How Cool Is This?
How Cool Is This?
Recent Episodes
After kicking off the weekend with a presentation about America’s skeptical attitudes towards Generative AI and personalized advertising, YouGov’s Ryan Gross joined us at the Lively Grit Daily House to discuss hobbies vs identities, dogs, pants, embracing authenticity, and more.
"Only your own vision of what is cool, is cool.”
Did you attend the 2023 Coolios at Stand Up New York? You might remember Ryan from playing a few songs at the awards show.
If you're listening to this episode on Spotify, check out his popular indie music project Skinny Dippers, and get updates on the band’s forthcoming music on his Instagram page (@skinnydippersband).
Special thanks to Lively and Audience 101 for hosting us at SXSW, and YouGov (where co-host Brian also works) for running the survey that supported our series of conversations.
A multivariate speaker at the Lively Grit Daily House at SXSW 2025, Kit Huffman sat down with us just before her Saturday keynote to talk about LinkedIn, fame, ski gear, and most importantly — cool.“You walk in a room and there's that aura… that person that has that absolute charisma. They got the outfit, they have the social media following, they have people that know who they are… They just own a room in a lot of different ways, whether that's a literal room or an online room.”Connect with Kit on LinkedIn, and learn more about her work with Seneca, a personal branding agency she founded.
Special thanks to Lively and Audience 101 for hosting us at SXSW, and YouGov for running the survey that supported our series of conversations.
A veteran of the tech conference scene, Peter brought his unique POV — and love of hot dogs — to his conversation with us at The Lively Grit Daily House.
We talked about prescription sunglasses, acceptable hot dog toppings, getting his dog on The Today Show, how the Irish say things are cool, “raw data” from strangers, what he saw at CES ‘25, a crawling bedside table lamp, and a lot in between.
“ I think it's important to be cool and in your own sense of cool and in your own skin and in your own mind. Some people's brand is just straight nerdy, straight geeky, and they make it work. Look at Bill Gates, right?”
Watch Peter's dog on The Today Show. Read Peter’s work on Grit Daily and check out his retail accelerator work. Follow his Old Time Eatery Guide.
Special thanks to Lively and Audience 101 for hosting us at SXSW, and YouGov for running the survey that supported our series of conversations.
Andrew and Mike made their way to SXSW to show off Mado Dynamic — their new solar-powered, fully automated shades, which we got the chance to test out in the Lively Grit Daily House.
We talked about the product, Curb Your Enthusiasm, the perils of corded blinds, “pane” points, being “baller”, how to get strangers to think your new product is cool, western shirts, The Sound of Music, and a lot in between.
“ I thinkI'm a good listener. I talk to people, I understand their position in life. And so, I just listened to how they think and talk about how that product might solve problems for them. Most of the time people really resonate with like, ‘Oh, I never thought of that. Oh, I never thought I could afford that. Oh, that's super interesting’.”
Learn more about Mado Dynamic and back their Kickstarter.
Special thanks to Lively and Audience 101 for hosting us at SXSW, and YouGov for running the survey that supported our series of conversations.
Kati had a busy South by Southwest, speaking at the Lively Grit Daily House, a panel at the convention center, and a session at New Mexico House.
We sat down with her early in the trip, right after her speaking gig at Lively Grit Daily House.
The conversation ranged from basketball to bands to whether or not it's cool to have a political stance (spoiler: Kati says it is!), gaming, coolness as a parent, and a lot in between.
She also spoke about her job at Meow Wolf - an immersive art adventure and experience - and the brand’s relationship with the fleeting concept of coolness.
“Now that we have millions of visitors a year, like, I want my next door neighbor, who is a soccer mom, I want her to bring her kids there, you know? I want her to enjoy it and not feel as though she's not cool enough to be there. But at the same time, I want to still have that value described by us, while also being accessible.”
Connect with Kati on LinkedIn and find a Meow Wolf location near you (they’re coming to LA and New York soon).
Special thanks to Lively and Audience 101 for hosting us at SXSW, and YouGov for running the survey that supported our series of conversations.