I welcome Stephen "Shanghai Six" Machuga, founder of Operation Supply Drop to the podcast this week. We discuss Stephen's initial motivations for joining the Army and he shares some of his experiences as an Airborne Ranger. We also cover his time as Editor in Chief at Sarcastic Gamer and the events that led to the forming of Front Towards Gamer. And, most importantly, we talk about the origins of Operation Supply Drop, its future, and the notion that video games can be a force for good. Enjoy. Y...
Dec 11, 2013•1 hr 1 min
C joins me this week to talk about her life as a Certified Diabetes Educator and Registered Dietitian, how career has impacted her life with diabetes, and just as importantly how her career has not impacted her life with diabetes. We also talk about her dog's Facebook profile and why Des Moines is more than a fly-over city. Enjoy. Run Time - 38:43 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com .
Dec 04, 2013•39 min
Diabetes blogger extraordinaire, Scott K. Johnson is back on the podcast this week. After spending some time catching up since his first podcast appearance over three years ago, we talk about his recent recognition and awards: the Friends for Life Award from Children With Diabetes, and the Athletic Achievement Award from Insulindepence. Scott shares the journeys that lead to each of those respective awards, life as a full-time blogger, and the excitement he gets out of working for MySugr. Enjoy....
Nov 27, 2013•54 min
Dr. Ann Becker-Schutte is on the podcast this week to discuss her career as a Counseling Psychologist. We cover her education and volunteering experiences that helped guider her career path as well as early lessons learned from the early years of her private practice. We also discuss Medicine X and the importance of mental health with respect to patient advocacy. Enjoy. You can follow Ann on Twitter at @drbeckerschutte and drannbeckerschutte.com . Run Time - 1:00:10 Send your feedback to feedbac...
Nov 20, 2013•1 hr
This week I'm joined by the other half of UltraChenTV, David Graham. Naturally we talk about David's entry into the fighting game community, how he started commentating, and what goes in to preparing content for each episode of UltraChenTV. We also cover David's day job as an attorney at DGP Law, why he went to law school, and how his work as an attorney complements his work as a commentator. David also shares some predictions for the fighting game community as the video game industry prepares f...
Nov 13, 2013•44 min
This week I'm joined by Thomas Lee, Managing Partner at The Fox Group and Partner at Symplur. We spend the hour discussing his decades of experience working in the health care industry, and what initially drew him to the work he's been doing for for past 22 years. We also discuss the origins of Symplur, and the growing health care conversations on social media. Finally we cover Medicine X, how Tom first heard about the conference, and the excitement that comes with monitoring the conversation in...
Nov 06, 2013•55 min
Mark Dunham and Andy Kutruff, co-founders of Reentry Games and developer of Little Legends are my guests this week. Andy and Mark have taken unique paths to game development. We discuss Mark's prior work on Wall Street and Andy's years at Microsoft before they decided to form an independent game studio. Andy elaborates on the underlying complexities of their game Little Legends. And I try to get Mark to commit to a release date on iOS and Android. Enjoy. For more information on Little Legends, g...
Oct 30, 2013•36 min
Terri Wingham, Founder and Executive Director of the Fresh Chapter Alliance Foundation is my guest this week. We discuss Terri's battle with breast cancer and her journey to understanding what it means to be a survivor. We also discuss Medicine X, why she applied to be a presenter, and she shares a memorable encounter from the conference. Most importantly, we discuss A Fresh Chapter, why Oprah unknowingly gets an assist for its origins, and what Terri has planned for the coming months. Enjoy. Fo...
Oct 22, 2013•1 hr
This week I'm joined by Drew Scanlon, Giant Bomb's Senior Video Producer. Drew shares stories from his time as a video game tester for Electronic Arts and some of the projects he contributed to at Backbone Entertainment. I try to wrap my head around the fact that Drew's career with Whiskey Media started with a Craigslist post. Drew describes the magic of a Giant Bomb live show. And I learn about the origins of Giant Bomb's Flight Club. Enjoy. Follow Drew on Twitter at @DrewScanlon and various Fl...
Oct 16, 2013•1 hr 7 min
Recapping our time at Stanford for Medicine X, I'm joined by fellow diabetes advocate Sara Nicastro. We discuss Sara's expectations going into the conference and how they compare to my own having participated last year. Sara lists her some of her top panels and speakers from the weekend. I share the many contributing factors to my high stress level prior to moderating my panel. And we break down some of the controversial statements made by Sonny Vu and explain why a conference like Medicine X is...
Oct 09, 2013•1 hr
Jessica Mills is many things: actor, writer, producer, geek, and also hilarious. Most recently she launched a Kickstarter called Mission G.E.E.K. Jessica joins me on the podcast this week to talk about the origins of Awkward Embraces and why she needed two different Indie GoGo campaigns to complete the second season. I learn about the nuances of comedy writing. Finally, we cover everything you need to know about her latest project, Mission G.E.E.K. , which you should strongly consider supporting...
Oct 02, 2013•34 min
In making final preparations for this year's Medicine X Conference at Stanford, I'm joined by Erin Moore. Erin is the mother of four children, one of whom lives with cystic fibrosis. We discuss her son's diagnosis story, why she started blogging, and the diversity of her patient advocacy efforts. Later on in the podcast I learn about Collaborative Chronic Care Networks (C3N), Erin's involvement in building a C3N for cystic fibrosis, and why Cincinnati is the best place for her family to live. En...
Sep 25, 2013•54 min
James Portnow, CEO of Rainmaker Games and writer for Extra Credits, is my guest this week. While our conversation largely focuses on the importance of design in video games, we spend some time covering James' education path, his work at Activision, and at Next-Gen Magazine. James explains why he can't talk much about the work he did at Divide by Zero Games or currently does at Rainmaker Games, and the significance of white-listing his clients when being approached with possible work. Finally we ...
Sep 18, 2013•1 hr 4 min
Previewing one of the many ePatient perspectives that will be shared at the upcoming Medicine X Conference in Stanford this Fall, Emily Bradley is my guest this week. We discuss her journey with chronic illness and chronic pain including, but not limited to, Still's Disease, acute idiopathic scoliosis, endometriosis, secondary fibromyalgia, and Chushing's Disease. We also discuss the value of social media in sharing her experiences and connecting with others in the patient community. And Emily s...
Sep 11, 2013•57 min
Matthew Rorie comes on the podcast this week to talk about life at Virginia Tech during the peak of the Michael Vick era, proper puppy petting techniques, and his various writing jobs over the years. We also discuss the art of writing a video game guide, his work at Obsidian Entertainment, and the experience of building Screened.com from the ground up. Finally we discuss his role at Giant Bomb, and our expectations for PAX Prime (as this was recorded before we traveled to Seattle). Enjoy. You ca...
Sep 04, 2013•1 hr 1 min
Proving the Internet is awesome, the co-founders of A Sweet Life, Jessica Apple and Michael Aviad, join me from Tel Aviv, Israel. As both Jessica and Michael have type 1 diabetes, the opening of our conversation covers their individual diagnosis stories. We then move to 'A Sweet Life', it's inception, it's initial reception, and it's growth over the past few years. We also discuss the importance and impact of making science-heavy content accessible, and the value of the diabetes community when y...
Aug 27, 2013•42 min
Wendy Bryan, the brains behind 'I Heart Guts' is my guest this week. We discuss the origins of 'I Heart Guts' including Wendy's life before starting her own company. I learn about the wonderful world of child safety testing for stuffed toys. Wendy shares her perspective on the patient community and the reception she's received for her various products (or, organs). And I celebrate the fact that Wendy gets to have professional conversations using phrases like "I should have ordered more uteruses"...
Aug 20, 2013•56 min
I'm joined by Carly Medosch this week to talk about rabbits, again. We also discuss her Crohn's Disease diagnosis story and the value of social support both online and in person when living with a chronic condition. And while no two days with Crohn's are alike, Carly sheds some light on what living with this disease is like. We also cover Medicine X and what it means to be a patient advocate. Enjoy. You can follow Carly on Twitter at @CarlyRM and blog.chronicarly.com . Run Time - 1:07:16 Send yo...
Aug 13, 2013•1 hr 7 min
Rick Altinger, CEO of Glooko is on the podcast this week. Our conversation covers Rick's time at Stanford, the significance of working in Silicon Valley, and why some of his earlier jobs set the stage for his current role at Glooko. We also discuss the importance of data liberation, literacy, and analysis with respect to people living with diabetes. Finally, Rick explains why it's important someone in his position to listen to patients, and why he makes it a priority to take customer support cal...
Aug 06, 2013•1 hr 9 min
This week Harmonix Music Systems' Director of Communications and Brand Management, John Drake, is on the podcast. We cover John's collegiate experience at Harvard as well as his role as "fun czar". We also discuss his music background, including his record label, and why having your own record label is not fun around tax season. And we cover some highlights of working at Harmonix, from Rock Band, to Dance Central, and the upcoming Fantasia: Music Evolved. And I ask about the Super Drake Tracker ...
Jul 30, 2013•1 hr 17 min
Fresh out of Evolution 2013, the Fighting Game Community's largest tournament, Wynton "Prog" Smith is on the podcast this week to talk all about Super Smash Bros. Melee. This game, and the Smash Bros. community had a memorable journey on its way to this tournament, from public polls, to fundraisers for breast cancer research, from nearly having the game banned from streaming to the public, to one of the most memorable moments during the final day of the tournament, Wynton details his experience ...
Jul 23, 2013•46 min
I'm joined this week by Abbie Heppe, Community Manager for Respawn Entertainment. We discuss unusual ways to find job postings and receive job offers (in her case, in the gaming industry). I learn about the pressure of covering E3 from the media perspective as Abbie shares some of her experiences working at G4. I also learn about the pressure of revealing your previously unannounced game to a worldwide audience and what it's like building a community around a game isn't public knowledge. Enjoy. ...
Jul 16, 2013•1 hr
Nels Anderson, Lead Designer at Klei Entertainment is my guest this week. We cover life in Wyoming, life in Canada, and life before designing video games. More specifically, we discuss Nels' journey to video game development, why his career in the industry nearly ended before it truly began, at his work at Hothead Games on DeathSpank. Finally, Nels shares his feelings about all the positive reaction and recognition for Mark of the Ninja, and the upcoming release of the Special Edition of the gam...
Jul 10, 2013•1 hr 6 min
Adding some New England charm to the podcast, I'm joined this week by Jess Buchanan. We discuss the appeal of Vermont and the appropriate age to give a newborn a pair of hockey skates. Jess also shares the series of events that unfolded alongside her diabetes diagnosis as well as her journey to finding and eventually participating in the diabetes online community. And there's some conversation about stress-free wedding planning, triathlon training, and the notion that rabbits are trainable pets....
Jul 02, 2013•54 min
Prior to the beginning of the American Diabetes Association's 73rd Scientific Sessions hosted in Chicago, Illinois, I spoke with a few members of the diabetes community who would be walking the convention center floor and experiencing the madness for themselves. Scott Johnson was attending his first Scientific Sessions and we spoke about his expectations as a newcomer. Bennet Dunlap spoke about his most anticipated presentations and what he hopes to learn from his week in the Windy City. And Ker...
Jun 25, 2013•1 hr 2 min
This week I'm joined by GameFly's Director of Publishing and host of Weekend Confirmed , Garnett Lee. Garnett shares his impressions fresh out of E3 2013, and discusses why devoting just one podcast episode to the Expo was not a popular decision among his listeners. We also cover his entry into games media and his podcasting origins while working at Ziff Davis. I learn about the potential influences covering the games industry can have on Garnett's role as publisher. And we briefly discuss the u...
Jun 18, 2013•1 hr 5 min
Coinciding with my marathoning through Scrubs on Netflix, Ashley Rose joins me this week. We discuss her journey to becoming a Registered Nurse, the compressed education track she took to get this far, the complexity of working within the current healthcare system, and the reality of working with patients that can find you on Facebook. We also discuss her diabetes diagnosis and we judge the accuracy of various medical shows past and present. Enjoy. You can find Ashley on Twitter at @dream4muse a...
Jun 11, 2013•1 hr 2 min
This week I join Hugo Campos on the quest for his own data. Hugo explains how a simple tweet turned into a speaking opportunity at Medicine X in 2012. I learn the troubling truth about data generated by his own heart. And we collectively predict the possibilities of Medicine X in 2013. Enjoy. You can keep up with Hugo on Twitter at @HugoOC and facebook.com/icdug . Run Time - 38:33 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com ....
Jun 05, 2013•39 min
Dr. Mike Sevilla is my guest this week. We spend the next hour discussing his motivations to pursuing a medical degree, his journey to family medicine, and he shares experiences, within reason, as a doctor within his community. We also discuss the role of social media within his own practice, the potential for social media among all medical professionals, and the pressure faced when presenting the concept of social media to his peers. Enjoy. You can keep up with Dr. Sevilla on Twitter at @DrMike...
May 28, 2013•57 min
James Chen, co-host of UltraChenTV is my guest this week. THe majority of our conversation revolves around the Fighting Game Community. From his early years playing Street Fighter 2 to playing in, and doing quite well in tournaments, James has seen it all. We discuss the art of commentary including James' initial motivations for getting behind the microphone. We also cover the challenges, potential, and opportunities in growing the Fighting Game Community. Finally James gives a small preview for...
May 21, 2013•1 hr 23 min
