Hey world, meet one of the newest members of the #hyggefam, John Tinkelenberg. John is the first employee of Brave New Word, one of the earliest businesses that we had in the hygge walls and the business owned by our podcast host Mary Johnson.

 

In this episode of Zero to Ten, we're getting to know John on an even deeper level. For example, we found out he plays guitar and has actually cut together an album before - how cool. He's also been charged by an alligator and lived to tell the tale, he's an Eagle Scout, and he's basically Willy Wonka because he's worked at a chocolate factory before. So, long story short, he's a pretty cool guy with some pretty cool stories. 

A lot of people know Greg Schermbeck, the guy behind education reform at SchermCo. For 5 years now, SchermCo has been specializing in strategic services for education reform initiatives across the country, particularly for K-12 students. Basically, he's a big deal, and he's been at it for a while now. But the best part about coworking isn't connecting with people about what they do... (okay, that part is a ton of fun, too). The best part about working alongside strangers is you get to learn some quirky things about them you may never have before - like that Greg used to play football, he grew up in a low-income area and he just recently hired his mom to help him out with his business (hey, mama Schermbeck!). This week on the Zero to Ten podcast, host Mary Johnson sits down with Greg to talk all about the things people might not know about him, and you can give it a listen by heading to the link in our bio.

"The reason I started doing burlesque and pole dancing is one of my friends was a dancer, and I went to see a showcase she was in and it was the first time female sexuality and performance had been presented as not for the male gaze. It just seemed so lovely to be in this environment where we could celebrate this on our own terms for ourselves rather than trying to impress someone else."

 

For the first time ever, this is probably not someone you'll see at one of our hygge locations if you ever stop by. Meet Ruby Skyscraper, the burlesque alter ego of one of our #hyggefam. Ruby has been doing burlesque and pole dancing for a few years now. It all started when she was in Germany, but since then she's brought her performances here to the Queen City. We were lucky enough to have her on the Zero to Ten podcast with Mary Johnson to hear all about the burlesque community and how she got into it. As a woman in a male dominated industry, Ruby found burlesque - which is very, very different from stripping, btw - was a way for her to feel empowered as a woman and in touch with her sexuality.