Episode 16: The Poet & The Preacher with Max Stossel and Derek Hake
Max Stossel is a poet.
This is not something that you hear very often these days, but poetry is both his passion and his work. He’s been able to sustain himself doing just that.
A number of Max’s poems were recorded and turned into videos that went viral including The Panda is Dancing which highlights the challenges technology poses to our mental health and relationships. Max continues to perform his poetry on his Words that Move tour and given some of his analogies in this episode, I think you’ll see he’s a master at his craft.
Max was recommended by a number of past guests and I was eager to speak to him given his role as the Head of Education at the Center for Humane Technology where he works to educate elementary to high school students on the importance of digital wellness.
When I entered Max’s apartment for the interview, he was in the middle of a writing workshop with his friend Derek Hake who is also his barber. As it turns out, Derek is an ordained Minister with A LOT of eloquent thoughts to share. He stayed to listen to the show and also shared his thoughts.
This was the first time that I had two guests on the show and my microphone setup is really made for two people max, so there may be some technical issues, but it was worth it to have Derek join.
We discussed Max’s path to becoming a poet, his work at the Center for Humane Tech, Instagram, Burning Man, religion, Fyre festival and the importance of intention.
Important Show Links:
Max Stossel
Words that Move Tour – Los Angeles
Derek Hake
https://pemachodronfoundation.org/
Reverend Derek Dwayne - www.fellowbarber.com
