Episode 17: Carl Johnson – Undercurrents of Optimism & Joy

Guest Friends

My guest for this episode of the Guest Friends podcast is one of my life-long best friends: Carl Johnson.

If you’re familiar with this podcast, you may recall that Carl was our very first guest. We’ve invited him back for round 2 because he’s good people to talk to and because he’s releasing a new book called Undercurrents of Optimism and Joy: A Timely Meditation When Everything Feels The Exact Opposite.

Carl was born in Redford, Michigan and now lives in downtown Farmington with his wife Colleen and their two kids Waylon and Shiloh (who both contributed their talents to the opening promo for this episode). He is a graphic designer by trade and has owned his company Saint Creative for 13 years.

As long-term friends, we’ve bonded over a plethora things, but one of our main connections is music. We’ve probably seen somewhere around 200 concerts together – and I’d say that’s a conservative estimate. It might not be a huge shocker then that we have an entrenched routine of trading year-end playlists. At this point, we even record the playlist reveals along with commentary (see below for a link to listen in to those).

I met up with Carl just a few weeks before he was planning to release his 4th book… on April 4th, no less – the eve of his 44th birthday! Amongst other insights, Carl shares why he wants his new book to read like the rock-and-roll album Hello Hurricane sounds; what “prosperity zucchini” has to do with turning off the news; and why you should surround yourself with dangerous people (don’t worry, he doesn’t mean mobsters).

By the way, Carl welcomes feedback about the book. In fact, he dares you to give him feedback.

The Guest Friends podcast is available on many of the preferred platforms.

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LINKS RELATED TO THIS EPISODE:

Logo Credit: Saint-Creative.com

Music Credit: Of Asaph (James Alleman)

Promo Voiceover: Shiloh

Promo Soundbed: Waylogne19 (Waylon)

Recommended Resources:

Book: Undercurrents of Optimism and Joy

Article: Americans Not Happy About Their Options (USA Today)

Author: Erwin McManus

Show: Running Wild with Bear Grylls

Album: Hello Hurricane (Switchfoot)

Music: Saint Watermix Playlists