After the isolation and loneliness of the pandemic, we are rediscovering the positive benefits of social connections again and no one understands this better than our guest this week, Dr Jonathan Leary, who has taken holistic wellbeing to a whole new level. Dr Leary created Remedy Place, the world's first social wellness club, which is founded on alternative and natural health principles, providing a space for connecting without toxicity and optimizing the body’s own methods for healing itself. ...
May 14, 2022•51 min•Ep. 53
As we enter the recovery phase of the pandemic and at a time of great alienation and dislocation from society, how do we find a sense of belonging and strength in others and the wider community? To answer this, Tom and Drea reflect on the conversation with frontline optimist Tony Kim who, like many children of immigrants, grew up straddling two cultures and learned to navigate and embrace the superpowers of his third culture. Tony’s unique perspective of being both an outsider and insider demons...
Apr 30, 2022•25 min•Ep. 52
This week on OIP, we talk to Naomi Hallum, the CEO of Million Dollar Vegan, about taking on the enormous mission of educating and empowering people to adopt a plant-based lifestyle. While the environmental, ethical, personal, and public health benefits of a vegan lifestyle are overwhelmingly compelling, the world’s resistance to giving up animal products makes this global endeavor a particularly challenging one, she tells Tom and Drea. Nevertheless her commitment is unwavering - after all, if yo...
Apr 16, 2022•43 min•Ep. 51
Almost two decades Tom Kay quit his corporate job in London and moved to a small Cornish village to build a company that inspired a love of - and connection to - the sea, in order to better protect our oceans for future generations. Finisterre, makes functional, sustainable clothing for cold water surfers clothing and is one of the pioneering, future-facing brands putting people and planet ahead of profit. Founder Tom Kay talks to Drea and Tom about his maturing relationship with the sea, the in...
Apr 01, 2022•33 min•Ep. 50
Tony Kim is the founder of Hero Within, a lifestyle fashion brand for fanboys and fangirls of pop culture and the cosplay community. A child of Korean immigrants, he talks to Tom and Drea about the struggles of growing up in the “inbetween” space between two cultures and eventually discovering the superpower of his “third culture”. With the help of his own non-traditional family, his passion for all things nerdy and the San Diego Comic-Con inspired a unique calling that was reaching the peak of ...
Mar 19, 2022•56 min•Ep. 49
Jon Alexander is co-founder of New Citizen Project, and for the past decade he has looked deeply at the impact that the dominant narrative in which we all live - the consumer story - has shaped our lives, our institutions and most troublingly, our self perception. In his new book, Citizens: Why the key to fixing everything is all of us, he hopes to show us how to reclaim the word "citizen" in its truest sense - together, people - and empower us to work towards a more community-centric future. Bu...
Mar 05, 2022•41 min•Ep. 48
Groundbreaking cannabis activist and consultant Andrew DeAngelo has been a key actor in the legalization of this industry. This week on OIP he talks to Tom and Drea about his personal connection with cannabis on both sides of the law and his commitment to redressing past and continuing injustices through The Last Prisoner Project, a non-profit organization he co-founded with his brother. They also discuss the use of the arts and culture to remove the stigma that still looms large over marijuana ...
Feb 19, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 47
The beginning of a new year can often bring on pressure to make significant changes in our lives. But how often do we really pay attention to the thing right in front of us, to the task at hand? This week, we revisit an episode of Optimist in Progress, in which Dr Drea Letamendi shares her insights on how to create moments of mindfulness as we fold laundry, chop carrots or do the dishes. By tuning in to those repetitive tasks, and connecting to the sensations of everyday activities, she explains...
Feb 05, 2022•20 min•Ep. 46
It’s easy to feel the heaviness of the setbacks of the past year, and let’s be honest, 2022 has already served up some doozies. Nonetheless, as we move through the year ahead, Tom and Drea discuss how to pause the everyday demands and make plans that spark joy; the importance of saying yes to new things and how we can reframe some of the disappointments of the pandemic. Taking these small steps can help us as we build the practice of optimism and look forward to a more content and intentional fu...
Jan 22, 2022•16 min•Ep. 45
Tom and Drea talk to future-shaper Tara Roth about what's ahead for social innovation in Los Angeles, the convergence of business and philanthropy, and the conviction and tenacity needed to really create, drive and support meaningful and lasting social change in the city and beyond. As president of the Goldhirsh Foundation, Tara has spearheaded some remarkable and diverse initiatives from My LA2050 - a grassroots and crowd-sourced campaign that backs proposals for improving Los Angeles - to supp...
Jan 08, 2022•42 min•Ep. 44
After OIP’s inspiring conversation with Citizen Cope - a musical artist who has successfully tuned into his intuitively-creative process throughout his career - Tom and Drea reflect on the concept of “flow” - a mental state that is also referred to as “being in the zone”. This transformative feeling of energized focus and absorption is related to our sense of happiness and fulfillment, but how do we find it? Is there a formula for this special attunement of mind and body? And most importantly, c...
Dec 25, 2021•16 min•Ep. 43
This week on OIP, the phenomenally-talented recording artist and producer, Clarence Greenwood, AKA Citizen Cope, talks to Tom and Drea about his musical journey from learning the trumpet at school to signing with multiple major labels and working with renowned artists such as Carlos Santana and Sheryl Crow. He discusses his uniquely intuitive and poetic creativity and the challenges he faced along the way - from debilitating stage fright to the pressures of producing music for his label while to...
Dec 18, 2021•45 min•Ep. 42
As the year draws to a close, it is oftentimes a period of reflection - and not always in a good way. Many of us sway towards focusing on the things we haven’t accomplished, our personal shortcomings and what goals we plan to set ourselves in the future. This week, Tom and Drea are energized by the inspiring optimism of Apryl Electra Storms and talk about strategies for banishing those end-of-year, self-loathing blues. At a time when life can get hectic and overwhelming before the holidays, a li...
Dec 11, 2021•15 min•Ep. 41
It’s difficult not to be captivated by Apryl Electra Storms’ infectious optimism. In this episode the entrepreneur and co-founder of Minus Moonshine talks to Drea and Tom about their journey from chef to musician to owner of a ground-breaking alcohol-free drinks store in Brooklyn. Apryl has disrupted and defied expectations their whole life, living intuitively and constantly encouraging a reframing of scenarios to help themselves. Apryl talks candidly about identifying non-binary, the challenges...
Dec 04, 2021•43 min•Ep. 40
What keeps us going after a devastating loss, crisis or tragedy? How do we recover and even flourish after a traumatic event? This week on OIP, Tom and Drea discuss the remarkable resilience and positivity of bartender and chef Matthew Biancaniello. His restaurant, Mon-Li, was burned in the Woolsey fire, but ultimately he expressed feeling liberated by this event, and freed up to pursue his creative endeavors. They discuss whether our fundamental need for survival is instinctive or whether it ca...
Nov 27, 2021•22 min•Ep. 39
Meet an indomitable creative force on OIP this week, and perhaps the best embodiment of the proverb “fall down seven times, stand up eight”. Category defying and self-taught bartender and chef, Matthew Biancaniello, came to fame with the legendary, farmers market-inspired cocktails he constructed at the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel, and at Malibu’s Mon-Li, where he created what has been described as “the most extravagant cocktail experience.” He found his calling unexpectedly, but the ride has been...
Nov 20, 2021•42 min•Ep. 38
After existing for so long with pandemic restrictions, even the most familiar spaces can make us feel anxious or intimidated. And then there are those places and moments - the gym, the public speaking event, the difficult conversation - that make the adrenaline rush, and not always in a good way. Flight often ensues. But psychologists agree that some degree of discomfort is a good thing, a growth opportunity. Tom and Drea discuss some of the empowering tools to employ to prepare yourself for unc...
Nov 13, 2021•17 min•Ep. 37
When self professed nerds Christy Black and David Nett felt a little out of place in traditional gyms, they decided to create their own inclusive space where all bodies - and minds - could feel that they belong. Hero’s Journey is Los Angeles’ first fitness space specifically designed for the “geek community”, and it feels like part of a broader cultural change that embraces individuality and non-conformist ways of being. Christy and David discuss how their compassionate coaching approach eschews...
Nov 06, 2021•50 min•Ep. 36
Last week’s conversation with Reginald "Syience" Perry got a lot of love and started up many conversations. When trying to work out which theme or insight to explore in this follow-up episode, we really struggled. We don’t use the term "self-actualized" lightly, but when it comes to Syience … So, this week’s episode we’re calling "Syience lessons". If you haven’t heard the conversation from last week, go ahead and listen to that first . Then tune in to Drea and Tom as they talk "durable" or acti...
Oct 30, 2021•26 min•Ep. 35
This week, OIP steps into another dimension with multi Grammy-award winning producer and creative dynamo, Reginald “Syience” Perry. He talks about his roots in Flint, Michigan and the remarkable, self-willed leap that led him to NY and - in less than a year - to collaborations with artists such as Jay-Z, Beyoncé, John Legend and Mary J Blige. Syience’s true calling though, as he tells Tom and Drea, came in the form of myriad dreams directing him towards a new way of story-telling - an epic colli...
Oct 23, 2021•44 min•Ep. 34
One of the upsides to the pandemic is that people have opened up to conversations around mental wellbeing. In fact, it seems like everyone is talking about mental health right now, but for most of us it is pretty intangible, and responses still seem to be limited to general terms - “fine/not fine (but not sure how else to describe it) ...” This week Dr Drea (UCLA) talks to Tom about how using a continuum model, perhaps a color scale, can help us recognize the shades and subtleties of mental heal...
Oct 12, 2021•24 min•Ep. 33
Olympic gold medalist and world rowing champion, Mark Hunter, talks to Drea and Tom about his three Olympic performances, what he refers to humorously as “the bad, the good and the ugly”. His turbulent journey forced him to develop the mental strength and resilience to deal with pressures that came with competing at a time when mental health was not openly discussed in sport or indeed in the world at large. He credits today’s athletes for courageously opening up the conversation around mental he...
Oct 05, 2021•49 min•Ep. 32
As Optimists in Progress we hoped to spring into Season 2 firmly in a “post-pandemic” world or at least something approaching 'normal', but as the pandemic morphs into an endemic, we are welcoming our new season of guests into a time of cautious acclimation to a new reality. In this first episode of Season 2, Tom and Drea reflect on where we find ourselves right now, and some of the positive habits we can build to accept, cope and ultimately thrive in this next, constantly shifting phase. Listen...
Sep 28, 2021•32 min•Ep. 31
We are living through a global pandemic, and viral contagion is something we are all very familiar with. But what about emotional contagion? How can the idea of collective energy help us to navigate through difficult times, and empower us to create something better? In this episode Drea and Tom talk 'collective effervescence', how we can spread that positive energy deliberately or unconsciously and how we should seek out other people to guide us through - and raise our spirits - when we find it ...
Aug 17, 2021•19 min•Ep. 30
Growing vegetables might seem an unlikely way to fight the power, but Jamiah Hargins has no doubt it offers a revolutionary means by which to address social inequity, build community and address problems centuries in the making. He quit a career in finance to focus on social entrepreneurship, founding Asante Microfarm and Crop Swap LA, and his vision of an urban paradise is, he believes, fully achievable if we engage in active optimism, and break out of the ‘self perpetuating cycle of non-action...
Aug 10, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 29
Why do so many of us feel guilty or lazy when resting? This week on OIP, Tom and Drea discuss why our fast-paced, high-achieving culture values “busyness” and how taking an intentional pause seems at odds with this concept of productivity. They talk about how writing our own ‘permission slips’ to ditch the ‘to do’ list and instead experience moments of idleness is actually the key to better creativity and focus, as well as an empowering boost for our mental health. For more information on Timeka...
Aug 03, 2021•17 min•Ep. 28
Cannabis entrepreneur Tamika Drew talks about how a debilitating disease led her to embrace cannabis as medicine and her personal journey to establishing her family-run cannabis business Biko Flower. She tells Tom and Drea about how her Nigerian ancestry and strong female leadership inspired her along the way and the vital importance of continuing her social activism work in the field of corporate cannabis. For more on Biko Flower More about Nat Turner More about The Liberty Tree Foundation More...
Jul 28, 2021•46 min•Ep. 27
‘Reframing’ or ‘cognitive restructuring’ is a concept accessible to all of us. Tom and Drea discuss how it takes some work, but we can shift our perspective in order to lift the lens of negativity and distorted thoughts. Sometimes a small shift in thinking can have a huge impact in our daily lives. More about 'Cognitive reframing' TED talk: How to make stress your friend Follow Josh Harris @josh_the_bon_vivants More about The Bon Vivants To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.com...
Jul 20, 2021•18 min•Ep. 26
Renowned hospitality entrepreneur and influential San Francisco bar owner, Josh Harris, discovered his passion for bartending after a sports injury cut short his athletic ambitions in his early twenties. He talks poignantly about his early struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, the calm he found being on the other side of the bar and navigating the cocktail renaissance sober. As the hospitality industry makes tentative steps towards recovery, Josh shares how his commitment and resolute minds...
Jul 13, 2021•55 min•Ep. 25
Inspired by their conversation with award-winning architect Michael Lehrer, Tom and Drea discuss how we can enhance - and even challenge - our own environments for better well-being and spark joy in our daily work spaces/lives. As companies make decisions about a return to the office, how could we evolve traditional work spaces to allow for greater creativity and dignity? More on Happy by Design by Ben Channon More on Michael Lehrer To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.com For ...
Jul 06, 2021•22 min•Ep. 24
