Diner Talks With James

Tom Krieglstein became my first guest to actually eat while he was in the diner! Since he was munching on a veggie pizaa, we started by chatting about the impact The Simpsons had on Tom’s dietary choices. We then dove into Tom’s passion of creating a culture of connection. He told me about his chase for the Guiness World Record for hugging and we let the roll into a great talk about where Tom’s passion for connecting others stemmed from...

Justin Jones-Fosu jumped joyfully into the Diner this (j)episode. We kicked it off commiserating about how to grieve what you miss in quarantine/Covid-19 times and what it’s like parenting in this madness. Justin then spoke about the importance of involving your kids in their growth and learning plan. We then shifted gears and Justin opened up to me about his life-changing trip to Ghana in 2018. On the trip, he confronted his absent father but he did it using a surprising approach: curiosity...

Joining me this episode in the Diner is body image expert, coach, speaker, and badass mom, Stacy Nadeau! She and I first discuss why she was in her underwear in Times Square and the journey to being comfortable in your body for men and women. We then chatted about ways to silence our inner critic. Stacy is new-ish parent so I wanted to hear about telling yourself stories as a parent and being a brand new mom and being an entrepreneur...

Cristina Perez-Simmons and I kicked in the diner this episode. She told me what life as a coffee snob is like and the importance of buying fair trade. We then talked about her move away from California and shifting from a Latinx community to a predominantly white community in the southeast. She told me about working to reclaiming heritage and identity after years of shying away from it. I also asked her about being Latinx during the Black Lives Matter movement...

EpicLLOYD Ahlquist of Epic Rap Battles of History joined me in the diner booth this week! We talked about his gymnast background and then the skill it takes to play a great antagonist. Then we talked about making the decision to publicly do what is right and figuring out when you make the choice to double-down or pivot in a creative business...

Rick Daniels dropped all of the knowledge in this episode. He and I recorded this the week that George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis so you already know that we had a lot to talk about. We discussed parenting in the middle of a powerful moment for civil rights and instilling a love of identity in children. I asked him, “When did you fall in love with your blackness?” and he talked about loving your blackness while still loving everyone else...

I got to sit down with entrepreneur, speaker, and great friend Jess Ekstrom and we jumped right in with their decision to sell their apartment and move into an Airstream. Hearing about her relationship and having different ambitions as a partner and how to communicate about it was awesome. I asked her where do you develop a stick-to-itiveness nature with bring ideas to life...

Sam and I had a powerful conversation about relationships, fatherhood, and entrepreneurship. We discussed becoming a father in the middle of the most successful month ever as an entrepreneur. And how you need to your network before you need it. We debated being Type A vs. being a hot mess... guess which one I am! We wrapped up discussing winning in business while failing at love and the role divorce plays in personal development.

Friends! Welcome to the first episode of Diner Talks with James! In this episode I introduce the why, who, and what behind this podcast. I also make myself laugh a little because the internet is a quiet place when you’re talking to no one, haha! Excited to have you on this journey with me!