wanted to be that cool older brother for the skate kids in my town and help mentor them
Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Johnson.
Hi Chris, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Eau Claire Wisconsin. I started skateboarding when I was 9 or 10 years old. By the age of 14, I was skateboarding every day and the dream of owning a skateboard shop began. I quickly found sales jobs and moved up the corporate ladder of retail after that. All the while still skateboarding. I graduated high school and moved to Duluth MN to pursue a business degree at UMD. I quickly felt that I didn’t need a degree to be in sales or sales management. I continued climbing and hopped to the best job opportunities I could find. I worked at Kay Jewelers, became the Assistant Manager at Helzberg Diamonds, then the Assistant Manager of a Verizon Wireless. By this time the dream of owning a skateboard shop seemed kind of distant as my focus had switched to making more money. Then my parents split up, my dad had a heart transplant, and I had my first daughter. All of these things really got me thinking about my own mortality. I realized that if I died tomorrow I would not be proud of the stories that my daughter would be told about my life and how I chose to spend it. Opening a skateboard shop immediately became my priority. Less than a year after getting my position at Verizon I quit and opened Passion Board Shop in my hometown of Eau Claire. I wanted to build a community hub for kids and others that felt like a welcoming clubhouse. I wanted to be that cool older brother for the skate kids in my town and help me for them. I wanted to make a positive difference in the world. By the time my shop turned 5 years old I had felt that I accomplished that. I had the itch to start something new. That was where the idea for the Passion Pod was born. I already helped inspire and mentor kids one on one in my shop. I wanted to do more. Through the lens of the show, I wanted to be able to help inspire significantly more people to chase their dreams. The Passion Pod is an inspirational storytelling experience featuring unique guests that are also pursuing careers based on their passions. The goal is to inspire the listener to think about their own passions and to help and encourage them to find more ways to incorporate those passions into their lives. It’s been a few years and the show has grown to be a significant part of what I do. Season 9 of the Passion Pod begins releasing next week while Passion Board Shop turns 8 years old on Monday. I do more than these 2 things. I’m also on the Parks and Waterways commission in Eau Claire, run “Skateboards 4 Kids” (a fund to raise money and donate skateboards to kids in the area), and I’m also an artist that does everything from painting canvases, to designing apparel for my clothing brand “Passion”, to painting large scale murals.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Anyone who works for themselves understands how much goes into it. Walking away from the financial stability of a corporate job to opening a skateboard shop was a big risk. I worked way more hours for way less compensation. Still, it was very much worth it to me. The pandemic was also a very significant challenge for most business owners. We didn’t all get funding, and a lot of our businesses had to evolve and find other ways to pay our bills as we were forced to close our doors, struggled to acquire inventory, etc. Starting the show was almost like starting an entirely new business from the ground. Good things don’t come easy.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I already kind of explained most of this in a previous question. I help mentor others to pursue their passions through both my shop and my show. I’m most proud of the people I’ve been able to have a positive impact on over the years. I’ve had a lot of people reach out over the years to tell me how I helped inspire them to do what they do and it means the world to me. Some accomplishments or memorable moments would be opening my shop when I was 23, when my shop turned 5 years old, my show premiering on the radio, my first trip to Los Angeles to record for my show and interviewing Lamorne Morris (an actor famously know for his role as Winston on the hit show New Girl who now is the star of the show “Woke” on Hulu, winning “Best Local Podcast” back to back years in our area’s annual awards, painting my first 10 foot tall mural downtown titled “Melvin” which got awarded as 2nd best new mural in the previously mentioned awards, and the first time I had the cover story in a newspaper. I am truly passionate about what I do rather than being driven by money and I think it shows.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
They can easily contact me on Instagram at either @passionpod or @passionboardshop. Just reach out and let’s start a conversation and see what we can do. You can also support me by shopping at my store Passion Board Shop in Eau Claire, sharing and/or listening to the Passion Pod on any major streaming platform, or ordering Passion merchandise from passionpod.org. If you appreciate what I do you can also support me monthly at patreon.com/passionpod.
Contact Info:
- Email: passionboardshop@gmail.com
- Website: Passionpod.org or passionboardshop.com
- Instagram: @passionpod or @passionboardshop
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCRARBmS0h7W2Eh00Y8uyNtA
Image Credits
Charlie Flatten
Sawyer Brice
@derstakespics
