Second Act Stories
Andy Levine
Recent Episodes
Simmy Kustanowitz spent the bulk of his career working in television production. From the moment he took a job as an intern for "The Daily Show," he fell in love with the industry. After college, he climbed the ranks. His first job as an NBC page gave way to a gig as a production assistant for MTV, where he worked on a variety of shows. That's where he was given his first opportunity to produce TV shows.
With all that experience under his belt, Simmy eventually landed a role as an executive at the newly formed TruTV Network. That's where things really came together. Not long after he joined TruTV, Simmy became the network executive (or, the network suit) in charge of the rising comedy juggernaut "Impractical Jokers."
He oversaw that production for several years before leaving the network and jumping to the other side of the equation, working directly for the Jokers' production company. It didn't take long for Simmy to become the popular show's showrunner, the person who had overall creative authority and management responsibility for the show.
In spite of all that success, Simmy felt the need to find a lifeboat. As much fun as TV production was, there were signs that it might not be his long-term career path. He started searching for a career path that would make sense. As he shares in this inspiring episode, the result soon became Clock Tower Innovation, Simmy's creative consultancy for companies that don't have time for bloated processes or mediocre execution.
In this episode, Simmy shares details of his path that culminated in his running one of the most successful comedy shows ever to air on TV, how he made the difficult decision to leave TV behind, and what inspired him to draw on all his production experience to launch one of the most unique creative consultancies in the world.
To learn more about Simmy, you can find him on Substack (https://substack.com/@simmykustanowitz), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5cTuZAeTy_xkQ18iPrGgSg) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/clocktowerinnovation/)
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Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes.
If you like coffee, you're going to love Mike Ayar's second act.
Mike ran a highly successful software company for 24 years. With a niche focus, his organization served pest control companies, an industry Mike describes as "the absolute best service business in the world in terms of recurring revenue."
In 2002 a private equity company began pursuing the purchase of his company and in 2006 they made him a financial offer "he couldn't refuse." After the purchase, he continued to run the company but finally departed in 2009. Mike had "no idea" what he wanted to do next.
A few years earlier, Mike had developed an intense interest in speciality coffee and in particular coffee roasting. Surprisingly, he had never tasted coffee until he turned 45. Waiting for a flight, he entered an airport Starbucks and ordered a double espresso. He was hooked.
Mike took a range of courses and seminars from coffee experts around the country. In 2011, he launched Turnstile Coffee Roasters in Belmar, NJ. The company has grown into a thriving cafe which also offers online coffee sales and wholesale services to other coffee shops and area restaurants. It's a family affair with his nephew and two daughters actively engaged in the company.
Click here to learn more about Turnstile Coffee Roasters and their seventeen different blends of coffee from Costa Rica, Brazil, Guatamala, Ethiopia, Columbia, Nicarauga, Peru and Indonesia.
Kristin Connor was living a typical life as a business litigation attorney, a job she held for about a decade and absolutely loved.
Then, while she was pregnant with her second child, everything changed.
Her unborn son was diagnosed with an unusual form of neuroblastoma, a cancer that's rare in children to begin with, and almost unheard of in unborn babies.
After he was born, Kristin and her family spent two years going through test after test, tracking the tumor and evaluating options – all before any invasive surgery ever occurred. After trekking 3,000 miles, clear across the country, to meet with a doctor who seemed to offer the least worst alternative, the hand of god stepped in a performed what can only be described as an honest-to-goodness miracle. More on that in the interview.
This experience led Kristin to leave her law career behind and dedicate her life to helping other families whose children are battling cancer.
Today, Kristin is the CEO of CURE Childhood Cancer, a national nonprofit organization that raises millions of dollars each year to fund childhood cancer research and help families.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and your donations are encouraged today and every day. You can donate directly at THIS LINK.
In this inspiring episode, Kristin shares more about what she loved as an attorney; the way she got involved in childhood cancer research; how she became totally disillusioned with the other cancer nonprofit organizations out there; what Major League Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine and then-Commissioner Bud Selig had to do with it; why she does what she does today; and of course, the miracle she experienced.
Again, please donate to Kristin's organization, CURE Childhood Cancer, at THIS LINK. No amount is too small, and every penny brings them one penny closer to saving a life.
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If you enjoy Second Act Stories, please leave us a review here. We may read your review on a future episode!
Subscribe to the Second Act stories Substack.
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Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes.
Andrew Pudalov spent 15 years working his way up the ladder in the competitive ranks of NYC's financial industry. But the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center changed everything. "I was traumatized. My wife too. We have little kids. I lost good friends. One jumped. I could not believe the towers came down."
Andrew, his spouse and their young family were ready for a change. So they headed west to Boulder, Colorado with very little idea what was ahead. With zero experience in the retail food industry, Andrew started Rush Bowls a company that specializes in all-natural acai bowls and smoothies.
Over the past 20+ years, the company has grown to over 50 locations across the United States with another 20 stores in development.
What would happen if you were suddenly thrust into the role of caregiver for someone you love? Would you have any idea what to do or how to do it?
It's estimated that as many as 50 million people in the United States are caregivers, a job that virtually none of them trained for.
We all know someone who became a caregiver and had to learn on the fly. Unfortunately, there are precious few resources that can help. Sue Ryan and Nancy Treaster experienced it first-hand. These inspiring women worked together in the software industry before finding themselves facing a similar life challenge: becoming caregivers for their husbands, both of whom were battling dementia.
There was plenty of information about their husbands' diagnoses. Doctors were happy to provide them with hordes of information about what to expect as the disease progressed, but nobody was there with practical information about how to be a caregiver for someone with dementia.
Their lived caregiving experience gave Sue and Nancy all the training they needed to make sure nobody else would have to figure it out on their own. That's when they founded the sensationally popular podcast, The Caregiver's Journey. Each episode features truly practical advice about how to manage as a caregiver. Topics range from self-care to advice for clipping your loved one's fingernails. They truly cover it all.
The Caregiver's Journey has since grown to a powerhouse brand that fills a hugely meaningful gap for anyone who finds themselves having to be a caregiver. The organization was recently granted nonprofit status.
In this episode, Sue and Nancy discuss their former careers, their friendship, and their own personal journeys. It's at times compelling, heart wrenching and funny, but it's entirely inspirational and helpful.
To learn more about The Caregiver's Journey, visit them at thecaregiversjourney.org. And look up "The Caregiver's Journey" on any podcast app.
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If you enjoy Second Act Stories, please leave us a review here. We may read your review on a future episode!
Subscribe to the Second Act stories Substack.
Check out the Second Act Stories YouTube channel.
Follow Second Act Stories on social media: Facebook
Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes.