Ross Lewis is a creator from Columbus, Ohio, whose journey into content creation started from an unexpected place: fear.

After developing phagophobia — a fear of choking and eating — Ross began struggling to eat in public and at one point lost 30–40 pounds. Instead of continuing to avoid that fear, he began making videos at locally owned restaurants, pushing himself outside his comfort zone while sharing the stories of the people and places around him.

Since then, his videos have taken him across different countries and cultures, from conversations with an ice cream vendor in Peru to two men painting a church in Puerto Rico.

In this interview, Ross and I talk about overcoming fear, spreading positivity, connecting with people from different cultures, his eight years serving in the U.S. Air Force, and the lessons he’s learned from strangers around the world.

1000 interviews, 1000 stories.

Interview 113

Music licensed through Soundstripe.

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At just 18, Jayden Rich is still figuring out his purpose — and that’s exactly the point.

Jayden is an engineering and IT student and the creator of Rich by Purpose, a personal brand documenting his journey towards becoming more disciplined, finding direction, and inspiring other young men to do the same.

We talk about moving out at 17, struggling with consistency, comparing yourself to others online, the pressure to succeed young, and what it really means to be “built by discipline, guided by purpose.”

This is Jayden’s story so far.

1000 Interviews, 1000 Stories.

Interview 112

Music licensed through Soundstripe.

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Cassandra Mulo is a business owner, solo mum of three and advocate for the deaf community who was born profoundly deaf.

In this conversation, Cassandra shares what it was like growing up trying to fit into a hearing world, travelling to more than 60 countries, pursuing acting in New York, becoming a single mum, hitting rock bottom and rebuilding her life from the ground up.

We talk about identity, mindset, disability, entrepreneurship and what it means to stop letting your circumstances define who you can become.

Cassandra's story is a reminder that you don't need to have everything figured out — sometimes you just need to know who you want to become and start moving towards it.

1000 Interviews, 1000 Stories.

102/1000.