Getting Under The Skin

The Skin Deep

Welcome to Getting Under The Skin (GUTS)! Where the stories of our lives can be medicine for each other. Where reflection and curiosity opens up paths of conversation for us to explore together. Join us for an exploration through conversation. This is an expedition, a journey in search of the stuff that makes us feel most human, the stuff that stirs your soul and reminds you of what really matters. These conversations are not performative interviews, book release tours or productivity hacks. They are an antidote to superficial small talk or marketing in disguise. We explore how people are formed by the lives they’ve lived, and celebrate the wisdom gained along the way. Hosted by Topaz Adizes, Emmy Award-winning writer, director, and experience design architect exploring the transformative power of human connection. He is the founder and executive director of THE SKIN DEEP, creator of {THE AND} and author of 12QFL. If you're ready to Get Under The Skin — we’ll meet you here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Starting From Victory With Pastor Tim Johnson

    4 DAYS AGO

    Starting From Victory With Pastor Tim Johnson

    What does it mean to stop proving yourself and start living with purpose, identity, and faith? In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with Pastor Timothy Johnson, a former NFL player turned pastor, to explore the shift from performance-driven success to a purpose-driven life. Through stories of football, fatherhood, and spiritual growth, Timothy unpacks how chasing validation can disconnect us from who we truly are and what it looks like to start from victory instead of striving for it. This conversation explores identity, self-worth, faith, and mindset, from navigating fatherlessness to redefining success beyond achievement. If you’ve ever felt stuck chasing goals that don’t fulfill you, this episode offers a grounded perspective on purpose, belief, and living with intention. In this episode, they explore: • Finding purpose vs chasing success • Identity and self-worth • Faith and personal growth • Growing up without a father • Control vs surrender mindset • Overcoming the need for validation Listen to GUTS: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GSiahH3NYTiFKZ4mIGQnJ?si=fce013635cfa4947 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-under-the-skin/id1821276933 Follow GUTS: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    59 min
  2. What to Do With What You Have with Susan Asiyanbi

    30 MAR

    What to Do With What You Have with Susan Asiyanbi

    What does it really mean to show up for others and why do we struggle to do it consistently? In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with Susan Asiyanbi, a leader working at the intersection of relationships, culture, and organizational change. Susan reflects on how her parents’ values shaped her understanding of service, community, and the belief that every day offers a chance to try again. Through stories of grief, friendship, and personal evolution, Susan challenges the idea that we are “good friends” by default. She explores the gap between how we see ourselves and how we actually show up, the tension between independence and community, and why relationships require more honesty than we’re comfortable with. From navigating loss to redefining what it means to give without expectation, this conversation exposes the complexity of connection. Together, they explore: • Why we’re not always the friends we think we are • The difference between giving freely and giving with expectation • How grief shifts perspective and what actually matters • Why asking for help is uncomfortable but necessary • The tension between independence and needing a village • What it means to be complete but not resolved Listen GUTS: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GSiahH3NYTiFKZ4mIGQnJ?si=fce013635cfa4947 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-under-the-skin/id1821276933 Follow GUTS: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 9min
  3. Strong, Kind, Confident & Resilient with Luis Velasquez

    23 MAR

    Strong, Kind, Confident & Resilient with Luis Velasquez

    What does it mean to choose your life, even when everything feels stacked against you? In this episode of GUTS, Topaz Adizes sits down with Luis Velasquez, executive coach, Stanford leadership facilitator, and author of Ordinary Resilience. This is a conversation about resilience that isn’t performative. It’s lived. Through stories of survival, identity, fatherhood, and near breaking points, Luis unpacks how reframing reality can become a tool for transformation and how the smallest shifts in perspective can change everything. In this episode, they explore: • Why resilience is built through choice, not circumstance • The difference between fearlessness and fearing less • How identity shapes behavior and long term growth • Reframing pain into purpose and forward movement • Parenting, legacy, and what it means to truly prepare your children for life _____________________________________________________________________ Listen GUTS: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GSiahH3NYTiFKZ4mIGQnJ?si=fce013635cfa4947 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-under-the-skin/id1821276933 Follow GUTS: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 3min
  4. The Musicality of Life with Didier Sylvain

    16 MAR

    The Musicality of Life with Didier Sylvain

    What does it mean to truly come home to yourself, and what happens when you stop performing and start creating from your soul? In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with Didier Sylvain, coach and creative practitioner working at the intersection of personal liberation and collective transformation. Didier has guided executives and teams at organizations like Lionsgate, WME, and the NBA Foundation, drawing from a background that spans Deloitte Consulting, somatics, sound healing, and a deep lineage of embodied practice. Through decades of inner work, loss, and creative discovery, Didier reflects on what it really means to lead from your values, why music is the marrow of his soul, and how the work we do for others is often the work we most need to do ourselves. Together, they explore: • What it means to be alive in your soul vs. hiding from it • How lineage and ancestry shape who we become • The dance between dreaming and discipline • Why the opposite of fear might be play • Creating beauty as a spiritual practice • Grief, vision, and learning to trust the unseen • What it feels like to finally come home _____________________________________________________ Follow GUTS: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 22min
  5. Good Conversations: The Art of Connection with Emma Templeton

    9 MAR

    Good Conversations: The Art of Connection with Emma Templeton

    What makes a conversation truly good and why are those moments of connection so rare? In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with Emma Templeton, social psychologist and researcher studying the science of human connection. Emma explores what happens in the precise moments when conversation clicks and why some interactions leave us feeling deeply understood while others fade away. Through her research on real, unscripted dialogue, Emma reflects on the invisible forces shaping how we connect and why meaningful conversation may be one of the most powerful tools we have. Together, they explore: • Why we dread social interactions we end up loving • What makes conversations feel meaningful • The science of conversational chemistry • Why social scripts limit deeper connection • The value of long, undistracted conversations • Communicating complex ideas simply _____________________________________________________________________ Listen GUTS: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GSiahH3NYTiFKZ4mIGQnJ?si=fce013635cfa4947 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-under-the-skin/id1821276933 Follow GUTS: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 10min
  6. Winning the Lottery with Andrew Kimler

    2 MAR

    Winning the Lottery with Andrew Kimler

    What if the most painful year of your life was actually preparing you for the family you were meant to have? In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with Andrew Kimler, Sundance fellow and award-winning creative producer, for a deeply personal conversation about adoption, fatherhood, creativity, and purpose. After enduring three failed adoptions in a single year, alongside profound personal loss, Andrew reflects on grief, resilience, and what it takes to stay open after repeated heartbreak. Together, they explore: - The emotional reality of failed adoptions and how to mourn what almost was - Why you “can’t get matched with the wrong kid” in the adoption journey - What patience really means and how to use the waiting season well - The difference between what a story is about and what it’s really about - How creativity, writing, and fatherhood reveal your deeper purpose _____________________________________________________________________ Follow GUTS: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 11min
  7. Explore with Curiosity | Bryce Hoffman

    23 FEB

    Explore with Curiosity | Bryce Hoffman

    What happens when the questions that once got you arrested become the foundation of your life's work? In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with Bryce Hoffman, bestselling author and the only civilian ever to complete the U.S. Army's Red Team Leader Program. As founder of Red Team Thinking, he helps organizations like Google, Salesforce, and the U.S. Marine Corps challenge assumptions and make sharper decisions. Together, they explore: - How radical idealism evolves into disciplined critical thinking - Why ego is the enemy of great leadership - Failure as a feature, not a flaw - What it really means to stop pushing the river This conversation is about learning to ask the tough questions, and having the courage to listen to the answers. _____________________________________________________________________ Listen GUTS: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeUPrK1EksczxTm35F_GeUA Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GSiahH3NYTiFKZ4mIGQnJ?si=fce013635cfa4947 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-under-the-skin/id1821276933 Follow GUTS: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 14min
  8. Creating Safe Spaces with Michele Lamoureux

    16 FEB

    Creating Safe Spaces with Michele Lamoureux

    What happens when the parts of you that were silenced begin to speak again? In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with award-winning podcaster, empowerment coach, and author Michelle Lamoureux, creator of The Good Life podcast and author of Design a Life You Love. Michelle reflects on the formative experiences that shaped her: being “othered” as a child, surviving a near abduction, and wearing a scoliosis brace for six years — and how those moments cultivated empathy, resilience, and a drive to create safe spaces for women to reclaim their voice. Together, they explore: • Reclaiming your voice after silence • How early experiences shape identity and empathy • Success as the courage to try • Motherhood, safety, and raising a daughter with agency • Designing a life with intention This conversation examines what it means to design a life with intention, expand beyond inherited limitations, and stay human in an increasingly AI-driven world. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Listen GUTS: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GSiahH3NYTiFKZ4mIGQnJ?si=fce013635cfa4947 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-under-the-skin/id1821276933 Follow GUTS: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 11min
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About

Welcome to Getting Under The Skin (GUTS)! Where the stories of our lives can be medicine for each other. Where reflection and curiosity opens up paths of conversation for us to explore together. Join us for an exploration through conversation. This is an expedition, a journey in search of the stuff that makes us feel most human, the stuff that stirs your soul and reminds you of what really matters. These conversations are not performative interviews, book release tours or productivity hacks. They are an antidote to superficial small talk or marketing in disguise. We explore how people are formed by the lives they’ve lived, and celebrate the wisdom gained along the way. Hosted by Topaz Adizes, Emmy Award-winning writer, director, and experience design architect exploring the transformative power of human connection. He is the founder and executive director of THE SKIN DEEP, creator of {THE AND} and author of 12QFL. If you're ready to Get Under The Skin — we’ll meet you here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    The Skin Deep
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Skin Deep
  • Show Website
    Getting Under The Skin

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