In this podcast episode, Jordan Criss returns to discuss life and fulfillment. We cover topics such as imposter syndrome, healthy habits, procrastination, and focusing on what matters most to you, regardless of the outcome. Life is about playing a long game. What are your thoughts or experiences related to these ideas?

In this episode, my friends Joe Jackowski and Jordan Criss join me to discuss creativity. I haven't posted anything on the podcast for almost a month due to my lack of motivation and preparation. However, if you care about something, you will make the time and effort to do it. I understand that creativity ebbs and flows, but I wanted to chat with my friends who share my creative inclinations.

Today, my guest on the podcast is returning friend Jordan Criss. As always, Jordan jumps on the podcast and is off to the races. This episode was recorded on new year's Eve, a couple of hours before 2021. We took this time to reflect on the year. This year was a whole bunch of changes for all of us personally outside of the podcast. We dove around the different things we learned about ourselves and what changed in 2020.

Today, my guest on the podcast is returning guest and longtime friend Jordan Criss. In this episode, we do this one remotely for the first time. All other conversations I've had with Jordan on the podcast have all been in person, but now I have adjusted to living in LA, just over three weeks at the time of this recording. We spend much of this time discussing what we do in our lives and how they've changed.

Today on the podcast. I am joined by two of my returning guests and closest friends. Jordan Criss and Alex Ivy. And the reason I have them on the podcast today was pretty special to me. Jordan and Alex, at the time of this recording, are now living in LA. And this conversation took place roughly three weeks ago. As they were packing up to leave, we covered that. But the whole point was that I'm assuming many of you just had a wait. What, why would you leave right now? And that's the entire point. Because in the pandemic, the idea of moving sounds insane. But. The idea of moving at any point in your life, making a big drastic change. Be it a job. Be it a relationship or moving to a new place. Why now? That is always the question.

And the answer to that should be, why not?

In this episode, I am joined by two of my closest friends Jordan Criss and Joe Jackowski. With both of them here, we dive into making sense of the events over the last few weeks.

Some topics we cover:

Jordan's experience at the Chicago Protest

Learning from the Surgeon Code of Ethics and Normative Errors

Daryl Davis as an example of breaking through racism

Dunbar's Number

Dave Chappelle and much more!

In this conversation, we get pretty granular and talk about how he looks at his writing process, and why he is choosing to do screenwriting, As such a niche field, screenwriting can feel like a lost cause or something that is a pipe dream, for lack of a better term. And I even asked him what he would say to someone who says, why are you doing this? Screenwriting seems like a waste of time.

And beyond that, we have a great discussion around the film as an industry and loving critiques of it. What shows are good or great? What makes compelling stories?

We get into what is a fulfilling life, like what drives someone to do something and fully immerse yourself in it. For Jordan, it's not leaving anything on the table.

Today's episode is a special one that I've been honestly planning for quite some time. We've now reached, well, frankly, over a hundred episodes of Feeding Curiosity instead of doing the typical interviewing Q&A. That didn't feel like it captured the spirit of what Feeding Curiosity has been for me and what it has evolved into over the last two years.

In this episode, we are joined by many returning guests, including Joe Jackowski, Nick Buegel, and Jordan Criss. As this is a Friendsgiving episode, we recorded it before we had our yearly get together. We cover a wide area of topics and try to get an update on what everyone has been working on, but we quickly dive into deeper waters. We start our conversation with Jordan's recent exploration into Aaron Sorkin. From there, we have a broader dialogue on how fame and power affect people. We then ask what art is - using Kanye West as an example. The discussion on Art then turns toward a discussion on self-expression and vulnerability. One of the last topics we talk about is the philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre. Then we finally close with what Nick and Joe have currently working on.

Jordan Criss joins us for this conversation, which started with a discussion around The JOKER starring Joaquin Phoenix. We concluded the film is much more of a social commentary than only for entertainment purposes. Jordan gives clear analogies of what he believes the film was trying to accomplish, and for him, it was an unsettling film because of how real it felt. From there, the conversation expanded into questions about our modern world with subjects of friendship, connection, communication, and mental health. Finally, we wrap up with a discussion on what we are working on personally. Jordan's latest goal is to be more positive, facilitated by being as present as possible.

This conversation starts with a discussion opening of American football season.  From sports, we enter into a conversation around music, touching on the artists we enjoy or who have impacted us.

We close with a discussion about storytelling. We mostly centered around impactful films like The Matrix, Harry Potter, and Star Wars. We talk about what makes characters compelling. Why do we enjoy characters with nuance and flaws more than black and white? 

In this conversation, we are building on a small section Jordan had said during the podcast with Saint Ripley. The clip can be summed as creating with a purpose, or anything that can be consumed should make others think. We expand on this thought by giving examples of content in TV shows and movies that have been done right to capture our attention.

Saint Ripley, a Chicago hip-hop artist, shares much of what shaped his music on this episode of Feeding Curiosity. With deep roots in multiple genres, he opens up about attending punk shows as a teenager to his first exposure to hip-hop. On the rapper's first full-length album, Thoughts & Prayers, Saint Ripley shares emotions and stories that are a part of him and a conduit in being a force of change in the world.

What better way to celebrate American Independence than with a discussion about Freedom? Grab a six-pack and celebrate with us!

Jordan Criss returns to the show! In this episode, we try to understand where Jordan's creativity has come from. On the surface, he's a creative writer if you sum up all of his interests from music, screenwriting, and storytelling.

Jordan Criss returns to the show to talk about his recent trip to Minneapolis, Minnesota. The catalyst for the trip was to attend Soundset 2019, a purely Hip Hop music festival that has taken place on memorial day weekend since 2008. Outside of music, Jordan enlightens us on his other passions: Food and Craft Beer in Minneapolis. To name a few, we talk about Surly Brewing and Matt's Bar: Home of the "Jucy Lucy." Please enjoy this conversation.

Jordan and Erich discuss current music interests and nuance in performance. We meander into how music makes an impact and blending of genres. We end the discussion about taking in new information from books. We close with beer and food!

In this episode, Dante returns, giving us an update on what has happened since the last time he was on the show. Dante has started his first semester back in school and is pursuing a degree in radiology and an acting class. On the other side, Dante has been looking inwards and talking to a therapist. Dante shares his experiences with discrimination from both sides. Jordan also shares his thought on this challenging subject. They have had to be cultural chameleons able to morph into the representations of both the broader American culture and the African American cultural expectations.

In this episode, Nick Buegel returns to the podcast to explore Morality. In this discussion, we have regulars Jordan Criss and Joe Jackowski to talk to through Morality. We meander into ethics, autonomy, and how stress affects people. Finally, we close out the episode with a conversation Joe and Jordan wanted to have about the Liam Neeson controversy in person. This conversation leaves food for thought and other explorations for you to follow.

In this episode, our guest is Rachel Thomas. Rachel shares her story about a former boyfriend named Tyler who became a heroin addict in high school had a downward spiral into homelessness and prison. Rachel shares how the story has evolved and dealt with it over the last ten years. Tyler was found by Chicago based photojournalist Chuck Jines who captured some of Tyler's (who went by the street name Shaggy) experiences during homelessness that fills in the gaps from what Rachel share with us. I highly recommended you check them out, but viewer discretion is advised.