This episode's guest is Michael Keaveny, chef and owner of Tavola and author of the new book Tavola: 10 Greatest Hits – Music and Food. Michael and I chat about his experience working in restaurants as a teenager and one of his favorite dishes, the power of being the hardest person in the room, and the biggest difference between successful and unsuccessful restaurants. Spoiler alert: these same principles apply to to any business.

If you’re looking to start a business, there are certain questions you’ll need to ask. What am I passionate about? Who is my target audience? What challenges can I address?

Hassanatou Barry began answering these questions and saw an opportunity. She’s a young, innovative and resolute entrepreneur. She had been babysitting for years as a side hustle when she realized she had a tremendous passion for it. She soon started identifying opportunities in the market, learning there weren’t enough credible resources out there for caregivers. She took those insights and used them to start a business of her own: The Babysitter Guru.

Whether you’re an Instagram power user or just an occasional selfie star, knowing how to take good pictures is a skill anyone can have. And today’s guest, Feed This House founder Ashley M., is an absolute rock star when it come to taking photos. Her website is dedicated to food, family, and a whole lot more, and chock full of great photos (and occasionally brilliant puns too, though I’m not ready to admit she’s better than yours truly).

I’d like to see your photos, too - or at least would enjoy hearing from you! Get in touch with Good People, Cool Things on Twitter and Facebook.

The phrase “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” may be a cliche, but it applies in so many situations. Specifically, there’s a key word in there: make. You have to make the conscious decision to improve your situation. This episode’s guest, Joel Hawbaker, is no stranger to tough times – in the span of three years, he learned his dad had terminal cancer, got divorced, and lost his home. After hitting rock bottom while wandering aimlessly around a Walmart, Joel realized he could turn things around. He just had to commit to his self-improvement and consistently keep working at it. The end result? He’s developed leadership methods that anyone can use to help grow their business – or even just become more comfortable in their own skin.

Joel is an award-winning teacher, author, speaker, and frequent podcast guest who loves helping young leaders overcome obstacles and grow through courage, confidence, and humility. By sharing personal stories of failure and success, with plenty of humor and engagement mixed in, Joel teaches leadership principles that audiences can apply as soon as they leave the event. His book, Inverted Leadership: Lead Others Better By Forgetting About Yourself was a #1 best-seller on Amazon.