The Breaking Normal Podcast

Daniel Eisenman

Breaking Normal: Exploration of memetics, language, & mystery, and applying it to an everyday lifestyle

  1. 28 MAR

    Greg Lefcourt of Beleza (Boulder) on Coffee, Community & Creating the Best Vibes

    What actually makes a coffee shop feel different? In this episode of Breaking Normal, I sit down with Greg Lefcourt — co-owner of Beleza Coffee in Boulder — to explore what’s really happening beneath the surface of coffee culture. Greg has spent decades at the highest level of specialty coffee… competing, judging, and helping shape the scene. But what he’s building with Beleza goes beyond coffee — it’s about connection, presence, and creating a space people actually feel. We get into: - Why he killed the Wi-Fi (and what that revealed about people) - What coffee taught him about human nature - The fine line between mastery, ego, and art - How drinks like the Persian Love Latte (with saffron, rose, pistachio) can shift your state - What makes a great barista vs. just a skilled one - His favorite coffee shops around the world - What actually creates a magnetic community vibe Questions we explored: - What has coffee taught you about humans that has nothing to do with coffee? - Why did you remove Wi-Fi when most cafés are doubling down on it? - What made you step away from the “high-level coffee world” to build something more human? - When does mastery become ego… and when does it become art? - What kind of ritual are people craving right now without realizing it? - Can a drink actually shift someone’s emotional state? - What’s a place or experience that changed how you see what a café can be? - What makes a truly great coffee shop? - What separates a great barista from everyone else? - What do people reveal over coffee that they don’t say anywhere else? - What would the perfect café for human connection look like? Connect with Greg & Beleza: https://www.instagram.com/belezacoffeebar/ If you’re in Boulder, this is one of those spots you don’t just visit — you feel it. Coffee might be the excuse… But connection is the real product. Get Greg’s favorite tallow and the best organ supplements in the world at www.TribeVitamins.com

    1hr 7min
  2. 13 FEB

    Why Sustainability, Sales, and Retirement All Need a Rethink

    What if sustainability isn’t about optics—but about doing the hard, unglamorous work no one wants to deal with? In this episode of Breaking Normal, host Daniel Eisenman sits down with Kathey Pear, lifelong entrepreneur, sales strategist, and sustainability realist, to unpack why “green” has become more marketing than practice. From office furniture landfills to the myth of retirement, Kathey shares decades of lived experience navigating business with integrity. This episode is for founders, operators, and thinkers who want to build something useful, honest, and human—and understand why that matters now more than ever. Main Topics Covered Why “retirement” is a broken concept for people who love their work Sales as service, triage, and truth—not manipulation The hidden environmental cost of office furniture and business moves Why 90% of office furniture ends up in landfills Greenwashing vs. real sustainability practices The real constraints: storage, real estate, and economics Why scaling too fast destroys otherwise good businesses Potlatch economics and redefining wealth, value, and success Key Takeaways Sustainability fails when it’s cheaper to throw things away than deal with them Sales done well is about helping people make better decisions Going slow allows you to survive your mistakes—and learn from them Real impact often starts long before profit or recognition Wealth isn’t what you accumulate—it’s what you circulate Connect with the Guest: Kathey Pear Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathey.pear.7 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathey-pear-90aa091/Get the book on Audible!https://www.audible.com/pd/Self-Development/Breaking-Normal-Audiobook/B074G49CW2Get the book on Amazon!https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071SBC7NC/ref=sr_1_16?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1495314934&sr=1-16&keywords=motivational+self+help+help_________STAY IN TOUCH ↣WEBSITE: http://breakingnormal.com↣FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/DanielEisenman↣INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/DanielEisenman↣TWITTER: https://twitter.com/DanielEisenman If this conversation challenged the way you think about sustainability, work, or success, help us spread it. Follow, like, and share this episode with someone who’s ready to question the “normal” way of doing business.

    1hr 6min
  3. 21 JAN

    From Peak Performance to a Heart Attack: Fitnessing for Life with Tim O’Donnell

    In this deeply inspiring episode of the Breaking Normal Podcast, I sit down with Timothy O’Donnell—world-class triathlete, coach, speaker, and father of three—who has been living and training in Boulder, Colorado for the past 17 years. At the pinnacle of his professional fitness career, Tim suffered a heart attack during a race in Miami—yet still finished the race, missing the Top 10 by just one place. Later that night, he found himself in the hospital, a moment that would permanently change his relationship with training, recovery, and life itself. Before undergoing a life-saving stent procedure, Tim made a pivotal phone call to previous Breaking Normal guest David Tusek. With the support of cutting-edge diagnostics, elite cardiology care, and deep self-reflection, Tim was eventually cleared to return to training—but with an entirely new philosophy. This conversation explores:• What it means to “fitness for life” instead of chasing peak performance at all costs• How a heart attack reshaped Tim’s identity as an athlete, husband, and father• The quiet cost of being world-class—and the freedom found in doing less, better• Longevity, recovery, fatherhood, and redefining what winning really means We also touch on the powerful role Tim’s wife plays in the endurance racing world, the importance of community, and how elite athletes evolve when performance is no longer the only metric that matters. Before we wrapped, I shared what many of our top performing athletes personally love using from Tribe Vitamins—including elk velvet antler, bison testicles, and tallow balm to support recovery, resilience, and skin health in harsh conditions. 👉 Get the hunt on: https://tribevitamins.com⸻🔗 Connect with Tim O’Donnell• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tointri?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==• LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-o-donnell-15515b8?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_co...

    1hr 2min
  4. 4 JAN

    Sufi Mystic Retires at 39 to Become a Stay-at-Home Dad | Matt Winkley

    What if success wasn’t about climbing higher—but about creating community? In this truly Breaking Normal episode, recorded inside the house & home of Matt Winkley, who retired at age 39, is now a stay-at-home dad, and gives back deeply to his community… from a podcast studio inside his own home. Matt lives with his dream partner, Julie, and their 11-month-old son Adam—a highly meditated, not medicated, little human who just took his first steps. That moment becomes a mirror for the episode itself. Because before Matt ever found peace, he took a much scarier first step. He escaped the small town he grew up in with a one-way ticket to San Diego, full of stoke—but no clear plan for how to pay for the life he felt called to live. That uncertainty sparked an obsession with entrepreneurship, which eventually led to burnout, illness, and a complete unraveling. From that breakdown, something unexpected emerged. Matt found healing through Sufi mysticism, devotion, ann his dharmic diligence—aligning his work with service. That path led him to building and scaling a business working with autistic children, which ultimately allowed him to retire early, transition into real estate, and design a life around freedom, family, and peace. In this conversation, we go deep into: • Home vs. house—and why it matters • Meditation vs. medication (especially with children) • Vision planning that actually creates freedom • Designing the ideal day vs chasing distant goals • Moving from hardworking middle class to financially free • What peace actually feels like—starting today • Meditating with your children • Sufism: the whirling, the path, and the practice Matt follows • Burnout as initiation, not failure • What it really means to be unemployable This episode is full of synchronicities, lived wisdom, and embodied truth. Matt doesn’t just talk about Breaking Normal—he lives it. Follow Matt here: 👉 Instagram: Matt.Winkley Get the most effective hunt 🏹🦬 at www.TribeVitamins.com

    1hr 28min
  5. 26/12/2025

    Thought I Was Interviewing a Chef… Interviewed a Realtor Instead — And I Loved It

    I walked in thinking I was about to interview a chef from Highland City Club… Turns out, I was sitting down with Stewart Ward, a Boulder realtor who grew up in Miami in the 80s and has carved out his own path in the world of Colorado real estate. In this episode we explore: • The number of realtors in Colorado vs. Boulder • How someone like me could make money in Boulder real estate without being a realtor • Why having your own real estate license can be useful for flipping homes, the way Stewart has done in Oregon and the way my brother does in Georgia • Affordable housing in Boulder, land leases, rentals, and luxury homes all existing within blocks of one another • What his home recommendation would be for someone on a budget vs. someone with no budget at all • The “glass castles” and other iconic homes in Boulder and around the world • The types of home features I gravitate toward — gas-burning stoves, mold-free hardwood floors, clean materials, functional layouts • Wood-burning fireplace restrictions in new Boulder homes — and how people try to work around them • How private memberships and other creative structures may play into future housing or property loopholes • His take on the best deal he currently has listed in Boulder • The new hotel developments shaping the next chapter of the city We also touched on lifestyle adjustments for newcomers to Colorado’s climate and why Stewart was curious about Tribe Vitamins products for clients adapting to the dryness. Sometimes you think you’re interviewing a chef… Sometimes you end up learning how Boulder real estate really works. Get your hunt on at TribeVitamins.com 🦬🔥

    1hr 2min

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Breaking Normal: Exploration of memetics, language, & mystery, and applying it to an everyday lifestyle

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