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Humiliated at Potbelly (and other cheerful stories of learning humility on the path to living one’s life purpose)
As a child, Segun Olagunju prayed for wisdom, which is the only thing that can explain a 20-something recognizing that if he’s going to make a difference in the world (Nigeria, in particular), he’s going to work backwards from being a 50-something changemaker in 2035. Setting out on a 30-year journey to learn business, leadership, French and return to his home country strategically, Segun realizes the path is anything but straight. Worse, it’s anything but *forward.* Through a series of humbling experiences (“only out of humiliation comes humility,” he says), Segun learns that if you’re pursuing a meaningful purpose in life, these setbacks are minor blips—and even…
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An Accidental Rant on Christianity with a Kind, Patient, Open-minded Pastor Who Took it Well
Most of the time on the Interesting Lives of Normal People, we try to dig into the stories of our guests to find out what they’re all about, what’s been on their mind, and what they ‘just need to get out into the world.’ This podcast turned out to be a bit of the reverse. In this episode with Dr. David Burke, mentor and friend of Jake’s, and a long-time pastor, it’s as though we were the ones doing the sharing. Especially about the church and American Christianity today. Surprise, surprise: talking about Christianity and the church (*during COVID*) struck some nerves and David opened up the space for us…
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“Do What You Love, Love What You Do!” And Other Hot Life Tips From The Fashion Queen of Denver
If you’ve ever seen a music video from the band OK Go, that’s basically what it’s like hanging out with Brandi Shigley. Over there is the flamethrower, in this corner is a family of ferrets dressed in matching outfits, in walks a mailman with a green mohawk who is also her tattoo artist, and here you are sitting on a giant hand-shaped chair that smells of funnel cake. The whole thing is L-I-F-E, turned up to 11. When you listen to Brandi’s story, you’ll understand; she eeks her way through college but becomes the hottest purse-maker circa Y2K (literally #3 on AOL), such that she has her bags showcased in…
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Life as a Fun-loving Disco Ball Inside of Kaleidoscope
Stephanie LaFlora is a disco ball inside of a kaleidoscope. On one hand, she’s a mom and a wife, she’s got a house in the burbs and a 9-5pm. She’s admittedly scattered, prone to quitting when things get painful and encounters impostor syndrome. She’s even got a 401k. On the other hand, Stephanie is black female in tech who has sang with Hillsong at the Staples Center, and been on the TV show Chicago Fire, and started the following ventures: SwimXL—a plus-size women swimsuit line CrownHunt—a tool to connect textured hair dressers The Pep Talk Hotline—the place to go when you need a pick up A disco ball inside of…
Great stories come from good questions
