Mind Gap

Justin and Doug come together to discuss the pros and cons of living as an average person in different fictional universes such as Super Mario World, The Matrix, Harry Potter, and more! The dorks discuss immortality and what it would take to have them opt in for such a super power. Things are wrapped up with a throw-down between the alchemists of Amestros from Full Metal Alchemist vs. the wizards from Harry Potter. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify so you don't miss anything!

Justin and Doug convene this week to talk about esports and, more specifically, the Overwatch League, which just started its regular season last week. The two discuss the viability of this type of competition, the good and the bad so far, and whether the “sport” will reach the level of NFL in terms of popularity. Things are wrapped up with a throw-down with PC Gamers vs. Console Gamers. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify so you don't miss anything!

Comedian, athlete, filmmaker, and Mind Gap all-star Matt Baker returns to chat with Doug and Justin about ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) videos, his newly released film Ghosted, and how to find your creative voice and make the art that is most important to you. Things are wrapped up with a throw-down between Patrick Swayze from Ghost vs. Bruce Willis from Sixth Sense. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify so you don't miss anything!

This week, Justin and Doug discuss the concept of a quarter life crisis, what may cause it, and if they’ve experienced it. The dorks then talk about the idea of success, how they define it, and how it is often tied to materialism. Going along with success, the heroes then talk about failure and why it’s important to experience it. Things are wrapped up with a throw-down with Green Day vs. Blink 182. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify so you don't miss anything!

This week, Justin and Doug are chatting about a slew of topics. The dorks begin chatting about New Year’s Eve and why they don’t like the holiday and then discuss setting SMART goals and making time for self reflection. The heroes then talk about expectations and how they shape outcomes. Things move on to behavioral differences in cities versus small towns and Doug talks about his fantasies in which he doles out justice to annoying people. Then, the two best friends talk about judging people based on their job role. Things are wrapped up with a throw-down with Boba Fett vs. Captain Phasma. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify so you don't miss anything!

Yo, this episode is exploding with spoilers, so beware. Star Wars aficionado, Sam Koch, returns to the podcast to discuss the highly polarizing installment of the Star Wars universe: The Last Jedi. The dorks talk about what they liked, what they had problems with, and what the rest of the world has been saying about the movie.   Things are wrapped up with a throw-down with Darth Vader vs. Kylo Ren and then Kylo Ren vs. Luke Skywalker from Return of the Jedi. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify so you don't miss anything!

On this week’s show Justin welcomes his best buddy Doug back from a week in the most magical place on earth, Disney World! Justin asks Doug what it would take for him to join the cast of a reality TV show and the conversation soon turns to the unreal nature of the genre. The dorks seamlessly transition into talking about the cost of movies and the deeper meaning behind certain elements filmmakers include in their films. Things are wrapped up with a throw-down that makes Doug very sad: the cast of Jersey Shore vs. the cast of Floribama Shore. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to us on iTunes and Stitcher so you don't miss anything!

This week, Justin and Doug dive into the idea of killer instinct and competitive spirit. They share their experiences with sports and other competitions and how they dealt with the intensity of wanting to win. They discuss the idea of how killer instinct exists - are you born with it or can you develop it over time? They finally talk about whether they’ve developed any competitive spirit in their adult and/or professional lives. Things are wrapped up with an unusually contentious throw-down with Brian from Family Guy vs. Snoopy. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to us on iTunes and Stitcher so you don't miss anything!

Doug and Justin are back in their element this week as they break down the trailers and discuss their thoughts surrounding 3 upcoming movies: Avengers: Infinity War, Rampage, and A Quiet Place. Justin tries to get Doug to agree to see Rampage in the theaters and Doug tells Justin where he can go stick that idea. The dorks then explain why they find the concept of A Quiet Place so interesting before they lose their geeky little minds over Avengers: Infinity War. Things are wrapped up in a throw-down pitting Godzilla against King Kong. Check out the trailers discussed in the episode: Avengers: Infinity War Rampage A Quiet Place Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to us on iTunes and Stitcher so you don't miss anything!

Many episodes ago, Justin assigned a quest to Mind Gap Podcast all-start Haig Nahigian. If he were to utter the magic word, he could be a guest again on the show. Sure enough, Haig listened to 20+ episodes, found the magic word, and we were honored to have him back on. Haig brought with him some questions and comments about some past episodes and Doug and Justin have to defend themselves for their past deeds. The episode is chock full of great topics such as American History X, Bruce Lee vs. Bane, and many more!   Things are wrapped up with a throw-down with the queen dragon antagonist from How to Train Your Dragon vs. Daenerys’ dragons from Game of Thrones. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to us on iTunes and Stitcher so you don't miss anything!

This week Justin and Doug are joined by the incredibly intelligent and articulate Charity Taitt. The trio talk about some NBA basketball happenings and then start digging into whether or not we, as a society, can truly find a way to connect with each other due to the extremes in our culture. The dorks talk about what it means to be an American and Charity shares one of her spoken word poems (spoiler alert - it’s awesome!). Things are wrapped up with a magical throw-down with Dumbledore vs. Doctor Strange. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to us on iTunes and Stitcher so you don't miss anything!

Mind Gap all-star Rob Ballmaier returns to chat with Justin and Doug about the DC movie universe. He first atones for his hubris in stating that Suicide Squad was going to be a great movie. The dorks then talk about the good and bad of Wonder Woman and Bob explains to Justin and Doug why they, and you, shouldn’t be worried about the Justice League movie. Things are wrapped up with a throw-down with Leonard Nemoy’s Spock vs. Zachary Quinto’s Spock. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to us on iTunes and Stitcher so you don't miss anything!

This week Justin and Doug are joined by the comedy duo Matt Lamson and Chris Vellucci to talk about their upcoming video and sketch show “The Chris and Matt Show Holiday Extravaganza”. The heroes then try to answer some very important questions such as when you eat chicken, are you eating roosters too? How do atom bombs works? What is hard water? You know, the important things in life. The dorks then dive into how Matt and Chris create and write their content. Things are wrapped up with a throw-down with Rick from Rick and Morty vs. Krieger from Archer. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to us on iTunes and Stitcher so you don't miss anything!

Happy Halloween from Mind Gap! This week, Justin and Doug talk about halloween costumes and what’s appropriate and what’s insensitive. The dorks then turn their attention to college fraternities and sororities and ask if these institutions are outdated in modern society. Things are wrapped up with a throw-down with 1990 Pennywise vs. 2017 Pennywise. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to us on iTunes and Stitcher so you don't miss anything!

Doug and Justin are joined by the undeniably amazing Jill Cochrane to chat about a whole slew of topics such as bleaching buttholes, going gray, Doug’s hatred of calling to order food, Bruno Mars, HBO’s The Defiant Ones, personal branding, and so much more! It’s truly a buffet of topics. Things are wrapped up with a throw-down with Nike vs. Adidas. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to us on iTunes and Stitcher so you don't miss anything!

This week Doug congratulates Justin for completing the Chicago Marathon. The dorks then discuss how they go about (or don’t go about) setting goals and working to achieve them. Doug talks about his recent discovery of his behavior tendencies, strengths, and emotional intelligence. The heroes then talk about how the common corporate hierarchy isn’t effective anymore and provide some ideas on how they’d change it. Things are wrapped up with a throw-down with Ben Affleck’s Daredevil vs. Ben Aflleck’s Batman. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to us on iTunes and Stitcher so you don't miss anything!

Justin and Doug are visited by the mighty Dave Cochrane via Skype this week to talk about the Las Vegas tragedy and gun rights. The trio discuss the sensitive points and common talking points that often arise during these types of events. The heroes talk about the complexities of the guns rights issue as well as the polarizing nature of these types of topics in modern America. Things are wrapped up with a throw-down with Santa vs. the Easter Bunny. You see Doug performing with the improv team Recess on Thursday, October 5 at 8:00pm at the Playground Theater. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to us on iTunes and Stitcher so you don't miss anything!

This week Justin and Doug discuss the tale of Eric Barry, the man who penned a Huffington Post article about why he was breaking up with Chicago, some current events, and the potential deadly feud between the US and North Korea. The two dorks then discuss how we as a society can start bridging the gap between the polarized groups of folks out there today. Things are wrapped up with a throw-down with Chun Li from Street Fighter vs. Sonia Blade from Mortal Kombat. You see Doug performing with the improv team Recess on Saturday, September 30 at 9:00pm at the Playground Theater. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to us on iTunes and Stitcher so you don't miss anything!

This week, immigration attorney Matt Hanley joins Justin and Doug to talk about the state of things with immigration in the US such as DACA, what it means to be an immigrant these days, and some of the frustrating aspects of practicing this side of the law. Matt also sheds some light on why it’s so difficult to affect change when it comes to immigration and what some of the common misconceptions are. Things are wrapped up with a throw-down with two Tom Cruise lawyer characters: Mitch McDeere from The Firm vs. LT. Daniel Kaffee from A Few Good Men. You see Doug performing with the improv team Recess on Saturday, September 30 at 9:00pm at the Playground Theater. Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to us on iTunes and Stitcher so you don't miss anything!

This week Justin and Doug are visited by the charming and intelligent Luke Peña. Doug and Luke talk about how the met in high school, the defining moments in their friendship, and Luke’s secret behind cutting 45 pounds to make weight in wrestling. Our heroes then discuss some aspects of higher education such as the cost to benefit ratio, fluff classes, and outdated curriculum. The dorks then talk about online classes and what will be the wave of the future in education. Things are wrapped up in a throw-down with Luke vs. Doug from their high school years. You see Doug performing with the improv team Recess on Friday, September 15 at 8:00pm at the Playground Theater. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook so you don't miss anything!