Welcome to the Locally Grown Podcast with Jim Fini. Today my guest is Tommy Potter a student at the University of Michigan who I met while visiting my daughter this fall. Our conversation over coffee was just so interesting, I had to have him on my podcast. I think it is critical for us oldsters to elevate this future generation of leaders who will be instrumental to the survival and prosperity of our society as time passes. The list of Tommy’s accomplishments at such a young age is extraordinary. He grew up in Moline, Illinois but got bored with school so he finished his HS degree at the U of TX online.

Last summer he was a summer intern at Andreesen Horowitz, one of if not the, most successful venture capital firms in the world. We’re gonna talk more about that. He also produced an award-winning documentary on the homeless as a U Mich student. His undeclared major at Michigan covers studies in philosophy, political science and business speaks to his non-linear thinking. While studying at Michigan he has also built a successful elite headhunting company, for lack of a better term, for young tech talent, and counts many elite VC’s and early-stage companies as clients. The title he as used for his LinkedIn page just says “learning.” Well, we are gonna find out what he is learning today, so welcome to the Locally Grown podcast Tommy Potter.

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What, then, is genius? It is not merely high intelligence, nor eccentricity, nor fame. Genius is the rare conjunction of vision, method, and imagination — the power to see patterns before they coalesce for others, and the courage to pursue them until the world itself shifts. Exceedingly rare, true genius is the one of the most important drivers of human evolution.

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If you’ve listened to my Locally Grown podcast, you’ve heard snippets of this song in the beginning and the end. I wrote this tune when I was writing my book, Locally Grown: The Art of Sustainable Government. I feel the lyrics to this song are even more relevant than they were 5 years ago. In these turbulent times, we have to remember that there is more that unites us than divides us in this great land.

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For most of American history, there was an expectation that each generation would surpass the previous one. Parents believed their children would enjoy higher wages, own better homes, and live more comfortable lives. That assumption—that progress was inevitable—became known as the American Dream. Yet, for the first time in modern history, this assumption appears under threat.

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In a nation of 330+ million people, there are endless individual unsafe acts—reckless driving, drug abuse, overeating, criminal behavior. These often harm individuals and sometimes those around them. But what about the collective unsafe acts we commit as a society—acts that feel good in the short term but have long-term consequences?

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I just returned from a great trip through Spain and Turkey, two countries 1,500 miles apart on opposite sides of the Mediterranean. Yet their histories have been intertwined since the Middle Ages. Join me as I walk you on a journey with friends that uncovers the ancient and modern day mysteries of these two sister nations.

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I was gonna write about President Trump’s first 100 days, but I was interrupted by the Dead & Co show at the Sphere in Vegas and I just had to write about while experience was still fresh in my mind. I will return to regularly scheduled programming next week.

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I never had the chance to do a college semester abroad so I am glad that we have been able to give our kids the opportunity to do it. My daughter is in Madrid Spain for junior year semester, and when she asked for a little cash injection to fund her adventures in exchange for doing some work for me, I jumped at the opportunity. Here’s her excellent travel blog that I hope will be entertaining and useful to all you parents with kids out there who may be planning a semester abroad.

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The world order that has existed for the last 75 years is now changing in some fundamental and necessary ways that will ensure our survival as a nation and promote a stable and peaceful world. We will all get through it. We should all thank our Founders, and the Constitution they gave us which once again steps into the breach to save us from our worst impulses.

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A good portion of my time spent watching TV entertainment is on the topics of science, nature and historical subjects. There is one show that made such an impression on me that I wrote songs on the topics. More on that later. The National Geographic’s Genius series made its Season 1 debut in 2017 with a mesmerizing deep dive into the life and mind of Albert Einstein, the iconic physicist who revolutionized our understanding of the universe. 

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For the past six years I have made a playlist of new music I discovered or older music I have rediscovered during that year.  Sometimes it’s music recommended to me by friends, or streaming while driving, exercising or working. So I am starting a tradition of sharing that music playlist annually with my subscribers. Enjoy.

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My take on the ancient culinary artifact: Meat Pie. My "Kitchen Management" style of recycling leftovers is in full bloom with this recipe. Easy and delicious!

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Ah, Christmas! That magical time of year when people willingly invite chaos into their homes in the name of joy and goodwill. It’s a season wrapped in tinsel, glitter, and just a little bit of existential dread. But it’s also a season to be grateful for our blessings and celebrate the better angels of our nature. Merry Christmas everyone.

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Now that winter is here, I start to long for those comfort foods like stews and soups and pasta dishes. One of my go-to recipes is pasta and Bolognese sauce, or ragù alla Bolognese. It’s one of Italy's most celebrated culinary creations. Here’s my take on this classic.

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Donald Trump defied all odds and became our 47th in a landslide. He won the popular vote and gained a super majority of electoral votes as he created a working-class coalition that cut across racial, ethnic and gender lines. It was a red wave that gave the GOP control of the Congress, the Senate and the Oval Office. He needs to keep his promises to fix our broken federal government.

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So here we are. The most historic and consequential election of our lifetimes. Being on the cusp of Medicare, I have witnessed my share of economic and warfare cycles, and a lot of political bullshit along the way. What makes this election so historic? If you must ask, chances are you’ve been living in a cave, but here goes.

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Hauntings take many forms but who knew ghosts could enter our reality through the respiratory system.

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The weekend’s assassination attempt on Donald Trump has dredged up the existential kind of fear we all try to suppress. As a nation, we are as divided as we have ever been. This at a time when America is the singular champion leading the world of men against the forces of Mordor rising in the East. Let's dial down the political rhetoric on both sides and get on the same page with the big stuff.

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Changing the rules of the game to suit your own needs is never a good idea. I remember vividly in 2013 Senator Mitch McConnell warning Senate Majority Harry Reid, that the elimination of the filibuster for judicial appointments would come back to haunt the Democrats. They did it anyway. Sure enough, in 2018 when the GOP recaptured the majority, McConnell returned the favor by extending Reid’s new rules to Supreme Court justices, which elevated Neil Gorsuch to the highest court in the land. Thanks to the new rules, President Trump was able to appoint an unprecedented 3 justices during his term thereby creating a solid conservative majority on the court. What goes around, comes around.

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A deep dive into potential solutions for the century old Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

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