Chocolate Croissants

Brandan Fokken is a man of integrity, vision, and values. He also eats more peanut butter than you. Brandan joins Matt, Jordan, and Justin from his Fokken Nuts office for an inspiring chat on the power of generosity. Brandan knows who he is and what he desires to be, and it's these traits that define his brand of peanut butter. He shares how this informs how the company expresses itself and interacts with others in the world. We cover a lot more, and some of the topics are listed next...WITH...

Mike Johnston revolutionized drum education. He leveraged technology and social media early, and became a world-renowned presence throughout the global drumming community. And to think, he almost pivoted away from drum education altogether just prior to the pandemic. Mike, perhaps to his surprise, shares this deeply personal story for the first time publicly with Matt and Jordan. He takes us through his thought process and what ultimately led him to becoming more energized than ever about...

Mike Silberman has an incredible family, home, hobbies, and mission-driven business. He's come a hell of a long way from heroin addiction and almost having his arm amputated. Mike joins Jordan, Justin, and Joe (congrats on that new house, Matt!) to share his inspiring story. Mike found success as a teen as frontman of VooDoo Blue, a band that would play shows with Matt's first band in Baltimore. He performed at both RFK Stadium and Lollapalooza. But he soon found himself kicked out of the...

Ronnie Young is used to being on the road, ensuring your favorite bands (Animals As Leaders, Plini, Periphery) sound good in the room. Now, like most of us, he's safely at home. But this hasn't stopped him from finding ways to be creative, productive, and social. Ronnie joins the entire CC crew from the UK and shares his process for finding success in the touring industry. We cover self awareness and the ability to "read the room" in different social situations, especially on tour with...

We welcome back world-class friend and lighting designer, Jeff Holcomb! Jeff shares his daily morning rituals that help mitgate anxiety and sets his day up for success. We continue exploring the healing potential of breathing from personal experiences. Matt shares a Dunkin' story that allows us to investigate our body's stress (fight or flight) response from cognitive, emotional, and biological perspectives. The concept of hope is introduced and given the attention it deserves. Apologies for...

Chad Gauss (The Food Market & La Food Marketa) is not your typical chef. In fact, he prefers that his "employees" don't refer to him as such. But he leads two of the most in demand restaraunts in Baltimore. In EP42, Chad shares his unique perspectives on management, productivity, food, and more. He grew up as a kid rooted in hip hop culture who started from the bottom of the restaraunt business and is now running it on his terms. Culture and community are cornerstones of his philosophy, and...

Sam is the blueprint. She became passionate about music as a teen and began helping bands. While at university she leveraged every opportunity to build her dream career. She ran the Campus Activities Board, learning how to book and promote large-scale concerts. She interned and worked at every major club in Baltimore while also working at a record store. She even managed a band, booked national tours, and helped secure runs on the Warped Tour. As a woman in her mid-twenties, she now sits at...

Geoffrey Blake is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of MissionFit (www.missionfit.org), a non-profit organization and gym serving Baltimore's youth. He's also a talented musician and good friend to us. In EP40, GB shares his often difficult journey moving to a new country as a kid, losing his father as a teen, and struggling with drug addiction for many years. He chats about music helping him to overcome these obstacles and how he has grown and thrived from these difficult experiences....

Happy 2018! In EP39, we reflect on the past year and pass the mic with seven questions: Concert, Meal, CC Epsiode, Travel Destination, and Career Moment of 2017...Life Skill to Improve in 2018, and Acknowledgement of a CC Community Member. Join us in the CC Facebook Group as we open each question up to you this week! Much love and respect for your attention and Happy New Year!! Join our community to continue the conversation: www.facebook.com/groups/chocolatecroissants/ Official Sponsor:...

(This episode is a Re-Air of EP33 with a new and extended intro with Matt) Recorded in Periphery's tour bus, Matt and Jake Bowen (Periphery, EP32) sit down with Brandon Bateman to chat his history in the military, most specifically his time in the field and how it's shaped his views on how men and authoritative jobs are viewed in society today. They discuss the measure and expectations of a "man" in the context of the military and in the civilian world and dig heavily into Brandon's work...

Lauren Kashan is the vocalist of the melodic-hardcore band, Sharptooth (Pure Noise Records). She joins Jordan and Justin in the CCompound to share her story of joining the band and eventually realizing her dream of signing a record deal and touring nationally with bands she looks up to. But as we do on Chocolate Croissants, we dig much more into the human being than simply what they're otherwise known for. Lauren chats about her childhood and how it shaped her careers as a musician and a...

This week on the podcast we have Jake Bowen of Periphery being interviewed by Matt while they’re both on the road performing shows with the band. Recorded in the back of their tour bus, the two discuss life on the road, the change and growth of the band’s dynamic over the many years of touring, and how Jake has matured through the process. One specific topic the guys dive into is bullying. As a kid Jake moved around a bit and was often the “new kid” in school. This opened him up to bullying...

Wes has been described as "the guitar player's guitar player" by many in the metal scene. In this episode we dig into our philosophies of learning an instrument and developing one’s voice as a musician. Wes discusses his future goals as a musician, both personally and professionally, and his strategies to achieve them. He talks about his experiences serving in the U.S. Navy, why he joined, and how it influenced him. We answer a handful of questions from the CC Facebook group including the...

Misha is the founder and guitarist of Matt's band, Periphery. Together they've toured the world, realized personal dreams, and were even nominated for a Grammy this year. In EP27 they discuss in detail the future of Periphery, including how they'd like to operate as a band in a 2018 world. They also share their most difficult moments as bandmates. This was Jordan and Justin's first time connecting with Misha which added a unique dynamic from the average interview you'd find elsewhere. Misha...

(If you're into pro wrestling, this will be the defining episode for you.) John and his brothers took over their dad's restaurant business as kids. It took about a decade to figure it out for themselves, but John has now helped grow Jimmy's Famous Seafood into a truly international brand. What struck us most was his character. He has a warrior spirit when it comes to business, but a big heart when it comes to people. He does right by his team and his community. Listen to find out how pro...

Chef Neill moved from London to NYC when the opportunity presented itself to advance his career. (Talk about jumping off the deep end.) There he met his wife and they moved to Baltimore to open up their own food business. (Talk about hitting the jackpot.) Neill spent a couple hours with us at the CCCompound to share his story and wisdom. He took us through the process of starting a business including, hiring the team, creating the menu, and networking with farmers. Neill also shared how...

It's been awhile, man, and we were itching to go back to our original format for a week. This is the deepest dive we've gone into music so far as we discuss our approaches to composition and share what we've been listening to most this year. Other highlights include, Jordan sharing the most valuable lesson he learned from Benny Greb in 2015, Matt sharing his story of moving back home from LA and figuring out how to raise capital to launch Bandhappy, and how Justin built a thriving vintage...

If last week was loose, this was the flip. We put our communication skills to the test in this one, in our most direct episode to date. We start with a full debrief from Episode 10 and hashed out disagreements and assumptions. We talk about the ways in which we've learned how improve our communication with family, too. A community member submits a question we end with about knowing when to cut someone important, but toxic, out of our lives. Join our community to continue the conversation:...

Recorded the night before Matt leaves for Periphery's European tour, he shares his feelings about returning to the same places he played when dealing with the death of his dog, Charlie. He talks about his support system and the experiences he's also looking forward to...including food. And then we talk more about food. Jordan explains how pro wrestling inspires him as an entrepreneur. Justin answers a CC community member's question about rehabbing his knee as a drummer. And we talk shit on...

Justin and Matt just finished their workout before the episode so we chat fitness for a good bit. We talk about the importance of listening to our bodies. This includes both our physical selves and also the energy and emotions within us. As teachers and facilitators, we discuss planning or not planning for each gig. As people who share content online we talk dealing with negativity and knowing the difference between possible constructive criticism and a troll. We finish again with a question...