How Passion Junkie Finds Meaning in Storytelling - Michael Margolis

In Chapter 3 of 17 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, educator and entrepreneur Michael Margolis answers "What Makes Your Work Meaningful?"  He shares how he is attracted to challenge, to puzzles, to riddles, and why exploring these issues in the context of story has been rewarding.  Michael Margolis is founder and president of Get Storied, an education and publishing platform dedicated to teaching the world how to think in narrative.  He earned a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Tufts University. 

What Makes Social Media Work Meaningful - Mike Germano

In Chapter 2 of 19 in his 2012 Capture Your Flag interview, social media ad agency CEO Mike Germano answers "What Makes Your Work Meaningful?"  After seven years in business, Germano finds creating engaging social experiences using innovative technology most rewarding.  He shares an example from a Red Bull mobile marketing campaign.  Mike Germano is co-founder and CEO of DUMBO, Brooklyn based social media advertising agency Carrot Creative.  Previously, Germano ran for and was elected to public office in Connecticut.  He is a graduate of Quinnipiac University. 

Feeling Freedom Riding a Motorcycle

In Chapter 11 of 14 in his 2012 interview, real estate development executive Brett Goldman answers "Where Do Motorcycles Play into Your Story?"  He shares how he gets a feeling of freedom by riding and how exploring the country on a cycle differs from exploring it in a car. 

Brett Goldman is a Real Estate Acquisitions Director at Triangle Equities in New York City.  He holds a BA in General Studies from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Real Estate Development from the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen: Where do motorcycles play into your story?

Brett Goldman: I just love the feeling of freedom, it's totally different when you're riding a motorcycle than driving a car. When you're driving a car -- even a convertible, but mostly a regular car that's totally -- has windows and windshields, you don't feel the wind, you don't feel like you're outside even though you think that you are outside and you feel like you're outside when you're driving in a car, when you're on a motorcycle, it's completely different.

I can drive 60 miles on a motorcycle versus 60 miles in a car, and the 60 miles on a motorcycle is -- it's almost difficult in that you experience every mile, and I like to stop on the side of the road a lot. The way that we've set up the interstate system in this country, you can really just fly through places and never even know that they exist and if you stop for just a second and just take it in, it's a whole different experience. But you have to stop when you're in a car. When you're on a motorcycle, it's almost as if you're on foot. And you feel like you've been to some place, not just been through it. 

Finding Meaningful Work in a Surge of Passion - Jason Anello

In Chapter 6 of 20 in his 2012 interview, creative director Jason Anello answers "What Makes Your Work Meaningful?"  He notes that meaningful work does not always mean paid work and how in those surge moments of passion, he finds work worthwhile.  Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at marketing services agency Manifold Partners.  He is also the co-founder of the Forking Tasty Brooklyn supper club.  Previously, Anello held creative leadership roles at Yahoo! and Ogilvy & Mather.  He graduated from the University at Albany. 

Pros and Cons of Short and Long Term Project Work - Jason Anello

In Chapter 10 of 20 in his 2012 interview, creative director Jason Anello answers "What are the Pros and Cons of Project Based Work?"  Anello details what he has learned working in both shorter and longer form projects and what he has found most meaningful about each type of work.  He goes further into how he is using this experience to think about his future.  Jason Anello is a founding partner and creative director at marketing services agency Manifold Partners.  He is also the co-founder of the Forking Tasty Brooklyn supper club.  Previously, Anello held creative leadership roles at Yahoo! and Ogilvy & Mather.  He graduated from the University at Albany. 

The Rewards of Teaching a Cooking Class

In Chapter 8 of 16 in her 2012 interview, author and food writer Cathy Erway answers "What Have You Found Most Rewarding About Teaching?  Erway shares how she has embraced a hands-on approach in teaching cooking.  She finds how she learns instructs how she teaches. 

Cathy Erway is an author and food writer living in Brooklyn.  Her first book, "The Art of Eating In" developed from her blog "Not Eating Out in New York".  She earned a BA in creative writing from Emerson College.

Transcript: 

Erik Michielsen:  What have you found most rewarding about teaching?

Cathy Erway:  Ooh. I really like teaching because it's kind of like a party where you just hang out, and that's my style of teaching. So, of course, I'm not like a very strict teacher with a... whatever they're holding there, pointer. So, yeah, I recently taught a class, where I had my uncle help out and just like hang out and it was about basic Chinese for foodies, hilarious. I mean, we just had the best time ever.

And that -- I mean, you know, my cooking classes are all hands-on, I would never have it not that way. So everyone has to get dirty, has to lose--you know, their, kind of like come out of their shell a little bit. And everyone gets to know each other, you can bring beer if you want. I got some stuff in the fridge, you can improvise with whatever sauces I have, feel free. So, that's my way of teaching, and that's the way I like to learn, so I figure if that's how I learned to cook, then this is how I teach. 

Finding Joy in Affecting How Others See the World - Doug Jaeger

In Chapter 4 of 17 in his 2012 interview, entrepreneur Doug Jaeger answers "What Do You Enjoy Most About What You Do?"  Jaeger notes how he finds joy creating and making things or stimuli - designs, experiences, products - that shape how others see the world.  He revels in understanding the reactions from what he presents and using that to shape future work.  Doug Jaeger is the co-founder of JaegerSloan, a multimedia design services firm in New York City.  His street front office doubles as the JS55 Gallery. Jaeger is also an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).  He graduated from Syracuse University.

How Newspaper Reporter Yoav Gonen Finds Meaning in His Work

In Chapter 9 of 11 in his 2011 interview, education reporter Yoav Gonen answers "What Makes Your Work Meaningful?"  He finds meaning when his writing helps people and helps to change things and make a difference in the community.  He shares a story about connecting to an Iraq-based Marine in a holiday story on families separated by military commitments.  Yoav Gonen is the education reporter for the New York Post newspaper in New York City.  He earned a Masters of Journalism degree from New York University and a BA in English from the University of Michigan.

What It Feels Like to Make Your Business Idea Real - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 5 of 21 in his 2011 interview, Phil McKenzie answers "Since we last spoke a year ago, what has been the most exciting thing to happen in your life?"  He notes the satisfaction of understanding global influencer culture and bringing a team together to produce a global event series across New York City, London, and Berlin.  McKenzie is the founder of Influencer Conference, an international event series bringing together tastemakers across the arts, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and technology.  He is also managing partner of influencer marketing agency FREE DMC.  Previously he worked in Domestic Equity Trading at Goldman, Sachs, & Co.  He earned his BA from Howard University and MBA from Duke University. 

Finding Happiness in Challenge and Competition - Julie Hession

In Chapter 3 of 21 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, food entrepreneur Julie Hession answers "How Do You Define and Measure Success in What You Do?"  A self-described competitive person, Hession makes sure to stay busy and have a full, if not overwhelming, list of things to do.  She finds it energizes her and compels her to do her best work.  Julie Hession is the founder of Julie Anne's All Natural Granola Company.  Passionate about food since childhood, Hession has developed her career by food blogging, cooking contests, and starting fine food companies.  Hession earned an MBA in Marketing from Duke University and a BA from UNLV. 

Finding Personal Best by Speaking From the Heart - Kyung Yoon

In Chapter 2 of 19 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, non-profit executive Kyung Yoon answers "When Are You at Your Best?"  Yoon finds her personal and professional best when speaking from the heart.  In her experiences across the Korean and Korean American communities, she learns to be a philanthropic changemaker and bridge seemingly disparate cultural issues from her youth.  Kyung Yoon is the executive director of the Korean American Community Foundation (KACF) in New York City.  An award-winning journalist and documentary film producer, Yoon earned an MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University and a BA in History and Political Science at Wellesley College.

Jullien Gordon on How to Maximize Quality of Life on Your Own Terms

In Chapter 7 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, motivation teacher Jullien Gordon answers "Why Do You Differentiate Between Cost of Living and Quality of Living?"  Gordon finds quality of living and cost of living are not necessarily positively correlated.  He finds financial freedom does not always create time freedom and chooses to have time freedom as he lives.  Gordon is the founder of the Department of Motivated Vehicles, a personal and professional development company that helps clients identify purpose and map it to successful outcomes. Gordon has written five books and speaks regularly to college students across America.  He earned masters degrees in education and business from Stanford University and an undergraduate degree from UCLA.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen:  Why do you differentiate between cost of living versus quality of living?

Jullien Gordon:  Wow!  So I think in regards to the American dream, we bought into this notion that our quality of living increases with our cost of living, that they’re correlative, right?  But I found that knowing what my cost of living is, what is enough for me has actually given me the freedom to actually move more powerfully with any excess income that I have beyond my cost of living. 

My cost of living is a lot of lower than a lot of people yet my quality of living is a lot higher and so we bought into this notion and played this game of income maximization as if financial freedom is actually always gonna give us time freedom and that’s not always true.  If you’re working 80 hours a week for $150,000 a year you’re actually losing out on time freedom and you have to delay your time freedom until the end of life called “retirement.”  I’m actually having my time freedom as I go along life and even Gallop did some research on well-being where they showed that the average retirement age of people who live beyond the age of 95 was 85 years old.  It wasn’t 65 years old, right? 

So this notion of “Oh I want to retire early” most people who want to retire early actually hate what they do and so since our career is such a big chunk of our lives we need to figure out how to make that fulfilling, make it feel like vacation when you’re doing your work because you love it so much and there’s this hidden tax that we have on us when we’re doing things that we hate, psychologically and physically that we don’t acknowledge until our clock stops ticking and so I’m more concerned with quality of life than anything and so to be honest my cost of living though I’m – I don’t have kids and I don’t own a home, my cost of living is about $3000 a month and that’s with my student loans and my quality of living is through the roof and so for me that just breaks this assumption that cost of living and quality of living are directly connected or correlated.

How to Make Work Meaningful and Lasting - Andrew Hutson

In Chapter 3 of 17 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Andrew Hutson answers "How Are You Learning to Make Your Work More Meaningful and Lasting?"  Hutson, an environmental advocate, finds lasting purpose working to preserve the Earth and habitat for future generations.  Fundamentally this is why he does what he does.  He looks at meaningful in the context of both to self and to others.  Hutson is a senior project manager at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), where he advises corporate partners such as Wal-Mart on sustainable supply chain initiatives.  Hutson holds a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MEM from the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment.  He earned his BA from Michigan State University. 

How Results-Driven Goals Transform Organizational Culture - Andrew Hutson

In Chapter 11 of 17 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Andrew Hutson answers "What Has Your Work Taught You About the Value of Results-Driven Goals?"  Hutson, a project manager working at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) finds a results-driven culture helps him be a better, and more fulfilled, manager.  He notes how a results-driven framework works well in his particular non-profit organization, blending donor and foundation relationships with an MBA and environmentalist employee base that works with private sector clients.  Hutson is a senior project manager at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), where he advises corporate partners such as Wal-Mart on sustainable supply chain initiatives.  Hutson holds a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MEM from the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment.  He earned his BA from Michigan State University. 

How to Manage Aspiration Expectations - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 3 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "To What Do You Aspire?"  In aspiring to live meaningfully, Faykin aims to make an impact on where he chooses to spend his time and how he values the resulting experiences.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

What is the Best Part About Starting a Business - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 14 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "What Has Been the Most Gratifying Part of Starting a Company?"  He describes waking up each day and having the freedom to choose what he does.  Faykin finds the experience liberating and, also, fundamental to enjoying the entrepreneurial life.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Matt Ruby on Finding Joy Performing Standup Comedy

In Chapter 1 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, standup comedian Matt Ruby answers "Why Do You Consider Stand-Up Comedy to Be the Best Thing in the World?"  He is drawn to the shaman-like, truth telling aspect that is rooted in a raw, subjective environment.  Further, he finds great reward standing on stage making people laugh. 

Matt Ruby is a standup comedian based in New York City.  He co-produces the weekly show "Hot Soup", co-hosts the monthly show "We're All Friends Here", and manages a comedy blog "Sandpaper Suit".  Ruby graduated from Northwestern University. 

How Flow State of Mind Elevates Stage Performance - Matt Ruby

In Chapter 2 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, standup comedian Matt Ruby answers "When Are You at Your Best?"  Ruby notes how he does his best work when in a flow state.  An analytic person, Ruby learns to let go and immerse himself in an open state where he can trust his subconscious and perform on stage. 

Matt Ruby is a standup comedian based in New York City.  He co-produces the weekly show "Hot Soup", co-hosts the monthly show "We're All Friends Here", and manages a comedy blog "Sandpaper Suit".  Ruby graduated from Northwestern University.