two inspired guys w/ andy & ryan

Two Inspired Guys is Andy Schell & Ryan Briggs. We team up for conversations with inspiring people who love their lives and live their dreams. Our guests come from all walks of life - authors, chefs, sailors, archivists (!), pro baseball players, hockey play-by-play announcers, rock climbers, adventurers, Swedish girls (!) and anybody else who's abandoned the normal life and pursued one of passion. Have a cool story to tell? Get in touch, we'd love to talk to you!

Dane & Andy Behind the Scenes 01/13/2014

Dane & Andy Behind the Scenes Welcome to Garage Strength Episode 1! This is essentially a conversation with Dane and Andy about the specifics of Dane's new show. They sat down in Andy's new house in Lancaster, PA, eating Indian food and chatting. Dane talked a bit about his trip to the Olympic Training Center in Denver, Andy asked about the best kinds of weight training for runners and endurance athletes, and they outlined the specifics of what this podcast will be all about. Andy will produce and publish the show, and will be a semi-regular guest host. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2629901

#30: Tom Kellogg 01/02/2014

#30: Tom Kellogg Tom Kellogg of in rural Pennsylvania is THE guru of custom bicycle framebuilding. Spectrum was founded in 1982, and since then Tom has been producing some of the finest steel and titanium bikes in the world. Andy visited Tom's workshop - a gorgeous 185 year-old stone barn in rural Lehigh Township - back in September and had a long chat with Tom about the craft, while Tom showed him around the facility. Tom's frames have won World and National Championships since the 1970s, have seen duty in the Tour de France, and were even ridden by some of the legends of the sport (listen through to the end for his take on Lance and the doping culture in sports). Visit Spectrum Cycles online at spectrum-cycles.com. Thanks Tom! PS - Check out Andy's new sailing podcast, '59 Degrees North' on or at! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2615223

#29: Merrill Brown 05/08/2013

#29: Merrill Brown Andy sat down with Merrill aboard his Shannon 43 'Serenity' in Tortola, two days before the start of Atlantic Cup / ARC Europe 2013. Merrill is a sailor, furniture builder, wine collector, beer brewing enthusiastic and really just a super active, thoughtful and inspiring guy! The talk meandered from sailing - and Merrill's reconstruction of the old Shannon - to lawn mowing, wine, coffee and more in between. Best of all, Merrill is an optimist, and his enthusiasm is infectious. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2315278

#28: Sunday at the Masters with Nate Bauer & Pappap 04/15/2013

#28: Sunday at the Masters with Nate Bauer & Pappap Adam Scott wins the Masters! Heck yeah! First Aussie ever to do so. I'm stuck in Bermuda, so didn't get to watch it like I usually like to, but I made do. Nate gave me the update on Tiger's little rules drama from Friday when we made landfall on Saudade, and I managed to catch the playoff tonight at the White Horse Tavern in St. Georges. Thrilling! I called Nate Bauer immediately afterward, and this is our reaction. Then I called Pappap, because I just had to! Enjoy! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2287101

#27: Baxter & Molly Gillispie: Skydivers, Sailors and Adventurers 03/27/2013

#27: Baxter & Molly Gillispie: Skydivers, Sailors and Adventurers Ryan and Andy spoke to Baxter and Molly on the recommendation of John and Amanda Neal, who were on the show last week. Baxter and Molly were talking to us from out on the open road, while they were transporting their new-to-them Valiant 47 from Waukegan to Deltaville, VA. They sold their house in Utah and their older Tartan 37 to take off and cruise longer term, hoping to cross the far north Atlantic via a similar route that Andy & Mia took in 2011 on Arcturus. Baxter has summited Everest and worked as a BASE jumping and wingsuit instructor, so had some incredible stories about those days. He and Molly are avid skiers and mountaineers and lead an exceedingly adventurous life. This was a fascinating episode with truly remarkable people. Thanks guys! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2257337

#26: John & Amanda Neal, Mahina Sailing Expeditions 03/20/2013

#26: John & Amanda Neal, Mahina Sailing Expeditions John and Amanda Neal from Mahina Expedtions have been sailing heros of Andy's for a while now, and it was a real honor to have them on the show. Ryan was away for this one, but Ben Eriksen, creator of the One Simple Question movie (www.simplequestionmovie.com) joined Andy as a special guest co-host. They talked to John and Amanda about their sailing history, about Amanda's participation in the Whitbread Round the World Race as crew on 'Maiden', about John's passion for kayaking, and about running a triathlon in Svalbard in 2016 in Arctic Norway! Check out Mahina Expeditions online at www.mahina.com to sign up for one of John and Amanda's sailing adventures. Thanks guys! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2257156

#25: Yves Gelinas: Solo Sailor, Artist, Filmmaker & Inventor 03/16/2013

#25: Yves Gelinas: Solo Sailor, Artist, Filmmaker & Inventor Yves Gelinas of Cape Horn Marine Products was on the show yesterday, coming to us from his office on the Ottawa River in Quebec. Andy was in Sweden and Ryan in Pittsburgh, so it's the first three-country podcast! Yves is a wonderful guy, a solo sailor, artist, inventor and businessman who gave up a successful career in filmmaking to pursue his dreams of sailing. In 1983 he completed production on 'With Jean du Sud Around the World', the film account of his solo circumnavigation via the Roaring Forties. The film won numerous awards following it's release, and is still considered by many as the finest sailing film ever produced. Yves discussed that project with us, his philosophy on art, life and sports, and how he got into the business of designing and producing the Cape Horn windvane self-steering system. Check out www.capehorn.com to learn more about that and to contact Yves. Thanks Yves! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2252641

#24: Andy & Ryan Talk About David Byrne, Al Gore and the Garbage Pail Kids! 03/05/2013

#24: Andy & Ryan Talk About David Byrne, Al Gore and the Garbage Pail Kids! It's been six weeks since Ryan and Andy had a conversation, so we took the chance earlier tonight to catch up. It's another guest-less podcast with the boys, and we discuss everything from David Byrne's book 'How Music Works', to 'Poo-a-mid Parker' and the Garbage Pail Kids. A real barn burner of an episode! Check out the new website design at twoinspiredguys.com. Enjoy the show! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2239247

#23: Matt Rutherford Returns to the Podcast! 02/26/2013

#23: Matt Rutherford Returns to the Podcast! When we first talked to Matt back in October - our second-ever episode! - his Ocean Research Project was just an idea. He was still riding high off of his Solo the America's expedition, but he wanted to shift gears and focus on something outside of himself. Since then, the ORP has achieved full 501c(3) status, and has a boat! He brought the 42' steel Colvin up from Florida in December. Andy went to see it in Annapolis in late January, and this was their talk. /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2225272

#22: Paul Exner, Modern Geographic 02/19/2013

#22: Paul Exner, Modern Geographic Another one from the archives! Okay, this isn't so old - Andy recorded it in Chicago during last month's Strictly Sail show at Navy Pier. Paul Exner is a professional sailor who teaches sail training on his own boat (which he spent 10 years building from a bare hull), and on other people's boats based out of Tortola in the BVI. His company is called Modern Geographic because he used to be a map maker, of all things! Paul is a super nice guy and we had a super cool chat at the Billy Goat Tavern over coffee one morning before the show started. This is like the 3rd sailing epsiode in a row, so we gotta get Ryan back on to talk about something else next time! Thanks Paul! Enjoy! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2223927

#21: ARC Sailors from Norway! 02/13/2013

#21: ARC Sailors from Norway! Welcome to the first two-part podcast! Part One, the first 30 minutes or so, features Kenneth and Sven Lynsgaard, the father-son duo from the boat 'Atlantis' that Andy met in St. Lucia during the ARC finish. Part Two features Marius and Kristen from 'Quickie.' Boat boats hail from Norway and sailed across the Atlantic in the ARC 2012 for similar reasons, and explained to Andy how they made their dreams into reality. Thanks to all! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2217206

#20: Pawel Motawa 02/05/2013

#20: Pawel Motawa Andy talked to Pawel at the ARC rally in St. Lucia. Initially, Andy was intriguied by a story lead that said Pawel had been to Antarctica like 7 times on different sailing expeditions. Pawel did indeed do that, and talks about it here, but more interesting was his production company he has in Poland, where he grew up, and he's really into music. Pawel and Andy ended up talking about media production, business, music and the movie 'It Might Get Loud,' which made for some fascinating conversation. Thanks Pawel! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2207837

#19: Patrik Bockmann 01/29/2013

#19: Patrik Bockmann Patrik Bøckmann is a Norwegian customs officer, patrolling the border between Sweden and Norway, just to the SE of Oslo. I met Patrik in St. Lucia at the ARC this year - he was on staff with us for two weeks. He's a sailor as well, having done the ARC previously. We talked about the Norwegians not carrying guns, about the mass shooting in 2011 and about Norwegian versus American culture. And a new song from Mr. Dream! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2199494

#18: Dane Miller / Garage Strength 01/22/2013

#18: Dane Miller / Garage Strength Dane Miller is one of Andy's oldest friends. Dane went to college with Andy and Ryan at Penn State as well, having an interesting career throwing on the track team and figuring out his life. After a tumultuous year in which he hitch-hiked across Canada after dropping out of school - from Toronto all the way into the Pacific on and island in British Columbia - Dane solidified his ideas on life, work and training, and has combined all of those things into his hugely successful gym in Leesport, PA at Garage Strength. It's the only gym in the world that raises it's own food. We had a fascinating 1:10 minutes with Dane on Saturday. We even got him to cry! If his story doesn't inspired you, good luck finding one that will! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2192432

#17: Ray Schmitt 01/15/2013

#17: Ray Schmitt 'Radio Ray!' Ray Schmitt is the voice of the ECHL Elmira Jackals, the minor league hockey team associated with the Ottawa Senators. Ray grew up playing hockey in the streets of Pittsburgh, never saw himself as a 9-5er, and found an opportunity in broadcasting, which he's capitalized on. He calls all the games on-air, travels with the team and lives a lifestyle of hockey. Check Ray out on Twitter @radio_ray, or on the team's homepage jackalshockey.com. Thanks Ray! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2185495

#16: Bob Presutti 01/08/2013

#16: Bob Presutti Bob Presutti is an archivist at Emory University. Andy and Ryan sat down in person with Bob in Pittsburgh and talked about the surprisingly interesting field of archivism. Bob was sort of destined to do what he does - he explains the power of records, information and archivistics, in what is a much more interesting subject than it sounds. Thanks Bob! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2171533

#15: Nate Bauer: PSU Retrospective 01/01/2013

#15: Nate Bauer: PSU Retrospective Happy New Year! If you have any connection to Penn State, this episode is for you! Our first episode of 2013 was recorded LIVE on New Year's Day with the 'Third Inspired Guy,' Nate Bauer. Since Ryan and Andy both went to PSU, we sat down for a retrospective with Nate (who works for Blue White Illustrated) on the past year at Penn State, an eventful one to say the least. Nate talks football, Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno and Bill O'Brien, all from an insider perspective. Find Nate online at bluewhiteillustrated.com or @NateBauerBWI on Twitter. /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2171936

#14: Andy & Ryan's Christmastime Talk 12/30/2012

#14: Andy & Ryan's Christmastime Talk Merry Christmas Redux! We're re-posting this one with a shorter intro at the front. Andy and Ryan sat down by the proverbial fireside and talked about stuff that Christmas reminds them of…that is, mostly movies and video games! SPOILER ALERT - We talk about the new Bond movie 'Skyfall', so if you haven't seen it yet, skip from minute 23:50 to about 27:40, and it won't be ruined for you. Enjoy the episode! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2170801

#13: Andreas Hanakamp 12/18/2012

#13: Andreas Hanakamp Andreas Hanakamp! For the sailors out there, Andreas is a two-time former Olympic sailor and the skipper of Team Russia in the 09/08 Volvo Ocean Race. And he's awesome! Andy first met him in the 2011 ARC rally, and got a chance to sit down with him this year over a coffee in St. Lucia. Beyond sailing, Andreas is just overall a super inspiring dude - he climbs mountains, runs marathons, skis in the Austrian backcountry and just generally takes full advantage of life. It was a privilege for Andy to have had the chance to hang out with him for a couple days in St. Lucia. Thanks Andreas! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2160540

#12: Kevin Richey 12/11/2012

#12: Kevin Richey Kevin Richey is from Pittsburgh, and has been involved - in one capacity or another - with producing and director the theatre at North Hills High for 25 years. Ryan talked to him in person last week (Andy was absent), and got some interesting insight on what it's like to be truly passionate about your career. This episode was initially intended to be a combo episode with last week's guest Rob Speer (who co-wrote North Hills' latest production), but they both talked far longer than we expected, so we kept all the content! Enjoy! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2152882

#11: Rob Speer, Part 2 12/04/2012

#11: Rob Speer, Part 2 Rob Speer, Part 2! If you missed part one, check it out on iTunes or at twoinspiredguys.com. Rob Speer is an old friend of Ryan's who is now out in Chicago pursuing a career in comedy and theatre. Robbie's been there three years, is a graduate of Second City, and has now started dabbling in standup. He's a writer too, and has performed in a handful of plays that he's written himself. /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2145459

#11: Rob Speer, Part 1 12/04/2012

#11: Rob Speer, Part 1 Rob Speer is an old friend of Ryan's who is now out in Chicago pursuing a career in comedy and theatre. Robbie's been there three years, is a graduate of Second City, and has now started dabbling in standup. He's a writer too, and has performed in a handful of plays that he's written himself. This is our first two-parter. Don't miss the second half, which is where it really starts to get good! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2145439

#10: Joe Reed 11/27/2012

#10: Joe Reed Andy met Joe Reed at this year's sailing rally. Joe works for Lockheed Martin, and was deeply involved with , training the astronauts on the ground while the men in space did the dirty work. Joe's career is fascinating! Joe's attitude toward work and life is incredibly inspiring and energizing, and it's no wonder he's been successful both in work and life. And his next adventure is to sail around the world! Thanks Joe! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2138300

#9: Uncle Kenn 11/20/2012

#9: Uncle Kenn Uncle Kenn really is Ryan's uncle. But he's so much more than that! He's a photographer - I'd say professional, he's say enthusiast - but his work f. And his passion for it is extraordinary. Kenn grew up with a camera in his hands, and he's pursued the art ever since. But since his retirement from real life, Kenn's finally been able to put the time into it that he always wanted to. Kenn discusses the art of photography, what it means to make an 'image', his creative process, camera equipment, etc etc. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2123051

#8: Andy & Ryan 11/13/2012

#8: Andy & Ryan What a blast! Ryan and Andy sat in Ryan's girlfriend Kristen's guest room and talked for an hour! Well, it was more than that - we reminisced about our trip to Istanbul last spring, and told some stories about Andy's English 'mate' Clint (a very good MMA fighter and super cool dude) - and it made for a great listen! Since Ryan and I don't often see each other in person, we'll be doing more of these, as it's a great way to catch up and talk about the stuff that inspires us! Thanks for listening! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2102957

BONUS EPISODE! Magnus Olsson 11/09/2012

BONUS EPISODE! Magnus Olsson Holy moly! is Sweden's biggest ocean racing sailor, and arguably the biggest in the world. He's a legend in the , up until 2008/09 having competed in every edition of the event since its inception as the Whitbread. Magnus is super cool - he and his partner Vika cycled down to Andy and Mia's boat 'Arcturus' when they were in Stockholm last summer, and Andy interviewed him over coffee for an article that is out in this month's (November) . So check out the article, and listen to the 'behind the scenes'! A full-length interview with Magnus is coming up as well, so stay tuned! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2123645

#7: Don Schwall 11/06/2012

#7: Don Schwall Don Schwall is an athlete. In 1961, he was Rookie of the Year with the Boston Red Sox, winning his first game he ever pitched in the big leagues. Back in his day, pitchers went the distance - there was no such thing as 'middle relief' - and took the winters off to get real jobs, because baseball just wasn't that profitable. Schwall was also a star football and basketball player in college, and has some cool stories about playing against Wilt Chamberlain. And we talked golf! Beyond sports, Don had some excellent insights into following your passion and what it takes to be successful in sports, business and life. Thanks Don! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2102906

#6: Nate Bauer 10/30/2012

#6: Nate Bauer Nate is essentially the 'Third Inspired Guy.' He's our best friend and would have been a third co-host if he wasn't so busy covering Penn State football for Blue White Illustrated and Yahoo! Sports. We talked to him - live via iPhone from LAX - about the Sandusky trial and his trip to LA with his girlfriend Christina, where they stayed in Charlie Chaplin's old house and explored Hollywood. This is basically the first of a an on-going series of 'guestless' episodes we'll be doing with Nate as a co-host. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2102746

#5: Hami Ramani 10/23/2012

#5: Hami Ramani Hami is a first-generation immigrant from Iran, who came ot America as a kid and identifies himself as Persian (which Andy and Ryan think is very cool). His story follows the classic pattern of hard work and sacrifice that leads to success, and it's particularly interesting considering the current political climate between iran and the USA. Hami is currently doing his residency to become a neurologist, following in the footsteps of his father who was also a physician. He had some interesting insights into the culture and politics of his home country, and we had an emotional talk near the end about the death of Andy's mom and how the brain and nervous system works. Fascinating stuff. Thanks Hami! /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2097381

#4: Ben & Teresa Carey 10/16/2012

#4: Ben & Teresa Carey Ben and Teresa are sailors and filmmakers who recently returned from their voyage north to Labrador on their 28-foot Bristol Channel Cutter. Their movie of the adventure, One Simple Question, is about their search for icebergs, simplicity and happiness, and is due out next spring. Andy and Ryan talked to them in Annapolis - they're amazing people, truly following their passion and enjoying success with it. Find them online at simplequestionmovie.com /episode/index/show/andyandryan/id/2097322

two inspired guys w/ andy & ryan

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