Getting Under The Skin

What if the most painful year of your life was actually preparing you for the family you were meant to have?In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with Andrew Kimler, Sundance fellow and award-winning creative producer, for a deeply personal conversation about adoption, fatherhood, creativity, and purpose. After enduring three failed adoptions in a single year, alongside profound personal loss, Andrew reflects on grief, resilience, and what it takes to stay open after repeated heartbreak.Together, they explore:- The emotional reality of failed adoptions and how to mourn what almost was- Why you “can’t get matched with the wrong kid” in the adoption journey- What patience really means and how to use the waiting season well- The difference between what a story is about and what it’s really about- How creativity, writing, and fatherhood reveal your deeper purpose_____________________________________________________________________Follow GUTS:Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com

What happens when the questions that once got you arrested become the foundation of your life's work?In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with Bryce Hoffman, bestselling author and the only civilian ever to complete the U.S. Army's Red Team Leader Program. As founder of Red Team Thinking, he helps organizations like Google, Salesforce, and the U.S. Marine Corps challenge assumptions and make sharper decisions.Together, they explore:- How radical idealism evolves into disciplined critical thinking- Why ego is the enemy of great leadership- Failure as a feature, not a flaw- What it really means to stop pushing the riverThis conversation is about learning to ask the tough questions, and having the courage to listen to the answers._____________________________________________________________________Listen GUTS:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeUPrK1EksczxTm35F_GeUASpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GSiahH3NYTiFKZ4mIGQnJ?si=fce013635cfa4947Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-under-the-skin/id1821276933Follow GUTS:Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com

What happens when the parts of you that were silenced begin to speak again?In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with award-winning podcaster, empowerment coach, and author Michelle Lamoureux, creator of The Good Life podcast and author of Design a Life You Love.Michelle reflects on the formative experiences that shaped her: being “othered” as a child, surviving a near abduction, and wearing a scoliosis brace for six years — and how those moments cultivated empathy, resilience, and a drive to create safe spaces for women to reclaim their voice.Together, they explore:• Reclaiming your voice after silence• How early experiences shape identity and empathy• Success as the courage to try• Motherhood, safety, and raising a daughter with agency• Designing a life with intentionThis conversation examines what it means to design a life with intention, expand beyond inherited limitations, and stay human in an increasingly AI-driven world.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Listen GUTS:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GSiahH3NYTiFKZ4mIGQnJ?si=fce013635cfa4947Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-under-the-skin/id1821276933Follow GUTS:Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com

What does leadership look like when certainty falls away?In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with Yoseph Ayele, Ethiopian-born entrepreneur and founder of LAVA, for a wide-ranging conversation about talent, ego, purpose, and the courage to not know. From growing up in Ethiopia to building across borders, Yoseph reflects on what happens when control loosens and attention shifts toward listening, humility, and service.Moving between leadership, inequality, and self-awareness, this conversation explores talent as energy, not status, contradiction as a source of truth, and why learning to let go may be one of the most important leadership practices of our time.In this episode, we explore:• What talent really is and how it develops• Ego, humility, and self-awareness in leadership• Inequality, access, and reframing prosperity• Letting go of control and certainty• Purpose as service rather than achievement• Parenting, legacy, and what we pass forward_____________________________________________________________________Listen GUTS:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GSiahH3NYTiFKZ4mIGQnJ?si=fce013635cfa4947Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-under-the-skin/id1821276933Follow GUTS:Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com

What matters when fear enters your life through the people you love most?In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with Airrion Copeland, a filmmaker, writer, and nonprofit leader, for a raw conversation about fatherhood, fear, and the moments that change how you see everything. After a near-death experience involving his young son, Airrion reflects on what breaks open when control disappears and what’s revealed in its place.From early trauma and storytelling to compassion, uncertainty, and raising children in an unpredictable world, this conversation explores suffering as a teacher, purpose as service, and why letting go of certainty may be the only honest way forward.In this episode, we explore:• Fatherhood and fear• Near-death experiences and wake-up calls• Suffering as a teacher• Letting go of certainty and control• Purpose as service• Raising children in an uncertain future_____________________________________________________________________Listen GUTS:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GSiahH3NYTiFKZ4mIGQnJ?si=fce013635cfa4947Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-under-the-skin/id1821276933Follow GUTS:Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com

What if progress isn't about moving faster, but about remembering what's sacred in what we build?In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with Andy Tudhope, a technologist, writer, and builder, for a wide ranging conversation about code, consciousness, and community.Andy reflects on formative experiences with violence, near death, and ego dissolution, and how those moments shaped his relationship with love, presence, and meaning. From Zen and Sufism to poetry, programming, and rethinking money as a communal habit rather than a fixed truth, this conversation explores sincerity, humility, and what it means to live inside the question rather than rush toward answers.In this episode, we explore:• Progress beyond speed and scale• Death, presence, and love as practice• Language, silence, and meaning• Code, money, and trust• Why better questions matter more than certainty_____________________________________________________________________Listen GUTS:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GSiahH3NYTiFKZ4mIGQnJ?si=fce013635cfa4947Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-under-the-skin/id1821276933Follow GUTS:Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com #GUTSPodcast #ConsciousTechnology #Philosophy #MeaningAndPurpose #RethinkingProgress

Accepting yourself isn’t a quote. It’s a practice.In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes, sits down with Kyrus Keenan Westcott, also known as KY, creator of The Vibe With Ky, to talk about mental health, ADHD, depression, and what it really means to stop pretending you’re fine.Ky shares the roller coaster moment that shaped how he understands fear, acceptance, and growth. From losing his friend Ashton, to a ruptured Achilles and a painful breakup, to being late diagnosed with ADHD, depression, anxiety, and OCD, this conversation explores humor as a coping mechanism, neurodivergence, mental health stigma, and why honesty can be strength, connection, and survival.In this episode, we explore:• ADHD, late diagnosis, and neurodivergence• Depression, anxiety, OCD, and mental health awareness• Fear, acceptance, and the roller coaster metaphor for life• Humor as survival and emotional regulation• Boundaries, vulnerability, and avoiding toxic positivity• What it means to stop pretending and start healing______________________________________________________________________________🌐 Subscribe for updateshttps://topazadizes.com👉 Follow us on social media:Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@guts.podcastLinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/

What if the real measure of a life was not success but the love and trust we leave behind?In this episode of Getting Under the Skin, Topaz sits down with entrepreneur and mentor Don MacPherson (he/him) to talk about family, resilience, risk and the lessons that shaped him.Don shares:• The gifts each of his four parents passed on to him• How loss and change shaped his view of life and relationships• The summer adventure that set him on a new path• Why he put off surgery for years and what it taught him when he finally said yes• How trust, curiosity and love guide the way he leads and livesThis is a conversation about facing hardship, choosing gratitude and discovering the power of love in leadership and in life.What has life designed you for?These conversations are not performative interviews, book release tours or productivity hacks.Genuine curiosity is the compass for these honest, human-to-human exchanges of stories. We explore how people are formed by the lives they’ve lived and celebrate the wisdom gained along the way.Welcome to Getting Under The Skin🔗 Learn more about our guesthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/donmacpherson/______________________________________________________________________________🎧 Watch the full season of GUTS on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4epHaaofIRu1qr0AK7PnwrYJDp2O_FTZ or listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts.🌐 Subscribe for updateshttps://topazadizes.com👉 Follow us on social media:Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@guts.podcastLinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/