Gravity

Brett Kaufman

If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like behind the scenes on the way to becoming the foremost CEOs, authors, community builders, artists and thought leaders from around the world, Gravity will take you on a journey to discover just that. You can expect a deep dive into the shared layers of our human experience so we can raise our levels of consciousness and community.Entrepreneur, philanthropist, and real estate developer Brett Kaufman leads these conversations with a deep sense of curiosity to help us better understand the failures, successes, traumas and achievements that shape us all. Brett creates a safe space for guests to share their life journey, including their childhood and family dynamics, digging into how those experiences played an integral role into where they are today and how they now use those lessons to act in service of others.

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Top 10 Gravity Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Gravity episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Gravity for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Gravity episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

115. From Capitol to Columbus: Music is in Everyone with Bruce Garfield

Gravity

05/02/22 • 59 min

My guest for episode 115 of Gravity is Bruce Garfield. Bruce began his career as a pioneer in band merchandising, signing deals with Led Zeppelin, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Rolling Stones, and many others. He was then recruited by Capitol Records as Vice President of Artist Development and Press, making him the youngest senior executive in Capitol’s history.

We talk about how he found himself in such a place, unpack some wild industry stories, and discuss what helped him succeed in his roles. Namely, he attributes his ability to blend creativity with business instinct as what pushed him over the edge – a common thread we’ve seen and heard in Gravity guests of late.

He’s seen the way musicians are often treated by people, either idolized or as disposable products. Now, he’s working to establish a new generation of talent in Columbus with a non-profit label that protects artists’ rights. Tune in for a colorful conversation packed with nostalgic wisdom.

What Brett asks:

[01:56] Can you tell me about your childhood and family?
[12:37] What was it like to work with some of the most iconic musicians in the world?
[16:04] What do you attribute your early professional successes to?
[25:33] How was it working at a big record company?
[31:02] What skills had you developed that made you so good at your job?
[37:04] Did the business aspect of music change your relationship to it?
[41:37] How did you wind up in Columbus and what are you doing here?

To learn more about intentional living, and for the complete show notes, visit: brett-kaufman.com

Resources:

Gravity is produced and published by Crate Media.

142. Be the Water, Not the Waves: Finding Humility on the Farm with Joe DeLoss

Gravity

02/13/23 • 65 min

It’s been a busy few years for Joe DeLoss, to say the least.

Since his last appearance, episode 76, on the podcast, he’s relocated his family, weathered a global pandemic in one of the most dramatically impacted markets, and led Hot Chicken Takeover through an acquisition process – and it hasn’t even been two full years.

Starting at the beginning, we lay the foundation of his childhood and volunteerism roots, before jumping back into the 2017 rock-bottom which formed the basis of our earlier conversation.

We talk about the divinity behind his unforeseen move away from urban living to an open space where he and his family could expand their lives, the massive decision to give up majority ownership in his business, and the personal growth he’s experienced from therapy and meditation.

Open and honest as ever, the sense of contentment and self-awareness is palpable in his voice. It’s such a breath of fresh air to hear his POV on the mindsets that lead him to low points and the practices which have helped him recover a true, deep sense of peace.

To learn more, visit: thegravitypodcast.com

Resources:

Gravity 76: Hot Chicken is Good for the Soul: Business as Spiritual Nourishment with Joe DeLoss #76
Website: https://www.joedeloss.com
Order Up: hotchickentakeover.com
Instagram: @HotChickenTakeover
Read: The Courage to Be Disliked
Gravy Stack: gravystack.com

Gravity is produced by Crate Media.

61. Recognizing Beauty From the Outside In, with Debbie Penzone

Gravity

04/12/21 • 53 min

Debbie Penzone has a distinguished resume as a salon industry innovator, community leader, author, philanthropist, and lifestyle expert. She is passionate about wellness and inspiring others to live their fullest life, and integrates those principles into the business. When not leading a team of hundreds as President and CEO of Charles Penzone Incorporated, you can find her cooking up a new recipe, laughing with her husband, or on a yoga mat.

Debbie had a skin disorder in middle school. She would sometimes get made fun of because of it, making her feel not pretty. The lessons that experience taught her helped make her the woman she is today — with a different perspective on what society says is beautiful. When she went to cosmetology school, she didn't judge people for their appearance on the outside. What was most important was understanding who they were on the inside, a thread she’s continued throughout her life.

What Brett asks:

[01:41] Start at the beginning.
[11:22] What were some of your first hustles?
[14:29] When did you start thinking about cosmetology?
[20:49] Tell me about the path to PENZONE
[25:41] How did you go from an entry-level position to CEO of PENZONE?
[35:36] How did you prove to people you could run the company?
[44:12] How did yoga become a part of your life?

To learn more about intentional living, and for the complete show notes, visit: gravityproject.com

Resources:

penzonesalons.com
Instagram: @debbiepenzone
Read: "Debbie's Club: Discovering My True Beauty for Girls"
Read: "The Truth About You"
Podcast: From The Outside In

Gravity is a production of Crate Media.

66. Healing Ourselves by Healing Others: Mental Wellbeing in Uncertain Times, with Achea Redd

Gravity

05/17/21 • 61 min

In early 2016, Achea Redd was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. Her initial attempts to hide it from the world only created a shame spiral that made things worse and, eventually, she suffered from a full mental breakdown. Once she acknowledged the situation with her loved ones and sought out treatment from mental health professionals, she finally started to heal.

As part of her journey to wellness, she launched a blog, allowing her to share her feelings and experiences with those who needed to hear them. The response was overwhelmingly positive and, so, she followed the blog by creating Real Girls F.A.R.T., an organization that empowers women to become their best, most authentic selves.

We were lucky enough to talk to her in episode #66 of the Gravity podcast, where she bares all about the struggles in her upbringing and how she’s been able to find strength for herself and others in times that are uncertain in more ways than one.

Achea is still healing, but she’s found assisting others to be a wonderful stepping stone on the road to her own recovery. We can all learn something from her story.

What Brett asks:

[04:40] Let’s start at the beginning: tell me about your childhood.
[08:20] What is the felt experience of being a child whose father has a different public and private persona?
[20:50] Looking back on your childhood, how do you feel about your father?
[24:50] What are your thoughts about the notion that families should adhere to a set of social norms?
[30:00] How did you find growing into a teenager and a young adult?
[36:30] Tell me about your struggles with the shame spiral that you experienced?
[40:35] Do you think healing should happen parallel to advocating for others to heal?
[44:10] Do you look back on your life and see how it served you on your journey to where you are, now?
[49:30] How do you live with uncertainty and a lack of conclusion?
[52:00] Speaking as a black woman, how has your mental health been affected by the events of the past year?
[56:20] Tell us about the work you’re doing and how we can support you.

To learn more about intentional living, and for the complete show notes, visit: gravityproject.com

Resources:

Gravity is a production of Crate Media.

70. Living Outside the Box: Compartmentalizing Love & Acceptance with Jordan Reeves

Gravity

06/13/21 • 61 min

Jordan Reeves is the Founder and Executive Director of VideoOut, an organization dedicated to producing LGBTQ+ stories, content, and programs to educate the world about the LGBTQ+ community and how to best advocate for it. Jordan has written for Huffington Post and created LGBTQ+ inclusive content for major brands including Hulu, Verizon, P&G, and AARP, and they’ve even given a TED talk.

Jordan’s belief that stories are a powerful tool that can connect the entire world is completely aligned with the mission of Gravity. We learn about their religious upbringing in Hueytown, Alabama, and the moment (or lack of) when they realized they were queer, trans, and non-binary.

Jordan’s parents love them but acceptance isn’t something they’ve arrived at yet. We explore how Jordan has made their peace with this for the sake of maintaining their relationship, as well as the everyday struggles faced by the LGBTQ+ community, and the idea that we should look beyond the categorization of gender.

We also touch on the importance of gifting our stories to the world, the support hearing other experiences can provide for those of us in need, and the way that hearing about other people’s lives can normalize and cultivate acceptance across the planet.

What Brett asks:

[01:30] Let’s dive right into your childhood.
[08:30] Can you elaborate on the idea of knowing who you were from a young age?
[17:00] How did you come to accept your parents’ views about who you are?
[24:55] Would you say that society conditions people to believe they’re something that they’re not or that they just hide their true selves?
[30:20] What happened to you once you became a teenager?
[38:40] How did you break away from your religious beliefs at the time?
[45:00] What happened after you left for New York, through to the present?

To learn more about intentional living, and for the complete show notes, visit: gravityproject.com

Resources:

Gravity is a production of Crate Media.

129. Following a Path of Purpose with Pelotonia’s Joe Apgar

Gravity

10/31/22 • 57 min

His parents used to call him Honest Abe.

As a really grounded and thoughtful young kid, Joe Apgar played sports, collected baseball cards, and looked up to his grandfather, a man whose steadfast virtuousness lives on in family legend – as told by Joe. He describes his childhood as idyllic and loving, all supported by a strong sense of community in his smalltown home.

But, as we know well, trauma escapes no one. And how we let these experiences shape us is what matters most at the end of the day.

Joe tells of his sister's kidney cancer diagnosis at the young age of five, a memory that stays burnt into his brain to this day as he recalls a stark conversation on life and death with father. Surviving to become a nurse herself, this experience was the first of a few that lead Joe to where he is today, President of Pelotonia, one of the world’s most recognizable and revered cancer charity brands.

We also go deep on Joe’s own bout with testicular cancer, and how overcoming the disease isn’t exactly a prerequisite to fundraising for cancer research – but it sure does help his understanding and ability to communicate the dire perspective shared by so many patients around the world.

To learn more, visit: thegravitypodcast.com

Resources: