After a whole weekend of great conversations, we finally got the man behind the madness behind the mic. Mike helped bring everyone — including us — together at The Lively Grit Daily House for SXSW 2025. We chatted about dealing with stress, putting on live events, why ‘Zoom Fatigue’ is bullshit, faking football knowledge, bowl cuts, Linkin Park, the difference between a fad, a trend, and a culture, and a lot more in between. 

“There will be one person walking down the side of the street and you'll be like, ‘they're cool.’  And then there'll be somebody else probably making a noise or walking stupidly or wearing something absolutely disgusting, trying to be cool. And you'll cross the road to avoid them.”

Connect with Mike on LinkedIn. 

Special thanks to Lively and Audience 101 for hosting us at SXSW, and YouGov for running the survey that supported our series of conversations.

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Haley is an actor who uses her background in foreign affairs to inform her work on screen and stage. 

We chatted about reconnecting with old friends at SXSW, being influenced by different perspectives from around the world, taking the untraditional path, going from the Cannes Film Festival to monitoring elections in Serbia, finding balance, journaling, Nickel the service dog, her idea for a children’s book, and a lot more in between. 

“One thing I'm grateful for is that I don't have regrets and I think that can be a cool thing.”

Follow Haley on Instagram. 

Special thanks to Lively and Audience 101 for hosting us at SXSW, and YouGov for running the survey that supported our series of conversations.
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A recent Austin transplant, Larry was at The Lively Grit Daily House spreading the word about WLTHYWISE, his personal finance app that helps students realize the financial potential through personal financial forecasting.

We talked Austin vs. LA, basketball, Mr. Beast, the beach, snowboarding tricks, the efficacy of influencers, and a lot more in between. 

“ I really strongly believe that cool is all from a perspective of yourself. You can't really  rely on someone else to tell you if you're cool or if you're not cool.”

Connect with Larry on LinkedIn. Download WLTHYWISE from the App Store. Special thanks to Lively and Audience 101 for hosting us at SXSW, and YouGov for running the survey that supported our series of conversations.

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A licensed psychotherapist and sex therapist, Nikita Fernandes was invited to speak at SXSW’s Lively Grit Daily House about the perils of burnout culture.

We sat down with her after her presentation to talk about why people feel compelled to do uncool things, TikTok culture, ostriches, the Internet, and more.

“To say that something is not cool that is generally seen as cool means that you're putting yourself at risk for social isolation. And social isolation and feeling isolated is not cool."

Are you in New York? You can find Nikita at Blue Canary Therapy.

Special thanks to Lively and Audience 101 for hosting us at SXSW, and YouGov for running the survey that supported our series of conversations.

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Event producer, brand activation savant, and music festival curator Harley Jennette joined us in the recording booth at SXSW 2025’s Lively Grit Daily House to talk about music journalism, meeting people at concerts, skateboarders, a snacking event he’s putting on with Lively Local Markets, and most importantly, what’s cool.

“If your friends don’t think you’re cool, then they’re not your friends."

Connect with Harley on LinkedIn, and find some of his upcoming Lively Local Markets events.

Special thanks to Lively and Audience 101 for hosting us at SXSW, and YouGov for running the survey that supported our series of conversations.

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Jessica stopped by The Lively Grit Daily House with members of Yorkseed, her startup collective. She also brought her infamous wearable QR code. We chatted about her SXSW origin story, how Instagram is unfortunately cool, being legendary, skipping the line in front of your haters, and a lot more in between. 

“ I still try to keep a part of me that's like always be open minded and stay cool. You only live once — I really believe that. You’re going to have to try out everything. Then you know what works for you and what doesn’t.” 

Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn. 

Special thanks to Lively and Audience 101 for hosting us at SXSW, and YouGov (where co-host Brian also works) for running the survey that supported our series of conversations.

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A returning guest of the pod, Chris joined us during his yearly pilgrimage to Austin to chat about deep fakes, ask why we all think sunglasses are cool, talk Chicago style hot dogs, being unique, why arrows don’t hurt as bad as you think, the Psychopath Test, and a lot more in between. 

“ I'm always drawn towards anything that's really different. It's like, how did that happen? That’s where you get the really interesting conversations with people.” 

See Chris’ portfolio, connect with him on LinkedIn and get inspired at FREE INNOVATION!

Special thanks to Lively and Audience 101 for hosting us at SXSW, and YouGov (where co-host Brian also works) for running the survey that supported our series of conversations.

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After kicking off the weekend with a presentation about America’s skeptical attitudes towards Generative AI and personalized advertising, YouGov’s Ryan Gross joined us at the Lively Grit Daily House to discuss hobbies vs identities, dogs, pants, embracing authenticity, and more.

"Only your own vision of what is cool, is cool.”

Did you attend the 2023 Coolios at Stand Up New York? You might remember Ryan from playing a few songs at the awards show.

If you're listening to this episode on Spotify, check out his popular indie music project Skinny Dippers, and get updates on the band’s forthcoming music on his Instagram page (@skinnydippersband).

Special thanks to Lively and Audience 101 for hosting us at SXSW, and YouGov (where co-host Brian also works) for running the survey that supported our series of conversations.

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A multivariate speaker at the Lively Grit Daily House at SXSW 2025, Kit Huffman sat down with us just before her Saturday keynote to talk about LinkedIn, fame, ski gear, and most importantly — cool.“You walk in a room and there's that aura… that person that has that absolute charisma. They got the outfit, they have the social media following, they have people that know who they are… They just own a room in a lot of different ways, whether that's a literal room or an online room.”Connect with Kit on LinkedIn, and learn more about her work with Seneca, a personal branding agency she founded.

Special thanks to Lively and Audience 101 for hosting us at SXSW, and YouGov for running the survey that supported our series of conversations. 

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A veteran of the tech conference scene, Peter brought his unique POV — and love of hot dogs — to his conversation with us at The Lively Grit Daily House. 

We talked about prescription sunglasses, acceptable hot dog toppings, getting his dog on The Today Show, how the Irish say things are cool, “raw data” from strangers, what he saw at CES ‘25, a crawling bedside table lamp, and a lot in between. 

“ I think it's important to be cool and in your own sense of cool and in your own skin and in your own mind.  Some people's brand is just straight nerdy, straight geeky, and they make it work. Look at Bill Gates, right?” 

Watch Peter's dog on The ⁠⁠ Today Show. Read Peter’s work on Grit Daily and check out his retail accelerator work. Follow his Old Time Eatery Guide. 

Special thanks to Lively and Audience 101 for hosting us at SXSW, and YouGov for running the survey that supported our series of conversations. 

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Andrew and Mike made their way to SXSW to show off Mado Dynamic — their new solar-powered, fully automated shades, which we got the chance to test out in the Lively Grit Daily House.

We talked about the product, Curb Your Enthusiasm, the perils of corded blinds, “pane” points, being “baller”, how to get strangers to think your new product is cool, western shirts, The Sound of Music, and a lot in between. 

“ I thinkI'm a good listener. I talk to people, I understand their position in life. And so, I just listened to how they think and talk about how that product might solve problems for them. Most of the time people really resonate with like, ‘Oh, I never thought of that. Oh, I never thought I could afford that. Oh, that's super interesting’.” 

Learn more about Mado Dynamic and back their Kickstarter. 

Special thanks to Lively and Audience 101 for hosting us at SXSW, and YouGov for running the survey that supported our series of conversations. 

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