethic. I was not let down and I am excited to share this conversation with you here. Turn's out Shannon and I are both 8's on the Enneagram and we had a great time connecting on that commonality that is probably at the heart of so much that she and I have in common. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!  

Leo Rodgers is many things; He's an amputee, a mechanic, a father, a paralympics athlete, a gravel race competitor, and a really really good dude. The man radiates happiness and is an absolute joy and inspiration to be around. He recently left his gig at City Bike, in Tampa to make the move out west, to San Diego where he is continuing his incredible journey... or should I say "Leo's Big Adventure" which is what he plans on calling his YouTube channel that we are all eager to tune in for. I was really grateful to have a few minutes to connect with Leo and talk through a bit of his story, his relationship with work, his hope for his children, his experience riding around Tampa after the Super Bowl, and so much more. Enjoy this conversation with Leo Rodgers!

This is a segment from a conversation that Ryan, Joo, & I recorded at the beginning of 2018. Ryan, who had moved away from Tampa a few years earlier, came to town and recorded a series of conversations with locals and had a handful of topics that he wanted to discuss with everyone. This segment of our conversation touches on two of those topics that he had in mind; Hurricane Irma and The Seminole Heights Killer. I just got the recording from him and as I listened to our conversation, I thought this segment seemed the most relevant to some of the experiences we have been facing over the last year or so with COVID 19. Ultimately, I think it's a conversation about facing chaos and what it reveals in us. I'm excited to share this conversation with you and am hoping to work with Ryan on getting all of the amazing conversations that he recorded in 2018 out and available to those of us that want to give them a listen. Stay tuned for more!

Sarah is an old friend that I was excited to sit down with. She is an artist, an adventurer, a designer, visual strategist, muralist, etc. In sum, she's really gifted! We cover everything from how she has used from hula hoops to paint brushes to inspire and create beauty in our world. She is committed to using her gifts to help us all take responsibility for the condition of our planet as well as our communities. This was an awesome conversation that dug into lessons from improve, flow state, the communal mandates of success and so much more. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

2020 was an insane year and I had the privilege of sitting down for 22 interviews that captured so many amazing experiences and stories from the year. This episode has a brief clip from each and every interview from 2020. It is both a time capsule for future review as well as an introduction to each and every guest from the year. I hope it helps to know which episodes/guests you want to go back and listen to. 

Also, please visit TheWorkEthicPodcast.com and click on "Join the Conversation" to share some of your own highlights from the year, ask questions, or just let me know about a particular show or thought that has been valuable to you. 

Here's to an awesome 2021!

Dhalia is a founding member and CEO of The WellFed Community, a new initiative that is partnering with the Well to help build healthy communities using sustainable food systems. She is a brilliant young leader with an incredible story. In this episode we discuss how her family, all the way back to great Grandma have invested in her and how that legacy plays into the work and mission she is investing herself in today. This was a great episode and if you are a fan of food, your gonna love this conversation at the intersection of food and work. -enjoy

You can find The WellFed community on Instagram at @WellFedCommunity 

TheWellFedCommunity.org

This is a recording from another round with the Social Entrepreneurship class at the University of Tampa. I had the privilege of doing this one with Dr. Sheron Brown of the Tampa Bay Healthcare Collaborative (TBHC). This was an awesome discussion and I hope you enjoy

It was so good to catch up with my friend Melanie who is both writing a book about our relationship with work, which was a pleasant surprise for me as that's kinda the whole idea of this show! She shared so many great lessons and insights and I hope you enjoy our conversation. 

Here are some follow up links from items discussed:

www.melaniehicks.org - my website  - if you click on the book tab you will see a video about the book.

www.humanitywineco.com  - Humanity website

www.ellevest.com - Ellevest my fangirl company

https://aiedu.org/ - AI Education Project

Dan Pollatta Ted Talk Video

https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pallotta_the_way_we_think_about_charity_is_dead_wrong?language=en\

Bj Fogg - Tiny Habits https://www.tinyhabits.com/

This is a talk I gave at the Underground a little over 5 years ago. The community was going through the 16 driving values that make up their Manifesto and I was invited to share on the week we covered 'The Poor.' This talk open with about 15 minutes of hearing from Mr. Bill, a brother and friend who I invited to help intro the days topic. Mr. Bill had been on the streets for some time before living at the drop in center as "security" and helping run our day to day operation.  This talk contains much of my story and my thinking about God's heart for the Poor and I figured I would share that with you here. Enjoy

I recently had an opportunity to share about this podcast and WellBuilt Bikes on IWork4Him Radio, a christian podcast having conversations at the intersection of faith and work. I was on a few years ago and apparently they have never stopped talking about me saying "I met Jesus on LSD." So naturally they invited my back to catch up on the shop and share about The Work Ethic which launched since then. They just released the episode and I wanted to share it here as well. You can watch the video version on YouTube on the IWork4Him channel. 

https://youtu.be/JwmIpOFQbIU 

Lindy Grief Davidson is a full-time instructor in the Judy Genshaft Honors College, where she focuses on medical humanities. She holds a B.A. in Communication Arts from Belmont University, an M.Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in Communication from USF. Her specialty is Health Communication, and she has significant personal experience navigating the healthcare system as the parent of a medically complex child. Dr. Davidson's dissertation research focused on spirituality and parental decision-making in pediatric palliative care. Other areas of study include disability, ethics, and communication in the health clinic. As a qualitative researcher, her methods include interviewing, ethnography, narrative, and autoethnography.

Dr. Davidson has taught courses on the Ethics at the End of Life as well as Global Constructions of Disability. She values an engaging classroom environment where students learn through reading, writing, discussion, and active exploration, often using her personal experiences as a parent, researcher and activist to provide real world examples for class discussions. Over the past twenty-five years, she has participated in relief efforts in Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.

Dr. Davidson received the 2016 Arthur P. Bochner Award for Outstanding Achievement in Doctoral Studies and was selected for the top submissions panel of teaching activities at the 2015 National Communication Association Annual Convention. In 2013, she received funding for her dissertation research through a competitive assistantship with the Center for Hospice, Palliative Care and End-of-Life Studies at USF.

She is a good friend and kindred spirit. I am excited to share this conversation with you here. enjoy!

Our first conversation went so well we decided to have another, enjoy. 

Christopher Williams recently suspended a political campaign as well as closed his marketing agency, Expressedly Creative. While this conversation is not all about that experience, it was cool to have it in this season after such decisions. His shift from extremely engaged entrepreneur and budding civic leader to this season of time with family and freedom to work on other projects makes for a really rich season of reflection. I always enjoy talking with him and was so excited to catch up and talk through his recent experiences, get his observations on the state of business in general, and just enjoy the company of this really good dude. Please enjoy this conversation with Christopher Williams. 

Jerome Miller is the author of one of the most important books that I have ever read. The Way of Suffering, a geography of crises is a book that has shaped much of the way I understand and live in this world. I reached out to him and he agreed to record this conversation for the show. I was so very excited to have the opportunity to actually converse with him and I am so excited to share him with you here. I want everyone in the world to know and listen to this mans thoughts on life. Please listen and share this episode and please buy and dig into his books which include The Way of Suffering, In the Throe of Wonder, and Sobering Wisdom. Enjoy this conversation with Jerome Miller

Juhi is such a joy to speak with. Juhi Kore is the Author of You Got This!, a guide for college students, she is a masters student at Oxford, she is the host of #JuhiApproved, a video series on Facebook, and she is also deeply invested in both the development and the end of social entrepreneurship. This is an incredible conversation for many reasons not least of which is how her family's story and journey has been richly invested in her and how this legacy shapes how and why she invests herself today. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Enjoy

Recently got to catch up with my buddy Ryan Polonio who is always fun to chat with. This conversation explores his passion for teaching, the beauty of learning, our discomfort with confusion, the value of curiosity, and valuing the process over 'the answer.' We discuss how his thoughts on our internal obstacles to learning and growing apply to faith, child rearing, as well as his profession as a trainer for an e-learning company. Enjoy this conversation with my old friend Ryan.

Sarah Combs is the CEO of the University Area Community Development Corporation (UACDC), a wife, a mother, and she is studying to get her PhD in Business Administration at USF. I so admire this woman and her leadership. It was a privilege to have a chance to catch up and dig a little deeper into her history, her relationship with work, her sense of calling, her intentionality with family, and also to hear about how she, and her organization, have been handling everything with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tommy is the senior Pastor at Watermark Church and a recording artist known as Preson Phillips. This dude is both a great student and teacher with a deep love and commitment to placing the Bible in its 1st-century Palestinian Jewish context, and then bringing its meaning to the surface for modern application in a way that is engaging and enlightening. This strange time we are in makes for some interesting reflection for the life of the church as gatherings have needed to stopped all together. Tommy shares about standing alone in his yard to preach an Easter message to his iPhone at sunrise, his observations about how his community is adapting, and also how those same ancient stories serve as a guide for today. Any conversation with Tommy is something of a Bible study and his passion and gifting are quite clear. Whether you are a Christian or not I am sure you will find this conversation interesting and engaging. enjoy. 

Jason Sowell, Vinny Tafuro, and I were invited to do a panel discussion with a Social Entrepreneurship class at UT. The panel had been on our calendars for some time but since the schools were closed and we were prevented from gathering in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak the panel moved online. This made it possible to open up the conversation to a few of Tammy Charles' other classes. The Zoom call ended up with students from her Management class as well as her Intro to Business Class and had students from both the University of Tampa as well as Hillsborough Community College. We had a great conversation and I wanted to share that with you here. enjoy

Fulei is the entrepreneur behind both #BlackGirlsAre_ & Live Unapologetically. She is a friend who colead the Work & Creation class that inspired me to actually start The Work Ethic Podcast. In the upcoming episode they discuss Fulei's experience in the Covid_19/quarantine world as well as her work to see black women realize their value, embrace their identity, and discover their purpose. Fulei is a strong leader and while the intended audience of her work is the black female, her voice and her message is universally important. Enjoy and be impacted by this conversation with Fulei Ngangmuta.

One of the things that I have been reflecting on is how this time of quarantine overlaps with the season of lent, both in time and in practice. Quarantine actually means, in Latin, 40 days, which is in reference to the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness, the story Lent is modeled after. It's a time leading up to Easter, which is this coming Sunday. That means this is Holy Week, and today is Spy Wednesday. There is story associated with this day in the Holy Week that is a very special story to me. The story is found in the fourteenth chapter of Mark's gospel. In Jerusalem on the high holy days of Passover we see political and religious leaders seeking and scheming to arrest, condemn and kill Jesus. Then in the end of this vignette we see Judas, one of the twelve, a man from Jesus own community and one under his leadership conspiring to betray Him. Between the tension of these book ends we hear those familiar words of Jesus "The poor will always be with you"

Below is the text of that story from Mark. This is a talk I gave 7 or 8 years ago on this important passage. enjoy.

Mark 14 Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Changa is the founder and Executive Director of the Black Male Yoga Initiative, the author of Affirmations for Dads, Host of Conversations with a Yogi, as well as an active homesteader and practitioner of Permaculture. This conversation covers many things and Changa is quite consistent, regardless of the topic, in his childlike curiosity, humility, and a posture of patience. Please enjoy this conversation with my brother Changa.