

Future Optimist
Ross Palmer
Tech meets existential crisis. We talk about the future here—the good, the bad, and the... weird.
Brought to you by aloa.agency. © 2025 Aloa LLC. All rights reserved.
Brought to you by aloa.agency. © 2025 Aloa LLC. All rights reserved.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 11, 2020 • 1h 10min
Ep. 11 - Mollie Engelhart: Founder of a Regenerative CSA Box Company and Restaurateur
Mollie Engelhart represents what a positive vision of the future can look like. She's opened successful vegan restaurants with Woody Harrelson, she's the founder of Sow a Heart Farm, and she's a mission-driven, regenerative food entrepreneur. When the pandemic hit, she started a new CSA box to distribute organic food from her farm directly to the community - this is an episode you won't want to miss. (C) 2020 Aloa LLC, All Rights Reserved

Dec 4, 2020 • 1h 6min
Ep. 10 - Evan La Ruffa: Mixing Art & Entrepreneurship with a Non-Profit
Evan La Ruffa founded an awesome, mission-driven non-profit for art called I Paint My Mind, and this episode dispels myths about building a non-profit (as well as explains how you CAN make *good* money doing it). He shares why many more entrepreneurs should consider starting a non-profit instead of a business to enact the change they want to see. (C) 2020 Aloa LLC, All Rights Reserved

Nov 27, 2020 • 1h 2min
Ep. 9 - Jacob Abrams: The Most Subtly Awesome Career in Hollywood
Jacob Abrams has built a highly profitable career in the film business through a combination of expertise in lighting and equipment rentals. He's crafted a very unique business model that is highly inspirational for those looking to break into the film industry. (C) 2020 Aloa LLC, All Rights Reserved

Nov 20, 2020 • 1h 5min
Ep. 08 - Ben Allman: Finding Happiness Through Working with the Differently Abled
Ben Allman has built a start-up called 4abilities (4abilities.org) to help the differently-abled. And he's found happiness and meaning through a life of serving a greater purpose with an entrepreneurial spirit. (C) 2020 Aloa LLC, All Rights Reserved

Nov 13, 2020 • 1h 3min
Ep. 07 - Isabel Galupo: Children's TV Writer for Nickelodeon
Isabel Galupo is a children's TV writer for Nickelodeon, published author, and activist. She's worked on iconic Nickelodeon properties such as Dora the Explorer, The Fairly OddParents, SpongeBob SquarePants, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and The Casagrandes. Now she's a current staff Writer on an unannounced Nickelodeon action-comedy show (C) 2020 Aloa LLC, All Rights Reserved

Oct 30, 2020 • 1h 13min
Ep. 05 - Scott Frankfurt: Grammy-winning Producer, Musician, and Recording Engineer
Scott Frankfurt is someone I admire deeply, and in the music business, he's done it all. If anyone is living my dream life right now, it's him! From decades of hit records to being the VP of Spectrasonics to winning Grammy's to working with some of the literal top musicians in the game, to say that Scott has "made it" is an understatement. And more importantly, he's a great human being and a true friend. I'm deeply humbled and honored that he sat down for a chat with me, and I know you're going to love this episode. (C) 2020 Aloa LLC, All Rights Reserved

Oct 23, 2020 • 52min
Ep. 04 - Tienus Konijnenburg: World class songwriter, artist, and performer.
Tienus, otherwise known as Goldkimono, is a world-class songwriter and musician. He's racked up hundreds of millions of plays on Spotify, writing songs for some of the world's biggest artists, like Kygo, Robin Schulz, and many more. A truly gifted multi-instrumentalist, Tienus' authenticity and unique approach to creative business makes him one of the most unique and inspiring success stories I know of. (C) 2020 Aloa LLC, All Rights Reserved

Oct 16, 2020 • 53min
Ep. 03 - Raven Faber: CannaSexTech Is a Real Thing?
Before this interview, I didn't even know "CannaSexTech" was a word! But apparently, it's a thing. It's a highly unusual thing, from a highly unusual, highly intelligent person. And that made it ripe for the picking for my podcast. Raven is an awesome person with an awesome story, and there's so much to learn about building your own business without compromising and exploring new terrain. (C) 2020 Aloa LLC, All Rights Reserved

Oct 9, 2020 • 35min
Ep. 02 - Marwen Tlili: Golden Boy A&R and Independent Music Industry Entrepreneur
In this episode, my guest is a self-made music industry entrepreneur, who was one of the bright young A&R stars of Armada Music in Amsterdam. He's got a knack for unearthing "hits", and he knows how to spot great acts and artists from a mile away. He got his start in the world of dance music/EDM/house music and has since moved onto pop music, racking up Spotify plays like nobody's business! Most importantly for our show, he's someone who's NEVER been afraid to go against the grain, and he has lived his life in a very authentic and unique way that I think you will appreciate. Lots of gold in here! (C) 2020 Aloa LLC, All Rights Reserved

Sep 28, 2020 • 46min
Ep. 01 - Mental Theo: The Crazy Path of a Dutch Hardstyle Legend
In this episode, I have a conversation with one of the fathers of Hardstyle and Happy Hardcore music, DJ Mental Theo. Theo is a guilty pleasure of Dutch and European audiences, and he still plays over 100 shows a year after all these years. A multi-millionaire DJ you may not have heard of, there's a LOT in his story to be learned for creatives who wish to succeed at business.


