The music that saved one during one of the most difficult and vulnerable times. The fentanyl detection kit startup that saves lives, co-founded by a mother and a son, with the bond of mother-to-son, brother-to-brother. This is the thread of today's episode, with our guest Alec Leddon, a startup co-founder by day, and a music producer and DJ by his "6-to-8".
In this episode, Alec Leddon unwraps the thread and dives into the stories of his world of music production. Colorado raised and NYC based, Alec is a music producer/artist with over 10 years of classical piano training and 7 years of music production experience. With the stage name Lil' Rocketman, Alec created a distinct style of music which spans across many genres. Some of these include Phonk, old school hip hop, EDM, bedroom rock, trap, bass music, and much more. There is the deep, therapeutic power of music, unleashing and transporting emotions with that artistic flow into artistry, in ways that connect and relate to others. There is also a sense of purpose—finding his voice, tapping deeper into that craft, touring in Europe and performing with his best friends in Hamburg, Paris, Barcelona and London.
Alec also connects the music thread with the deep mission cause he is driving towards through meaning. About 5 years ago, Alec's younger brother passed away after unknowingly taking a street drug laced with fentanyl. Since then, his mom and he have committed themselves to creating the first ever all-in-one convenient fentanyl drug testing device so other people don't have to go through the same loss they experienced. Alec is leading and growing the startup TaeSun, a public health startup that has raised over $450K and secured a federal grant to address the fentanyl overdose crisis.
Tune in to hear about Alec's "6-to-8" journey and the stories in-between the "9-to-5"! You can find out more about Alec through his personal music production and Taesun below.
Instrgram: lil_rocketmanhttps://www.lilrocketmanofficial.com/
I always wonder what my first episode being back would look like.I have tried doing this different times: be it in that visible change-in-season sultry afternoon of the last day of summer, or the feeling of fall with that chill in the air; be it in the room, parking lot, on my run, I find myself time and time again thinking back. But none felt like they did it justice.
There is something about creating. Not until I started the podcast did I realize the line from a writing that I really liked.The author was trying to capture his beloved school as a visiting scholar, but always felt a sense of uneasiness: fear in his incapability to capture the essence of the place; fear of not doing it justice.
Well, podcasting is instant, and it is dynamic. Unlike writing, you could not simply stop at a point and come back over and over again. It is a time stamp in history, forever captured. When you are recording an episode yourself, even with the same central idea, the episode yesterday could look different than the one you do today.
I think this is also what draws me in with podcasting. It is a conversation, a monologue, a time stamp in time.The senses and sensibilities, all captured, at the moment.It feels like a flow. It feels like an inspiration state, that feels higher and immensely opening to yourself.The sense of vast openness, stillness, focus, and flow is very hard to describe in words.
All the emotions, awe, wonder steep in, as I am surrounded by this place I always cherish dearly,The public garden, how I have seen and trod throughSpring, summer, fall, and winter,The stone bridges, the wooden deck,I have seen the tree branches with leaves bursting with the sense of green,I have seen the crab apples blooming vibrantly with that dear color of pink,I have picked up white tree stems from the ground after the rainstorm in the chill air,I have sat comfortably by the swan boat wooden deck bathed under the warm setting sun, ducks side by side greeting their way,I have laid under the lush green grasses with a sketchbook by my side,I have gone cloud gazing and befriended strangers, talking about philosophy and mindfulness,I have stumbled across fellow tree lovers investigating different trees,I have gained special friendship on that snowy day by the commons, then spent the whole day together treading, sharing stories, seeing cute dogs, ice hockey players, little birds by the snowy shrubs,I have stepped out with courage doing karaoke and gazing up at the wondrous willow tree and bridge on that sunny day,I have seen the tulips, roses, all sorts of flowers blooming in the garden,I have heard all different instruments performing - saxophones, erhu, guitar, more and more,I have witnessed many proposals, wedding pictures, gender reveals, picnics, proms, and special occasions around the common,I have also seen how beautiful at night the reflections of the sparkling city lights in the layering waves of the pond are.
I have absolutely cherished this very special place in my heart,And in dedication to this special fall afternoon,Feeling that urge to carry the kit to the sun-bathed lawn on the hillside of the public garden,With the stone bridge on my right, the beautiful vibrant fall colors of the trees,Colors standing out with shades of red, green, orange, yellow, all the in-betweens,Bathing under the warm setting sun,With the gentle soft crisp wind caressing the face,Glistening ripples setting in motion by the pond,A few geese picking seedlings from the lush green grasses,People sitting in pockets,And me,Sitting there,Soaking it all in,With such a sense of respect, awe, wonder,And fountains of inspiration,This is where the beginning of this season,Captured in all the fall fullness,Evanescent beauty,Stamped in time,The feelings,All in their oneness,Wrapped.And now it is from here,To the world.
Peace and love,HanglingOct 26, Sunday, 8:48 PM
[March 2023] College seniors hopping on a spontaneous episode about the lessons Pouya has learned over the four transformative years of college, chat about humanities, human nature, holding on to one’s power of imagination, and what it means to be a human :)
happy new year and hangling is back with an episode about grounding, confidence, and bird...
A catch up episode that explores the stories we told and are told by, where the raw, intimate truth may be buried deep underneath the "common" narratives.
What does music mean to you? From the lens of the composer, crafting a piece of music can convey or represent many things, such as architecting an immersive space. This is what our guest today, Carlos, turns to during both his “6-to-8” as well as “9-to-5”. Carlos Meyers is a composer and conductor from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His style is self described as neo-romantic, while often incorporating minimalist and spectralist influence. He established himself at a relatively young age as a creative and driven musician, with his pieces receiving several performances and awards in his hometown of Milwaukee, WI. Carlos is currently studying Music Composition (BM) with Concentrations in Conducting and Music Theory at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Check out Carlos’s work via his portfolio https://www.carlosmeyersmusic.com/ and Carlos could be reached at composer@carlosmeyersmusic.com
When was the last time that you had a popsicle? As a popslinger during the day, Chris gets to ask that question to new people of all walks of life and their stories behind these Popsicle memories every day. Whenever it is a hot summer day or a gloomy rainy day, a fresh popsicle could make the world feel so much better.
Chris has always been open to new opportunities and stepped out of his comfort zone by saying yes to things. During his years as a student at Vanderbilt, he has always taken that adventurous spirit from taking the lead role for the theater production Vanderbilt Off Broadway and starting his own business in college. When he explored financial industries, ran his own insurance agency and sales, and worked for a start-up, Chris then took on a completely new step when an opportunity emerged: being the neighborhood partner for Nashville King of Pops. This has been an incredibly fulfilling journey where he gets to bring joy and happiness and witness the magic of popsicle in making people's days better.
Tune in for this episode where Chris shares about his journey from college onwards and these adventures as well as the identity shift, regaining perspective and now fulfilling experiences involved with the popsicle stand.
Chris could be reached at chris.gardner@kingofpops.com, and the King of Pops Nashville instagram @kop_nashville.
For Kevin, the job of the artist is to find things in the world that are beautiful- or have the potential to become beautiful. While many things may not initially seem - beautiful, all it takes is a change in angle, lighting, or color to bring out their true character. Something that is beautiful to him is not just something that is nice to look at, but something that fills your mind with wonder- something that makes you stop and think.
Kevin is a senior from Boston, studying biochemistry, Spanish, and studio art at Vanderbilt University. On campus he conducts colorectal cancer research in the King lab at ESB and is also a member of the SyBBURE Searle Undergraduate research program. Kevin has also been the president of the Kefi Collective, Vanderbilt's public arts organization, for two years. After graduating, he intends to attend medical school for an MSTP program.
In this episode, Kevin takes us back in time to when he first fell in love with art, the transformative evolving relationships, and its delicate balance with nature, gymnastic, music and science. Let’s dive right into it!
Zoia lives in an eternal state of intellectual curiosity, driven by her desire to create impact and put a zing in the universe. Focused on the combination of people, products, and brands to create impact-driving solutions for wicked problems, Zoia is used to working amongst senior executives from the start-up world to Fortune 500’s alike. Zoia is currently working at Citi as the VP in product management on Google Pay x Citi Plex.
Outside her "9-to-5," Zoia is truly a multi-hyphenate being an educator, podcaster, mentor, and founder of her own non-profit. Her passions for democratizing knowledge and intellectual endeavors have enabled her to extend her reach as an advisor and mentor to start-ups and non-profits. She is also part-time faculty at Columbia University, teaching at a graduate level. As the Global Marketing Lead at the nonprofit WIN: Women in Innovation. She launched, produced, and edited a podcast, "WIN/WIN: Women in Innovation" that has thousands of downloads and features senior women in the space.
Moreover, Zoia recently launched a non-profit foundation in her father's memory: “The Kozakov Foundation.” The foundation aims to change the state of creative industries, such as theatre, arts, photography, and design, to be made up of people who want to create culturally significant work that impacts us all. In practice, this means giving the next generation of artists and designers an opportunity to pursue the arts through funding their education and giving them the tools to succeed via the Kozakov Fellowship.
Tune in to hear about Zoia's "6-to-8" journey and the stories in-between a "Multi-Hyphenate"!
Movement of body and soul, with rich storytelling and deep self-expression, flows through Asya’s dance. A college junior majoring in Child Studies and Medicine, Health, and Society during the day, Asya is a 20-year old native of Memphis, TN who initially began her dance journey at the age of 6. Once she dipped her toe into the world of dance, this particular passion of hers became something that would follow her all the way through her childhood and even into her adult life now.
Tune in to hear about Asya’s journey starting out with a majorette team at her elementary school, later referring to a ballet program with a nearby studio, the ups and downs along the way, and how dancing translates to her life and her identity in a special way!
Creativity sparks, inspiration stems, and emotions flow through Christine’s work.
A college software engineer intern at Microsoft by day, Christine is one of these talented content creators with a mastery across photography, choreography, videography, and many more during her 6-to-8. With a passion for fashion and experimenting, she likes to take cool footage and make little films out of them, practice hip-hop dancing by scraping the choreo out of Youtube, and making fashion-related content on Instagram and Youtube.
In this episode, Christine shares about how this all stems from her childhood, ups and downs along the ride like her solo getaway trip in Hokkaido’s snow shapes her and her content creation, and journey being a photographer, dancer, filmmaker and YouTuber. Check out Christine’s Instagram (@itschristinezhou) and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsA5YLcaJmhau73vz1WIGxQ)
What is a song that comes to mind as you conjure up a cherished memory? Music connects, units, and binds people together and transcends across human connection. Our guest today, Gavin, a Philadelphia native studying at Vanderbilt University by day, is in the world of producing music and sharing this passion with his band called New Parlor. Gavin has been writing & performing music since a young age and has done a lot of different things. He’s been in 4 other bands, did solo performances and was involved in the Boy Band once. Through those experiences, Gavin has gained a huge online following, headlined his own tour and played sold out shows in his native hometown, Philadelphia. While Gavin has done a lot of different things, the constant is his immense passion for creating music and sharing with others. Check out the New Parlor band via Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/7b4mYHolxEXtKR4qMxxCg6?si=ybSgaP9zSBu3FQAo7M4q5Q and instagram @newparlorband. Tune into this episode and hear about Gavin’s journey from writing his first song to where he is today.
What’s the last time you have created something, just for pleasure? Henry, while being a student at Virginia Tech, finds himself diving into the world of making and creating all things electronics and 3D printing. Ever since he was little, he has loved developing and creating. That passion has manifested into his brand: Forsyth Creations. Through his YouTube channel, he hopes to share what he has learned in a fun, inviting environment that helps others learn what he knows. The Forsyth Creations idea, what the brand means, is a free sharing of information. Beyond his work, Henry is also a runner, a part time skier, and when he isn’t working or hanging with friends, you’ll find him at his local parish fixing outlets, painting walls, or hanging pictures. Check out Henry's website https://www.forsythcreations.com and YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdszVOnp3Koma14aIj-HWMA!
Have you ever told a joke that nobody laughs at? Our guest today Jack, a New York University college student by day, shares about his times doing character comedy during his “6-to-8.” Jack started doing character comedy as he went to NYU and getting involved with many different things from writing a funny monologue, making a costume, and performing live at open mics and shows with his roommate around NYC. Growing up, he has always been drawn to making people laugh, watching comedy, and experiencing comedy with others. Let’s dive right into this journey!
In this episode, Romberg York, a sophomore at College of Charleston studying Environmental Geoscience and Sustainability, talks about her passion for crafting food and sharing with her friends & family during her “6-to-8.” Growing up, Romberg has always gravitated towards many different kinds of art forms, including fashion, music, and photography. She learned early on that food is also an art form and you can create something beautiful from the most simple ingredients. Tune into this episode and hear about how Romberg comes into cooking for an upscale restaurant as a chef while being a college student, and then how it turns into her “6 to 8” sharing the joy of food with family and friends.
In this episode, Sterling Gourdine, a 19 year old college student at Vanderbilt University, shared about his 6-to-8 as a music producer and periodic rapper as Regional Overlord Sterling Silver, or R.O.S.S. Specializing in versatility, Regional Overlord Sterling Silver often pairs layered, head-knocking drums and strong 808 bass lines with smooth chords, playful synths, and percussion loops. Inspired by all that he hears and aspiring to surpass his contemporaries, Sterling’s ambitious and unique production can be found on several artists’ works, including Chuckthespittah’s “Bed is My God” and “Jet Lines,” Pyrex The Enigma’s “Dimensions With No Direction” and “Grey Balance,” as well as numerous collaborations with producer and friend N_ova. Tune into this episode and hear about Sterling’s journey from making his first beat to where he is today.