Episodes

  • Your Cells Are Technology with Futurist Andrew Hessel

    Your Cells Are Technology with Futurist Andrew Hessel
    Mar 24 2026
    Andrew Hessel is a futurist, microbiologist, geneticist, entrepreneur, and synthetic biology pioneer known for co-founding the Genome Project-write and Humane Genomics, and co-authoring The Genesis Machine, a New Yorker Best Book of 2022. He believes cells are living computers, and DNA is a programming language. And his reasoning is solid! Andrew has spoken to the FBI, the United Nations, CERN, Stanford, and Jeff Bezos's exclusive MARS conference, to name a few. Jim sits down with Andrew to talk about the future of biology, the merging of AI and life science, and what it'll mean for humans when we really start writing, not just reading, DNA.Could we engineer cancer out of existence? Should we clone ourselves? Where does science end and playing God begin? Andrew will make you see that the most disruptive technology in human history is the data in your body. Your cells. You won't want to miss this one.
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    37 mins
  • Brian Anderson and CHAI Are Making Sure AI Stays Honest

    Brian Anderson and CHAI Are Making Sure AI Stays Honest
    Mar 24 2026
    Brian Anderson, CEO of CHAI, the Coalition for Health AI, talks about who's making sure AI in medicine actually works, and works for everyone. Brian has spent his career at the crossroads of medicine, technology, and policy. He worked alongside the White House COVID Task Force before co-founding CHAI in 2021 to tackle a gap nobody else was filling: responsible, trustworthy AI in healthcare at a national scale. Today, CHAI has nearly 3,000 member organizations and is building the consensus-driven guidelines, certified assurance labs, and transparency tools that will define how AI gets used in hospitals, and clinical trials.
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    41 mins
  • Our Super Bowl Week Finale with Champions, Executives & Changemakers

    Our Super Bowl Week Finale with Champions, Executives & Changemakers
    Mar 4 2026
    This is our third and final Super Bowl episode recorded at the Starter Activation House and Jim is chatting with compelling voices in sports, business, and biotech. TJ Ward, former NFL star and Super Bowl XLVIII winner, opens up about life after football. Carl Banks, President of G-III Sports and two-time Super Bowl champion and Shawn Costner, Sports Marketing Executive at CAA, talk about leading with integrity. Carmen Banks, Founder of Melanin Science, discusses representation in biotech and empowering the next generation of scientists. Real stories, real lessons, real talk.
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    40 mins
  • Let's Talk Super Bowl With These Football, TV & Music Legends | Adam "Pacman" Jones, Flavor Flav, Brock Davies, and Eric Metcalf

    Let's Talk Super Bowl With These Football, TV & Music Legends | Adam "Pacman" Jones, Flavor Flav, Brock Davies, and Eric Metcalf
    Feb 25 2026
    Recorded during Super Bowl week at the Starter Activation House Studio, this second special episode of Get Real captures Jim in conversation with a lineup of true originals whose impact spans sports, music, and pop culture. He’s joined by Adam "Pacman" Jones and Eric Metcalf, former NFL superstars, Brock Davies, influencer and reality TV star, and finally, Flavor Flav, who needs no introduction! They're sharing stories and lessons as they discuss what it takes to stay resilient. Listen to learn about the moments that shaped these legends.
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    30 mins
  • Beyond The Field: How Athletes Shape Their Life After the NFL

    Beyond The Field: How Athletes Shape Their Life After the NFL
    Feb 18 2026
    Jonathan Stewart, former NFL running back and key player in the Carolina Panthers’ run to Super Bowl 50, joins Jim to talk life after football. They dive into his passions, his mission, and how his time as an athlete continues to shape his pursuits and vision today. Antone Barnes, Founder and CEO of The Brand Architects, shares insights on helping athletes build their careers on and off the field, both during and after their professional playing days. This episode is all about navigating the next chapter after sports. It’s a must-listen. Recorded in San Francisco during the week leading up to Super Bowl 60 at Levi’s Stadium!
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    39 mins
  • How Josh Schwartz, Showunner & Producer of The OC and Gossip Girl, Stays Creative

    How Josh Schwartz, Showunner & Producer of The OC and Gossip Girl, Stays Creative
    Jan 28 2026
    Josh Schwartz is a TV screenwriter and producer best known for creating The O.C., Gossip Girl, Chuck, Hart of Dixie, and The Carrie Diaries, to name a few. He's launched the careers of superstars and is a superstar himself. At 26, he became one of the youngest showrunners in network history when he launched The O.C. Josh is also Jim's cousin. Two and a half decades after The O.C. changed his career and binge watching as we know it, Jim and Josh are Getting Real about career longevity, mentorship, and how to stay creative. They're diving into juicy tidbits from the days of The O.C. and Gossip Girl, like why Marissa died, and what he'd rewrite if he could. It's not easy to have a hit series, and he's had several. His shows are millennial fodder. Representative of a time, not long ago, when we called on pay phones and then flip phones, sent texts on QWERTY keyboards and when life was just a little less technical. Tune in. You won't want to miss this awesome chat!
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    36 mins
  • Tina Sharkey Is An Investor, Brand Builder and Rainbow Girl

    Tina Sharkey Is An Investor, Brand Builder and Rainbow Girl
    Jan 21 2026
    Tina Sharkey has seen the power of faith first hand. She and Jim are diving into her rollercoaster summer, a story she's yet to share. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor that at first seemed inoperable, but turned out to be operable, and not cancer, thankfully. However, since then, and throughout her time at the hospital, she's navigated treacherous times by relying on a mantra she learned years ago: fear is a wasted emotion. She's also called on her inner Rainbow Girl, a part of her she's been connected to since youth, to bring light into her life and onto her tumor, and it worked! She's better. In fact, she's thriving. Tina is a trendspotter, an innovator and a teacher who is now a Gen AI & Society Grant Professor at the USC. You don't want to miss this one. In this episode, hear: 1. Who Rainbow Girl is and why she's helped Tina become successful 2. How to be a better trendspotter in business 3. Why fear is a wasted emotion 4. Why being afriad of AI is a waste of time 5. How Tina has left an impact in so many fields and where she's heading next
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    37 mins
  • The Importance of Science Education with Bill Nye

    The Importance of Science Education with Bill Nye
    Jan 14 2026
    Bill Nye is so much more than The Science Guy. He's an activist, a performer, a leader and changemaker. He brings his sprit and tenacity to everything he does, including being a guest on podcasts, like ours. He currently serves as CEO of The Planetary Society, a role he took over from Carl Sagan, a mentor from his time at Cornell. In this episode, Jim and Bill are talking about why Science Still Matters. Why it has always mattered. Why the fight to trust in it matters now more than ever. Tune in to meet the guy behind bowtie. The cultural icon who taught kids to love science. On that path, he's won 19 Emmys, received a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star and The Presidential Medal of Freedom. It's the honor of a lifetime to have him on Get Real. In this episode, hear 1. His origin story 2. How winning a Steve Martin lookalike contest was the gateway into standup comedy and ultimately a TV show 3. The work he does to raise awareness for Freidrichs Ataxia 4. Why Jaylen Brown, NBA star, gave a speech at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony 5. What's at risk for the US with this potential budget cuts for NASA
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    31 mins