118: Always Love and Set The World On Fire With It with Jon Gunzel

In this second week of conversation, Ryan Gray welcomes back Jonathan “Jon” Gunzel from John A. Logan College for another lively and candid chat. They dive into Jon’s biggest fear—spiders—and the surprising fact that he’s been bitten four times by brown recluses. Despite his arachnophobia, Jon shares that owning a pet spider would symbolize conquering his fears. The discussion winds through topics from cage diving with great white sharks, to customer service lessons learned as a bartender and liquor store employee, to the elusive secret behind why restaurant ranch dressing tastes so much better than bottled.Jon opens up about balancing introversion and extroversion, why he thinks people are inherently good, and where he’d place himself on the Dungeons & Dragons alignment chart. The episode also covers his past life as a vocalist in a metal band, including the creative process behind writing lyrics, the sounds that shaped his music, and where some of his early work still lives online. Along the way, Ryan and Jon have plenty of laughs—whether plotting a “ranch heist,” casting the movie of Jon’s life (must-have beard included), or reflecting on how a simple “how are you?” can change an interaction.Topics Discussed:Conquering fears and why Jon would keep a pet spiderFour brown recluse bites and no Spider-Man powersWhy great white sharks are fascinating, not just frighteningFinding balance between introversion and extroversion in tech rolesCustomer service lessons from bartending and liquor salesThe secret to restaurant-quality ranch dressingCasting bearded actors to play Jon in the movie of his lifeHis years as a vocalist in a metal band and the collaborative songwriting processPerspectives on human nature and the D&D alignment chartThe importance of genuinely asking “how are you?” before diving into requestsConnect with JonEmail – [email protected] – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jgunzel89/Connect with RyanTwitter (X) – https://twitter.com/Ryan_A_GrayLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanagrayEmail – [email protected] Credit: Chris DechterHave thoughts or feedback? Reach out to Ryan on social or email, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a Wednesday drop.The AV/IT Amplifier Podcast is a production of Higher Ed AV Media.  Learn more about this show and a host of other awesome content at www.higheredav.com