"How long can you go without help before you lose your mind?” - Diane Nathaniel, the founder and executive director of BeatStage3. In this episode, Marc and Cathey talk with Diane about how to improve healthcare by making it a truly collaborative experience beyond just the doctors, nurses, and patients. To build on the idea, they discuss looking at both sides of the research, playing rounds of “the opening line”, and completing the t-chart of logical and emotional appeals. By the end, you will l...
Dec 02, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 8
"By 2045, we will be the new majority. It’s going to be a huge change down the road. Is our next generation ready for that?” - Jaclyn Lee, a community auntie and advocate for Generation Z. In this episode, Marc and Cathey talk with Jaclyn about how becoming a community auntie or uncle can help future generations build a diverse, equitable, and inclusive allyship for all to embrace. They explore how to create a clear definition of what you want people to do with your idea. Learn more about Jaclyn...
Nov 18, 2021•59 min•Season 3Ep. 6
"We talk about giving people the benefit of the doubt, but sometimes we need to doubt the benefit."- Marcus Carter, a knowledge gatherer and warrior for liberation projects, who is dedicated to transforming culture . In this episode, Marc and Cathey talk with Marcus about how to challenge the way society is having conversations about racism, oppression, and liberation. They put aside the notion of delivering a talk to share a solution for sparking a dialogue around the diverse definitions of a p...
Nov 04, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 6
"You live in this body today. You’ll never know what body you’ll live in tomorrow." - Emily Purry , disability advocate, business owner, and non-profit founder of Rapid. In this episode, Marc and Cathey help Emily prepare for a TED Talk on the idea of getting people to understand disabilities from a positive lens. They put her through a one-sentence test, cypher through various analogies, and explore ways to engage an audience immediately to assess their experiences while raising their awareness...
Oct 21, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 5
"You don't have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you." - Kary Youman , mental health advocate. In this episode, Marc and Cathey help Kary build upon his TED Talk by formulating repeatable practices that could de-magnitize mental health setbacks. During the discussion, they explore how startling statistics, questioning, and analogies can reframe an idea while encouraging audiences to engage in courageous conversations.
Oct 07, 2021•1 hr 3 min
"Do we stop dancing because we age or do we age because we stop dancing?" - Dr. Bo Babenko , long-term health specialist. In this episode, Marc and Cathey help Dr. Bo sift through a "million" expert ideas related to redefining fitness to create a simplified and accessible message. They explore the formula of creating a hook, a system, and one tip to make your message memorable and influential. By the end, Dr. Bo challenges Cathey and Marc to a fitness test. Afterwards, you may ask yourself, “Wha...
Sep 23, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 3
"Find things in your stories you would never think of." - J.T . Compeau, speechwriter, content interpreter, and presentation consultant. In this episode, Marc and Cathey help J.T. transform his idea about embracing the stories that we don’t tell. They touch upon collaborations, questions, and embarrassing stories. This conversation introduces the concept that your idea becomes greater when your idea does not need you; when your audience can implement your idea in their lives even in your absence...
Sep 09, 2021•51 min•Season 3Ep. 2
"Positivity isn't always productive and negativity isn't always productive. Wisdom is knowing the difference." - Lauren Johnson, mental performance coach, speaker, and aspiring TED Talker . In this episode, Marc and Cathey help Lauren dig deeper into her idea about finding the good in the bad to uncover a uniq ue perspective about productivity being greater than positivity. This conversation shows how you can reframe an idea that is unique to you to make it sound different from the way others sp...
Aug 26, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 1
“What all of us are doing is about getting people back to home base, which is back to themselves.” - from Season 2 of It's About to Go Down. So what happens when a bunch of idea creators get together in the same zoom? In this "rap-up" episode, Marc and Cathey catch up with the members of the Season #2 community: Victoria Grinman, Crystal Bonds, Naftali Tessler, Amelia Marican, Beach Pace, and John Waller. Ideas are exchanged, deep connections are made, and they let us know what has transpired wi...
Aug 12, 2021•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 11
"I was letting people drive my relationships; letting them tell me what I needed to be successful." - Cinthia Manuel, first-generation Latina, TEDx Talker, and Latina-preneur. In this episode, Marc and Cathey help Cinthia rebrand the idea she shared in her TED Talk where she challenged the way people think about the mentor/mentee relationship. They explore the other side of the perspective to help mentors understand how they too can benefit from the “exchange”. This conversation shows how you ca...
Jul 15, 2021•56 min•Season 2Ep. 9
"Can you imagine being on a planet where everyone is cared for, in a basic sense. The thought makes me emotional. And I believe that is possible." - Beach Pace, CEO of the Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliate in Portland, Oregon. In this episode, Marc and Cathey help Beach turn an idealistic thought of creating a public service academy into a tangible idea about making service the center of a paradigm shift towards global achievement. They explore the psychology behind getting people to care and t...
Jul 01, 2021•55 min•Season 2Ep. 8
"If they are not standing up for that, then it would probably be more of a cost than the cost of a sidewalk." - Paisley Elliot, 8 year old social activist and nominee for the International Children's Peace Prize. In this episode, Marc and Cathey help Paisley explore how to prepare for counterarguments to her idea and how to convince her audience to take action. She shares a thought about how children and adults can become change makers. After this discussion, you’ll be inspired to think about wh...
Jun 17, 2021•36 min•Season 2Ep. 7
"Knowing something is not good enough. Find the opportunities among the chaos. " - Amelia Marican, the 7-Figure Branding Coach. In this episode, Marc and Cathey help Amelia explore how to boil down a big picture idea. She drops a thought about developing your “superpower” skill. After this discussion, you’ll understand how exploring all the directions of your idea and “replacing” one word with another can give your concept specificity, clarity, and brevity....
Jun 03, 2021•53 min•Season 2Ep. 6
"It’s not how many, nor how much, but how deeply you connect. " - Naftali Tessler, Chief of Staff at Hamaspik and business/personal development coach. In this episode, Naftali wants to create a “movement” to help you deepen your connections. Marc and Cathey challenge him to explore how to first help people realize that they need to act on an idea and then how to give your audience the space to receive your concept. After this discussion, you’ll know how to deepen your connections one conversatio...
May 20, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 5
"There's so much that we all have to do more of. How can you be at peace? " - Crystal Bonds, school principal, thought leader, and the founder of Changing Norms. An idea gets dropped about how to solve a problem that has plagued disadvantaged schools and neighborhoods for decades. In this coaching session, Marc and Cathey stopped writing notes and started drawing images so they can help Crystal simplify a big picture idea to get more people involved in her solution. Then they landed on the conce...
May 06, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 4
" Those who become great are the ones who know how to take the energy from their supervillain side and turn it into an heroic attribute. " - Tristan Harvin, brand marketer, ideator, conduit of community, and a pizza-lovin', people-huggin Yankees fan. A discussion about self exploration led us to ask: How do you reverse engineer your thoughts to get an audience all in on your idea? In this coaching session with Tristan Harvin, Marc and Cathey ask him loads of questions that lead him to the one es...
Apr 22, 2021•54 min•Season 2Ep. 3
"There's a huge distinction between struggling and suffering. We all suffer, but to struggle is an artform." - Victoria Grinman, integrated therapist, speaker, & transformation agent. Sometimes the experts need to be challenged. How do you redefine what industry insiders are saying and create a new way of thinking? In this coaching session with Victoria Grinman, Marc and Cathey help her break new ground with an idea that she says might make her colleagues mad. This discussion explores the ap...
Apr 08, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 2
“I forgive him whether he is sorry or not.” - Rob Paylor, D1 Rugby player, inspirational storyteller, & national champion who was told he would never walk again. How do you add more power to an already powerful idea? How do you get your audience into the mental space of accepting your personal story as their own universal truth? In this coaching session with Rob Paylor, Marc and Cathey help him “pop out of his personal story” to engage audiences through a deeper level of metacognition. This ...
Mar 26, 2021•45 min•Season 2Ep. 1
"Discover your purpose. Dance with your duality. Telling stories is easier than speaking English." - quotes from Season 1 guests of It's About to Go Down. So what happens when a bunch of idea creators get together in the same zoom? In this "rap-up" episode, Marc and Cathey catch up with the members of the Season #1 community: Mark Brown, Lou Radja, Jessi Duley, Carol Barah, Jackie Cummings-Koski, Mira Kaddoura, Jennifer Gu, and Shenetta Malkia. Ideas are exchanged, new connections are made, and ...
Mar 11, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 11
“Underneath is a gem and a jewel, and it is you.” - Shenetta Malkia, Bully Buster, President of Empowerment Essence, & CEO of The PMs of the City . How do you cut away from the complexity of an idea to create a concise, signature concept? In this coaching session with Shenetta Malkia, Marc and Cathey help her remodel her elaborate idea around empowering people to live a healthy and balanced life while building a life not imagined. This discussion reveals the strategy of pinpointing the essen...
Feb 25, 2021•46 min•Season 1Ep. 10
“You don’t need to strive for perfection because you are always going to be improving.” - Jennifer Gu, 15 year-old speaker & emerging speaker coach . How do you shift the purpose of your idea to reach a wider audience? In this coaching session with Jennifer Gu, Marc and Cathey help her rethink the purpose of spreading a message about why society needs to get kids involved in public speaking at a much younger age. This discussion reveals the strategy of refocusing on the benefits of a message...
Feb 11, 2021•51 min•Season 1Ep. 9
“It’s okay for you to be focused on you being fulfilled first.” - Myron McFee Tucker, change agent & founder of Speak to Be Heard . How do you take an idea that works for you and create a concept/path that can be helpful to others? In this second coaching session with Myron McFee Tucker, Marc and Cathey help him build on an idea about discovering your worthiness and how you allow yourself to show up in the world. The second round of this discussion uncovers the strategy of identifying multip...
Jan 28, 2021•45 min•Season 1Ep. 8
“[You have] found a non-evasive method that could save the lives of millions of people in the world.” - Sophie Reverdi, founder of Smart & Light . How can you take all of the knowledge you have gathered in your life and put it into one impactful message? In this coaching session with Sophie Reverdi, Marc and Cathey help her navigate through a wealth of beautiful ideas about how to change the way we diet and how to change the diet industry from the inside out. Some of the keys to delivering a...
Jan 07, 2021•55 min•Season 1Ep. 7
“If we do not define our rules, we are destined to break them.” - Justin Riordin, founder of Spade & Archer . How can you turn an unconventional idea into a digestible message? In this coaching session with Justin Riordin, Marc and Cathey help him expand the reach of his idea about having open relationships. The trick is finding keywords that trigger universal themes, thus turning an idea that challenges conventional thinking into a concept that addresses a common issue. This conversation ma...
Dec 31, 2020•46 min•Season 1Ep. 6
"When a single moment feels like it could be insignificant..." - John Waller (founder, owner, and producer of Uncage the Soul Productions) How do you turn a common idea into an uncommon concept? In this coaching conversation with John Waller, Marc & Cathey help him explore how to recraft a cliché thought into a new and meaningful idea. It comes down to figuring out how to ask new questions, how to incorporate reoccurring phrases, and how to spark new conversations. After this, you may change...
Dec 24, 2020•53 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Marc and Cathey collaborate with Mira Kaddoura, a conceptual artist and founder of creative ad agency Red & Co. about her idea of what nature can teach us and how it can help us remember what we need to re-member.
Dec 17, 2020•47 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Marc and Cathey have a heart-to-heart conversation with Jackie Cummings-Koski, who is a personal finance advisor, FIRE community member, and single mom. They talk about the concept of why every person should be more like a single mom, explore how to turn an idea into a viral challenge, and discuss how the single mom mindset can single-handedly change your world.
Dec 03, 2020•50 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Marc and Cathey open the box with Carol Barash, who is the CEO of Story2. They talk about the concept of repairing humanity through storytelling, explore how to make an idea Ted Talk ready, and discuss why suspending our interpretation of the stories we share can bring people closer together.
Nov 19, 2020•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 3
Marc and Cathey jump into the fire with Jessi Duley, who is the CEO of Burn Cycle and a badass from a family of entrepreneurs. They talk about the concept of reckless optimism and explore how to transform an idea into a program while finding opportunities in harsh realities and taking actions that will impact the world.
Nov 05, 2020•55 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Marc and Cathey get super deep with Lou Radja, who is an international speaker, Executive Director of EduCongo, and the founder of Be More, Give More. They talk about the concept of Ubuntuu, explore how to scale an idea, and talk about having the most meaningful conversations in the most unexpected way possible.
Oct 22, 2020•53 min•Season 1Ep. 1
