Inevitable

Our guests today are, Diego Saez-Gil of Pachama and Sam Gill of Sylvera, and we're talking about forestry carbon offsets.Forestry carbon offsets were designed as a financial tool to provide an economic incentive for landowners to make alternative decisions, to pay landowners to keep their forests intact in the case of deforestation avoidance credits or to reforest previously damaged land in the case of reforestation credits. The money for this economic incentive comes from large actors who can then take "credit" for their action and apply it against the carbon footprint of their own organization. This is a carbon offset. In the simplest terms, if part of a company cannot decarbonize quickly, but still aims to achieve net-zero emissions, they can pay a forest landowner to preserve their forest and take an agreed upon amount of carbon off their balance sheet accordingly. And it’s a relatively new thing. Forestry carbon offsets have become a popular product over the last decade, and like any maturing industry, it has challenges.Diego and Sam are here to walk us through why forests matter, the history of offsets and how they work, some of the challenges highlighted recently, and what they think the path forward looks like. Regardless of what you think of carbon offsets, this is a crucial problem to solve. Without an economic incentive to maintain and regrow the world's forests, any thought of avoiding the worst effects of climate change is out the window. In this episode, we cover: Diego's background and intro to PachamaSam's experience and an overview of SylveraForests in the world today and why they matter for climateRisk of deforestation and the Amazon becoming a self-reinforcing negative feedback loopHow the story of biodiversity has changed from a forestry perspectiveEconomic levers at play with regard to forests, including reforestation and afforestationThe link between forest credits, offsets, and carbon marketsProblems associated with deforestation credits and managing illegal activityThe voluntary market for deforestation credits, who's buying and whyHow deforestation credits are measured now and historicallyMeasuring reforestation and afforestation projectsDiego and Sam's thoughts on a recent article in The Guardian claiming that most forest carbon offsets are worthlessHow Sylvera assesses forest projects and its reaction to The Guardian articlePachama's approach to creating synthetic baselines and validating the uncertainty of predictionsOvercoming challenges through collaborationPredictions for the future of forest carbon marketsGet connected: Cody Simms Twitter / LinkedInDiego Twitter / LinkedInSam Twitter / LinkedIn  MCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on January 31, 2023 Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Oliver Gunasekara, co-founder and CEO at Impossible Metals. If we're to electrify everything, we need an order of magnitude more batteries and wiring. All of this requires metals including nickel, cobalt, lithium, manganese, and copper. More metals mean… you guessed it, more mining. Today's land-based mining practices are fraught with externalities that vary by material, but often include deforestation and land degradation, incredible amounts of water use, pollution via mine tailings, giant diesel trucks, and in some cases even child labor. And what's more, the supply chains for many of these resources often flow to China, which has made massive investments in securing access for China-based battery companies. And yet, in certain expanses of our deep ocean, there are seabeds full of golf ball-sized nodules of metal like nickel and cobalt that have naturally formed over millennia. Impossible Metals is helping us realize an electrified future by developing underwater autonomous robots that mine metals for EV batteries in the deep sea. The company is developing an audacious moonshot-like technology to sustainably harvest trillions of dollars of undersea metals and disrupt the EV battery supply chain in the process. Buckle up, this discussion is rich and complex. In this episode, we cover:The state of mining todayAn overview of key battery metals, including nickel cobalt manganese (NCM), cobalt, manganese, and lithiumShortfalls in fulfilling the supply chainOliver's journey in startups and how he transitioned to climate techAn overview of deep sea minerals and their significanceThe process for mining materials including regulationsWhere we are today in terms of commercial mining of deep-sea mineralsScientific exploration required to do the workA description of Impossible Metals' autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs)How robotics help the AUV search for metals while minimizing the impact on sea lifeWhere the company is today and its goals for reducing the need for new minesCosts associated with Impossible Metals' solution compared to dredging and new minesImpacts on the supply chain for batteriesRole of the Inflation Reduction Act in funding manufacturing and productionFinal steps for refining and manufacturing materials into batteriesHow Oliver approaches company formulation with the mission of doing goodWhere the company is today and why the work is importantGet connected: Cody Simms Twitter / LinkedInOliver Gunasekara / LinkedInImpossible Metals / LinkedInMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on January 10, 2023.  Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Alex Blumberg, who is most recently the co-host of the climate change-focused podcast, How to Save a Planet. Alex was co-founder and CEO of Gimlet Media, which was acquired by Spotify in 2019. Alex has a history of unpacking incredibly complex systemic issues and making them digestible for mass audiences. Prior to Gimlet, he was co-host of the podcast Planet Money, which had its origins in unpacking the intricacies of the financial crisis of 2008 and the role of the housing market, therein.Planet Money went on to do investigative work on a myriad of economic and financial stories. And then Gimlet Media emerged with a similar focus on broader cultural topics. On this pod, we've talked to a few different entrepreneurs who've tackled the challenging problem of climate communications, from Climate Town's comedy, to Pique Action’s positivity, to The Cool Down’s attempts to hook new audiences into caring about climate via individual choices. How to Save a Planet, focused on helping people find their personal agency on the Venn diagram of the intersection of "What brings you joy, what you are good at, and what work needs doing."Alex and Cody have a conversation about how his own Venn diagram has changed as his skills have shifted from being good at podcasting to being experienced a company building. And they talk about how the broader narrative on climate change has changed over the last few years and why. They also cover the intersection of money and climate and the role of policy and politics therein. This discussion has great takeaways for those who are thinking about plugging themselves into climate-related efforts while leveraging their own skill, and for those working on communicating complex climate issues.In this episode, we cover: [3:11] Overarching thoughts about the housing crisis and the climate crisis[8:41] Public opinion and general awareness of climate change and the issues[13:10] The action side of climate communications and how Alex approached it on How to Save a Planet[17:10] Listener stories inspired by the podcast[19:00] Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson's Climate Action Venn Diagram [22:39] How Alex used his skills in podcasting  to drive climate action[24:57] His background in radio and narrative storytelling[32:44] How Gimlet Media came to be and an overview of Startup Podcast[38:28] Learnings from Alex's journey starting Gimlet through its acquisition by Spotify in 2019[43:45] How to harness personal agency while building a company[47:11] Situations where using climate change or climate benefits actually hurts business[51:39] Alex's thoughts on ESG and corporate action[57:26] What's next for AlexGet connected: Cody Simms Twitter / LinkedInAlex Blumberg TwitterMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on December 13, 2022.  Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Peter Reinhardt, co-founder and CEO of Charm Industrial. This conversation was recorded as a live session during Climate Career Week, a series of talks, local meetups, and office hours designed to help people make the transition into climate-oriented work. Climate Career Week was organized by Climate Draft, Terra.do, Work on Climate, and MCJ Collective. Given the nature of the audience, today's conversation focuses heavily on Peter's own journey into founding one of the most prominent companies in the climate tech space today. Peter also offers his thoughts on how certain key job functions may slightly differ in a climate tech company as opposed to a software tech company. And he would know. As Peter was working on Charm Industrial he was also the active co-founder and CEO of Segment, a software business in customer data management, which he eventually sold to Twilio in 2020 for $3.2 billion. In fact, Charm Industrial operated for multiple years while Peter was running Segment as his primary full-time role.In addition to the career path discussions, we cover what Charm Industrial is and does and why it matters. We also talk about how he imagines the business expanding in the coming years to take on adjacent problems in the emission space. And lastly, we at MCJ Collective are proud to be multiple-time investors in Charm Industrial via our venture capital funds. With that, we hope you enjoyed this conversation.In this episode, we cover: [2:12] Peter's background and path into tech[3:53] His motivations for dropping out of MIT and starting a software company [6:11] How Peter discovered the problem for Segment's software solution[7:35] Learnings from becoming a CEO  [9:55] Peter's motivations for working on the climate problem and how Charm Industrial came to be[18:01] An overview of Charm Industrial[22:01] An overview of pyrolysis and Charm's process [25:07] How Peter views the company's core innovation [28:58] Biggest risks and challenges with putting bio-oil underground [31:14] Customer side of carbon sequestration[34:24] How Peter sees Charm evolving [40:21] Key job function differences between a climate tech company vs a software tech company [45:10] Biggest lessons learned in transitioning from leading a software company to a carbon removal company [46:16] How Peter approaches permitting including exploring jurisdictions and finding consultants [47:31] Biggest choking point today and where MRV fits inGet connected: Cody Simms Twitter / LinkedInPeter Twitter / LinkedInMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on January 27, 2023. Watch the video here. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Simon Moores, CEO of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, the world’s leading Price Reporting Agency (PRA) for the lithium-ion battery to the electric vehicle supply chain and a data and intelligence provider for the space.Simon and Cody have a great conversation about the state of the EV battery supply chain and lithium in particular – where it comes from, how it's processed, what drives its price, the geopolitical considerations of its mining and production, and what to expect in the coming years and decades. In this episode, we cover: [1:50] Simon's background in batteries, mining, and journey to starting Benchmark Mineral Intelligence[3:30] The role of EV batteries in driving the lithium market[6:45] Primary method of lithium mining today and challenges for scaling long term[12:44] Driving forces behind energy storage volumes today[13:37] Supply chain for lithium today and current challenges[19:36] Production of lithium in China[22:10] Environmental impact of processing metals into chemicals for batteries[25:25] The US plan for domestic lithium-ion battery processing and impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act[30:00] Joint ventures and other key players   building gigafactories[33:24] Status of EV consumer market in China[36:30] An overview of Benchmark Minerals[41:11] Simon's short and long-term market outlook for lithiumGet connected: Cody SimmsSimon Moores / Benchmark Mineral IntelligenceMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on January 17, 2023. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Dr. Evan Thomas, CEO and Founder of Virridy, and Director of the Mortensen  Center in Global Engineering & Resilience and the Climate Innovation Collaboratory at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Evan is also a tenured Associate Professor in the CU Boulder Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering Department. So, he’s a busy guy.  Virridy’ s water sensors monitor and measure groundwater pumping for more than 4 million people in the East African countries of Kenya and Ethiopia and the American West. The company’s partners include the National Science Foundation (NSF), USAID, The World Bank, NASA, the Millennium Water Alliance, Swarm Technologies, The Freshwater Trust, Wexus Technologies and the Kenyan government.We’ve had a few conversations on the pod recently at the intersection of water and climate change. Jason spoke with Felicia Marcus of Stanford’s Water in the West program, and Cody talked to David Wallace of CODA Farm Tech. It’s worth noting some of the key learnings up to this point. For starters, conversations about water are nuanced. Droughts, floods, sea level rise, irrigation, stormwater systems, clean drinking water, etc… all have water as a common thread, but are each enormously separate topics on their own. And while most of the problems and challenges with water existed before climate change, they have accelerated faster than anyone anticipated. Evan is pursuing two different business models in East Africa and the U.S., albeit with the same tech stack. In the former, he primarily seeks to earn avoided emissions carbon credits by monitoring the activity of groundwater pumps and the cleanliness of the water they produce, and ensuring access to clean drinking water without the need to burn fuels to heat and purify it. In the American West, he is participating in the demand response economy, helping water utilities shut down their groundwater pumps and conserve electricity during times of peak grid demand.Evan and Cody have a fantastically nuanced conversation, tackling subjects as diverse as the outcomes of COP27 as it relates to climate justice, his background at NASA and how it informed his approach to earth science, how he runs a company while also being a university professor, how carbon credit financing works, and of course the differences in how climate change is accelerating droughts in East Africa and the American West, and what that means for the water systems in each geography. Get ready to dive in a learn a ton!  In this episode, we cover: [4:12] Evan's background in water systems in space and rural communities[8:28] Applying carbon credits to clean drinking water[10:50] Evan's partnership with Life Straw and academic and entrepreneurial experience[12:20] Similarities and differences between the American West and East Africa in terms of climate change and water[18:36] Groundwater in East Africa vs. California and purification requirements[24:10] Virridy's solution and technology[26:22] The company's carbon credit methodologies in Africa[28:31] Financial incentives and carbon offset endorsements from COP27 in Egypt[32:11] Virridy's different business model in the U.S.[37:48] How Evan manages Virridy's different markets[42:59] Applying Virridy's tech to soil carbon[46:23] The company's funding to date and an overview of pre-selling carbon creditsGet connected: Cody's TwitterDr. Evan Thomas / VirridyMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on November 28, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

This episode is part of our new Skilled Labor Series hosted by MCJ partner, Yin Lu. This series is focused on amplifying the voices of folks from the skilled labor workforce, including electricians, farmers, ranchers, HVAC installers, and others who are on the front lines of rewiring our infrastructure.Our next guest is Tonya Hicks, President and CEO of Power Solutions and Managing Principle of Women Do Everything, LLC.  Tonya is a serial entrepreneur, a single mom of two boys, and a wireman electrician in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). She became the first woman to attain the status of inside journeyman wireman in the IBEW Local 917 in her hometown of Meridian, Mississippi, and the first African American woman to become an IBEW journeyman electrician in the State of Mississippi.Tonya’s primary electrician job started in industrial environments, working in paper mills, steel mills, and car plants. She then specialized in robotics and high-voltage equipment installation and repair. In 2000 at age 28, Tonya founded Power Solutions, Inc. an electrical contracting company. Tonya is also the founder of Women Do Everything, which supports women in blue-collar, male-dominated industries to help them grow, connect, and thrive.In this episode, Tonya shares her background in mathematics and switch to electrical work. We also learn how she started her company, its international footprint, and her challenges as a black woman in a male-dominated industry. Yin and Tonya cover different types of electricians plus the union vs. non-union experience for people interested in the space. Finally, they talk about the electrician shortage, the impacts of the IRA on electrical work, and Tonya’s other inspiring endeavors. In this episode, we cover: [2:18] Tonya's background in electrical work[6:35] The education path to becoming an electrician[8:46] Gender and racial disparities in the trades and electrical work specifically[12:37] How Tonya started her own company called Power Solutions and grew her business[21:44] Power Solutions' footprint in Georgia and internationally[23:41] Different types of electricians and the union vs. non-union experience[27:07] The electrician shortage[27:54] An overview of Tonya's Women Do Everything organization[31:32] The first Women's Summit and Career Expo on March 28-29 in Atlanta, Georgia[35:45] Impacts of the IRA on electrical work[38:28] Tonya's SHE EV companyGet connected:Yin Twitter / LinkedInTonya Twitter / LinkedInMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on December 5, 2022.  Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Sam D'Amico, Founder and CEO at Impulse. Impulse is helping to electrify homes with sleek-looking all-electric appliances, starting with an induction cooktop.Regardless of whether or not you pay close attention to the climate space, you've probably seen some commentary in the last few weeks about gas stoves. The gas stovetop has become one of the latest culture war topics in American political discourse. Recent remarks from an official with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission about health risks associated with gas stoves in the home have prompted a wave of conservative voices to speak out in support of gas stoves, with one prominent House Republican tweeting a picture of a lit gas stovetop and the caption QUOTE "you'll have to pry it from my COLD DEAD HANDS!"Sam and Cody have a great conversation about the news from the last few weeks, the emissions profile of gas stoves, recent data on health risks associated with gas stoves in the home, the history of how gas stoves came into homes in the first place, some of the city and state level regulation that has recently been enacted around gas hookups in new construction, and then all about induction stoves and what Impulse is building. Since this topic is likely to cross over and come up in conversation with folks you might not expect, we hope you find it informative and helpful. In this episode, we cover: [3:38] The culture war around gas stoves [5:25] Growth of gas usage in homes [9:57] Emissions and human health concerns of using gas stoves[17:57] Regulations around gas hookups[22:27] Utility incentives and influencer campaigns for gas appliances [27:11] Legacy electric stove tops [31:14] An overview of induction stoves [5:45] Installation process for induction stoves [40:04] Impulse's suite of appliances[45:30] Sam's background and how he transitioned to working on appliances[47:55] Future plans for Impulse [50:49] Challenges and changes needed to help people understand induction stoves Get connected: Cody Simms Twitter / LinkedInSam D’Amico / ImpulseMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on January 19, 2023 Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today, we have two guests, Peter Minor, Director of Science and Innovation at Carbon180; and Jack Andreasen, Policy Manager for Carbon Management at Breakthrough Energy. Peter and Jack are two of the world’s foremost experts in the world on carbon dioxide removal, or CDR as it's called in climate circles. They and their respective organizations influence public policy, support critical technology research and development, and offer various other forms of support for the burgeoning field of CDR.In this conversation, we're focused almost exclusively on ambient carbon dioxide removal and not on point source carbon capture, which is a separate but related technology focused on directly capturing emissions from hard-to-abate industrial applications like concrete, steel, and fossil fuel extraction. Ambient carbon dioxide removal (CDR) instead seeks to remove diffuse CO2 from the atmosphere directly via multiple methodologies, of which the most widely pictured method is direct air capture, or DAC, which looks like oversized fans that extract CO2 from the air. In addition, we also touch on a few biology-related CDR technologies like biochar that seek to lock biologically produced carbon up before it can become atmospheric.There's so much to unpack in this one. Cody, Peter and Jack talk about policy tailwinds for CDR, the categories and methodologies, commercial adoption progress and challenges, how and why buyers approach the space today, and some of the speed bumps CDR will undoubtedly encounter as it scales, including but not limited to fraud and false claims. Challenges aside, it's an exciting time in this space. CDR is still very nascent and very wide open, but it also feels light years further along than just a few years ago. In this episode, we cover: [3:08] An overview of Carbon180 and Peter's work[5:07] Breakthrough Energy and Jack's background [7:48] Policy tailwinds of the IRA[12:59] Why DAC became a policy winner and other investments in the IRA [14:36] Hybrid approaches to removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere [18:30] An overview of direct air capture (DAC) and mineralization [25:03] Enhanced rock weathering [27:46] Measuring CDR and uncertainty with open and closed systems [32:54] Variety of ocean methods compared to terrestrial  [35:11] Biochar as a scaled solution, why it's a less prominent method, and Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) [40:53] Analysis for selecting and purchasing CDR credits [43:00] The role of consulting firms for companies purchasing CDR credits [52:13] Reasons why companies are buying CDR [55:17] Biggest risks of fraud and different levels [1:03:03] Guardrails for preventing fraud and the role of government [1:06:25] Innovation needs for CDRResources mentioned in this episode: Buying Carbon Removal, Explained by ShopifyCarbon180 ResourcesCDR.fyi 2022 Year in ReviewGet connected: Cody Simms Twitter / LinkedInMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on January 4, 2023 Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Allison Dring, CEO and co-founder of Made of Air, which makes carbon-negative materials using biochar for the built environment and consumer goods.Biochar is a carbon-rich material from burning biomass such as wood or crop residue. We’ve loosely covered this topic with startups like Climate Robotics, but Made of Air is taking a different approach. The company uses biochar powder mixed with bioplastics to create a moldable, functional material embedded with captured carbon. Made of Air is helping to drive the net-zero economy by using its material in various products, including fashion accessories, brand facades, and building materials.  The way we approach seemingly routine aspects of building design, such as accent textures on walls, is shifting as we become more aware of the environmental impact of embodied carbon. Allison and Made of Air are leading examples of this transformation in the industry.In this episode, Allison and Cody have an interesting conversation about current building materials and how the built environment is thinking about decarbonization. They also discuss how carbon-negative materials can complement other emissions reduction practices in buildings. Finally, they delve into the end-of-life process for these buildings and what materials would need to look like to ensure that carbon stays sequestered.In this episode, we cover:[2:11] Systemic failures in the built environment[4:31] Why we should be paying attention to embodied carbon right now[6:22] New regulations in Europe for building emissions[8:45] Allison's background as a trained architect and how she met her co-founder[14:10] Allison's approach from a climate perspective with carbon capture at the forefront[18:10] An overview of Made of Air's process[21:27] Use cases for Made of Air's material, including fashion and the built environment[25:17] The company's role in customers' manufacturing process and impact on Scope 3 Emissions[29:19] The green premium question[32:40] Made of Air's production footprint and plans to scale[36:00] Biochar's end-of-life and permanent sequestration[39:15] The financial side of the business[42:10] Who Allison wants to hear from and how to work with Made of AirGet connected: Cody Simms Twitter / LinkedInAllison Dring / Made of AirMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on November 7, 2022.  Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant