Pursue The Passion
902 posts
Chris Wooddell was living off the land in Alaska at 22 and then became interested in science after having that one person, in this case a plant taxonomist, really inspire her to go in a certain direction. Now she’s got a PhD and is a medical researcher doing some highly advanced stuff with muscular dystrophy.…
Bill Gallagher likes to build things, and build things he has. His company, Oakmont Senior Living, is one of the largest developers in all of Sonoma County in northern California. The father of five is casual in tone, humble in contrast to what might be expected from a man so successful. At this point in…
Michael Hynson, the featured surfer in the legendary movie The Endless Summer, as well as one of the finest surfboard shapers in the world, offers a warning to those pursuing their passion: “Fame and fortune do not go hand in hand.” Michael Hynson’s Endless Summer movie has been commercialized since its original screening in 1966.…
Interview: How To Become a Boxing Trainer My name is Bill Kaehn. I’m from Minneapolis. Moved around the country quite a bit. I was very fortunate, if you want to call it fortunate, but I was born into the fight game. My father was a professional boxer and a boxing trainer. So I kind of…
My great grandfather was a fish peddler during the Great Depression when he moved his wife, three daughters, and his son from Massachusetts to Oakland, California to start a new life. Had I not met Leslie Lawson for an interview in the Nike employee store parking lot in Beaverton, Oregon, this jewel of a family…
Doug Irving, freelance producer, director and cinematographer extraordinaire, has been working in the world of video for the last decade. What advice has he gleaned from ten years? “Live life and enjoy it,” Doug says, “But always be ready for the next chapter.” And Doug knows something about turning a new chapter. After six years…
Jesse Gros became a life coach to help people avoid the frustrations that nearly crushed him. As a psychology major, Jesse says he felt “tortured” by the anxiety of what to do with his life, and the pressure of the paths so strictly ingrained in the world of academia. Much to his parents chagrin, his…
Wayne McVicker knew what he wanted to be an architect early in his life, even in the face of severe colorblindness. Yet when he finally realized his dream, at least partially as a runner for an architecture firm, he found himself disillusioned by the lack of technological openness in the workplace. As he embraced technology…
When Phil Rapoport found his way into commercial property management in the 1980’s, he brought many of the things he had learned in hotel management with him. At the time, this was considered quite revolutionary, if not a little nonsensical. His bosses were hesitant about a tenant feedback survey, much like the comment cards left…
We are in the RV, curbside at a suburb in Chicago. Jan Buckner Walker is a former lawyer who authors crossword puzzles. Interview: How To Become a Crossword Puzzle Writer My name is Jan Buckner Walker. At one point I was a lawyer, but I now create crossword puzzles for my company, Kids Across, Parents…
Jesus Delgado may be the hardest worker we have interviewed. His arms have small purple spots…a sign of stress, Jesus says. Jesus is the son of Cuban immigrants, and failed the first grade because he didn’t speak English. He worked hard all the way through WestPoint and Fortune 500 companies to become the CFO of…
I don’t know much about software and technology, but I do know that it has made Andrew Hyde’s offline world a bit more interesting, and it has the capability to make yours a lot more interesting too. Coming out of college Andrew expected a 9-5 job in software design working for, and hating, “the man.”…
We interviewed Lucky I Am on the Living Legends tour bus. Lucky wore a multi-colored basketball jersey. Interview: How To Become a Rapper What do you like to be called? I’m an MC. And a public speaker. I’m not a rapper. Fuck a rapper. I’m not an underground rapper. I’m an indie music maker. I…
Kevin Hinton’s voice sounds like it should be coming over National Public Radio, which makes it all the more surprising when you see his trim, tattoo-covered frame. A father of two who surfs every morning and trains for triathlons, nothing about Kevin, owner of Old Glory Tattoo in Venice Beach, California, quite lines up…
Peter Dyson owns a recording studio, but he does not call himself a professional musician or a professional engineer. He instead surrounds himself with the most talented people possible, allowing him to produce music befitting the most established recording studio in San Diego, Studio West. Although Peter has been known to play the drums from…
At first glance, Cathy Anderson hardly appears capable of a furtive takeover of a company, yet that is precisely what she did. In 1997, upset with what she calls “ethical issues” in the San Diego chamber of commerce, Cathy moved the San Diego Film Commission, the organization she still heads, literally in the middle of…
Ethan is a painter with an unshaven stubble, a kangol hat, and an iPod. He doesn’t take his headphones off during the course of the interview. How To Be a Street Artist Noah: I’m Noah. This is Brett, Jay, and Zach. We’re with a group called Pursue the Passion. We’re traveling around the country for…
When asked what she would tell herself at 22, Wanda Marie says, “be free.” The advice from the woman who acted as life coach and business partner to the late Yolanda King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., lingers in magical simplicity. Speaking with Wanda in the Leimert Park home formerly owned by Dr.…
Charles Finkel has a great wife (Rosanna) that finishes his sentences and allows him to speak freely. Charles loves beer. He has been the longest crab beer salesman in Seattle, having sold it for over thirty years. Interview: How To Start a Brewery So if you could just give us a quick introduction of what…
Darius Monsef IV added the IV to his name because in his opinion, there have been three great Darius’s who have walked the world before him, and he wanted to be the fourth. The interview took place outside of Urban Ground Coffee in Portland, Oregon, next to a semi busy street with occasional foot traffic.…
looks like a model, which is not surprising considering she used to be one. To write her off, however, as just another pretty face, would be a dreadful miscalculation. A graduate of the University of Tampa, Amanda is doing research in Long Beach as an epidemiologist, but her life does not consist of…
seems an intimidating man. In his 20 years in the gaming industry, the Cornell graduate hired more than 80,000 people to staff hotels all over the world. His secret? Go ask your mother. After leaving law school, Arte managed a steel company in New York until he was injured on the job. This…
Most people never get a chance to live in a high-rise apartment in downtown San Diego; Donna Fabbri can’t wait to tear hers up, and all in the name of sound quality. Donna has been in the audio/visual industry for thirty years, specializing in design solutions for audio/visual equipment. Her home is a testament to…
One might expect the head killer whale trainer at Sea World SeaWorld San Diego to have, well, a killer whale size ego; that could not be further away from the truth. Although Robin held an almost prenatal love for the ocean and its inhabitants, having been raised around a SCUBA air station owned by his…
