How Cool Is This?

After a whole weekend of great conversations, we finally got the man behind the madness behind the mic. Mike helped bring everyone — including us — together at The Lively Grit Daily House for SXSW 2025. We chatted about dealing with stress, putting on live events, why ‘Zoom Fatigue’ is bullshit, faking football knowledge, bowl cuts, Linkin Park, the difference between a fad, a trend, and a culture, and a lot more in between. 

“There will be one person walking down the side of the street and you'll be like, ‘they're cool.’  And then there'll be somebody else probably making a noise or walking stupidly or wearing something absolutely disgusting, trying to be cool. And you'll cross the road to avoid them.”

Haley is an actor who uses her background in foreign affairs to inform her work on screen and stage. 

We chatted about reconnecting with old friends at SXSW, being influenced by different perspectives from around the world, taking the untraditional path, going from the Cannes Film Festival to monitoring elections in Serbia, finding balance, journaling, Nickel the service dog, her idea for a children’s book, and a lot more in between. 

“One thing I'm grateful for is that I don't have regrets and I think that can be a cool thing.”

A recent Austin transplant, Larry was at The Lively Grit Daily House spreading the word about WLTHYWISE, his personal finance app that helps students realize the financial potential through personal financial forecasting.

We talked Austin vs. LA, basketball, Mr. Beast, the beach, snowboarding tricks, the efficacy of influencers, and a lot more in between. 

“ I really strongly believe that cool is all from a perspective of yourself. You can't really  rely on someone else to tell you if you're cool or if you're not cool.”

A licensed psychotherapist and sex therapist, Nikita Fernandes was invited to speak at SXSW’s Lively Grit Daily House about the perils of burnout culture.

We sat down with her after her presentation to talk about why people feel compelled to do uncool things, TikTok culture, ostriches, the Internet, and more.

“To say that something is not cool that is generally seen as cool means that you're putting yourself at risk for social isolation. And social isolation and feeling isolated is not cool."

Event producer, brand activation savant, and music festival curator Harley Jennette joined us in the recording booth at SXSW 2025’s Lively Grit Daily House to talk about music journalism, meeting people at concerts, skateboarders, a snacking event he’s putting on with Lively Local Markets, and most importantly, what’s cool.

“If your friends don’t think you’re cool, then they’re not your friends."

Jessica stopped by The Lively Grit Daily House with members of Yorkseed, her startup collective. She also brought her infamous wearable QR code. We chatted about her SXSW origin story, how Instagram is unfortunately cool, being legendary, skipping the line in front of your haters, and a lot more in between. 

“ I still try to keep a part of me that's like always be open minded and stay cool. You only live once — I really believe that. You’re going to have to try out everything. Then you know what works for you and what doesn’t.” 

A returning guest of the pod, Chris joined us during his yearly pilgrimage to Austin to chat about deep fakes, ask why we all think sunglasses are cool, talk Chicago style hot dogs, being unique, why arrows don’t hurt as bad as you think, the Psychopath Test, and a lot more in between. 

“ I'm always drawn towards anything that's really different. It's like, how did that happen? That’s where you get the really interesting conversations with people.” 

A veteran of the tech conference scene, Peter brought his unique POV — and love of hot dogs — to his conversation with us at The Lively Grit Daily House. 

We talked about prescription sunglasses, acceptable hot dog toppings, getting his dog on The Today Show, how the Irish say things are cool, “raw data” from strangers, what he saw at CES ‘25, a crawling bedside table lamp, and a lot in between. 

“ I think it's important to be cool and in your own sense of cool and in your own skin and in your own mind.  Some people's brand is just straight nerdy, straight geeky, and they make it work. Look at Bill Gates, right?” 

Andrew and Mike made their way to SXSW to show off Mado Dynamic — their new solar-powered, fully automated shades, which we got the chance to test out in the Lively Grit Daily House.

We talked about the product, Curb Your Enthusiasm, the perils of corded blinds, “pane” points, being “baller”, how to get strangers to think your new product is cool, western shirts, The Sound of Music, and a lot in between. 

“ I thinkI'm a good listener. I talk to people, I understand their position in life. And so, I just listened to how they think and talk about how that product might solve problems for them. Most of the time people really resonate with like, ‘Oh, I never thought of that. Oh, I never thought I could afford that. Oh, that's super interesting’.” 

Kati had a busy South by Southwest, speaking at the Lively Grit Daily House, a panel at the convention center, and a session at New Mexico House.

We sat down with her early in the trip, right after her speaking gig at Lively Grit Daily House.

The conversation ranged from basketball to bands to whether or not it's cool to have a political stance (spoiler: Kati says it is!), gaming, coolness as a parent, and a lot in between.

She also spoke about her job at Meow Wolf - an immersive art adventure and experience - and the brand’s relationship with the fleeting concept of coolness.

“Now that we have millions of visitors a year, like, I want my next door neighbor, who is a soccer mom, I want her to bring her kids there, you know? I want her to enjoy it and not feel as though she's not cool enough to be there. But at the same time, I want to still have that value described by us, while also being accessible.”

Between wrangling speakers and everything else that goes into putting on a speakeasy at SXSW, Lisa popped into the studio to talk about why she, Mike, Mary, and the team hosted the Lively Grit Daily House at SXSW 2025.

We talk about dogs, parenthood, the gender dynamics of cool, and more.

“It's your personality and how you connect with people and what your vibe is and how you're communicating and talking and treating people… The way you treat others makes you cool or not.” -Lisa DelMonte

JC is no stranger to cool. He might be more of an expert than us. We connected at The Lively Grit Daily House to get his take on what’s worth paying attention to. 

We talked about the pressure to talk about AI, not caring, spicy guacamole, Jaws, the Johari Window, British words we’d never heard of before, and a lot in between. 

“If you don’t think you’re cool, other people won’t think you’re cool, and you’re going to think other people don’t think you’re cool.” 

We tried to turn off the mics. We really did.

But we're back and podcasting from The Lively Grit Daily House in Austin, TX for SXSW 2025.

Stay tuned for more conversations with cool people, people who think they're cool, and maybe a robot.

Drop by if you're in town:

After more that 5 years and nearly 200 episodes, How Cool Is This? is finally ready to answer our original question: what really is cool?

But is that even possible? And more importantly, is answering the question cool?

Brian and Nick discuss whether or not this medium is cool. But is it a good thing that podcasts feel more powerful than ever? And more importantly, is that cool?

You can call (848) 863-9917, but you probably won't get your idea on the show.

Stay tuned for details on a LIVE episode 200.

America is currently deciding whether Kamala Harris or Donald Trump will be the next president. But are either of them actually cool? And more importantly, is it even possible for the president to be cool?

Get your idea on one of the last episodes of How Cool Is This? by leaving us a voicemail at 848-863-9917.

X user @PaperWash has an idea for a haunted house that brings together people from your past. Would this really be that scary? And more importantly, is it cool?

Happy Halloween!

X user @brosaleigh thinks that more entertainment should happen in the morning. But is the morning the best time to be entertained? And more importantly, is that cool?

X user @Jvanitypress wants a robot to floss for him. But will this actually get dentists to stop complaining about our poor mental hygiene? And more importantly, is that cool?

Andy thinks weddings should have the opposite of a best man. But is that the best time to celebrate a bad guy? And more importantly, is that cool?

X user @carterhambly suggests that ER patients should have the opportunity to operate on themselves. Would this DIY emergency room be safe? And more importantly, is it cool?

X user @aidankeeping wants the comfort of a blanket without the heat. Would that be a good way to sleep? And more importantly, would that be cool?

X user @chi_urbanist_ proposes a new type of burger. Would the Chicago-style Hamburger have too many ingredients? And more importantly, is it cool?

X user @_hood_mona_lia wants a new type of competition added to the Olympics. Would a chili cook-off be too big of a departure from the essence of Olympic Games? And more importantly, is that cool?

X user @kinoyahh wants the work week to be less than five days. Would that work with our work culture? And more importantly, is that cool?

X user Keshia wants an airline for adults only. Would that make for a better flying experience? And more importantly, is that cool?

X user @imaniems_ thinks local libraries deserve to take the budget of local cops. Would that make our communities better? And more importantly, is that cool?

X user @RhythmdaddyJ wants tattoos that last two years and then fade away. Is that any better than a regular, permanent tattoo? And more importantly, is that cool?

X user @SirSethamusII imagines a world where working out is easier. Would a machine that works you out work out? And more importantly, is it cool?

X user Saorise wants ice cream that satisfies in smaller quantities. But does that defeat the point of ice cream? And more importantly, is that cool?

X user @just_fish_uwu_ exposes the world to an idea for sleeping fully naked. Do people feel comfortable sleeping without clothes? And more importantly, is it cool?

X user @thewontonshawn thinks there should be a way to keep you from making bad decision on your phone while drunk. But would people actually use that? And more importantly, is that cool?

Domino's Pizza thinks they can encourage higher tipping by rewarding the tippers. Will that actually get delivery drivers more money? And more importantly, is that cool?

AngryGF thinks that an AI chatbot simulating an upset partner will help men get better at diffusing arguments. But will fighting an AI girlfriend help you keep a real one? And more importantly, is that cool?

X user @xsanti___ wants to know why no one has ever created a Mexican buffet. Is it a bad business model? And more importantly, is it cool?

Peer thinks more pizza places should be proactive about selling pies. Would that actually be effective? And more importantly, is that cool?

Alexandra thinks there should be a way to easily scale recipes. But does anyone actually follow the instructions when cooking? And more importantly, is that cool?

Dana thinks we should have the technology to take better pictures of the moon. But should we even be taking pictures of the moon at all? And more importantly, is that cool?

Josh wants somebody to invent a warm version of cold brew. But isn't that just coffee? And more importantly, is that cool?

A lot of things happened this year. But which things are worth remembering? And more importantly, were they cool?

X user @stripedtshirtz has requested a modification to the ubiquitous, but often inconvenient, tote bag.

"Can someone invent one tote bag that stays on your shoulder in 2024 please"

Liv thinks we've got enough already. But do we really need to stop building things? And more importantly, is that cool?

"Unpopular opinion: stop building things. we have too many entrepreneurs and far too many things."