Portland native Colin O’Brady quite literally goes the distance - in a world record-breaking way. He holds the world record for the fastest to climb the tallest peak on all seven continents and in 2018 became the first person ever to cross the continent of Antarctica alone and without the aid of resupplies or wind/kite power. Since then, he's published a book about that experience, "The Impossible First," and returned to Antarctica to set yet another record. In December 2019, he and his crew completed the first human-powered row across the Drake Passage from Cape Horn to Antarctica. In 12 days, the 6-man team traveled over 600 miles of open ocean, battered by intense winds, giant swells, and stormy weather. This is just the latest in a string of seemingly unbelievable feats of skill, endurance, and determination by the former professional triathlete and outdoor adventurer. When he’s not traversing continents solo or speedily mountaineering, O’Brady champions his community impact through his nonprofit, Beyond 7/2, which encourages kids and communities to live active, healthy lives and pursue their dreams. O’Brady is a sought after speaker at Fortune 500 companies, conferences across the globe, and his TED talk has over 1 million views. He uses his own history of setbacks as an accelerant to reach greater heights and believes that we all have the ability to unlock the potential inside of us.

Atsuko Okatsuka has a firm grip on her comedy. The stand-up, writer, and actor just released her new comedy album “But I Control Me,” which lets listeners into the creative mind of a comedian who delivers her unique brand of observational and relatable comedy in a tidy package. Featured in Vulture as one of “38 Comedians You Should and Will Know,” Okatsuka has also been named a top comedian to watch by TimeOut LA and plays to local and nationwide audiences. She’s recently starred in her own one-hour special for Hulu, written for Adult Swim, and has a number of pilots in development. Atsuko's latest creation, “Let's Go, Atsuko: A Woke Japanese Game Show,” has monthly sold-out shows in Los Angeles and is a hit weekly podcast as part of Forever Dog Productions. Recently, she’s partnered with National Lampoons and Quibi to bring the televised version of “Let’s Go Atsuko” to screen. For surprising, hilarious comedy, hand over the controls to Atsuko Okatsuka.

Simply put...The Black Tones are like a mixture of Kurt Cobain and cornbread. Consisting of founders/twin siblings Eva Walker on guitar/vocals and Cedric Walker on drums, the blues- and punk-based dynamo continuously project subversion, power and the potential for something new on stage.

Julia Rosen is a freelance journalist covering science and the environment, writing stories about how the world works and how humans are changing it. She is a former science reporter for the Los Angeles Times, where she focused on climate change. Her freelance work has appeared in The Atlantic, Science, Nature, Hakai, bioGraphic, Orion, NationalGeographic.com, and High Country News, among other places.