The Curious Jones Podcast

Ep. 69: Shaka ”Shakaconda” Curtis - Freedom Fighter

Shaka "Shakaconda" Curtis is a USMC veteran and current 10th Planet Austin mixed martial arts fighter and Jiu Jitsu competitor. After four years in the Marines, including a tour of duty in Afghanistan as a Foreign Advisor Team Mentor, he returned home to pursue a civilian life that included managing a team of fitness instructors at a Golds Gym. 

After receiving a call from a friend asking him to return to the middle east in a private capacity as a freedom fighter, assisting the Kurdish peshmerga in their fight against the ISIS caliphate, he sold his belongings to pay for the trip and left almost immediately. 

He now lives in Austin, TX and is an active 10th Planet mixed martial artist who also competes on the Jiu Jitsu circuit. We talked about how his time overseas has shaped his perspectives on the world, his understanding of his father and built a foundation for fighting. Make sure you follow him on social media @shakaconda10p 

Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and SHARE with your friends! You can also follow along on social @thatcuriousjones

****************************************************

This episode is brought to you by Aktion, the very best specialty roast coffee on the market! Aktion also brings you top notch natural supplements that are designed to improve your overall health and wellbeing, and assist you in leading an active lifestyle. www.drinkaktion.com and use code work CURIOUS for an additional discount. All subscription orders receive 20% off!

Ep. 68: Brian Hess - Rock Bottom is a Great Springboard

Brian Hess is the CEO of The Pavement Group, a national, full service pavement and pavement services company and the founder of Top Contractor School, an online training course and community of individuals specific to the trade industry who share best practices for success and network with others in their space. He hosts a daily podcast called The Perspective Podcast, and is a member of "Breakfast with Champions", a weekly Clubhouse group that brings some of the biggest names in business and entrepreneurship together to answer questions and provide insight to their daily challenges. 

We spoke about a conversation he had with himself over 10 years ago after some much needed self reflection, and the changes he made to propel him forward in a new direction. We talked about hitting rock bottom, the importance of a mentor and surrounding yourself with like minded people and why living outside of the "echo chamber" is important for growth.

This is a great listen if you feel like you are stuck in a rut and looking for direction on starting and sustaining a successful business. Stay Curious, and as always, thank you for SUBSCRIBING & SHARING!

********************************************

This episode is brought to you by Aktion, the very best specialty roast coffee on the market! Aktion also brings you top notch natural supplements that are designed to improve your overall health and wellbeing, and assist you in leading an active lifestyle. www.drinkaktion.com and use code work CURIOUS for an additional discount. All subscription orders receive 20% off!

Ep. 67: Tracey Huston - The Stundenglass

Tracey Huston is the founder of the Stundenglass, the world's first gravity powered, contactless, hookah that uses kinetic motion activation, cascading water and opposing air flow technology. A guest on my former podcast The Bud Brothers, it was awesome catching back up with him as a lot has happened with both Tracey and myself since we last spoke, including the acquisition of Stundenglass by Grenco Science, a cannabis brand known by their brand G Pen. 

We talked about the journey from a garage invention to selling that IP to one of the largest cannabis brands in the industry and all the things he learned along the way. We talked about his Texas BBQ skills and some of his thoughts on what seems to be growing dissent in America. 

So much fun catching up with Tracey on the podcast and discussing his success. Thank you for checking this one out and make sure you share it with all your friends who made you smoke out of that homemade gravity bong they made out of a 2 liter bottle back in hight school. 

Thanks for SUBSCRIBING to the podcast & Stay Curious!

***********************************************

This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Aktion! Aktion specialty roast coffee is the very best tasting coffee you can drink. Farmed from the side of a volcano in Guatemala, Aktion never use insecticides or pesticides and never uses and artificial sugars to add flavor. Just good, clean coffee! Make sure you head to www.drinkaktion.com and use code CURIOUS for 15% OFF your order!

Ep. 66: Josh Levine - The Muscle Building Method

Josh Levine is a certified personal trainer, certified sports nutrition specialist and founder of The Muscle Building Method, an end to end fitness system designed to deliver optimal results and that is built on a foundation of science and data.  

We discussed all things fitness and dove into the best ways to build muscle, the importance of monitoring your blood work for maximum results and what things to ask for when getting your labs done. If you're into fitness, lifting weights or just have some questions on how to improve your overall health through physical fitness, you should enjoy this conversation.

Josh is a great speaker and does a fantastic job of explaining the challenges many face along their fitness journey and the practical advice to overcome them. Make sure you check out his website https://www.joshlevinefitness.com and follow him on social media @joshlevinefitness

Make sure you SUBSCRIBE and SHARE the podcast and FOLLOW on social media @thatcuriousjones

**********************************************

This episode is brought to you by Aktion! The very best specialty roast coffee on the market! www.drinkaktion.com will get you there and code CURIOUS will save you 15% OFF your order! Specialty Roast Coffee, Natural Supplements and a growing list of apparel all available! Aktion is not just coffee, it's fuel for life!

Ep. 65: Justin Kobylka - Designer Ball Python Breeder

Justin Kobylka is a world renown designer Ball Python breeder who's snakes are born with rare and unique colors and patterns, which are painstakingly created over years of breading for these traits to show up.

We talked about the breeding process and how it varies from other exotic animal species, and how the Ball Python has some unique aspects that lend itself well to this process. We discussed the stigma with working in the exotics market and even touched on the growing problem of wild Burmese Pythons that are invading the Florida Everglades, and what really may be to blame for it. 

I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope you do as well! Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and SHARE it with your friends! 

Stay Curious!

*******************************************

This episode is brought to you by Aktion - Specialty Roast Coffee & Natural Supplements. Go to www.drinkaktion.com and use code CURIOUS for 15% OFF your entire order of the very best specialty roast coffee you can purchase! 

If you SUBSCRIBE to the monthly coffee and supplements club, you will save 20% OFF your orders and have fresh coffee and supplements delivered direct to your doorstep automatically! Aktion is Fuel For Life!

Ep. 64: Randy Stout, PhD. - Neuroscientist & Cell Biologist

Randy Stout, PhD. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine and Director of the NYITCOM Center for Biomedical Innovation. Randy spends the majority of his time on neuroscience research in the laboratory that he runs and also helps teach the NYITCOM medical students neuroanatomy and neurobiology.

 

He is the younger brother to former guest and my Jiu Jitsu instructor at Stout Academy in Pittsburgh, Warren Stout. I have had some of my most interesting conversations when speaking with Randy and so thankful Warren made this introduction for me. 

 

I recently reached out to Randy because I had read a news article about a new type of helmet that has been developed called the Kernel which through a number of sensors and by leveraging AI can "read the human brain". He walked me through the technology behind this and talked about where it is likely headed in the future. We talked about all kinds of really interesting things pertaining to the brain and even got into some other topics as well. 

 

Thank for SUBSCRIBING & SHARING with your friends! Make sure you follow on social media @thatcuriousjones 

 

*****************************************

This episode is brought to you by Aktion! Aktion is the very best tasting specialty coffee you can order online and in select retail locations. Use code CURIOUS for 15% OFF your order - OR - Sign up for a subscription and save 20% every month! Aktion, fuel for life!

Ep. 63: Kenny Vaughan - Shields of Strength

Kenny Vaughan is a former professional water ski jumper, who after years of falling under the pressure of winning, was able to achieve his goal of a Nation Championship when he out-jumped his prior personal best by over 10 feet after seeing a Bible verse his girlfriend had written on his gear before his jump. 

After placing that verse on a dog tag as a reminder, happenstance put them in front of the right people prior to the tragic events of September 11, 2001 and Kenny was getting thousands of requests for soldiers who wanted to wear the verse on their tags as well. What started as a personal journey to better understand what love was has now turned into a 15 year journey of leading Shields of Strength and writing 2 books, including the most recent "The Right Fight". Head to www.shieldsofstrength.com for everything Kenny is working on and you can follow him on social media @johnkennedyvaughan

Thank you for SUBSCRIBING & SHARING the podcast with your friends! Follow on social @thatcuriousjones and make sure you Stay Curious.

****************************************************

This podcast is brought to you by the best tasting coffee you will drink, Aktion. Aktion, specialty roast coffee and natural supplements has the very best specialty roast coffee and natural supplements on the market and if you use code CURIOUS you will save 15% OFF your order. And if you sign up for a subscription, you will save 20% OFF! Go to www.drinkaktion.com and get yours today! 

Ep. 62: Free Britney, Space Cobwebs and the Importance of Perspective

I'm riding solo on this episode of the podcast and in addition to talking about the Free Britney movement, some trippy space theories and the recent death of McAfee founder John McAfee in a Spanish prison, I spend the first half of the podcast talking about the importance of perspective and its role in our happiness.

A quick listen for your weekend pleasure! Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on whatever platform you listen on, share this episode with a friend and follow along on social media @thatcuriousjones

Stay Curious!

***********************************************

This episode is brought to you by Aktion, the very best specialty roast coffee and natural supplement brand on the planet earth! To get fresh roasted coffee delivered directly to your doorstep on a reoccurring basis make sure you head to www.drinkaktion.com and sign up for our recurring subscription service for 20% OFF!!! And if you use code CURIOUS at checkout you will save even more!! 

Ep. 61: Dave Jones - Stories From My Father

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there who are listening to this episode today. In spirit of the holiday and to fulfill something that I wanted to do since starting down the podcasting journey. Today's episode is a special episode with my Dad, Dave Jones and we talked about the crazy stories he has shared with my brothers and I over the years and some of the other life experiences that shaped his youth.

Born on a Native American reservation in 1963, my father moved often as a child while his family was on the run from the US government. At 15 when his stepfather was arrested by the FBI after going awol from the Army, only so he could change his name and social security number to join the Navy. He attended 9 different schools across the east coast and lived experiences that rival Showtime's "Shameless". 

We spend 90 minutes exploring these stories and talking about how they shaped him into the person he is today. I couldn't be more thankful for him coming on the show, sharing things many would never want to share and for always being such a great father!

Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to the episode & SHARE this episode with your friends! 

Stay Curious!

*************************************

This episode is brought to you by Aktion - Specialty Roast Coffee and Natural Supplements. Use code CURIOUS for 15% OFF your entire order! www.drinkaktion.com for the best tasting specialty roast coffee and natural supplements that you can find! #fuelforlife

Ep. 60: Joseph "Doobie" Jones - Rabbit Holes

Joseph Jones is a cannabis advocate, entrepreneur and is also my younger brother. Joey and I were co-hosts of The Bud Brothers Podcast and have recorded a number of past episodes specific to the cannabis space. 

We spent the first 20 minutes of this episode discussing an interesting experience he had on his birthday at Knott's Berry Farm specific to mask mandates. We also talk about his new found enjoyment of the pro wresting show "Behind the Ring" on Vice and also talked about an experience he and I both had separately with UFO's. Lots of fun to talk with him as always!

Make sure you follow on social media @thatcuriousjones and share this episode with your friends! Stay Curious!

*******************************************

This episode is brought to you by Aktion - Specialty Roast Coffee & Natural Supplements. Use code CURIOUS at wwww.drinkaktion.com and you will get 15% OFF the very best coffee you can buy as well as natural supplement like Turmeric, Hemp, Coconut Oil for people living active lives! 20% OFF monthly coffee Subscriptions!