Rust Belt Startup

Sep 30 2024 49 ep. 47 mins 128

Rust Belt Startup Podcast artwork

Rust Belt Startup is a podcast full of long-form interviews with entrepreneurs, artists, educators travelers, and change-makers. They’re people who have built a business, a movement or a life outside of a major city and the confines of a 9-5.

We’ll reconstruct what paths they chose (or how the paths chose them), the stories behind their success, and pick apart the tools and tactics that you can use improve your life.

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Innovating Civic Health: CivicLex’s Guide for Small Cities with Richard Young

Sep 30 2024 59 mins

In this episode of I sit down with Richard Young, founder of CivicLex, an innovative organization based in Lexington, Kentucky, focused on improving civic engagement and strengthening local government responsiveness. CivicLex bridges the gap between citizens and local government, offering workshops, newsletters, and tools that make local governance more accessible and transparent.

Growing Hope: Gardens, Prisons, Non-Profits and Life Abroad with Casey Massimino

Aug 18 2024 59 mins

Today I’m talking with Casey Massimino, the founder and executive director of Green Arrow CoLab, a non-profit that integrates mindfulness and gardening to assist individuals affected by the justice system. Broadcasting from Sicily, Italy, Casey shares her journey in digital media, building text-based shows on Facebook Watch, to ultimately establishing her organization, all while

Professionaling Is Hard – Let’s Make It (A Little) Easier | Kristin Fahy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ueg_I_pPjhM Today I’m sharing a conversation with Kristin Fahy, someone who is living an unconventional life in multiple locations. She’s the founder of Impetus Health, a strategy consultant for healthcare and life science firms, the author of “Profressionaling Is Hard - 22 Lessons to Help Make It (a little) Easier”, and the Profession

How to Build Leaders, Unleash Talent, and Change Culture with David Casullo

Today on the pod I'm speaking with Mr. David Casullo - He is the CEO and founder of Denali Partners - an executive leadership development agency, that works with companies, organizations and educational institutions to build leaders, and change culture. David is the author of the book "Leading the High Energy Culture: What the Best CEOs Do to Create an Atmosphere Where Employees Fl

Coffee, Councils & TikTok Civics with Katie Aiello

https://youtu.be/GWFRxwGx_Ec?si=GBDoKBkbPIey7cnh On this episode I sit down with Katie Aiello for a long overdue conversation about local government, civic engagement, and using data to empower citizens. Katie is the founder of Character Coffee in Utica, NY, and found her calling in public service when she decided to run for Common Council. Now she's using social media and open

Vision Pro Demo Impressions | Killer Apps and the AR/VR debate

I recently had the opportunity to take a 40 min demo of the Apple Vision Pro - while there are tons of tech reviews out there already about the specs, what it can and cannot do, I wanted to add my thoughts on what makes this device special, some of the most impressive experiences, the drawbacks I see - and weigh in on the AR/VR debate. Remember, I was a Google Glass user for about

The Business of Magic with Illusionist Leon Etienne

My guest today is Leon Etienne. He is a world renowned illusionist, and he's rolling through upstate New York, doing a show this Saturday at Stanley theatre. He's the creator of Magic Rocks, has been featured on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, America's Got Talent, Penn & Teller's Wizard Wars, and much more. We had a fantastic conversation about why we need a little bit more ma

From Beans to Brew – The Utica Coffee Roasting Story with Frank Elias

This is a special episode of Rust Belt Startup because it was taped in front of a live audience this past July at MVCC’s thINCubator. This event was a partnership with The Rising Tide Society of Utica and featured a fireside chat with the founder of Utica Coffee Roasting Company, Frank Elias. It’s a conversation that focuses on not only the origin story of the company, but how

Building Equitable Environments From Colleges to Companies to Courts with Hilda M. Jordan

Hilda M Jordan is the founder of HMJ Equity Consulting, an anti-racist social equity firm that helps organizations attract and retain more diverse talent by identifying systems that stand in the way of helping members of the team be successful. She is a graduate of Harvard University, and honestly one of the most inspiring your people I’ve every met. Our conversation today center

Finding Career Superpowers, Building Online Communities, and F-Words with Scott Grates

Mar 22 2023 58 mins

Rust Belt Startup · Finding Career Superpowers, Building Online Communities, and F-Words with Scott Grates It’s great to be back and welcome Scott Grates to the podcast. Scott is first and foremost in the insurance business - but this isn’t a podcast about insurance. It's a conversation about how do you figure out how to reverse engineer a career that helps you liv