Going into year 3 of a global pandemic, who couldn't use a hug? At The Gentle Barn, you can hug cows, cuddle turkeys, and give pigs tummy rubs!

Animal therapy can help with both physical and mental issues, reducing blood pressure and improving cardiovascular health. And the release of endorphins can help to alleviate pain, reduce stress and improve your psychological state.

On this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone, we'll talk with Ellie Laks from The Gentle Barn, a national non-profit animal rescue and sanctuary that offers cow hugging therapy.

We'll talk about why Ellie founded The Gentle Barn, and how they rescue animals and help people in a way that's very different than traditional therapy. https://www.gentlebarn.org/

And we'll get into how, since its inception in 1999, The Gentle Barn has saved thousands of animals and helped more than 500,000 people.

We've all seen how people of color, women, the disabled, the LGBTQ+ community and people starting out over age 40 are underrepresented in the film industry. On this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone, we'll talk with Derrick Williams, Steve Deering, and Anna Levine about the Open Door Film Project.

We'll talk about how the project is giving a “seat at the table” to 8 emerging directors from diverse backgrounds, producing 8 short films to create a feature film anthology. We can all learn a lot from the way this group is working with Hollywood power brokers and advocacy organizations throughout the film industry to bring about lasting change.

https://www.opendoorfilmproject.com/

We're talking about SEO for content and AI for marketing On this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone!

First we'll talk with Andy Crestodina, co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Orbit Media, an award-winning 38-person web design company in Chicago. Over the past 18 years, Andy has given digital marketing advice to 1000+ businesses. He speaks at big marketing conferences, writes for big marketing blogs and he hosts a little marketing podcast, "Content Matters."

Andy's written hundreds of articles on content marketing, search engine optimization, social media and Analytics, and is the author of "Content Chemistry: The Illustrated Handbook for Content Marketing." https://www.orbitmedia.com/

We'll also talk with Raj Venkatesan, co-author of "The AI Marketing Canvas: A Five-Stage Road Map to Implementing Artificial Intelligence in Marketing." He's the Ronald Trzcinski Professor of Business Administration in the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia. We'll talk about the book, and the growth framework for business and marketing leaders to tap into the power of AI.

We're having Suzanna Crampton back because tech issues disrupted her first appearance! Suzanna is a blanket designing shepherd of Zwartbles, a regenerative farmer, author of "Bodacious the Shepherd Cat, and so much more! On this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone, we'll talk with Suzanna about her life farming a small acreage in Ireland, her thoughts on regenerative farming, her business selling 100% Irish wool yarn and blankets, and more. http://patreon.com/SuzannaCrampton

Award winning former radio host Jeff Brown of Read to Lead podcast joins this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone. Jeff's one of our favorite interviewers and hosts, and now he has a new book out: "Read to Lead: The Simple Habit That Expands Your Influence and Boosts Your Career."

We'll talk about why you need to read like your career depends on it, how to absorb a book's lessons, how to read faster... All The Things!

Listen, there's no one better at extracting smarts from other people than Jeff. We can all learn a lot from him! https://readtoleadpodcast.com/

Writer and self-described "British-Appalachian chimera" Leah Hampton joins The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone to talk about her book, "F*ckface and Other Storie." Leah writes about Appalachia, corpses, ecoanxiety, and smart women. https://leahkhampton.com

Her debut collection, "F*ckface and Other Stories," was released by Henry Holt and was named one of the best books of 2020 by The Paris Review, the New York Public Library, Slate, and others. Leah's work explores rurality, heartbreak, honeybee collapse, and illicit sex in post-coal Appalachia. If THAT doesn't make for an interesting conversation, we don't know what will. Don't miss this one!

Amanda Holmes became CEO of Chet Holmes International at the age of 24. The singer/songwriter stepped in after the death of her father, Chet Holmes, author of "The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business With Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies." https://www.ultimatesalesmachine.com/

On this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone, we'll talk about how Amanda—by far the firm's youngest employee—increased conversions 1,100%, increased leads generated 1,176%, and doubled the company's coaching clients two years in a row.

Amanda has actionable tips galore for growing your network and your business, so don't miss this conversation!

We'll also talk about Amanda's passion project: http://openthelightwithin.org. And about going from singer/songwriter to CEO! OH, and her 16 years of competitive gymnastics... SO much to learn from Amanda.

Imagine you’re on "Dragon’s Den" (the U.K. version of "Shark Tank") and this is how you open.

"Hi, Dragons. I want to start my pitch today by letting you know that I suffer from a mental illness. I suffer really badly with body dysmorphia. I tell you this because it’s the reason I founded my brand.”

And with that statement, Danny Gray launched War Paint for Men to the world. http://warpaintformen.com

That was three years ago. Today, War Paint for Men is a multi-million-dollar brand that’s based in the United Kingdom and available in 80 countries.

On this episode of The Backpack Show with Chris Brogan and Kerry O'Shea Gorgone, we'll talk with Danny about how War Paint for Men is as much about mental health as it is about cosmetics.

We'll get into how he's opening the first brand-specific men's make up store in London, and how the store will serve as home base for an organization that helps raise awareness about mental illness. Join us!