The Kyle Thiermann Show

#413 From Chubby Gamer to Jiu Jitsu Blackbelt - Leor Weiss

Leor Weiss has been training jiu jitsu since 2007, when, at eighteen, he walked into a gym and began what would become a near two-decade education in controlled violence. He now holds a second-degree black belt under Daniel Gracie and teaches at the Renzo Gracie Academy in Brooklyn. What distinguishes Weiss from the more monastic practitioners of his discipline is the breadth of his curiosity. He has traveled to Japan not for tournaments but for forests. He is devoted to the films of David Lynch. He is drawn, above all, to people whose circumstances bear no resemblance to his own. In this wide-ranging podcast, we talked about Leor’s arc from non-athletic gamer to black belt, his knack for teaching, and the crossover between jiu jitsu and surfing. I said it in the podcast and I’ll say it again: Dude’s got the gift of gab. If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kyle-thiermann-show/id1170975976#see-all/reviews]? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@kyle_tman] and join my newsletter on Substack [https://thiermann.substack.com/]. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order [https://geni.us/onelastqbeforeyougo] today. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe [https://thiermann.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

#412 The Power of Asking for Help - (Entrepreneur) Michael Chernow

Michael Chernow is a New York City restaurateur, entrepreneur, and television host who has spent over two decades building one of the more recognizable names in the city's food scene. He started in restaurants at thirteen, worked his way up through the ranks as a bartender and bar manager at Frank in the East Village, and earned his degrees in Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management from the French Culinary Institute. In 2010, he co-founded The Meatball Shop with his childhood best friend, a concept that grew into a six-location empire complete with a critically acclaimed cookbook and one of the more inventive beverage programs in the city. In 2015, he launched Seamore's, a casual seafood restaurant built around fresh, sustainably sourced fish. He has since expanded into wellness with his WellWell drink brand and television with A&E's Food Porn. Having now sold a number of businesses, Michael Chernow [https://www.instagram.com/michaelchernow] is a seasoned businessman and is the host of the Kreatures of Habit Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kreatures-of-habit-podcast/id1497757053]. In this episode, we focused on Michael’s growth trajectory from individual contributor to manager of large teams, how he negotiates deals with brands, and the power of asking for help. If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kyle-thiermann-show/id1170975976#see-all/reviews]? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@kyle_tman] and join my newsletter on Substack [https://thiermann.substack.com/]. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order [https://geni.us/onelastqbeforeyougo] today. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe [https://thiermann.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

#411 Write What Sells: TV, Audio, and the New Hollywood - Matthew Starr

A comedian who found his footing at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York, where he spent the better part of a decade as a house writer and performer, Matthew Starr [https://www.matthewsstarr.com/] belongs to a generation of entertainers who were formed by the rigors of institutional improv and then quietly outgrew the institution. His most recent project is The Best Man’s Ghostwriter, an Audible Original he created, wrote, and directed, featuring a cast that includes Glen Powell, Nicholas Braun, Ashley Park, and D’Arcy Carden. He has also, since 2016, run Write Your Pilot!, a workshop for writers attempting their first television pilot. In this conversation, we talked about the art of improv, writing for audio narrative, and navigating the shifting sands of screenwriting in the Hollywood industry. Sharp thinker. Good dude. Easy convo. If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kyle-thiermann-show/id1170975976#see-all/reviews]? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@kyle_tman] and join my newsletter on Substack [https://thiermann.substack.com/]. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order [https://geni.us/onelastqbeforeyougo] today. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe [https://thiermann.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

#410 Legalize Psychedelics - Jesse Gould

I’ve been out of the loop on the state of psychedelics these days, particularly in the realm of therapeutic legality. So, it was time for a talk with the man who has his finger on the pulse… Jesse Gould is a former Army Ranger and a pioneer in psychedelic therapies for veterans. As Founder and President of the Heroic Hearts Project [https://heroicheartsproject.org/], he has spearheaded the research and acceptance of ayahuasca, ibogaine, ketamine, and psilocybin therapy programs for military veterans. Jesse has connected hundreds of veterans to psychedelic treatments, partnered with the world’s leading psychedelic centers, and is researching psychiatric applications with the University of Georgia, the University of Texas, Austin Dell Medical School, and Imperial College of London. His mission is to help military veterans struggling with mental trauma and spread awareness of the benefits that psychedelic therapies offer as an alternative treatment to pharmaceuticals. You can buy his new book here [https://www.amazon.com/Veterans-Field-Manual-Psychedelics-psychedelic/dp/B0FDFVTMB9/ref=sr_1_1]. If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kyle-thiermann-show/id1170975976#see-all/reviews]? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@kyle_tman] and join my newsletter on Substack [https://thiermann.substack.com/]. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order [https://geni.us/onelastqbeforeyougo] today. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe [https://thiermann.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

#409 The Dane Reynolds Profile - Tony Andrews

Tony John Andrews hails from Rhode Island, which despite being the smallest U.S. state in terms of landmass, has the second greatest ratio of coastline to landmass of all 50 states. He’ll take it. He is a former state champion swimmer who really wanted to surf, so he did the best he could to teach himself in the region’s piddling windslop. Now in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset, trying to wrangle Ocean Beach, he has developed a renewed appreciation for his swimming background. Tony holds his BA in Philosophy and Film Studies from Amherst College, and an MFA in English from the Iowa Nonfiction Writing Program. His work is particularly interested in subjects driven by obsessive passions, like surfing, that often teeter on the edge of self-destruction. He has been contributing to The Surfer’s Journal since 2022, and recently wrote the definitive profile on pro surfer Dane Reynolds. His work has been nominated for Best American Essay and Best American Science and Nature Writing. He is represented by Creative Artists Agency, and is working on a hybrid book of surf memoir and reportage. If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kyle-thiermann-show/id1170975976#see-all/reviews]? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@kyle_tman] and join my newsletter on Substack [https://thiermann.substack.com/]. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order [https://geni.us/onelastqbeforeyougo] today. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe [https://thiermann.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]