Inevitable

Today’s guest is Kathy Hannun, the co-founder & CEO of Dandelion. Originally conceived at X, Alphabet’s innovation lab, Dandelion is now an independent company offering geothermal heating and cooling systems to homeowners, starting in the Northeastern US. Previously, Kathy was a product manager and Rapid Evaluator at Alphabet's X. Prior to Dandelion, Kathy led a team that created technology to extract carbon dioxide from seawater to create carbon-neutral fuel. Kathy has been recognized as one of Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business, one of Albany Business Review's 40 under 40, and as a Leader of Tomorrow. Kathy graduated from Stanford with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and M.S. in Computer Science.  In today’s episode, we cover: Founding story of Dandelion Overview of geothermal and how it works Its market potential and what has been holding it back Why now is the right time for it to flourish and how Dandelion plans to make that happen The process that went into identifying the Dandelion opportunity, and what led to the decision to spin out from X What utilities like about the approach The impact Dandelion/geothermal can have @ scale on decarbonization How special it is that a high impact opportunity like this fits neatly in the venture capital model and timelines Whether the process to select Dandelion could be repeatable to find other ideas The pros/cons of launching at X vs independently and how to decide The magic of finding a solution that makes people’s lives easier while having a meaningful impact  Some key wishes Kathy has for things that would change that would help accelerate the clean energy transition Some surprising advice Kathy has for people concerned about climate change for how you can help Links to topics discussed in this episode: Kathy Hannun Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cooperkathy/ Dandelion website: https://dandelionenergy.com/ Geothermal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_energy Google X: https://x.company/ Dan Yates: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/dan-yates Con Edison partnership: https://dandelionenergy.com/press-release/con-edison-dandelion-energy-partner-offer-westchester-homeowners-5000-off-geothermal-installation Impossible Foods: https://impossiblefoods.com/ You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Jessica Lovering, Director of Energy at The Breakthrough Institute. Jessica is the director of Breakthough’s Energy program and has worked on nuclear energy policy since 2012. Jessica’s research has focused on how innovation in nuclear energy can bring down costs and accelerate deployment to help mitigate climate change, as laid out in the reports How to Make Nuclear Cheap and How to Make Nuclear Innovative. Jessica was the lead author on the peer-reviewed paper, Historical construction costs of global nuclear power reactors, which was the top-rated paper in Energy Policy for over a year. She co-authored the report Atoms for Africa: Is There a Future for Civil Nuclear Energy in Sub-Saharan Africa?, with several Breakthrough Generation Fellows. She worked with experts from R Street Institute and ClearPath to publish a set of policy recommendation around micronuclear in Planting the Seeds of a Distributed Nuclear Revolution. And she has published more broadly on energy innovation and clean energy standards. Jessica has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Foreign Policy, Vox, Forbes, Wired, and The Australian. You can hear her interviewed on The Interchange podcast and on Titans of Nuclear. Jessica is a frequent public speaker and has given talks across the US as well as in Japan, Australia, China, France, and Argentina. She is featured along with Ted Nordhaus in the documentary The New Fire. Jessica holds a B.A. in Astrophysics from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as an M.S. in Astrophysics and Planetary Science and an M.S. in Environmental Policy, both from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She also worked for two years on NASA's New Horizons mission, which flew by Pluto in July 2015. Jessica grew up mostly in northern California, but has also lived in Texas, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. In her spare time she enjoys doing ballet, reading post-apocalyptic fiction, and pursuing a PhD. She is married to Linus Blomqvist. In this episode we cover: Jessica’s history and what led her down path to focus on climate change What led Jessica to BTI and to working on nuclear specifically What Jessica feels is the biggest thing holding nuclear back domestically, what led her to that conclusion and what we can do about it. The role, advantages, and stage of advanced nuclear development The role of the federal government versus the states The pros/cons of public utilities and deregulation The ecomodernist movement, and different flavors such as “hard ecomodernists” vs pragmatists The most impactful things that, if changed, would help accelerate rapid decarbonization What you and I can do to help Links to topics discussed in this episode: The Breakthrough Institute website: https://thebreakthrough.org/ The Breakthrough Institute funders: https://thebreakthrough.org/about/who-we-are/funders Jessica Lovering Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicalovering/ Jessica Lovering twitter: https://twitter.com/J_Lovering Fukushima nuclear accident: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_Daiichi_nuclear_disaster Ecomodernist Manifesto: http://www.ecomodernism.org/ Roger Pielke, Jr.: https://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/about_us/meet_us/roger_pielke/ Vogtle Power Plant: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogtle_Electric_Generating_Plant Climate Bathtub Model: https://scied.ucar.edu/climate-bathtub-model-animations Nuclear Energy Leadership Act: https://www.energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2019/3/murkowski-booker-and-13-colleagues-reintroduce Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act (NEICA): https://www.energy.gov/articles/president-trump-signs-bill-boost-advanced-nuclear-america Advanced nuclear: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_nuclear Highly enriched uranium: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enriched_uranium#Highly_enriched_uranium_(HEU) You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! (show addendum: Jessica moved on from the Breakthrough Institute in September 2019) Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Jim McDermott, Managing Director of Rusheen Capital Management, LLC. Rusheen Capital Management is a Santa Monica, CA-based private equity firm that invests in growth-stage companies in the carbon capture and utilization, low-carbon energy and water sustainability sectors. Prior to co-founding RCM, Jim has started, invested in and run numerous companies. These include: US Renewables Group (Founder & Managing Partner), Stamps.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:STMP – Founder), Spoke Software, Inc. (Founder & CEO), Archive, Inc. (Founder & CEO – sold to Cyclone Commerce), NanoH2O, Inc. (Founder & Board Member – sold to LG Chemical), SolarReserve (Founder & Board Member), Fulcrum Bioenergy, Inc. (Founder & Board Member), Common Assets (Founder & Board Member – sold to NASDAQ:SCTY), SET Technology (Board Member) and OH Energy, Inc. (Founder & Board Member). Jim holds a BA in Philosophy from Colorado College and an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA. In this episode we discuss: Jim’s transition from dot com entrepreneur (back) to energy/climate Formation and operation of US renewables group Some examples of companies Jim has backed His views on impact capital and how it returns relative to a more mercenary approach Importance and necessity of carbon removal Role of the big hydrocarbon companies looking backward and forward Importance of policies like the 45Q tax credit The emergence of the carbon-to-value economy Some of the most exciting innovations to keep an eye on What Jim would do with $100B if he could put it to work to maximize impact in the climate fight Jim’s advice to people trying to find a way to help Links to topics discussed in this episode: Jim McDermott Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesacmcdermott/ US Renewables Group: https://usregroup.com/ Fulcrum BioEnergy: http://fulcrum-bioenergy.com/ Bret Kugelmass: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/bret-kugelmass 45Q tax credit: https://www.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/CATF_FactSheet_45QCarbonCaptureIncentives.pdf Carbon Engineering: https://carbonengineering.com/ Renewable portfolio standard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_portfolio_standard Oil depletion allowance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_depletion_allowance Low carbon fuel standard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-carbon_fuel_standard Electrolysis: https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-production-electrolysis Photocatalyst and hydrogen production: https://phys.org/news/2017-05-photocatalyst-hydrogen-production-efficient.html You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is David Buzby. David has been starting, building and investing in “impact” businesses for the last 27 years with an emphasis on renewable energy generation, energy storage/grid services, wastewater treatment and e-commerce. He currently sits on the Board of Cambrian Innovation, Leading Edge Crystal Technologies, Paragon Power and Stem, as well as being a member of the Investment Committee at the PRIME Coalition.  He has in the past been a founding investor and director of SunRun (NASD:RUN), SunEdison (NYSE: SUNE), Valueclick (NASD:VCLK), Brilliant Light Power, Bright Plain Renewable Energy, Prevalent Power, Resource Holdings and Best Internet. David has an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a BA from Middlebury College. In this episode we discuss: The two moments in David’s life that led him to focus on impact based businesses How David got his start in the impact business world Some of the companies that David has started, invested in, and advised The criteria David uses for his investments and the dual focus on impact and profits Some of the issues with funding impact businesses with traditional venture capital, and thoughts on how to solve A teaser of what David is thinking about doing next David’s thoughts on science risk, time horizons, upside, price on carbon, nuclear, and more Links to topics discussed in this episode: David Buzby LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-buzby-8840a217/  Johns Manville: https://www.jm.com/  SunEdison: http://www.sunedison.com/  Jigar Shah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jigarshahdc/  SunRun: https://www.sunrun.com/  Stem: https://www.stem.com/about-us/executive-team/  You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Gregg Dixon, the CEO . of Voltus, Inc. Gregg connects customers, investors, teammates, and the world with Voltus value, ensuring that the vision for the company, and its culture, is meeting their expectations. Gregg is a world-renowned expert in commercial and industrial energy management and has pioneered many of today’s innovations that unlock the economic and environmental benefits of “intelligent energy.” Prior to co-founding Voltus, Gregg was the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales and a founding executive at EnerNOC, a leading provider of demand response, energy procurement, and energy intelligence software, where he led all facets of marketing, sales, product, and professional services. Gregg developed and executed EnerNOC’s award winning go-to-market strategy that took EnerNOC from $0 to nearly $500 million in revenue over the course of 10 years. Among his proudest achievements, he created more than 350 jobs, brought to market more than 10,000 MW’s of demand response around the world, delivered more than $1 billion in cash savings to customers, opened more than two dozen markets for the very first time to demand side resources, architected the company’s product strategy, and, before he left, led EnerNOC’s Supreme Court of the United States case on FERC Order 745, which was decided in favor of EnerNOC, ensuring that the demand response industry can continue to grow. Prior to joining EnerNOC, Gregg was Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Hess Microgen, the leading provider of commercial on-site co-generation systems and services in the United States, where he pioneered efforts to bring more than 100 co-generation systems to leading grocery, hospitality, commercial property, and manufacturing customers. Gregg was also a Partner at Mercer Management Consulting, where he advised Fortune 1000 companies on customer and product strategy, economic analysis, and new business development. Gregg has been the keynote and contributing speaker at hundreds of energy conferences, and his work in the industry has been cited broadly in the media, including The Wall St. Journal, The Economist, USA Today, Wired Magazine, and The Boston Globe, among others. Gregg graduated from Boston College with bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration and Information Systems and he is a Certified Energy Manager, Certified Demand Side Management Professional, and Certified Sustainable Development Professional with the Association of Energy Engineers with whom he was also recognized as a “Lifetime Legend in Energy.” Gregg was also voted one of Boston’s “40 Under 40” by Boston Business Journal as recognition for having established himself as a leader to be watched in the field of technology and energy. In this episode we discuss: Overview of Voltus, Inc., including founding story Gregg’s history with EnerNOC, and how Voltus is a natural extension of that work Overview of demand response and how it works Discussion on climate change and capitalism, and how the two interrelate Discussion on climate impact Voltus can have, if successful What Voltus skeptics would say, and how Gregg responds Voltus value prop to customers and pitch What Gregg does to help combat climate change in his own life His advice for others trying to figure out how to make an impact How Gregg would allocate $100B to maximize impact in climate fight Links to topics discussed in this episode: Gregg Dixon Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregg-dixon-4521b61/ Gregg Dixon Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregg_dixon Voltus, Inc: https://www.voltus.co/  EnerNOC: https://www.enernoc.com/index.php  FERC Order 745: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/supreme-court-rules-in-favor-of-demand-response You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Andrew Beebe, Managing Director at Obvious Ventures. Andrew brings to Obvious Ventures a lifelong passion for building companies around sustainable systems and people power. For over a decade, Andrew has focused on clean technology and clean energy solutions. He started down the clean tech path with Energy Innovations in 2003, which he grew from a business plan to a major solar developer serving customers like Google, Disney, Sony Pictures, and British Telecom. After selling the company to Suntech in 2008, Andrew served as Chief Commercial Officer at Suntech as well as Vice President of Global Product Strategy. During his tenure, Suntech became the largest solar company in the world. After leaving Suntech, Andrew spent two years as Vice President of Distributed Generation for Nextera Energy, the largest clean energy developer in the US. Before his clean tech career, Andrew spent a decade building companies in the early days of “Web 1.0.” In 1998 Andrew co-founded Bigstep.com, an e-commerce platform designed to serve the needs of small businesses entering the Internet age. He has been supporting the enterprising ideas of people power ever since. A graduate from Dartmouth College, Andrew lives in Burlingame, CA with his wife and three children. When he's not helping to build early stage companies, Andrew builds wooden boats and furniture. Andrew was born in New York City and spent his formative years on an avocado ranch in Ojai, California. In this episode we discuss: What Obvious Ventures does and the types of investments they make How Andrew and Obvious Ventures think about and apply the term “purpose-driven” Thoughts on investing in companies with science risk Thoughts on time horizon and how that factors into investment decisions Thoughts on upside potential and how that factors into investment decisions How Obvious screens for purpose and impact, as applied to startups they back, members of their investment team, and LPs Areas of investment they are excited about Other areas outside of their investment focus Andrew thinks will be impactful in climate fight Advice for anyone trying to find their lane to help with this problem Links to the topics discussed in this episode: Andrew Beebe LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewbeebe/  Andrew Beebe Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewbeebe Obvious Ventures: https://obvious.com/  Beyond Meat: https://www.beyondmeat.com/  Diamond Foundry: https://diamondfoundry.com/ Amply Power: https://www.amplypower.com/  Good Eggs: https://www.goodeggs.com/sfbay/welcome/step/zip Lillium: https://lilium.com/  Canvas Technology: https://canvas.technology/  Article that Andrew wrote with Diann Eisnor: https://worldpositive.com/a-tale-of-two-cities-2030-edition-c9bceb8ea1e3 You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Bill Weihl.Bill was the Director of Sustainability at Facebook where he focused on energy efficiency initiatives. Prior to joining Facebook in early 2012, he spent 6 years as the Green Energy Czar at Google, where he led efforts in energy efficiency and renewable energy, spearheading Google's drive to become carbon neutral, founding the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, and leading the Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal (RE Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Austin Whitman, Executive Director of Climate Neutral. Climate Neutral is an independent non-profit organization working to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon world by putting a price on carbon emissions. They are enlisting brands in the fight against climate change by showing them that measuring and paying for their carbon emissions is cheaper and easier than they think. Climate Neutral believes that brands, together with their consumers, can lead the transition to a low-carbon economy by placing a price on carbon within their business. In today’s episode we discuss: Overview of Climate Neutral Intro to carbon neutrality Intro to offsets Founding story Reason for being a non-profit Process of raising money for non-profit Pitch to brands Traction to date Future plans and long vision 'How it fits into broader climate fight Where Austin would put $100B to maximize its impact in the climate fight 'Advice to people trying to find their own paths to help with this problem Links to topics discussed in today’s episode: Austin Whitman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austinwhitman/ Climate Neutral Website: https://www.climateneutral.org/  Climate Neutral Twitter: https://twitter.com/climateneutral Natural Capital Partners: https://www.naturalcapitalpartners.com/ UN Climate Neutral Now: https://unfccc.int/climate-action/climate-neutral-now Science Based Targets Initiative: https://sciencebasedtargets.org/ Kleen Kanteen: https://www.kleankanteen.com/ Peak Design: https://www.peakdesign.com/ BioLite: https://www.bioliteenergy.com/ Alex Honnold: http://www.alexhonnold.com/ Connecticut Green Bank: https://ctgreenbank.com/ 'Chris Van Hollen: https://www.lcv.org/environmental-facebook/chris-van-hollen/ Project Drawdown: https://www.drawdown.org/ Paul Hawken: http://www.paulhawken.com/ I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Marshall is the co-founder and Managing Director at Upstream Tech, a public benefit corporation that partners with nonprofit and for-profit organizations working towards ecological restoration, supply chain sustainability, and energy efficiency improvements goals, among others. Upstream Tech’s goal is to help translate data into better, faster resource use decisions. They use satellite data, sophisticated data processing, and easy-to-use applications to supercharge their customer’s conservation impact. Marshall oversees the product development, growth and partnerships at Upstream Tech. Prior to co-founding Upstream Tech, he worked in a number of early- and late-stage technical companies that have collectively raised over $100M USD in venture capital. He was awarded Forbes 30 Under 30 in Energy and has served on panels for the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Marshall holds a BA in Computer Science from Tufts University. In today’s episode we discuss: Upstream Tech overview and history Marshall’s background prior to Upstream Tech, including what led him to care about climate, how he went about making the transition, and what led him to this opportunity specifically Some projects they have worked on Upstream Tech’s acquisition by Natel Energy and what the combined entity can do together What are some other levers in the climate fight beyond Upstream Tech Marshall’s advice for anyone looking to make a similar transition Links to topics discussed in today’s episode: Marshall twitter: https://twitter.com/marsh?lang=en Marshall Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshallmoutenot/ Upstream Tech: https://upstream.tech/ Natel Energy: https://www.natelenergy.com/ I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Armond Cohen, co-founder and Executive Director at Clean Air Task Force, an organization whose task is to reduce climate change by applying an overwhelming amount of force to some of the biggest levers to reduce carbon and other climate warming emissions. Armond has led CATF since its formation in 1996. In addition to leading CATF, Armond is directly involved in CATF research and advocacy on the topic of requirements to deeply decarbonize global energy systems. Prior to his work with CATF, Armond founded and led the Conservation Law Foundation’s Energy Project starting in 1983, focussing on energy efficiency, utility resource planning, and electric industry structure. Armond has published numerous articles on climate change, energy system transformation, and air pollution; he speaks and testifies frequently on these topics. He is a member of the Keystone Center Energy Board, co-Chair of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance, and a member of the US Department of Energy Electricity Advisory Committee. Armond is an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University. In today’s episode we discuss: CATF overview and history CATF current focus areas, how they prioritize, and measure success Climate problem explained, including a look at various high leverage potential solutions, and barriers that make the issue difficult to solve Policy vs innovation, and the role of each How to make progress in a polarized world Armond’d thoughts on the term ‘environmentalist’ Armond’s advice for listeners on how to help Links to topics discussed in today’s episode: Armond’s Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armond-cohen-83a1484/ Armond’s twitter profile: https://twitter.com/armondcohen1?lang=en CATF website: https://www.catf.us/ Carbon180 website: https://carbon180.org/ EDF website: https://www.edf.org Bret Kugelmass: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/bret-kugelmass USA Today article on Chernobyl and nuclear: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/06/17/hbo-chernobyl-tragic-nuclear-power-safe-clean-vital-column/1409096001/ Stewart Brand: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewart_Brand Sheldon Whitehouse: https://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/ I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant