Change of Plans

When coronavirus lockdowns forced farmers markets and festivals to shut their operations, Jennifer Chan’s new and thriving pop-up sorbet business, Banato, was on the verge of collapse. Instead of wallowing in despair, Jennifer chose to lead with love and serve her Chicago community hope (and sweet treats) during hard times.

Jen discusses how she has channeled positivity and enthusiasm, how that optimism gave her and her tea...

When the global events industry dramatically collapsed in the wake of Covid-related shutdowns, Jeremy Fleming and his close-knit team at Sydney-based Stagekings faced a disastrous outlook. As a company that specializes in building state-of-the-art stages (think Formula 1 and a Shakespeare’s Globe replica), they had to think fast — and look to a whole new industry — after suffering mass cancellations.

In this episode, Jeremy...

Dr. Michelle Dickinson is a nanotechnologist and founder of Nanogirl Labs, an educational company committed to helping kids around the world find their passion in STEM fields. When New Zealand went into lockdown to combat Covid-19, her in-person science theater events were all canceled, forcing Michelle to get creative at warp speed.

In this episode, Michelle tells the story of the pivotal Monday that changed everything — f...

2020 has been a pivotal year of growth and change for Jasmine Tiara, founder of The Black Wallet. From coronavirus throwing a wrench in her work and family routine, to the Black Lives Matter movement surging her business to new heights (and audiences), Jasmine has boldly faced each challenge head on.

In this episode, she shares how a T-shirt led her to build an app for Black entrepreneurs and Black-owned businesses, and how...

When New York-based Scott’s Pizza Tours was forced to stop offering in-person tours thanks to Covid, pizza expert Scott Wiener got creative quickly to keep connecting with his pizza-obsessed audience around the world.

With pizzeria visits off the table, Scott shares how their unique virtual courses and cooking lessons keep both staff and customers engaged, with deep dives into pizza making, and pizza’s surprisingly fascinat...

When SXSW was canceled last-minute, Beth DiBaggio's Austin-based catering business faced imminent collapse. But instead of giving up, she and her partner Rafael Rodriguez looked to a family taco recipe as their life raft.

In this episode, Beth shares how a nostalgic "maybe someday" dream was revived as an in-the-shower spark of inspiration, and overnight became El Camaron, a seriously irresistible taco delivery business (if...

When New York City went into lockdown, the iconic Nuyorican Poets Cafe creatively took their powerful spoken word events from in-person to online.

In this episode, Daniel Gallant, the Nuyorican's director, shares unique insights on the challenges and opportunities the crisis has created. Hear his thoughtful observations about the pros and cons of performing spoken word in virtual spaces, including the new layers of fluidity...

When her flower shop, House of Lilac, ran out of fresh flowers because of Covid-related disruptions, founder Melanie Fernandez had to act quickly to keep her business flourishing.

In this episode, Melanie shares a huge risk she took just as things seemed to be taking a turn for the worse, and how looking locally to her Miami-based brick and mortar shop expanded her online sales to a whole new untapped market across the coun...

For comedian and filmmaker Toni Nagy, performing live stand-up is an integral way to energetically connect with people and the cultural pulse. When the coronavirus wiped out Toni's in-person gigs, she found herself transitioning more fully to online work to continue engaging with her audience in meaningful ways.

In this episode, Toni opens up about how the pandemic and concurrent racial justice movement have influenced her ...

When his pet-focused travel gear company started to see the stagnating impact of Covid-19, Jamie Knowles knew he had to get creative with Roverlund.

In this episode, Jamie shares how he tapped into his art background to partner with international illustrators on stylish custom pet portraits, a move which in turn brought him a whole new set of pet-loving customers who were seeking meaningful, joy-sparking products during the...

When five high school friends decided to buy a beloved flower farm in their rural Washington State community, they never imagined the disaster scenario their business, Tulip Town, would face in its very first year.

Right before their biggest event of the spring, which draws hundreds of thousands of people — and brings in over 90% of their annual revenue — Tulip Town was forced to stop welcoming visitors due to the coronavir...

Eric Rivera, a Seattle-based chef (and master of adaptability), spent years working with one of the world's top chefs before opening his endlessly creative restaurant Addo.

Unlike many restaurant owners, who were quick to lay people off when times got tough, Eric and his innovative staff have found myriad ways to survive and thrive throughout the crisis, ranging from engaging (and fool-proof) meal kits, to multi-sensory “ca...

Despite the challenge of meeting deadlines — and maintaining sanity! — while working from home with young children, Australian illustrator and author Beck Feiner has kept her creative spark turned on through a bit of optimism, hard work, and a healthy dose of trickery.

Inspired by her local Sydney community during the downturn of the coronavirus pandemic, Beck has made beautiful use of her Instagram platform, producing vibr...

In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, employee-owned Modern Times Beer of San Diego set a guiding principle to keep everyone on staff.

Inspired by this goal of providing continuity of employment for their team, Modern Times has been able to creatively use their existing infrastructure — and new ideas — to find innovative ways to generate revenue (while navigating ever-evolving state-mandated restrictions).

In this episode...

Following a Covid-induced trade show disaster, Canadian peanut butter maven Jill Van Gyn found a way to forge ahead while giving back to her community in the process.

Jill walks us through her nerve-wracking journey of dealing with an enormous loss at a critical moment for her business, and how within days the company shifted into an ad hoc nonprofit to address the sudden gap in food security she was seeing in local communi...

When rugby season was cut short due to the coronavirus, London-based commentator Nick Heath suddenly found himself without work — until he discovered the humor of commentating on ordinary life.

In this episode, Nick tells the story of how a spontaneous video shot from a park bench made his hilarious #LifeCommentary videos go viral.

He talks about the power and value of entertainment (and belly laughs for healthcare workers) ...

A special “bonus” episode, featuring a behind-the-scenes conversation about how our travel company ended up also deciding to launch a podcast.

Andres Zuleta is not only the host of Change of Plans, but also the founder of Boutique Japan, an award-winning travel company. In this bonus episode, Andres chats with two of his colleagues, Eléonore Simon (also our Sound Editor extraordinaire) and Roni Sivan (a podcast enthusiast a...

Australian winemaker Brendan Carter's business was nearly obliterated overnight when Australia went into coronavirus lockdown.

Inspired by the unprecedented challenge, Brendan and his team adapted quickly and took their small beverage empire online with daily happy hours, "isolation 6 packs," and lighthearted junk food pairings.

In this episode, Brendan discusses:

• How his thriving business came to a grinding halt in the m...

The events industry took a huge hit during the widespread shelter-in-place orders surrounding the coronavirus, and Sam Eitzen came to this devastating realization very quickly as gigs for his photo and video booth company, The SnapBar, were wiped out in a matter of days.

In this episode, Sam explains how his thriving Inc. 500 company suddenly found itself without work, and shares his process for — literally overnight — comi...