Pursuing The Dream

107: Dominik Schley - Business-owner, Online Influencer, and Sage

Sharing the love with my good friend, Dominik Shley. You may know Dominik from his popular YouTube channel, Crystals of Arkansas, or from your last trip up to Mt. Ida, Arkansas. How would you know him from there? Well, surely he’s the only 6’5” German dude with dreads to inhabit the area…perhaps ever! He’s truly a gem (pun intended) and in this episode we cover his departure from Europe as a young man, his time as an organic gardener in Hawaii, his eventual journey into mainland America, and how he ended up pulling crystals out of the Arkansas dirt for his followers on YouTube (videos that, by the way, have accumulated a million+ views). He just recently opened his own brick-and-mortar tourist attraction in Mt. Ida and joins us remotely to discuss the ups, downs, and unexpected turns of his life as an entrepreneur. He’s a dear friend and I’m really happy we were able to have him on the show!

106: Ryan Hitchin - New Orleans Bandleader, Singer, & Trumpet Player

Part 2 of our trip down to good Ol’ New Orleans! In this episode, we have a reunion with a good friend from Jason’s past, Ryan Hitchin. Like Jason, Ryan hails from Los Angeles and spent some of his early years in the Valley. After a stint in Texas, he ended up in New Orleans and has been there ever since. He currently leads a small band called The Jellyroll Stompers and consistently plays gigs around New Orleans. In this episode, he and Jason reminisce on the good old days in middle school, talk about the pandemic’s effect on the French Quarter, and Ryan gives a bit of insight into what locals really think of all those danged tourists. First remote episode recorded outside in a local park surrounded by the sights and sounds of a Spring day in the Quarter…which is really just a slice of heaven.

105: Mr. Rick - New Orleans Artist, Taxidermist, & Entrepreneur

We’ve got a two-parter here! Both episodes take down to good Ol’ New Orleans as Jason speaks with two dear friends of his and explores the reasons why he loves the city as much as he does. In part one, Jason interviews one of the most eclectic, engaging, and inventive people he’s ever met – Mr. Rick. If you can imagine it, Mr. Rick has probably made it at some point in his long history as a New Orleans-born mixed-media artist, taxidermist, and professional painter. He’s done and seen it all, from a long and fulfilling career in the military to being personally trained by painter Bob Ross to taking his art to the streets with a stall in the historic French Market. Quite a life for this self-made man and we’re thrilled to have him share it with us on the show this week.

104: Claire Hunter - Entrepreneur, Horse Enthusiast, & Former LPC

In episode four we talk to Claire Hunter, a former licensed professional counselor, athlete, business owner, and horse enthusiast. She and Jason discuss her many career paths throughout the years, including her work as an artist, a pharmaceutical sales rep, a solo-practicing professional counselor, a personal trainer, and, currently, as an entrepreneur launching a new product to market. We also look at her youth in New Orleans and New York, her lifelong interest in horses and equestrian therapy, and delve into her hopes for the future of her many business ventures. This is a great interview with a dear friend of the show and we hope this is just the first of many appearances on the podcast.

103: ...But did you die?

On our third episode, we start to get deep! A solo and somewhat personal episode for Jason, this one digs into the concept of the rite of passage, both in society and in one’s own life. We look at a few examples of these throughout history and tie them into the personal experiences we’ve all faced (or will face) after a hardship or period of adversity. Jason shares one of his own rites of passage and explores how it helped form some of his opinions on life, death, and what it means to be a ‘sick person’ in today’s success-driven society. And we managed to name-drop Star Wars in there somewhere…May the Fourth be with you, comrades.