CYOP Season 2

Today’s show brings to the home of Natalie Davis of the leather goods brand, Canoe, to chat about her career path, the growth she’s seen with her leatherworking business over the years and the magical land in which she creates—Austin, Texas. If you happen upon Natalie’s website, you may not realize that she also helps her husband with his business venture—a butcher shop and restaurant in Austin—and that up until recently, she was also a design professor. In the interview, we dive into all of her different roles and how each one feeds into her creativity in different ways... 

Today’s show brings me to East Nashville to chat with Graffiti and Fine Artist Troy Duff. He’s a Nashville native who has created an incredible career around his art, but he’s also worked as a model and actor—he was actually part of that iPod silhouette advertising campaign several years ago—and he created his own clothing line as well. In the interview, we talk about why Troy made the move back to Nashville after his time in Los Angeles, what it was like getting into the graffiti art scene without all of the tools and resources that are available these days and how he diversifies his work so that he is truly a working artist...

Today's show brings me to the Burlington, Vermont hot shop (or blown glass factory) of AO Glass to interview Owner and General manager Rich Arentzen, who has been in the glass blowing industry for decades. During the interview, I learned more about how he got started as a glass blower and just how winding his career path has been. We also talked a lot about the importance of reaching out to others—even if it’s a little scary—and why craft, community, collaboration and financial sustainability have to come together to maintain a successful business...

Today's show brings me to the home of Katie Michels just outside of Chicago. I’ve been following Katie’s work for years and was super impressed as I watched her transition Off Switch, which used to be a gorgeous magazine, into an online shop full of cards, totes and other beautifully designed items—all of which she creates. During the interview, we talk through that transition and what it meant for her as a business owner, the meaning behind the brand “Off Switch” and how she’s moving forward with her big goals one step at a time...

Today's episode brings me to the beautiful Seattle studio of Fashion Designer Jenny Fort. After having multiple careers in various industries, Jenny has settled into the design world with her niche fashion brand, Lu.  In the interview, we chat about the evolution of Jenny's career path and why she still doesn't feel as though she's "made it." We also touch on how her fashion brand was built out of necessity, the avenues she's exploring to grow her business and how building a creative business is rarely a linear exercise...

Today's show brings me to the Burbank studio of Ric and Jen Serena. While I was in Los Angeles last month, I had the chance to catch up with the two who, together with their collaborators, are still riding the wave of success that came with their beautiful documentary, Mile... Mile and a Half. In the episode, we chat about their own winding career paths, how they coped when The Muir Project and Mile... Mile and a Half took over their world for a few years, their strategies for working together as a husband and wife team and why Burbank is the perfect creative hub for their work/life blend...

On today's show I'm joined by Rita Mehta of The American Edit. If you're not familiar, The American Edit is one part incredible online resource for American-made products and one part retail consulting agency. Rita created the site to help highlight and celebrate American-made brands and—let me tell you—it's a wonderful resource. Listen in as we chat about Rita's background working with both large and small retailers, how she navigates the fine line between life and work, her thoughts on "shop local" campaigns and her advice for anyone looking to launch a new business...