By Kirk Wheeler

 

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WHO?

Peter Jesperson is currently the VP of Production & Catalog at New West Records, but in the time I have known him he has escaped any nomenclature I would normally use for someone at a record label. The titles that come to mind are more like Chief Fanatic, or Senior Evangelist. To me these better describe the way he talks about the work he does. Quite simply put, he is the most passionate music person I know. He exudes a wild enthusiasm and has a reverence for music as a craft unlike anyone else I have ever met.

Peter is widely known as one of the founders of the Minneapolis based label Twin/Tone Records that was in operation from 1977-1998. The label was home to such acts as The Replacements, Babes in Toyland, The Jayhawks, Soul Asylum and many more. Over the life of the label over 300 records by more than 100 acts were released.

In the late 90’s Peter joined New West Records, home to artists such as  Kris Kristofferson, Delbert McClinton, John Hiatt and Dwight Yoakam. In his role in A&R he signed artists like Vic Chesnutt, Chuck Prophet and Ben Lee.

I had the good fortune of meeting Peter when our boys began to attend the same school. We hit it off thanks to a shared love of music and literature and I could talk to him for hours about both.

A moment that inspired me greatly happened in 2012 when former Replacements guitar player Slim Dunlap had a stroke and Peter put together the non-profit Songs For Slim. This project brought together an incredible array of talent including, The Replacements, Jeff Tweedy, Joe Henry, Lucinda Williams, Jakob Dylan, and more –  all to help Slim and his family. This outpouring of generosity from the musical community has raised over $200,000 to date.

I am really excited to have Peter on the Podcast for two reasons.

1. He has been able to sustain a deep passion for music over the course of a lifetime and continues to share that passion with others.
2. He has an amazing ability to remember not only records, but dates and musicians and producers and can roll them into a tale worth listening to.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• What it was like to grow up in Minneapolis
• How refusing to cut his hair landed him a job
• Why he started his first record label
• The record store where it all began
• The moment he heard The Replacements first demo

DISCOVERY QUOTE:

“If this makes me feel so good, we should try to spread this around” [Tweet This]

CONNECT WITH PETER:

PETER’S BEST OF WRITINGS | TWINTONE | NEW WEST RECORDS | SONGS FOR SLIM

 

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WHO?

Erik Hemingway is a father, sailor, traveler, and host of The Family Adventure Podcast where he shares the adventures of families who travel together and live to tell the tale. The story of his own family’s incredible journey has been featured on NBC, FOX and Today.

In this episode we talk about the spark that led to a journey of 16,000 miles aboard a 37 foot Dean catamaran with his family of seven (and in the middle of the adventure becoming eight), and why putting the deposit down on the boat was even scarier than crossing the Atlantic Ocean in it.

I am really excited to have Erik on the Podcast for two reasons.

1. He has been on an adventure that many people dream about but never find the time or courage to take.
2. He has also started a podcast to share the stories of other families like his who are traveling on their own terms.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why he was ready for an adventure
• What it was like to drop anchor for the first time
• Homeschooling on the boat
• Sailing up a river in Africa and seeing hippos in the wild
• How he crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 16 days with his family of 8
• Why he started his podcast

DISCOVERY QUOTE:

“If we can do what we’ve done, then absolutely anybody can do it. ” [Tweet This]

CONNECT WITH ERIK:

FAMILYADVENTUREPODCAST.COM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST

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Listen on Soundcloud

FAMILY ADVENTURE PODCASTS

 35 – Family Road Trip Across Australia

 MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

One Year Off: Leaving It All Behind for A Round-the-World Journey with Our Children

 

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Discover The Road can be delivered to your device of choice whenever a new episode is released.

   

And if you are enjoying the show please do me a huge favor and leave an honest review on iTunes. Reviews help the show grow and allow the stories to reach more people. Leave A Review Here.

 

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WHO?

Tripp Lanier is a men’s coach and host of the The New Man Podcast, where has has interviewed experts and authors from a wide range of fields including Laird Hamilton, Tim Ferris, Steven Pressfield, and more.  The tagline of the show is “Beyond the macho jerk and the new age wimp” and it takes off from there. In his podcast he explores many ideas on what it means to be man it today’s world.

I met Tripp through a previous guest on the show, Alex Gibson and was really glad to be able to speak with him about how he started his podcast, some of the techniques he uses with his coaching clients, and what it means for him to serve others. In this conversation we explore ideas like attachment, projections, appreciation, and small actions we can take to expand our emotional worlds. Late in the interview he catches me on a math problem about frogs that I have been mulling over ever since (my answer, not the frogs….) I am really excited to have Tripp on the Podcast for two reasons.

1. He has the ability to clearly articulate common problems that we all face as humans and ways that we can see them with new eyes.
2. As he says in this interview, he makes his living asking questions and I am inspired by his curiosity.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• How he started his podcast
• Why he left a thriving business to become a coach
• Why he meditates
• How he lets his own curiosity drive the show he creates
• The story of the four frogs

DISCOVERY QUOTE:

“I’m amazed at how much more powerful I feel, when I allow myself to have a dynamic emotional life.” [Tweet This]

CONNECT WITH TRIPP:

TRIPPLANIER.COM | THENEWMANPODCAST.COM | FACEBOOK  | TWITTER

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Listen on Soundcloud

I realized something as I was going through his interviews over the last year. The New Man Podcast has episodes with all 3 authors from the post I wrote about the 3 books I was having my son read this summer. So I have included the episodes with the authors below!

 

DISCOVER EVEN MORE:

Tripp has also recently launched a new free content site with tons of great audio,video, and a free ebook. You can sign up here: The New Man Life

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW:

Discover The Road can be delivered to your device of choice whenever a new episode is released.

   

And if you are enjoying the show please do me a huge favor and leave an honest review on iTunes. Reviews help the show grow and allow the stories to reach more people. Leave A Review Here.

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WHO?

Brandon Schott is a musician and songwriter who has seen his share of challenges and triumphs and yet through it all he finds a way to retain a deep and abiding love for what a song can mean for the soul. From the inspiration of fatherhood to the shadow of cancer, he has consistently turned to music to express his experiences.

Over the last decade he has produced 4 records and is now readying his new EP, Verdugo Park, for release on October 7th, as well as a forthcoming full length for 2015. He has hosted his own show about songwriting called Defying Gravity and founded the non-profit Artists For Healing. The creative juices are constantly flowing and in everything he does honesty, compassion and authenticity seem to shine through effortlessly.

One of my favorite moments in the show is when Brandon talks about how he imagines mixtapes while he meditates and then puts them together later to see if they hold up (spoiler….they seem to). This is a sure sign of someone who has a huge catalog of songs running around their head.

I am really excited to have Brandon on the Podcast for two reasons.

1. His journey of surviving cancer has been an inspiration for me ever since we sat down and spoke about it earlier this summer.
2. He continues to cultivate a sense of joy and wonder about the art of songwriting that is unlike anyone else I know.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Growing up in England as the son of two Air Force parents
• Meeting the love of his life in High School
• Why he decided to move to Los Angeles
• What it was like to learn he had cancer and become a survivor
• Why he only shaved half of his head
• The woman that saved his life (and he doesn’t even know her name)
• Who his favorite songwriters are what he loves about them

DISCOVERY QUOTE:

“It’s not mine to keep, it’s only mine to borrow for as long as I need it, and if I don’t need it anymore, then I should share it. ” [Tweet This]

CONNECT WITH BRANDON:

FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | BRANDONSCHOTT.COM

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DEFYING GRAVITY

Brandon on Soundcloud

Listen on Soundcloud

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Songwriters:

• Elton John
• Billy Joel
• Michael Penn
• Amiee Mann
• Jon Brion
• E from The Eels
• Josh Ritter
• Neil Finn
• Harry Nilsson
• Stephin Merritt (The Magnetic Fields)
• Andy Reed (An American Underdog)

Books:

• The Pilgrimage [Affiliate Link]
• The Alchemist  [Affiliate Link]
• The Artist’s Way  [Affiliate Link]

I’m Too Young For This

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW:

Discover The Road can be delivered to your device of choice whenever a new episode is released.

   

 

And if you are enjoying the show please do me a huge favor and leave an honest review on iTunes. Reviews help the show grow and allow the stories to reach more people. Leave A Review Here.

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WHO?

Jen Bricker is an acrobat and aerialist, a TV personality and speaker. But most of all she is one of the most down to earth people you will ever meet. I was introduced to Jen by my previous guest Mike Chat and I had the opportunity to sit down with her and talk about her incredible story.

Jen was born without legs and put up for adoption. She was then raised in a small town in Illinois and  grew up participating in all kinds of sports, from tumbling to softball, all the while surrounded by the love and support of her adoptive family.

In a crazy twist of fate, at the age of 16, she discovered that her biological sister was  Dominique Moceanu, the Olympic gymnast who was one of her idols growing up. This unlikely story has been featured on 20/20 and in Dominique’s book Off Balance.

After graduating high school Jen moved to Florida to work at Walt Disney World. While in Florida she met Nate Crawford, and began to perform as an aerialist. A year later she was a featured acrobat on the Britney Spears Circus Tour.

She has also been featured in Muscle and Fitness Hers, HBO Real Sports, Good Morning America and has spoken at TEDx.

I am really excited to have Jen on the Podcast for two reasons.

1. She has lived such an inspirational life and yet manages to remain humble and is willing to share her story with such vulnerability and empathy for others that when you hear her speak, you feel like anything is possible.
2. Her extraordinary journey is one of resilience, dedication to a craft, and hard work.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Growing up in the midwest
• How being born without legs has shaped her view of the world and people
• What it’s like to perform for 30,000 people
• Why she eats clean and takes care of her body
• How her faith impacts her life everyday
• The daily practice that keeps her mind in top shape
• What she plans to accomplish next

DISCOVERY QUOTE:

“The small decisions that we make daily, are where the battles are won “  – click to tweet!

CONNECT WITH JEN:

FACEBOOK |  INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | JENBRICKER.COM

DISCOVER MORE:

Listen on Soundcloud

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

The Obstacle is The Way by Ryan Holiday

The Rise of Superman by Steven Kolter

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW:

Discover The Road can be delivered to your device of choice whenever a new episode is released.

   

 

And if you are enjoying the show please do me a huge favor and leave an honest review on iTunes. Reviews help the show grow and allow the stories to reach more people. Leave A Review Here.