Welcome to The Change Optimist podcast hosted by Mathew Growden (a.k.a. Growdy). A weekly podcast of interesting conversations with interesting people.
Malcolm Bricklin tells me everything and the story is incredible.
If you don’t know who Malcolm Bricklin is, you might want to Google him right now.
Wikipedia describes Malcolm as an “American businessman, widely known for an unorthodox career spanning more than six decades with numerous prominent failures and successes — primarily manufacturing or importing automobiles to the United States, ultimately starting over thirty companies throughout the course of his business career.”
Malcolm tells me about starting his construction empire, selling scooters to the NYPD, bringing Subaru to the US, how Bricklin Motors started and ended, his meeting with Elon Musk, and a whole lot more.
He’s got a lot of energy for a man in his mid 80s. And Malcolm is just getting started.
16 Aug 2025
Lorraine Sommerfeld and I talk tariffs, car buying, and getting fired. S2, E2
Acclaimed author and award-winning journalist Lorraine Sommerfeld agreed to chat with me.
We talk about the havoc tariffs are having on the automotive industry. We discuss why the car-buying experience still sucks. And I get to the bottom of why she was fired from a lot of jobs earlier in her life.
She called me a wild card, but I think she’s the wild card.
Pro tip: don’t take Dad’s last beer.
4 Jul 2025
Steve Barker and I have a fantastic conversation. S2, E1
Host interviews Steve Barker about their friendship, shared adventures, interest in AI, roller coasters, and love for Nickelback.
29 Nov 2024
Kevin Newman and I are both grown men who love Star Trek - Episode 10
Kevin Newman and I discuss the current state of journalism, the nature of truth, the complexities of being a father, and our mutual love of Star Trek.
13 Sept 2024
Michael Dunne and I get deep into a conversation about the Chinese automotive industry - Episode 9
Michael Dunne is one of the foremost experts on the state of the automotive industry in China. We discuss how the Chinese OEMs have evolved so quickly, what this might mean for dealers and other auto manufacturers, and how we're transitioning to electric vehicles, whether we like it or not.
30 Aug 2024
Alan Cross and I talk about the ongoing history of the ongoing history of new music - Episode 8
Alan Cross and I chat about how he became the voice of the Ongoing History of New Music, his love of cars and the complicated nature of defining musical genres.
26 Jul 2024
Ron Foss tells me all about the Fossmobile - Episode 7
It was a privilege to chat with Ron Foss and learn about his grandfather, George Foote Foss. George built the Fossmobile, Canada’s first internal combustion engine automobile, in 1897. The story is a fascinating piece of Canadian history that most folks are not likely to know.
12 Jul 2024
Waverly CEO, Philippe Beaudoin and I sit down to chat - Episode 6
I had a wonderful conversation with Philippe Beaudoin, another X-Googler who is now the co-founder and CEO of Waverly. Phil and his team are building an evolved, next-generation social network. In his vision, this platform will leverage intention rather than capitalize on people's attention. Take a listen to Phil and I talk about social networking, Waverly's potential revenue models, and board games.
5 Jul 2024
Andrew Miller gives me the inside scoop on Sidewalk Labs - Episode 5
I was excited when Sidewalk Labs was planning to build the city of the future in Toronto. It didn't happen. People got scared about what data might be collected and how Sidewalk Labs' parent and associated companies, Alphabet and Google, might use that data. Andrew Miller gives me an insider's view of what happened.
19 Apr 2024
Megan Leslie tells me about the 'Carbon Bomb' - Episode 4
Megan Leslie and I talk about the carbon bomb, we reminisce about university (I guess I do that a lot), and Megan explains that she's always wanted to work on issues related to justice, which led her to become the President and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund Canada.
13 Apr 2024
Aimee Morrison and I chat about AI, learning and university - Episode 3
It was wonderful to catch up with Aimée Morrison and talk about her knack for going viral, how we need to embrace the physical nature of learning, and how AI writing isn't writing. We also got a bit nostalgic for our days in university.
27 Mar 2024
Kara Swisher and I have a lovely thoughtful chat - Episode 2
Kara Swisher and I sit down for a chat about tech, automotive, the state of autonomous vehicles, and how probably only San Francisco lesbians can save us. We cover a lot of ground in what Kara calls "a lovely, thoughtful chat."
Her new book, Burn Book (https://amzn.to/3TVvNEF), is available now.
Music provided by Dark Tapes (https://www.youtube.com/@DarkTapes/).
24 Mar 2024
The Change Optimist - Everything has to start somewhere - Episode 1
In this introductory podcast, I explain a little bit about how this podcast came into existence. And I also talk about what you can expect in the next few episodes.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
34,854
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Spotify
5.0 / 5
15 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 44 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
31
Social presence
0
YouTube
92
Engagement
51
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