Future Optimist

Johnny Crowder is an enigma wrapped in a mystery wrapped in some tattoos. Ok, not that exactly, but he is a perfect example of the kind of story I’m looking for on this podcast. He’s a touring death metal singer, a public speaker and TEDx presenter, and the founder of Cope Notes, a tech start-up that provides a positive-psychology text message a day to people who are struggling with mental health. His business has helped tens of thousands of people and has been featured on CNN, Forbes, and more. We talk about the problem with labels when it comes to people and how you can find your own unique path in this world, improving your own life and the lives of others in the process.  Watch this episode on YouTube All episodes: beattheoftenpath.com

Dustin Feider is one of those rare individuals who makes work that will blow you away. He’s a professional artist who took a highly unusual, earth-forward twist. He put years of design experience into the work of creating out-of-this-world, custom tree-houses. These aren’t your average tree-houses. They look like a cross between Apple’s vision of the future and Avatar—these things are freaking incredible. Not only that, he’s actually joining me on the call today from one of his incredible creations. Discover how he made a career out of his remarkable passion. Watch this episode on YouTube All episodes: beattheoftenpath.com

When it comes to an outside-the-box success story, Marina Tran-Vu's is incredible. She worked for years as a corporate marketer, working for and with major brands. She was supposed to just be visiting Vietnam from her native Canada, but then the pandemic happened effectively trapping her in another country. Rather than give up the fight, she doubled down, building a pandemic business for eco-friendly straws and eco-friendly alternatives to other everyday single-use plastic items. Marina’s story is proof that fulfillment can sometimes come from events that seem negative at the outset. Watch this episode on YouTube All episodes: beattheoftenpath.com

Luc Houle just had a successful Kickstarter, getting funding for his eco-friendly, biodegradable shoes. It’s no secret that the billions of shoes around the world mostly end up in landfills, where they will take more than 1,000 years to decompose. How many pairs of shoes do you own? Yep, that should tell you how big of a problem this is. Rather than just bitch about it, Luc created a fully biodegradable, cruelty-free shoe with a twist: Not only will the shoe completely biodegrade if you bury it, it will also grow an apple tree in its place! Inspired by Johnny Appleseed, let’s hear how Luc turned a truly novel idea into a reality.  Watch this episode on YouTube All episodes: beattheoftenpath.com

Today’s guest is Faye Wilson, a fascinating woman who constructed a career plan that saw her slingshot from the corporate world to her own, eco-friendly toothpaste and dental care brand. We discuss how she brought her idea to market, changing her own life in the process. She’s been featured in Vogue, Glamour, and a bunch of top-shelf media outlets, and her story is a great template for how you can build a business that serves both you and the planet. Watch this episode on YouTube All episodes: beattheoftenpath.com

Christie Lagally’s path toward starting a company should be deeply inspiring for anyone who cares about our planet. With a background in Aerospace Engineering, working at Boeing and other top-tier firms, she decided to put her brilliance and global perspective to work on tackling the problem of processed food and industrial food production. She used her expertise to create innovative new machinery that will make it fundamentally easier to scale plant-based chicken alternatives with her company, Rebellyous foods. If you know me at all, you’ll know how excited I am to share her story. She has truly Beaten the Often Path.  Watch this episode on YouTube Rebellyous Foods: rebellyousfoods.com All episodes: beattheoftenpath.com  

Masami Sato is one of the coolest people you’re likely to meet out there. Seldom in my life have I had a conversation where I found myself so whole-heartedly agreeing with everything that was said. Masami has used her extensive life experience to build and improve a number of businesses, bringing care and humanity to everything she’s touched. 14 years ago, she got the brilliant idea to find a way to inject giving into EVERY company out there, creating here company B1G1. Through it, she makes it painfully easy for companies to do good, without drastically changing what they’ve been doing. She’s facilitated hundreds of millions in giving around the world and been recognized by major media and more. All episodes: beattheoftenpath.com Watch this episode on YouTube

Joel Tasche is the founder and CEO of CleanHub, a startup that aims to preserve and protect the world’s oceans by collecting and managing multi-layer packaging. This nasty packaging is a type of plastic that is almost impossible to recycle using traditional technologies. 80% of the plastic waste that ends up in the oceans is so-called flexible packaging or multilayer packaging, like chip packets, sauce sachets, etc. He’s raised over 4 million Euros for his concept, getting the support of many big brands along the way. He’s recovered hundreds of tons of waste from the ocean, and more importantly, he’s built a life and career that brings him satisfaction and joy.  All episodes: beattheoftenpath.com Watch this episode on YouTube

Javeno Mclean is a former professional cricket player who changed everything about his life to become a professional trainer and gym owner. His life is proof that our dream can come true and still leave us with a feeling of emptiness, and that helping others might be the thing we’ve been missing all along. Get ready to rethink everything with the energetic and charismatic Javeno Mclean, 2021 National Fitness Award Winner and 2X winner of gym of the year. All episodes: beattheoftenpath.com Watch this episode on YouTube

All episodes: beattheoftenpath.com Watch this episode on YouTube. When the pandemic hit, Lucy did what any sane, rational, intelligent person would do: she quit her stable job and founded a bamboo sock company to help save animals around the world. No? Not everyone did that? Huh. Welll… Lucy Jeffrey did, and that’s why she’s not your typical person. In just a few years, her company’s saved hundreds of acres of rainforest, helped thousands of turtles, saved dozens of rhinos and a whole lot more. She’s been able to do an enormous amount of good while building a company that has changed her life personally for the better.