Building Out Loud

Lionel Nichols is the founder of Mario & Lee where he designs exclusive 1 of 1 garments from the highest quality hand sourced fabrics, trims and notions. He has dressed celebrities such as Gunna and Mark John Jeffries and offers pieces for purchase at marioandlee.com. Hearing Lionel tell his story in audio format is inspiring, but I highly recommend you check out his Instagram below to visually grasp the unique pieces he has designed. In our conversation, Lionel and I discuss how modeling led him to fashion, his process of designing with the end in mind, and how he plans for long-term success in his craft. Lionel's Links Lionel's TikTok Lionel's Instagram Mario & Lee Website Mario & Lee Instagram

Alicia DeCastro is the owner of Fundati coffee shop & roastery in Lincoln, Rhode Island. She's on a mission to help you to find your Fundati or find ways to ground yourself through in-person at the coffee shop and experiences online through social media When she's not running the coffee shop, Alicia serves as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach where she helps clients achieve sustainable habits around nutrition, sleep, relationships, and movement. She offers these services remotely. You can reach out to Alicia via the links in the show notes if you want to get in contact with her about her coaching services. In our conversation, Alicia and I discuss the importance of mindfulness, the ethical considerations of sourcing coffee beans, and how she knew she would pursue entrepreneurship. Alicia's Links Fundati's Website Fundati's Facebook Fundati's Instagram

Avyay Chaganty is co-founder and CEO of ACCL Marketing, a creative marketing agency focused on surpassing your business goals and KPI's through the art of digital storytelling. From creating logos to executing campaigns, ACCL brings the full marketing package. When he's not helping businesses, academic institutions, and non-profits tell their story, Avyay enjoys spending his time creating hand-made clothing for his side hustle Synapse. In our conversation, Avyay and I discuss the art of storytelling, the importance of diverse perspectives, and how fashion design creates opportunity. Avyay's Links LinkedIn Synapse ACCL Marketing Personal Instagram JPCO

Sujude Dalieh is a co-founder of Gajo, an application that allows young people to create the life they want to live by redesigning career exploration and engagement. She also hosts/produces Don't Stay in Your Lane, a podcast about the unconventional and unchartered career paths that people have taken (available on Spotify). She is also an associate at Lux Capital and is pursuing an MS in Engineering, Design Impact at Stanford University. In our conversation, Sujude and I discuss the future of career exploration and balancing her time between VC, a master's degree, and a startup. Sujude's Links Gajo Twitter Personal Site Don't Stay in Your Lane

L.D. Russell is a Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at Elon University, where he has taught in the areas of world religions and religion and culture since 1993. I had the opportunity to engage with L.D. in the classroom during my time at Elon University. His willingness to be vulnerable about spirituality, religion, and community (or a "tribe" as L.D. calls it), allows for students to explore difficult questions with great depth. In our conversation, L.D. and I discuss finding your tribe in a remote environment and creating a legacy that will outlast you. I hope that our conversation emulates the core tenants of LD’s classroom: have compassion for your neighbor and serve one another.

Nate Kadlac is a digital product designer based in Los Angeles, California. He leads user experience and product design at HomeSpotter (acquired in May '21 by Lone Wolf Technologies.) Nate also co-hosts a weekly podcast called It's Gotta Be the Mic and hosts a live monthly workshop where he teaches the fundamentals of design to non-designers. You can view some of Nate's projects here, or on Dribbble. In our conversation, Nate and I discuss design for non-designers, why minimalism is boring, and making time for creative work. Nate's Links Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Newsletter It's Gotta Be the Mic Podcast Approachable Design Course

Honoring the memory of a husband, father, brother, son, friend, and colleague by hearing his own words on leadership. This episode was recorded on April 14th. On April 25th, Greg passed away unexpectedly at the age of 55. In our conversation, Greg and I discuss memories he had with his late father, the time he shared with his kids, and the stories that shaped his leadership philosophy. May we carry Greg's memory forward by living out the principles and values that he depicts in this recording. Thank you to Bill Eggers and Nora Ellison for helping me complete this episode. Thank you to Greg's family for allowing me to share this conversation with others. It is one of the most meaningful pieces of work that I've ever had the privilege of being a part of. Greg's Legacy Greg is survived by his wife, Kristiane, his three children, John, Roman, and Mia, his mother, Annette Pellegrino Fontaine and her husband, Mel Fontaine, and his brothers Jeff and Chris. You can find his full obituary here. Greg's Background Greg served as a Customer Strategy & Applied Design Principal at Deloitte Consulting, LLP and as the Lead Client Service Principal responsible for Deloitte’s relationships with the Department of Veterans Affairs and The White House. He led large-scale, system-wide transformation efforts in critical areas such as public safety, cyber-security, transportation, and counter-terrorism. Greg helped to redesign and consolidate the civil aviation security systems for the U.S. government after 9/11, and his team was also tasked with leading the creation of the web portal for the newly created Dept. of Homeland Security. Note Views expressed in this podcast do not express the views or opinions of Deloitte Consulting, LLP.

Nick O'Brien serves as co-founder/CMO/CFO of Alloi, a consumer products company that brings elegant design and anti-microbial properties together. In the recording, you will hear Nick and I speak about Aeris (different from Arist, a separate digital product startup featured on this podcast). Nick and his co-founders have since rebranded and Aeris is now Alloi. Here's the co-founders' statement on the rebrand: "We’re becoming more than Aeris — an homage to copper — and introducing a new range of products and metals. Our new identity as Alloi encompasses everything we are as Aeris Copper, and a whole lot more." (Full Statement Here). In our conversation, Nick and I discuss combatting germs amidst the pandemic, being featured on Good Morning America, and building physical products in a digital world. Nick's Links Alloi Twitter LinkedIn Digital Commute Newsletter

Ryan Laverty serves as co-founder/President of Arist, a text message learning platform working with organizations to create & deploy text message courses. One of Ryan's co-founders, Maxine Anderson, was featured on Episode #8 of Building Out Loud. This conversation is an interesting follow-up to Maxine's episode because it offers a new perspective on a familiar startup. In our conversation, Ryan and I discuss helping organizations create engaging, accessible learning materials and the impact that Y Combinator had on Arist's business model. Ryan's Links Arist Twitter

Christina Lampert is the founder of the Sustennial Network - a social channel that celebrates sustainable lifestyles & businesses that are integrating sustainability into their practices. She is also a masters student at Columbia University where she is currently studying Sustainability Management. In our conversation, Christina and I discuss promoting sustainable practices through the Sustennial Network, macro vs. micro environmental change, and why businesses have a responsibility to make sustainable products that are convenient + affordable. Christina's Links The Sustennial Network YouTube Instagram

Guest host! Thomas helps Josh reflect on building the podcast. Thomas Waschenfelder is the founder of Wealest. He was featured on Episode #4. True to form, I want to be transparent about what it's like to build a podcast. For that reason, I brought Thomas back on. Why Thomas? The challenge with content so far has been consistency. Thomas is the king of consistency. He's on a 2+ year streak of shipping an article and a newsletter every single week. In our conversation, Thomas and I discuss my original goals with creating online, challenges I've faced along the way, and setting new goals moving forward to become more consistent with Building Out Loud. I committed to 1 episode per week for the rest of 2021 in this episode. That's a heck of a goal. With your continued support, we will get it done. Let's rock and roll, folks. Thomas' Links Twitter LinkedIn Wealest

Alec Coughlin is the founder of Ludlow Growth where he helps increase the velocity of results for businesses. In our conversation, Alec and I discuss the values & beliefs that he leans on to implement sustainable growth within emerging businesses. Alec's Links Twitter LinkedIn Ludlow Growth

Danny Miranda is the host of The Danny Miranda Podcast where he helps listeners pursue the highest versions of themselves. In our conversation, Danny and I discuss showing up every day, the 75 Hard challenge + meditation, and how he almost landed Matthew McConaughey on his podcast. Danny's Links Twitter Youtube Personal Site The Danny Miranda Podcast

Rahul Rana is the author of Making Moonshots and an associate at Lux Capital. In our conversation, Rahul and I discuss why it is imperative that we make moonshots, the future of deep tech, and the value of learning from our failures to achieve success. Rahul's Links Making Moonshots on Amazon Twitter LinkedIn

Sean McDonald is a Media Guru, specializing in building, growing, and maintaining radio and broadcast video programs. He's the director of Neumann Media, Neumann University's largest student organization on-campus consisting of over 115 students. The organization includes award-winning FM licensed radio station 98.5 WNUW-LP,. In our conversation, Sean and I discuss how to get the most out of Clubhouse, communicating in a remote environment, and quality vs. quantity in content.

Maxine Anderson is a co-founder of Project W and co-founder/VP of Operations of Arist. Project W is a student-led group dedicated to fostering collaboration amongst women innovators and entrepreneurs at Babson, Olin, and Wellesley (BOW) Colleges. Arist, is a text message learning platform which went through Y-combinator this past summer. In our conversation, Maxine and I discuss building connection and curriculum for women innovators and making education more accessible via text message.

Gregg Vanourek is the co-author of Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives. In our conversation, Gregg and I discuss how taking the time to individually define discover mode vs. climbing mode leads to a happier, more fulfilling life for each of us.

Ethan Jaffe is a co-founder and co-owner of Saje Kitchen, a restaurant focussing on southern style cuisine in Providence, Rhode Island. Saje Kitchen was scheduled to open in March 2020 when COVID-19 changed our way of life in the US. The Saje team adapted, prepared a safe environment for patrons, and persevered by opening to the public in August 2020. In our conversation, Ethan and I discuss navigating uncertainty, the power of food, and the importance of the customer experience.

Wes Woodson is the founder and Chief Storyteller of thehidden, a streetwear brand designed to empower outsiders to never hide who they truly are. Wes is also in the fundraising stage of publishing a book called “The Anxiety Advantage” - a perspective on anxiety and how to manage anxiety as a Gen Z-er. In our conversation, Wes and I discuss embracing who you are on your entrepreneurial journey, discussing mental health openly, and the creation of his own podcast to be released in 2021.

Thomas Waschenfelder is the founder of Wealest, a platform that simplifies the ideas of wealth creators. Wealest is designed to take you from zero understanding about how people build wealth to a working knowledge of how you can do it yourself. In our conversation, Thomas and I discuss creating a personal definition of wealth, learning from mental models, and building leverage online. While Thomas and I discuss wealth creation, it should be noted that the content of this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace or substitute for professional financial advice.