My Big Story with Christopher Swan

Christopher Swan / Accidental Information
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My Big Story with Christopher Swan

A podcast that travels the USA interviewing uniquely inspiring people, uncovering big stories and ideas that inherently celebrate our differences In My Big Story with Christopher Swan, Christopher is literally on a plane, train, or automobile, traveling the USA, uncovering stories from the voices often not heard, crossing boundaries of diversity, differentness, and beliefs. These thought-provoking conversations are with people that have taken chances and carved out uncommon paths. Through these interviews and stories Christopher discovers dreams, ideas, and truths — and in turn, his big story unfolds — to create a world where everyone belongs.

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  1. EPISODE 1

    A Transition to a Courageous Life with Mandi Camille Hauwert

    Mandi Camille Hauwert is one of the bravest people I've met. She's pushing boundaries in society, challenging policies and perceptions at work and in the world, just to be herself—something many of us take for granted. Mandi, a U.S. Navy veteran, is a correctional officer at California's San Quentin State Prison. She's also a transgender woman, who transitioned while in her role at the prison. I met Mandi in downtown Petaluma (that's in the north bay of the San Francisco Bay Area), surprisingly the town we both live in. We talked about her story of transition, bias, overcoming darkness, and more, why she's sharing her story, her activism work for the Trans Community, and how she's continuing her story in the world. Mandi is thoughtful and transparent in our conversation, sharing her difficult realities. She also reminds me of the positive changes, even during the dark periods of life. See more about this episode and the show at: MyBigStory.show JOIN CHRISTOPHER’S ADVENTURE & SEE BEHIND-THE-SCENES PICS, FUN AND MORE Instagram Twitter Facebook ChristopherSwan.info GET MORE STORIES, INSPIRATION, IDEAS, AND MY BIG STORY UPDATES Subscribe to Christopher’s newsletter: Be Inspired LOVE THE SHOW? Tell a friend (literally, go text them right now!), and then give me an awesome rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. This helps others find the show too!

    37 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    A Day on the Farm in Los Angeles with Karen Snook

    There's a little farm hiding out in the valley of Los Angeles, and not many know about its existence. I luckily discovered it and sought out the woman that's on a mission to educate us about sustainable care farming. Um, care farming? In one sentence, that's compassion, cooperation and connection with the earth, animals and each other. Karen Snook created this specific farm, part of Kindred Spirits Care Farm, to help the at-risk kids in the neighboring continuation high school. As the kids connect with nature, they learn new skills and a deeper knowledge of the rescue animals and agriculture they nurture, and in turn find new ways of healing their own lives. I spent the day with Karen, touring the farm in Reseda, understanding firsthand how it works and why it matters to the community. We also spoke about Karen's career shift, leaving a corporate career to work with the animals. It seems more than just following a passion—this desire to educate and connect all of us with mother earth is actually part of Karen's DNA. See more about this episode and the show at: MyBigStory.show JOIN CHRISTOPHER’S ADVENTURE & SEE BEHIND-THE-SCENES PICS, FUN AND MORE Instagram Twitter Facebook ChristopherSwan.info GET MORE STORIES, INSPIRATION, IDEAS, AND MY BIG STORY UPDATES Subscribe to Christopher’s newsletter: Be Inspired LOVE THE SHOW? Tell a friend (literally, go text them right now!), and then give me an awesome rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. This helps others find the show too!

    35 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    An Unexpected NYC Adventure with the Crafty Lumberjacks and My Uber Driver

    Sometimes things do not go as planned. Frustrating? Sure. It can also lead to an adventure and discovering something new, something unexpected. Returning guests, the Crafty Lumberjacks (Dennis Setteducati and Andrew Boza) join me to discuss progress and new insights of their craft and lifestyle brand. These fellas have been creating/hosting craft shows as part of the HGTV Handmade team, and have recently been guests (twice) on ABC's The Chew. On the way to meet Dennis and Andrew at their home in Astoria, NY I meet an unexpected voice of wisdom and experience, my Uber driver. This was the start of my adventure as things started to change. And well, I rolled with it. During my day, the Crafty Lumberjacks share the reality of building their brand—I'm coining it as The Politics of Crafting. We also flip the roles of our interview a little here, and in the end, share advice for anyone working toward their dream. After this episode, be sure to listen their first time on the show here. See more about this episode and the show at: MyBigStory.show JOIN CHRISTOPHER’S ADVENTURE & SEE BEHIND-THE-SCENES PICS, FUN AND MORE Instagram Twitter Facebook ChristopherSwan.info GET MORE STORIES, INSPIRATION, IDEAS, AND MY BIG STORY UPDATES Subscribe to Christopher’s newsletter: Be Inspired LOVE THE SHOW? Tell a friend (literally, go text them right now!), and then give me an awesome rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. This helps others find the show too!

    33 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    Defined by Food and Purpose with Dustin Harder

    This story is one half career/life change, and the other half, simplifying a lifestyle and movement to make it accessible to anyone. Dustin Harder was fully immersed in his theatre career, traveling the country since 2003. But he needed a break and he set out to explore another interest, vegan cooking. After graduating from the Natural Gourmet Institute in NYC, he launched a new idea and career, to demystify vegan foods in an entertaining way. Then The Vegan Roadie was born — the plant-based version of the popular Food Network series Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, available on YouTube and now in its third season. And recently Dustin released his first cookbook. But our conversation went passed the glamour of launching something fun. Dustin opened up about his experiences, sharing things that didn’t work, self discovery, and more details about creating his new path. Once I spent the afternoon with Dustin in his apartment in Queens, I realized he’s creating a space for himself in the food market by developing a unique perspective, and he literally changed his life to do it. See more about this episode and the show at: MyBigStory.show JOIN CHRISTOPHER’S ADVENTURE & SEE BEHIND-THE-SCENES PICS, FUN AND MORE Instagram Twitter Facebook ChristopherSwan.info GET MORE STORIES, INSPIRATION, IDEAS, AND MY BIG STORY UPDATES Subscribe to Christopher’s newsletter: Be Inspired LOVE THE SHOW? Tell a friend (literally, go text them right now!), and then give me an awesome rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. This helps others find the show too!

    37 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    Connecting Local Communities with Ramin Rahimian

    Sometimes we set out to solve a problem, and later realize we're solving for something much bigger. That's exactly what's happened to Ramin Rahimian. Ramin, a successful photographer, created Bookal, an app that allows neighbors to buy and sell their books to each other. The emphasis here is on local, and that matters in Ramin's bigger story. That's because Ramin wants to reconnect our local communities—to increase the real person, face-to-face conversations and relationships—the things we used to do at our local book shops and downtowns. We talk about Bookal. But our conversation takes us into deeper topics and stories that explore his story. Most importantly, we get to the why—why Ramin has created Bookal, and how it connects to his photography and visual storytelling work. Ramin also opens up with a personal story that provided him with pivotal insights, to see and interact with things differently. I need to mention that Ramin and I both live in Petaluma, CA. It doesn't go unnoticed by me, that just by us meeting and sharing our stories, we're creating exactly what he is hoping for in the community. And in fact, I did reach out to him because of Bookal. This is a story of a man with a passion to get us off the couch and into our communities. See more about this episode and the show at: MyBigStory.show JOIN CHRISTOPHER’S ADVENTURE & SEE BEHIND-THE-SCENES PICS, FUN AND MORE Instagram Twitter Facebook ChristopherSwan.info GET MORE STORIES, INSPIRATION, IDEAS, AND MY BIG STORY UPDATES Subscribe to Christopher’s newsletter: Be Inspired LOVE THE SHOW? Tell a friend (literally, go text them right now!), and then give me an awesome rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. This helps others find the show too!

    34 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    A Journey to Find Hygge, Denmark's Secret to Happiness with 12 Stars Media

    Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) is a cornerstone of the Danes way of life—and they're often referred to as the happiest people in the world. But, what is hygge, and how does it help the Danes happy living? 12 Stars Media, a small video production company located right outside of Indianapolis, in Fishers, Indiana, decided to they wanted to discover the true meaning of hygge, and share it with the world. So they decided to create their first full length documentary film, Finding Hygge. They're doing it with their own money and on their own time. 12 Stars Media founders, Rocky Walls and Zack Downs, used this team project to celebrate their 10 year anniversary and to create a very special experience for everyone on the team. So this small team got on a plane to Europe to start their journey together. Flash forward to now: the film is done and just starting the rounds in the film festivals, and each one of the team members has discovered something new through this journey. I spent the day at 12 Stars Media's office, interviewing various team members, as well as Rocky and Zach—to understand why they made this journey and what it meant to them. As expected, everyone had different experiences and perspectives. And it was terrific to see how each person expressed it. But there was something else I kept thinking about. These people chose to do something together, something beyond their jobs, and beyond delivering value to customers. They chose to experience a big, life-changing journey together. And two men, Rocky and Zach decided they could do this for their employees. Work doesn't have to be just work. It can be more, and 12 Stars Media is showing us that. See more about this episode and the show at: MyBigStory.show JOIN CHRISTOPHER’S ADVENTURE & SEE BEHIND-THE-SCENES PICS, FUN AND MORE Instagram Twitter Facebook ChristopherSwan.info GET MORE STORIES, INSPIRATION, IDEAS, AND MY BIG STORY UPDATES Subscribe to Christopher’s newsletter: Be Inspired LOVE THE SHOW? Tell a friend (literally, go text them right now!), and then give me an awesome rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. This helps others find the show too!

    42 min

  7. EPISODE 7

    Thriving Through Life with Suzanne Whang

    When life gives you lemons, you don't make lemonade. As Suzanne Whang says about her three-time battle with breast cancer, "I am kicking the shit out of it and taking names. I'm living it [life] to the fullest and loving every minute of it." I met Suzanne Whang in the parking lot of Hugos' Restaurant in Los Angeles. After a big hello and hug, we sat in her car, and shared stories and ideas. Yep, that's right. We did our interview in her car—in her bright yellow, pimped out Prius. For you that don't know, Suzanne is a longtime entertainer, as an actor, TV host, comedian, and writer. Many people may remember her as the host from HGTV's House Hunters. That's when I first spotted her and took note. Her credits are long and her talent is big. She's also much more. Suzanne is passionate about helping people through her activism and teaching. As I talked with her, it was easy to see how these are true. She thoughtfully shares her enlightened ideas and sage perspectives no matter our topic. We talked about her beginnings into show business, and then we get deep. We discussed helping others, telling our stories, and why both of those matter, how to change the world by starting locally and with our souls, and of course, we unpack some of her story of thriving through cancer.  In the latter, Suzanne speaks candidly about letting people in, letting go of her cancer secret, and receiving help. Suzanne's openness to share her truth is a welcome example for many of us, to stop keeping secrets and to live more freely. Also, her boundary pushing comedic quips with race and stereotypes in our conversation, and in her produced material is a reminder for each of us to stand up for our beliefs and take the power back. An afternoon hanging out in a parking lot never felt so fun. See more about this episode and the show at: MyBigStory.show JOIN CHRISTOPHER’S ADVENTURE & SEE BEHIND-THE-SCENES PICS, FUN AND MORE Instagram Twitter Facebook ChristopherSwan.info GET MORE STORIES, INSPIRATION, IDEAS, AND MY BIG STORY UPDATES Subscribe to Christopher’s newsletter: Be Inspired LOVE THE SHOW? Tell a friend (literally, go text them right now!), and then give me an awesome rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. This helps others find the show too!

    31 min

  8. EPISODE 8

    Inspiring Young People to Make a Difference, One Lawn at a Time with Rodney Smith, Jr.

    When Rodney Smith, Jr. spots someone in need, he jumps into action. There's no question, doubt, or debate. He just does the work to help them—and he's now rallying others to help communities across the United States. Rodney, a native of Bermuda, started Raising Men Lawn Care Service, an organization that provides free yard services to elders, people with disabilities, veterans, and single-parent mothers. The service matches up youth in local communities with people in need of service. This two-way impact helps children become a positive part of the community learning social skills and giving back, and the recipients receive assistance with maintaining their yards. This service and the positive news of Rodney's work has spread across the US (and multiple countries too!) and continues to grow, with local chapters, and children signing up for the 50 Yard Challenge. In addition, Rodney brings his family (his name for his thriving and very engaged online community) together to help other members of his local community. He's been helping people that are homeless, by providing resources and food, collected and provided by his family. I met Rodney at his home in Huntsville, AL and we got right back on the road. I wanted to see firsthand how the service works. We spent the afternoon taking care of a yard and then learning more about the homeless community he's been helping. This was truly an immersive experience. After multiple conversations and experiences at a yard, in a homeless camp, in the car, and back at Rodney's house, I couldn't be more inspired by how much Rodney cared about the people in his community. Interestingly, it didn't seem like a big deal to him. Instead he just told me "it was the right thing to do." This was an amazing day, and I took a couple important ideas away from it: help however you can, and each of us can be the change at any time. Also, this trip was a beautiful reminder to get out of our bubbles (social and geographical) to see different parts of the world, and learn and connect with people different than ourselves. See more about this episode and the show at: MyBigStory.show JOIN CHRISTOPHER’S ADVENTURE & SEE BEHIND-THE-SCENES PICS, FUN AND MORE Instagram Twitter Facebook ChristopherSwan.info GET MORE STORIES, INSPIRATION, IDEAS, AND MY BIG STORY UPDATES Subscribe to Christopher’s newsletter: Be Inspired LOVE THE SHOW? Tell a friend (literally, go text them right now!), and then give me an awesome rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. This helps others find the show too!

    28 min
See All Season 2 (13)

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5
out of 5
61 Ratings

About

A podcast that travels the USA interviewing uniquely inspiring people, uncovering big stories and ideas that inherently celebrate our differences In My Big Story with Christopher Swan, Christopher is literally on a plane, train, or automobile, traveling the USA, uncovering stories from the voices often not heard, crossing boundaries of diversity, differentness, and beliefs. These thought-provoking conversations are with people that have taken chances and carved out uncommon paths. Through these interviews and stories Christopher discovers dreams, ideas, and truths — and in turn, his big story unfolds — to create a world where everyone belongs.

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