For Executive Chef Akshay Bhardwaj, becoming a chef was not always the plan. It took perseverance and a little bit of defiance for him to rise in the ranks and become the Executive Chef of Junoon, which at one time was the only Michelin Star restaurant in New York City serving Indian food. In this episode, you will hear about Akshay's path to cooking, how he approaches collaborations with other chefs, and where he finds inspiration for dishes when traveling. Grey Interviewer: Samantha Geller, Senior Project Manager and Podcast Producer.

For A Year of Positive Thinking author Cyndie Spiegel, writing her second book came after a year of personal struggle and loss in 2020. Yet, she still found moments of joy and documented them in her second book, Microjoys: Finding Hope (Especially) When Life Is Not Okay. In this episode, you will hear about Cyndie's journey to writing the book, the lessons she learned from the people closest to her, and a recent micro joy in her life. Grey Interviewer: Sara Worthington, Executive Creative Director, Grey New York.

Arielle Assouline-Lichten's dream was to create a furniture design studio that creates social change — that's what led her to start Slash Objects, an award-winning, sustainable design studio. Arielle is a Best of NYC x Design winner, and she was a finalist contestant on the HBO Max show Ellen's Next Great Designer. In this episode, you will hear Arielle's story of how she brought together her interests, architecture background, and entrepreneurial spirit to create Slash Objects. Grey Interviewer: Thiago Cruz, Grey New York's Chief Creative Officer.

Rob Herting saw a void within the podcast space where nobody else did – cinematic quality audio fiction. After leaving his job at a talent agency, he became the CEO and founder of QCODE, an audio-based production studio. QCODE is behind multiple critically acclaimed fiction podcasts like Blackout with Rami Malek, Carrier with Cynthia Erivo, Dirty Diana with Demi Moore, and Hank the Cowdog with Matthew McConaughey. Grey Interviewer: Jason Kahner, Grey's Chief Client Officer.

For Zach Thomas, the idea of doing anything other than teaching tennis seemed out of reach while studying at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. Now Zach is a podiatrist who runs the YouTube channel Foot Doctor Zach, where he reviews the latest performance shoe tech and breaks down the most advanced shoes for athletes. Grey Interviewer: Thiago Cruz, Grey New York's Chief Creative Officer.

Nathalie Walton found that there were not enough resources devoted to the mental health of expecting mothers. After a serious health scare during her pregnancy, Nathalie turned to the Expectful app to find peace of mind. The app moved her so much that she became an advisor and eventually a late-stage co-founder and CEO. Grey Interviewer: Elizabeth Gilchrist, EVP, Account Director.

For law school graduate Neil Tanna, the idea of losing touch with his university friends was heartbreaking. Motivated by the excitement of creating and keeping connections, Neil and his team made a UK-based social platform called Howbout. The app brings scheduling, planning, and chatting together into one place to take the hassle out of getting together with friends. Grey Interviewer: Bee Pahnke, Grey London's Head of Voice.

For Gavin McIntyre, what started as a classroom project and a passion for helping the planet, is now an audacious goal of ending the world's dependency on plastics through the mycelium materials company, Ecovative. Gavin and his partner Eben Bayer have used mycelium — aka fungi — to create leather alternatives, a meat substitute product, and a fully compostable packaging foam. Grey Interviewer: Iman Omar, Associate Creative Director.

For co-founders and longtime friends, Karen Rabinovitz and Sara Schiller, the idea of creating a place for play was always at the tip of their fingers. Together, they found joy and healing during difficult times in an unexpected way – by playing with SLIME. Based in SoHo in New York City, with locations in Chicago and Atlanta, this unique space is committed to neurodiversity, mental health, and of course, fun. Grey Interviewer: Joey Scarillo.

Jessie Mueller's Broadway career started in 2011 with the revival of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, where she starred alongside Harry Connick Jr. She then went on to star in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical as Carole King and in Waitress as the lead Jenna. On our season 4 premiere, we will hear Jessie's story of coming up in the business, what she learned along the way, and where she sees the industry moving forward. Grey Interviewer: Joey Scarillo.

New episodes of Grey Matter: A Podcast About Ideas are launching soon and will release every other Tuesday. The Webby Award winning podcast is back with new guests, a new logo, and a new host! Follow to hear firsthand, how the best ideas were thought up from some of the most innovative creators, founders, and inventors.

This week, we're sharing a special episode of Grey Matter, featuring an idea from within the walls of Grey, a project called Six Feet Over. Six Feet Over is a collection of almost 400 artifacts, images, objects and stories submitted by the folks of Grey NY, designed to introduce and reintroduce us to each other by spotlighting our individual journeys. Host: John Patroulis, Global Creative Chairman.

Wagmo is a pet insurance brand founded by serious dog-lover Christie Horvath. She learned just how important pet insurance could be after her dog was sadly diagnosed with a brain tumor. On this episode, we will discover how Christie went from business student to business owner with the support of her friends, family, and of course, her dogs! Grey Interviewer: Carly Quellman, Associate Creative Director.

Alyse Nelson has spent her entire career empowering women worldwide. Her non-profit, The Vital Voices Global Partnership, has served more than 18,000 women leaders across 182 countries. On this episode, Alyse speaks with Grey New York Chief Creative Officer Justine Armour about how women lead and what they've learned from women leaders around the world. Grey Interviewer: Justine Armour.

Dennis Crowley created the first community that integrated social media with the real world when he invented Foursquare, the location-based technology company. On this episode of Grey Matter, we will pinpoint how this idea was crafted, track down its origins, and hear exactly where the mayor-badge was cooked up. Interviewer: Kenny Gold.

Susan McPherson was not expecting to spend a year in isolation when she sat down to write the book, The Lost Art of Connecting. Susan leads McPherson Strategies, is an angel investor and corporate responsibility expert, but is truly a connector at her core. On this episode, you'll hear about the foundations of Susan's book and how she learned to deepen connections with others. Grey Interviewer: Holly Williams, Global Planning Director.

When Jim McKelvey invented the Square card reader with Twitter Founder Jack Dorsey, he had no idea he was headed into a David vs. Goliath battle with Amazon that he would ultimately win! On this episode, you will hear what drove Jim to make payment simpler, how he and the team conquered competition, and what he's up to next. Grey Interviewer: Kenny Gold, Executive Director, Social.

Tiana Epps-Johnson and her co-founders had an ambitious and critical goal; to simplify and modernize U.S. elections. To reach this goal, they established The Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), whose data has been accessed over 250 million times by U.S. voters through partnerships with local election committees, Google, and Facebook. Grey Interviewer: Joey Scarillo.

It's no wonder 305 Fitness founder and CEO Sadie Kurzban has been called "the next fitness cult leader" by the New York Observer. With seven studios across New York, Washington D.C., and Boston; and 1,000 certified instructors teaching worldwide, 305 Fitness has been seen by over 100,000 people. Grey Interviewer: Carly Quellman, Associate Creative Director.

April Walker became a legend in the hip-hop fashion scene, as the first woman to break into the industry when she opened her store, Fashion in Effect in the late 80's. Over the decades, she dressed icons like Biggie, Tupac, Jay Z, and Mike Tyson in her Walker Wear brand. Grey Interviewer: John Patroulis, Worldwide Chief Creative Officer.

New episodes of Grey Matter: A Podcast About Ideas are launching on Tuesday June 15th and release every other Tuesday. Follow to hear firsthand, how the best ideas were thought up from some of the most innovative creators, founders, and inventors.

This episode wraps up our deep dive into the question "What makes a good idea a great one?" We're deep-diving into the creative criteria we hold our work to at Grey. This week is "Audacity." Host John Patroulis and Grey New York's Chief Creative Officer, Justine Armour, articulate a definition for what audacity means in creativity.

We are continuing to investigate "What makes a good idea a great one?" through the creative criteria we hold our work to at Grey. This week is "Craft." Host John Patroulis chats with season two guest Keith Cartwright, the co-founder of Saturday Morning, and founder/CCO of Cartwright.

"What makes a good idea a great one?" is the question we will continue to explore on this bonus series. We're discussing the creative criteria we hold our work to at Grey. This week is "Simplicity." Producer Joey Scarillo chats with season two guest Greg Marsh, founder and CEO of Keyme.

Welcome to Grey Matter's first bonus series, exploring the question: "What makes a good idea a great one?" We're diving into some of the ideas we've featured in the podcast, through the lens of the creative criteria we hold our work to at Grey. First is "Surprising but Feels Inevitable."

Check out #5Things from Grey, a weekly round table panel that covers the latest in social media. Check it out wherever you get podcasts.

When George Dawes Green hosted his first Moth event, before even calling it The Moth, the event, in his words, was "horrible." Through determination and a passion for telling a good story, George grew the idea into a global platform to celebrate raconteurs. Grey Interviewer: John Patroulis.

When Jackie Carter earned her three post graduate degrees in her 40's, all she wanted to do was help people. After the brutal murder of Philando Castile in 2016, her mission became clear – make traffic stops safer for black motorists and police officers alike. She is the inventor of the Not Reaching pouch. Grey Interviewer: Lori Bullock.

When Mikael Cho and Stephanie Liverani created Unsplash they had no idea how quickly they would find success – seemingly overnight. Unsplash fills the unmet needs of creative professionals – a free and culturally aware solution for people who are simply trying to make cool things. Grey Interviewer: Kenny Gold.

After navigating a painful divorce, VC Chickering used her personal experience to write her first novel, the humorous and racy Nookietown. We'll learn how she landed her first book deal, insight into her writing process, and the struggles between the creation of her first and second books. Grey Interviewer: Holly Williams.

In 2016, motivated by the deaths of Philando Castile and Eric Garner and many others, Keith Cartwright, and his collaborators, started the creative coalition, Saturday Morning. In this episode, you'll hear what led Keith to the many partnerships and creative endeavors that Saturday Morning takes on as an organization. Grey Interviewer: Jhanell Biggs.

As a child, Tal Zvi Nathanel would look through the department store windows in New York City and be transported to a magical place. This passion for wonder and imagination led him to create Showfields, often called the Most Interesting Store in the World. Grey Interviewer: Kenny Gold.

When Jon Sandler started collaborating with his bandmate Luke Moellman, there was an instant musical chemistry that led them to start the band, Great Good Fine Ok. On this episode, you'll hear from Jon, the band's lyricist and lead vocalist, and learn the secrets of their success. Grey Interviewer: Holly Williams.

For Claudia Edelman, advancing an agenda of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the Hispanic community can be traced back to her most-formative childhood experiences. In this episode, Claudia speaks about her vision for We Are All Human, the non-profit she founded. Grey Interviewer: Karol Chang.

When Greg Marsh's wife was locked out of their apartment, the experience of calling a locksmith was so negative that it inspired Greg to innovate. In this episode, you'll hear the story that led him to KeyMe, a security technology company famous for its digital key printing kiosks in retail locations. Grey Interviewer: Dan Bennett.

The challenge for Allurion Technologies co-founder, Dr Shantanu Gaur and his team was to invent a safe and inexpensive way for a gastric balloon to enter and exit the stomach. The solution was a true innovation in weight loss, the Elipse. You'll hear how Dr. Gaur's passion led him to drop out of Harvard Medical School. Grey Interviewer: Joey Scarillo.

J. Ivy is a poet, rapper, and spoken word artist whose creative journey began when a teacher assigned him to speak in front of a crowd. His love of language has led him down many paths, including Kanye West's 2004 hit album, The College Dropout. Grey Interviewer: John Patroulis.

Tanya Zhang and Wesley Kang are the co-founders of the men's fashion brand Nimble Made. They created a clothing brand focused on size inclusion for men needing a truly slim shirt. Hear how they launched from their apartment and what they learned on their road to entrepreneurship. Grey Interviewer: Karol Chang.

Steereo Co-Founder Sean McKenzie is driven by music. It's a drive that's led him to a one-of-a-kind business solution for ride-share app drivers. The Steereo app is a music discovery platform used by drivers and compensates them for streaming music to their passengers. Grey Interviewer: Kenny Gold.

Joe Lunardi has had a lifelong passion for basketball. A passion that has led him to his career in Bracketology at ESPN. Each year, he projects the NCAA Men's basketball tournament field. His work is a culmination of sports, stats analysis, and a deep understanding of the game. Grey Interviewer: Joey Scarillo.

Melody Henderson is a Brooklyn native, and the Creative Director and co-founder of Curly Girl Collective. As the Creators of CURLFEST® – the largest natural beauty festival in the world, she and her co-founders are building a global community where women and girls of every shade, shape, and size can celebrate. Grey Interviewer: Holly Williams.

Loren Hammonds is the Programmer of Feature Films and Immersive at Tribeca Film Festival. With over 15 years of experience in the film and entertainment industry, Loren oversees the curation of Virtual Arcade, a collection of incredible VR art, installations, and narratives. Grey Interviewer: Dan Bennett, Worldwide Chief Innovation Officer.

Diamond Dallas Page aka DDP began his legendary wrestling career at age 35. He was met with skepticism upon entering the wrestling world at his age but proved everyone wrong. After a spinal injury brought his career to a halt, he created a one-of-a-kind yoga work out for people of all levels of fitness experience. Grey Interviewer: John Patroulis.

Announcing new episodes of Grey Matter launching on Tuesday January 28th 2020 and will release every other Tuesday.

In Grey Matter's first-ever bonus episode, our conversation with Sleeping Giants co-founder, Matt Rivitz, continues. The discussion ranges from free speech, to technology's unintended consequences for media companies, to updating the terms of service for advertisers to meet their needs. Grey Interviewer: John Patroulis.

Season 1 of Grey Matter: A Podcast About Ideas is live, look out for Season 2 coming Winter 2020.

Matt Rivitz is the co-founder of Sleeping Giants, a social media activism organization that combats racism, sexism, and all hate speech in advertising and media. In our season one finale, we'll hear how Matt has harnessed the power of creativity to make real-world change. Grey Interviewer: John Patroulis.

For Mary Pryor, a personal health focus drove an idea that's become a national discussion. The co-founder of Cannaclusive shares her concept about how to elevate the discussion of why diversity is essential to the future of the business. Grey interviewer: Graham Nolan.

During his run across the entirety of the Sahara Desert, Charlie Engle's transcendent thoughts and global exploration led to the idea of water.org. Hear about his extraordinary trip, and the idea for a movement born of his journey. Grey interviewer: Worldwide Chief Innovation Officer Dan Bennett.

Morgan Givens is someone who truly understands the transformative power of storytelling. Through the fiction podcast Flyest Fables, Morgan tells "hopepunk" stories with rich imagery. Grey Interviewer: Joey Scarillo.

Faced with a daily routine of costly meal bars plus coffee, Aaron Kinnari – founder of FLT Bars – thought to combine them both into one clean energy recipe for improved health. Grey interviewer: Global Strategy Director Holly Williams.

Tiffany R. Warren had a moment of emotional epiphany that motivated her to unite an industry around diversity through ADCOLOR – which challenges creative industries to connect in stronger, more honest ways to create meaningful progress. Grey interviewer: Strategy Director Karol Chang.

The idea behind the hit mobile game Dots might appear to be simple fun, but the concept that led to the phenomenon was rooted in artistic ambitions. Grey interviewer: SVP, Director/Social Media Kenny Gold.

Given the changing role of published stories in our modern world, Charlie Melcher had a great idea: what if a new community could elevate the way we tell stories, across any medium? Grey interviewer: Global Strategy Director Holly Williams.

The idea was: defy 100 fears in 100 days. The result was inspiration for a lot of people who didn't realize how fear was a barrier to their happiness. Michelle Poler – Keynote Speaker, Fear Facer and founder of Hello Fears – shares the genesis of her triumphant, life-changing concept. Grey interviewer: Strategy Director Karol Chang.

Was the idea for the world's premiere social media community and discussion forum conceived… at Burning Man? Toby Daniels – co-founder and CEO of Crowdcentric Media and Founder of Social Media Week – talks about how he thought up and then developed the idea. Grey interviewer: Worldwide Chief Innovation Officer Dan Bennett.

In a world that is so wired, how does someone disconnect long enough to think up a platform for a more unplugged, conscious society? For Jess Davis, the founder of Folk Rebellion, the idea sparked during a vacation. Grey interviewer: Worldwide Chief Innovation Officer Dan Bennett.

Week in and week out, actor and comedian Cecily Strong (SNL, Ghostbusters, the 2015 White House Correspondents' Assn. dinner) thinks of hilarious ideas for characters and scenes… but how? We hear from Cecily about how the world and people around her inspire her writing and characters. Interviewed by Grey Worldwide Chief Creative Officer John Patroulis.