Hello podcast listener or website finder,
The name is JJ Gordon and I am the host with the most on the JJ Meets World.
All of the podcasts we release at JJ Meets World are special. Everyone has a story – even when they think they do not. When Tucker and I sit down with a friend, family member or stranger, we embark on a journey to find that story. In some episodes it takes a grind. We just need to search and search and search until we find the treasure of a story, On the other hand, we also find stories that spill out of someone before we even turn the mics on.
In 2019, we tried some truly wild stuff. Live episodes in front of crowds who give us instant gratification and out there concepts (like our Dungeons and Dragons episodes). All done with one goal. To make YOUR day a little better. Tucker and I work on these to bring you some entertainment. Or take an hour to make YOU a little more informed. Sometimes, we aim to provide you with a conversation you get to share.
Here are some notable episodes from 2019.
Jonathan Judd is our guest. It took more than a year to get him on the show…but the wait was worth it. We learned about how his past made him the person he is today. Spoiler alert, he came from a very different background than you would imagine. We talked criminal justice reform and the need for EVERYONE to take addiction seriously. I have listened to this episode more than a dozen times since we recorded it. Great stuff.
Back to back favorites?!?! Yep! This particular episode featured an infectious energy build with Patrick Kirby. He has some drastic ideas on how non-profits should be rethinking fundraising. I love all of this. Premium ideas that could be implemented tomorrow in an organizations charitable giving. Patrick is the kind of guy who you will see and hear from more and more every year.
Musical talent has never been a gift bestowed to me, so I seek it out in others. I have lived with musicians, geeked out over instruments and even get the pleasure of interviewing a world class conductor. The Fargo-Moorhead Symphony lend us an hour with Christopher Zimmerman to talk about the power of music and his journey to the podium.
Gwen Stark has been a mother figure to hundreds of students who attended Fargo South High. This was my chance to record some of this retired educators thoughts and feelings about being a leader, a teacher and a friend to thousands over the years.
Occasionally, you sit down with someone and instantly know that you are going to have an enjoyable hour of chatting. Katie O’Keefe-Hale is one of those people. From noting that she is the cool mom to her children’s friends to her work on the disgusting differences in treatment between US Olympic teams male vs female and finally ending in some of the most honest laughter I had in 2019, this is an episode that will be saved on my phone. I intend to listen offline as much as online.
As 2020 approaches, excitement grows for our new challenges. I am hoping to lose more weight, grow up a little, visit a Disney theme park and (maybe) open a restaurant. More on those later.
Thanks for coming along on this journey. I’ll be chatting with you again soon.
Don’t forget to say hello,
JJ Gordon – Host – “JJ Meets World”