Nerdkicks Podcast

Kenneth Lim proves that there are many sides to being a nerd. For starters, Ken is a whiz marketing data analyst. (He loves data.) He's also connected into the European indie music scene. (He lives in Amsterdam. Yes, the Amsterdam.) Ever the internationalist, he adores American fantasy football. (He REALLY loves data!) And he's something of a gamer.

Ever seen commercials of the Dos Equis' Most Interesting Man in the World? Tony Alexander reminds me of him. Tony's bio is a little hard to describe. Web entrepreneur. Travel aficionado. Technologist. Angel investor. Gamer. Nerd. Well, maybe that wasn't so hard.

Meet Benny Lewis, the Irish Polyglot! Benny is fluent in 11 languages--and here's the best part--he says you can be, too. Benny insists that he is not, indeed, a magical language genie, and that you don't have to spend hundreds (thousands) on a fancy set of software or a class. Take a listen to our chat and learn about languages, traveling, and the real source of his magic: observation and practice.

Time for another Pittsburgh Special: hanging out in the Gartland family basement. This episode of the show is guest-less; it's just Matt and me taking a low-key saunter through the changes in our lives. It's also got updates on a couple of our past guests and their projects.

In last week's episode, Kim and Jason referenced the impact their mastermind group has had on their growth as business people. This week, we take a deeper look at mastermind groups by crashing Matt's weekly mastermind with Brandon Sutton and Jonathan Wondrusch. Brandon and Jonathan are both businessmen, creative entrepreneurs, and...wait for it...nerds! Brandon is working on the documentary Kids of the Gulf and Jonathan is developing a WordPress theme called WP Course Ninja.

Escape adulthood is the rallying cry that energizes Kim and Jason Kotecki and empowers their delightful community of fellow rebels fighting against adultitis.

Muppet lovers, the wait is over! Here is part two of our conversation with Steve Swanson from The MuppetCast Podcast, in which we continue our discussion of Muppet movies, toys, and the impact that Jim Henson and team has had on an entire generation of children.

We are thrilled to have Steve Swanson, host of the Muppetcast Podcast, on the show! In fact, we had more fun than we could fit into a single episode! This is the first of two episodes, in which we talked for a good bit about his show and his amazing guests, who have included insiders of the Jim Henson family and original Muppet cast and crew. Steve enthralled us with his stories and knowledge of the Muppet universe.

We are delighted to have Mignon Fogarty on the NerdKicks Podcast! Mignon is the host of the immensely popular Grammar Girl Podcast, where she shares her love of the intricacies of the English language. We discuss her podcast, the Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast Network, and her latest book, 101 Troublesome Words You'll Master in No Time.

We are thrilled to welcome Casey Weber, our first music aficionado, to the NerdKicks Podcast. Casey has channeled his love of music and love of community into Weber's Deck, transforming his backyard into a live concert venue nine weeks each summer. He truly embraces a sidekick role, supporting independent musicians and giving to his neighbors without asking for anything in return.

This episode is fun for a few more reasons. One, it's another in-person recording from Pittsburgh (alas, our last for now). Two, it's number 10...as in double digits! Yaaay! Three, we're still on our special Secret Agent L + NerdKicks kindness mission. We've already received a few wonderful submissions!

Be kind. No exceptions. That's the mantra of the Secret Agent L Project, founded and governed by the lovely Laura Miller. Her project began cloaked in anonymity; special, little acts of kindness were popping up all over the towns of Pittsburgh. The locals were grateful, and curious. So too was the media. Finally, after a year of missions, Laura revealed her true identity to the world.

Say hello to Adam Baker: online entrepreneur, blogger, speaker, family man, nerd, all around swell guy, and (now) documentarian. I'm Fine, Thanks is the documentary Adam and team have been working tirelessly at for the last many months. The film is "a collection of stories about life, the choices we all make, and the paths we ultimately decide to follow." Their message strikes very close to home as NerdKicks is about examining our personal hero's journey, our quest to become better nerds. Speaking to Adam about the film's essence, creative process and special moments was delightful. To experience the full effect of their storytelling, watch their amazing trailer (below) before listening to our chat with Adam.

We rally in Gotham--AKA Pittsburgh--for the first in-person episode! There's no substitute for a face-to-face geeky conversation and we take a break from our normal schedule to nerd out over our favorite books, movies, and superheroes.

Jenny Blake is one cool nerd. We positively love her, and know you will too! From blogging to books, from Google to Geek Yoga--and much in between--Jenny personifies what it takes to construct an accomplished geeky lifestyle. At her core, Jenny is motivated to become a better nerd everyday. She channels that energy into her every project, including motivating others through her Make Sh*t Happen coaching program.

Geeking out is fun, but there's a dark side to nerdiness--sometimes we take our nerd superpowers too far. In today's episode, we build off of our chat with Steve Kamb and explore what happens when a hobby turns into an obsession--and how to pull ourselves out.

Today on the show, a great friend and inspiring nerd, Steve Kamb! Steve runs NerdFitness.com, an incredible resource for assisting nerds of all shapes, sizes, and abilities in the quest to level up our lives through health and fitness.

Today on the NerdKicks Podcast, we dig into the overarching theme from last week's chat with Ken Denmead: seizing opportunity and exploring curiosity. We recount how these themes have played out in our own lives, and we travel down a few geeky tangents. Join us, and feel free to tell us how these themes have played out for you in the comments below!

Ken Denmead from GeekDad.com has his finger firmly on the pulse of all things geeky, creative, and educational. He absolutely understands both what it means to be a good nerd and what it means to be a good sidekick—in parenting, in work, and in hobbies. We are thrilled to have him as the first guest on the NerdKicks Podcast.

Step in to our secret lab! We believe that nerdy skills are superpowers, and we've created a podcast that examines how to develop these superpowers for the advancement of the greater good, to become faster, stronger, swifter nerds.