The Backpack Show

Going into year 3 of a global pandemic, who couldn't use a hug? At The Gentle Barn, you can hug cows, cuddle turkeys, and give pigs tummy rubs!Animal therapy can help with both physical and mental issues, reducing blood pressure and improving cardiovascular health. And the release of endorphins can help to alleviate pain, reduce stress and improve your psychological state.On this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone, we'll talk with Ellie Laks from The Gentle Barn, a national non-profit animal rescue and sanctuary that offers cow hugging therapy.We'll talk about why Ellie founded The Gentle Barn, and how they rescue animals and help people in a way that's very different than traditional therapy. https://www.gentlebarn.org/And we'll get into how, since its inception in 1999, The Gentle Barn has saved thousands of animals and helped more than 500,000 people.

We've all seen how people of color, women, the disabled, the LGBTQ+ community and people starting out over age 40 are underrepresented in the film industry. On this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone, we'll talk with Derrick Williams, Steve Deering, and Anna Levine about the Open Door Film Project. We'll talk about how the project is giving a “seat at the table” to 8 emerging directors from diverse backgrounds, producing 8 short films to create a feature film anthology. We can all learn a lot from the way this group is working with Hollywood power brokers and advocacy organizations throughout the film industry to bring about lasting change. https://www.opendoorfilmproject.com/

We're talking about SEO for content and AI for marketing On this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone! First we'll talk with Andy Crestodina, co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Orbit Media, an award-winning 38-person web design company in Chicago. Over the past 18 years, Andy has given digital marketing advice to 1000+ businesses. He speaks at big marketing conferences, writes for big marketing blogs and he hosts a little marketing podcast, "Content Matters." Andy's written hundreds of articles on content marketing, search engine optimization, social media and Analytics, and is the author of "Content Chemistry: The Illustrated Handbook for Content Marketing." https://www.orbitmedia.com/ We'll also talk with Raj Venkatesan, co-author of "The AI Marketing Canvas: A Five-Stage Road Map to Implementing Artificial Intelligence in Marketing." He's the Ronald Trzcinski Professor of Business Administration in the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia. We'll talk about the book, and the growth framework for business and marketing leaders to tap into the power of AI.

We're having Suzanna Crampton back because tech issues disrupted her first appearance! Suzanna is a blanket designing shepherd of Zwartbles, a regenerative farmer, author of "Bodacious the Shepherd Cat, and so much more! On this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone, we'll talk with Suzanna about her life farming a small acreage in Ireland, her thoughts on regenerative farming, her business selling 100% Irish wool yarn and blankets, and more. http://patreon.com/SuzannaCrampton

Award winning former radio host Jeff Brown of Read to Lead podcast joins this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone. Jeff's one of our favorite interviewers and hosts, and now he has a new book out: "Read to Lead: The Simple Habit That Expands Your Influence and Boosts Your Career." We'll talk about why you need to read like your career depends on it, how to absorb a book's lessons, how to read faster... All The Things! Listen, there's no one better at extracting smarts from other people than Jeff. We can all learn a lot from him! https://readtoleadpodcast.com/

Writer and self-described "British-Appalachian chimera" Leah Hampton joins The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone to talk about her book, "F*ckface and Other Storie." Leah writes about Appalachia, corpses, ecoanxiety, and smart women. https://leahkhampton.com Her debut collection, "F*ckface and Other Stories," was released by Henry Holt and was named one of the best books of 2020 by The Paris Review, the New York Public Library, Slate, and others. Leah's work explores rurality, heartbreak, honeybee collapse, and illicit sex in post-coal Appalachia. If THAT doesn't make for an interesting conversation, we don't know what will. Don't miss this one!

Amanda Holmes became CEO of Chet Holmes International at the age of 24. The singer/songwriter stepped in after the death of her father, Chet Holmes, author of "The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business With Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies." https://www.ultimatesalesmachine.com/ On this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone, we'll talk about how Amanda—by far the firm's youngest employee—increased conversions 1,100%, increased leads generated 1,176%, and doubled the company's coaching clients two years in a row. Amanda has actionable tips galore for growing your network and your business, so don't miss this conversation! We'll also talk about Amanda's passion project: http://openthelightwithin.org. And about going from singer/songwriter to CEO! OH, and her 16 years of competitive gymnastics... SO much to learn from Amanda.

Imagine you’re on "Dragon’s Den" (the U.K. version of "Shark Tank") and this is how you open. "Hi, Dragons. I want to start my pitch today by letting you know that I suffer from a mental illness. I suffer really badly with body dysmorphia. I tell you this because it’s the reason I founded my brand.” And with that statement, Danny Gray launched War Paint for Men to the world. http://warpaintformen.com That was three years ago. Today, War Paint for Men is a multi-million-dollar brand that’s based in the United Kingdom and available in 80 countries. On this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone, we'll talk with Danny about how War Paint for Men is as much about mental health as it is about cosmetics. We'll get into how he's opening the first brand-specific men's make up store in London, and how the store will serve as home base for an organization that helps raise awareness about mental illness. Join us!

People with disabilities often struggle to find work or don't know that there are work benefits available to them. That's why the nonprofit National Telecommuting Institute ("NTI") developed the NTI@Home work-from-home program. On this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone, we'll talk with Kate Brouse of NTI about the organization's training. We'll get into how they build partnerships in the public, private, and government sectors, so disabled Americans can find work. https://www.ntiathome.org/

Rob Barnett knows how YOU can get hired! On this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone, we'll talk with Rob about strategies for landing that dream job you want. Rob's a headhunter, management executive, podcaster, author, and entrepreneur. He founded Rob Barnett Media in 2018, an inclusive platform for thousands of job-seeking professionals and industry leaders placing the right people in the best jobs. We'll get into Rob's experience in senior management roles at MTV, VH1, and Audible/Amazon, and his own channel, aptly named "My Damn Channel." https://robbarnettmedia.com/book/

Chris Brogan is flying solo today on The Backpack Show! Join him to talk about the future of work. And bring your thoughts, questions and comments.

Diving headfirst into your dreams is the order of the day on this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone! Fashion entrepreneur and educator Leekie Tang is based in Paris, France. We'll talk with her about helping other entrepreneurs grow their business while contributing to the development of a more sustainable and inclusive society. This little 2 minute trailer will give you a glimpse of who she is and what she is about. https://mindful-business-founder.simplecast.com/ Melanie Curtis went from investment banking to professional skydiving to life coaching! We'll get the scoop from Melanie about her new book, "How to Fly: Life Lessons from a Professional Skydiver," and talk about making the leap from a traditional career (even when it's a bit scary). With more than 11,000 jumps and 25 years experience in the sport of skydiving, Melanie is the co-founder of Highlight Pro Skydiving Team and the Executive Director of the Women's Skydiving Network nonprofit. She co-creates the podcast, "Trust the Journey." http://melaniecurtis.com/

Since 2008, Mike Sorgatz has been profiling the work and biographies of Brooklyn's visual artists in his two blogs, Art in Brooklyn and Art in New York City. At the beginning of the pandemic, Mike started a weekly Zoom call for his artist buddies. Janice McDonell and Elizabeth Meggs helped make it happen. On this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone, we'll talk with Mike, Janice, and Elizabeth about creating a lifeline for artists during the pandemic, and how it grew well beyond a simple weekly call. They put together both a book, show, and artists' talk about their work. Join us as we take a deep dive into community-building amongst artists. https://artinbrooklyn.com/2021/06/twenty-twenty-twenty-one-a-group-show-of-artists-coming-together-during-covid/

Come learn about Habitat for Humanity on this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone! We'll talk with Director of Marketing & Media Dusty Parsons​ and Chief Development Officer Tina Burgoz about their work at Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona. https://habitatcaz.org/

Andrea Jones-Rooy, Ph.D. is "a social scientist specializing in complexity." She's written a book and several research papers on complex systems, and regularly contributes articles to media outlets on complexity, as well as data science, international relations, diversity, and uncertainty. She's also a standup comedian and circus performer! Come meet Andrea on this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone! http://www.jonesrooy.com/

Join Chris and Kerry in the studio for this episode of The Backpack Show. We'll catch up, have some fun, and maybe even play a game, so get camera ready and pop into the studio with us! cbrogan.me/joinus

Into VR and video games? Or ballet? Either way, come and meet VRTO 2021 communications director and co-producer Stephanie Greenall on this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone! We'll talk with Stephanie about running Canada's first (and largest) V/AR Stories Festival, as well as her former life as a ballerina and her current love of poutine! GTAconference.virtualreality.to

Kerry's been working on this one for a while! Westerlay Orchids is a third generation family business and taps Dutch roots to grow the finest flowers on the Pacific Coast. Director Jeff Karpman and e-commerce specialist Grace Hannah join us on The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone to share what it's like running Southern California’s largest commercial grower of Phalaenopsis and Cymbidium orchids. (The company distributes more than 3 million orchids a year!) We'll talk about the company's innovative environmental and sustainability practices, as well as how they support local schools, nonprofit organizations, and their community. http://westerlayorchids.com/

Kevin Cummings has committed two decades of his career to improving the lives of New York City residents through roles in the nonprofit and municipal government sectors. Now Executive Director of The Institute for Nonprofit Practice, Kevin joins us on The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone to talk about his work supporting nonprofits in organizational strategy and leadership development. Kevin is also an Oliver Program alumnus! https://www.nonprofitpractice.org/about/team/?bio=kevin-cummings We'll also talk with Hannah Perry, a certified childhood education and development professional, Female Entrepreneur of the Year (Stevie Award) and founder of The Giggling Pig, an art studio for children aged 4 to 16. We'll talk with Hannah about teen entrepreneurship, as well as the importance of art for kids and teens (including those with special needs). https://www.thegigglingpig.com/

As the world opens back up, lots of us are having a hard time opening ourselves back up after a year (and then some) of social distancing. On this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone, we'll talk with the professors behind Stanford’s most popular course (“Interpersonal Dynamics"): David Bradford, PhD, and Carole Robin, PhD. We'll chat about David and Carole's new book, "CONNECT: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends, and Colleagues." Come learn how to break through superficial interactions, "get real," and create meaningful connections with people in every aspect of life. https://connectandrelate.com/

Kevin Ervin has always challenged the odds. Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, where he was rarely allowed outside in his dangerous neighborhood, Kevin has dedicated his life to leveling the playing field for those in under-resourced, under-served communities. https://changeforkids.org/ On this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone, we'll talk with Kevin about his career in youth development and leadership. We'll dive deep into his latest role as Executive Director of Change for Kids, and his plans to expand the organization’s program to many more elementary schools in NYC and ensure every student at every CFK school gets the quality education they deserve. We'll also meet Bhavneet Chahal, co-founder of https://www.goskills.com, a New Zealand based online education company that provides courses to help people learn practical business skills to get a new job, upskill for their current jobs or to stay relevant in their industry. Bhav also supports aspiring woman entrepreneurs; she supports two USD $2,000 scholarships each year: "the Scholarship for Women Who Want to be the Boss." Come get inspired!

Janice Gassam Asare, PhD, is the author of "THE PINK ELEPHANT: A Practical Guide to Creating an Anti-Racist Organization" and "Dirty Diversity: A Practical Guide to Foster an Equitable and Inclusive Workplace for All." She's principal consultant and podcast host at drjanicegassam.com and bwgbusinesssolutions.com. On this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone, we'll talk with Dr. Gassam Asare about how companies can foster environments that are diverse, equitable, anti-racist, and inclusive. Join us!

Erin King is a 3X entrepreneur, bestselling author of "Digital Persuasion," and a global keynote speaker. Erin joins us on this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone to talk about her new book, "You’re Kind of a Big Deal: Level Up by Unlocking Your Audacity." Come meet Erin and hear all about how she experienced some epic business failures before ultimately succeeding in a big way, working with clients including The Oscars, The U.S. Navy, VISA and ABC/Disney to elevate digital communication styles to attract attention, increase influence, and sell smarter. https://erinking.com/