The Bittersweet Gift of Loss – Brian MacMillan, episode 36

The Changed Podcast with Aden Nepom

KPTV FOX 12 reporter and meteorologist Brian MacMillan sits down in episode 36 of The Changed Podcast to talk about everything from kitchen appliances to flexibility & predicting the future, along with his reflections on how his life has been affected by losing his best friend: his dad.

Brian MacMillan is an AP award-winning meteorologist and reporter for KPTV FOX 12 in Portland, OR. He's also a world-traveled improv and theatre performer and an all-around nice human being! His experience as an improviser shows up in his reporting in more ways than one. Of course, as a reporter, he is constantly faced with change and a need to be flexible. There is a lot of uncertainty involved in keeping tabs on our busy modern lives! But improv shows up for him in some pretty silly ways too...

Our main areas of discussion centered around whether or not food processors are scary or kitchen miracles, how weather forecasters deal with predicting an ever-changing future, and the role of improv in Brian's life.

We also discussed loss. Brian lost his father in high school and this affected the trajectory of his life and career in very specific ways.

Takeaways from this conversation

• Food processors can be scary! BUT sometimes you have to face your fears and take a few risks to reap rewards
• Meteorologists use both monitors and green screens
• Three days out for a weather forecast is fairly solid. Farther out (like a 10-day forecast) is a lot less consistent... BUT meteorology isn't a perfected science yet
• Listening to your local forecaster will yield better predictions because experience will often carry more weather wisdom than the forecasting models that just come from data sets.
• When it comes to change, even the painful experiences in our lives can lead to tremendously good outcomes. That may not be of comfort in the moment, but it can be quite interesting to look back later and see the path to your present moment
• Improv and theatre are great training for reporting the news and predicting the weather
• Even though we shouldn't need reminders... we do. Call the people you love. Tell them that you love them. There are no guarantees that we or they will be here tomorrow. This has always been true, and will always be true, so remember as often as you can to reach out and tell people they're valuable in your life.

Links!

Check out the KPTV Fox 12 Weather Podcast!

If you're interested in science and prediction, then you'll likely get excited in a few weeks with an upcoming guest. Until then satisfy your scientific curiosity with episode13 featuring prominent immunologist Dr. Gerald T. Nepom.

No book recommendations from Brian MacMillan at the moment, as his brain is full of textbook material from his grad school studies. BUT there are fresh book recommendations every Tuesday in the Change Hub on Facebook.

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