Going Deep With Aaron Watson

Steve Gordon is co-founder and President of Ultimate Xperience Ventures, LLC, a sports and entertainment holding company that owns a majority interest in the American Ultimate Disc League. Steve also serves as the AUDL League Commissioner.Steve is also the managing partner of the Chicago Wildfire, Chicago's professional Ultimate Disc team that play in the 2013 season.   http://www.goingdeepwithaaron.com/podcast   Connect with Steve Facebook Twitter Website sgordon@theaudl.com If you liked this interview, check out episode 62 where I first spoke with Commissioner Steve Gordon about joining the AUDL and expansion plans.

Kristin Lindeen is the daughter of author John Miller who wrote, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question. So growing up, Kristin was steeped in the QBQ! message of personal accountability. With this background, she is uniquely equipped to share it with others. Her clients include corporations, associations, schools, churches, and nonprofits.Kristin holds an M.A. in Curriculum, Instruction and Corporate Education from Colorado Christian University, and enjoys delivering practical content to groups with a style that is energetic and fun. She is also certified to administer and facilitate the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator and enjoys doing this with individuals and teams.   Kristen’s Challenge; Think of the person in your life who is frustrating you the most right now. Connect with them within the next 48 hours and ask them “What can I do to better understand you?”   http://www.goingdeepwithaaron.com/podcast   Connect with Kristen LinkedIn Twitter Website   If you liked this interview, check out episode

Jordan E. Goodman is “America’s Money Answers Man” and a nationally-recognized expert on personal finance. For 18 years, Jordan was on the editorial staff of Money magazine, where he served as Wall Street correspondent. While at Money, he reported and wrote on virtually every aspect of personal finance. In addition, he served as weekly financial analyst on NBC News at Sunrise for 9 years and the daily business news commentator on Mutual Broadcasting System’s America in the Morning show for 8 years.He is the author/co-author of 13 best-selling books on personal finance including Master Your Debt Fast Profits in Hard Times, Everyone’s Money Book, and Master Your Money Type.   Jordan’s Challenge; Start saving in your 401(k) right now and do so as aggressively as possible.   References HELOC Home Repayment Commercial Real Estate Income Funds   http://www.goingdeepwithaaron.com/podcast   Connect with Jordan Facebook Twitter Website   If you liked this interview, check out all of my previous finance interviews.

Elaine Heney grew her Merch by Amazon business to 6 figures, selling over $128,295 with profit of $53,000 in her first 10 months . Elaine is the CEO of Merch Entrepreneur and host of the Merch Entrepreneur podcast.   Over the last 3 years, Elaine is also triple #1 best selling author, international keynote speaker, movie producer and Amazon FBA and Merch consultant. She has also published over 300 mobile apps across Amazon, Apple & Google, and enjoyed over 20 million app downloads and over 50 #1s worldwide.   Elaine’s Challenges Apply for the Amazon Merch Program Walk 10,000 steps ever day for a week and listen to business podcasts while you do it.   http://www.goingdeepwithaaron.com/podcast   Connect with Elaine Facebook group Podcast Website   If you liked this interview, check out episode 123 with Tucker Max where we discuss best-selling books, entrepreneurship, and self-awareness.

Coming from a marketing and sales background, Felix was part of the founding teams behind the Next Gen Summit and Sup-X, where he ran the Marketing and Sales division. As a branding consultant, Felix worked with countless startups and has had #1 best selling product launches. A former trader, Hartmann is particularly excited about creating the most innovative Equity Crowdfunding Platform on the web.   When not running the show at FundThis as CEO, Hartmann is a rising fiction writer, who has been nominated for the Dragon Awards and dominated the Amazon Bestseller lists with his debut novel, Dark Age.   Felix’s Challenge; Get started. Set aside 1-2 hours in the next 48 hours to chase your dream. Cut out something less important.   http://www.goingdeepwithaaron.com/podcast   Connect with Felix Instagram Facebook Twitter Website   If you liked this interview, check out episode 119 with Robin Hanson where we discuss a potential future where humans and computers merge.

Andrew Gardner was born and raised in northeast Ohio before moving to Pittsburgh in 2014, graduating from Miami University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Leadership & Management. His passion for working in sports started when as a Box Office Associate for a minor league baseball team, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, a single-A affiliate for the Cleveland Indians in Niles, Ohio.   Andrew has also worked for Miami University's' Athletic Communications Department, planned, hosted, directed and coordinated a home ultimate tournament at my University, and even sold 50/50 raffle tickets for the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation on the side. He is motivated to bring that passion for ultimate and sports business to the city of Pittsburgh through the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds, a professional ultimate disc team he helped to create.   Anndrew’s Challenge; Undertake a project that you know nothing about.   Free Email at Zoho mail   http://www.goingdeepwithaaron.com/podcast   Connect with Andrew Facebook Twitter

Graham Hill is the founder of LifeEdited, dedicated to helping people design their lives for more happiness with less stuff. When he started the company in 2010, it brought the ideas of his previous project, the eco-blog and vlog TreeHugger.com, into design and architecture.   Before Treehugger, Hill studied architecture and design (his side business is making those cool ceramic Greek coffee cups). His other company, ExceptionLab, is devoted to creating sustainable prototypes, like lamps made from recycled blinds and ultra-mod planters that are also air filters.   Hill is the author of a book called Weekday Vegetarian.   Check out Graham’s NYT Op-ed & Graham’s TED talk   Graham’s THREE Challenges Organize an area with three boxes, Keep, Get Rid of, and Maybe. Keep the Maybe box for 3-6 months then get rid of everything you didn’t use. Use renewable, sustainable energy. Meatless weekdays   http://www.goingdeepwithaaron.com/podcast   Connect with Graham Instagram Twitter   Connect with LifeEdited Instag

Alex Chua works at Ecolab as a Manager in Finance Planning and Analysis. Alex began his nonprofit experience at various organizations including College Houses in Austin, Junior Achievement, The Woodlands Marathon, The Houston Rodeo, and the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston as a part of his MBA.   As a kid, Alex developed a love of chess and became a chess master. He enjoys guitar, travel, and healthy eating. Alex is a certified public accountant in the state of Texas. His current interests include issues related to civil rights, independent journalism, and government oversight.   Book Recommendations SuperForecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction by Philip E. Tetlock So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal Newport   Anthony’s Challenge; This week, make a list of 5 causes you feel are most important to society. Cross out the cause you feel least passionate about. Keep crossing out causes until you have 1 or 2 remaining. Research exi

Learn more about Venkatesh and Ribbonfarm Twitter Ribbonfarm

A friend of mine inspired me to do this episode. We were having coffee and I rattled off a few names of folks that I read or listened to and he hadn’t heard of a few of the names. He encouraged me to share my influences so that others could learn from their wisdom.   The point of the exercise is to hopefully enable you to discover new people to follow and learn from. So I’m not going to mention the countless individuals in my personal life who teach me the most.   If I did, my dad would be at the top of this list. There are many others who don't actively share their knowledge through media and prefer more private lives.   Systems Thinking Tyler Cowen, Dan Carlin, and Nassim Taleb   Business Ben Thompson, Gary Vaynerchuk, Warren Buffett, and Scott Galloway   Culture & Vision Venkatesh Rao & Taylor Pearson   Productivity David Allen & Tiago Forte   Health & the Natural World Adam Haritan   Learning and Reading Mike Dariano   Finance Barry Ritholtz, Josh Brown, Ben Carlson, and Michael Batnick.

Tucker Matheson and Pichon Duplan are management consultants at PriceWaterhouseCooper. They are passionate about helping college students, and recent grads, understand how to get the most out of their degree. They’ve brought their diverse backgrounds together to create one voice in their first book.   Book Fast Forward: What Is Your College Degree Worth?   The Challenge; Think of one thing you’ve been interested in doing and go make it happen.   http://www.goingdeepwithaaron.com/podcast   Connect with Tucker & Pichon Instagram Tucker Pichon Website YouTube   If you liked this interview, check out episode 131 with Larry Gioia where we discuss how to make more quality connections.

“I was not able to fully appreciate the beauty of my detours until I was able to share them. As a performer, all I’ve wanted to do was give back to the world.  But now I have an even greater gift to give: a story to tell.”   Amy grew up believing that her entire life would be dedicated to the performing arts.  Now, she identifies as a survivor and “thriver” of sexual abuse, 27 surgeries, coma, organ failure, and the PTSD that comes from ten years of trauma – or what she now calls her “beautiful detour.”   At 18, years old, a blood clot caused Amy’s body to go into septic shock.  She was in a coma for six months, and after a total gastrectomy, was unable to eat or drink a drop of water for six of the past ten years.  After 27 surgeries, she was miraculously reconnected with the intestines she had left.  To persevere through those tumultuous years took great inner and outer strength.   She has learned that the human spirit feeds off of hope, and hope is fuel we can cultivate ourselves.  Ultimately, she learned

Grant Oliphant is president of The Heinz Endowments. For nearly two decades, Grant held several senior management posts with Heinz family foundations, including vice president for programs and planning at the Endowments, his position before taking over the helm at The Pittsburgh Foundation in 2008. He also served as press secretary to the late U.S. Sen. John Heinz from 1988 until the senator’s death in 1991.   If there’s a major project happening in Pittsburgh, chances are that Oliphant is pulling the strings. His six-year tenure atop The Pittsburgh Foundation saw that organization increase its assets by a third in the middle of a recession; even more impressively, that foundation oversaw the recruiting and hiring of Mayor Bill Peduto’s senior staff through its Talent City initiative. Oliphant quickly has made his presence known at Heinz, which shortly after his arrival in May 2014 jettisoned a controversial connection to the Center for Sustainable Shale Development.   Since then, he’s overseen the P4 Confere

Head over to goingdeepwithaaron.com/callahan for more information. Vote for Carl Morgenstern in 2017. https://twitter.com/PittUltimate

Kyle Crawford is the CEO & Founder of Fundraising Genius, where he combines his love of design, technology, and social good into one of the most innovative organizations for people raising money. He has advised leaders from universities, foundations, tech companies, and nonprofits. He’s also presented on design, data, and social innovation at conferences of all sizes.   In 2015, Kyle built the gamified social innovation community, Dwilly, where he personally curated more than 3,000 innovative solutions to pressing social issues from a global audience of fundraisers, entrepreneurs, engineers, social workers, and designers. Prior to that, he worked in healthcare philanthropy managing the design and data for an innovative and hugely successful 25-site statewide HIV care model that has since been replicated and funded as a national model for linking and retaining people living with HIV/AIDS in medical care.   Kyle’s Challenge; Set up a scheduled, anonymous donation. Don’t tell anyone that you’ve done it.   ht

Raised in the home of a Pittsburgh entrepreneur, Michelle Flynn developed an interest for new creative development leading her to burghTV – Pittsburgh’s Snapchat Story and 2017 Winner of Pittsburgh's PR Disruptor of the Year. She uses her training as a professional theatre and film actress to host the channel showing off Pittsburgh's hidden gems. When not snapping for burghTV, Michelle can be found chatting with her fellow sales and marketing co-workers at Truefit – a Pittsburgh-based software product innovation firm.   Prior to her involvement with Truefit, Michelle served as a student liaison for Kent State University (her alma mater) surpassing record quotas for reconnecting alumni to the University and leading to increased alumni involvement and donorship. A proud member of the National Society of Leadership and Success, Michelle continues to work in the hopes of sharing her story with this professional organization   Michelle’s Challenge; Do something different, outside your comfort zone, like an acting

Born and raised in Cleveland, OH, Ed Bailey’s family noticed his quick wit early on in life. While that wit sometimes landed him in trouble, it often was the source of great entertainment for those who bore witness. After high school, the University of Pittsburgh brought him to Pittsburgh, PA where he would make a name for himself as a comedian. During his brief career as a comedian, Ed has been able to capture the attention of some of the most recognizable figures in comedy such as Eddie Griffin and Hannibal Burress which is a testament to his ability to relate to anyone while on stage. His talents have also landed him a successful podcast that he co-hosts with comedian Day Bracey called Drinking Partners on the Epicast Network.   A polygamist, simultaneously married to bacon and booze, Day Bracey once led a mostly private life, in fear of persecution from a conservative right winged christian society who wouldn’t understand his inability to choose between two loves. Armed with his sword of common sense and

Oliver Luckett is a bona fide tech mogul. Having starting multiple companies and worked for clients like Russell Brand, Steve Aoki, Charlize Theron, Mark Wahlberg, the Chainsmokers, and Pitbull, he knows branding online.   Oliver most recently sold his company theAudience, co-founded with Ari Emanuel of William Morris and tech entrepreneur Sean Parker. Prior, Oliver was CEO and co-founder of DigiSynd, a Walt Disney Company, and previously Oliver co-founded Revver, which helped kick off new media with their novel concept of the video rev-share. Prior to Revver, Oliver took the Norman Lear "Declare Yourself" campaign to the Internet and gathered more than one million new online voter registrations. Oliver still cherishes his bachelor's degree in French Literature from Vanderbilt University and recently moved to a home in Iceland.   Oliver’s Book The Social Organism: A Radical Understanding of Social Media to Transform Your Business and Life   Oliver’s Challenge; Reverse engineer the success that you hope to ach

Teresa Chahine, the Program Leader for Social Entrepreneurship at Harvard, literally wrote the book on Social Entrepreneurship. Social Entrepreneurship is a revolution occurring around the world today, where people from all walks of life are developing and implementing innovative, effective, and sustainable solutions in response to social and environmental challenges.   These solutions include products, services, frameworks and interventions brought to market by both new startups and existing organizations, whether for-profit or non-profit. Her Book Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship summarizes the basic steps and tools needed to understand the challenge you are tackling, imagine and prototype potential solutions, build a business model, measure and grow your impact.   Teresa’s Textbook Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship   Teresa’s Challenge; Make a list of 3 things that really piss you off. Pick one to work on and join forces with others who share your mission.   http://www.goingdeepwithaaron.com/p

Reed Verdesoto’s business is ReedVerde.  For the past 5 years he has worked in ministry creating music, film, and photographs for the Church. He has met many artists and students through collaboration who have imparted their wisdom and technical skills upon him and his work.     Reed enjoys the creative process, and being able to provide for his family.  He hopes to create something that can be enjoyed and shared.   Reed’s Challenge; You have friends that do something amazing. Ask them to show you how they do it.   http://www.goingdeepwithaaron.com/podcast   Connect with Reed Twitter Instagram Website   Reed’s Wife @katyverde If you liked this interview, check out episode 68 with Wes Shonk where we discuss whiskey, bartending, and how to drink well.