The Beautiful Thinkers Project

Season IX | EP 5: Julia Michels, Gymnast. Music Supervisor. Grammy Winner. Beautiful Thinker.

What if getting injured was the best thing that ever happened to your career? Julia Michels is a Grammy-winning music supervisor whose work on A Star Is Born, Pitch Perfect, and The Devil Wears Prada has generated over $2 billion in ticket sales—but she went to IU for sports science and drove to LA in a Toyota Tercel to dance in music videos.

From teaching aerobics to running into elevators for mentorship moments to bringing Bradley Cooper’s midnight song to set, Julia reveals why saying yes before knowing how built her entire career, why there’s enough work for everybody, and how her gymnastics-trained drive became a philosophy: be resourceful, resilient, and respectful.

Sometimes the craving that heals you is the one that heals the world.

🎧LINK IN BIO

Season IX | EP 3: Chris Noel,
Mayor of Denali. From Hoosier to the Last Frontier. Beautiful Thinker.

What if the craving for community is what roots you in the most unlikely of places? Chris Noel left Indiana for Alaska’s remote Denali Borough—fewer than 2,000 residents stewarding the land around North America’s highest peak, where half a million visitors attempt the mountain each year.

From environmental management to fighting fires to becoming the fifth mayor of a place where neighbors aren’t optional, they’re essential, Chris shows how building real community means showing up when the call comes. Sometimes preparedness isn’t about predicting what’s coming, it’s about being ready for your finest hour.

And sometimes the universe conspires in your favor when you live a purpose-driven life.

Link In Bio
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