Life's Essential Ingredients
Life’s Essential Ingredients is spinoff of C4 Leaders, a California based non-profit who uses PIZZA to guide all people in RISING TOGETHER. The show is hosted by two best friends who were college roommates at the University of San Francisco – (Jeff with a Mike). Season 5 started in 2025 and the show is currently listened to in 58 countries and 808 cities.
The educational and entertaining show takes a deep, yet humorous look at life’s essential ingredients. The hosts will engage in interesting conversation with some of the world’s best leaders, authors, athletes, musicians, chefs, architects, moms, dads, brothers, sisters, comedians, CEOs, coaches, professors, teachers, and many, many, more industries and professions.
The goal of the show is to have the guest highlight their life’s essential ingredients, who helped them develop the ingredients, and how the guest can help the listeners develop their essential ingredients.
The hosts create space for the guest to be the star of the show and provide an incredible platform to highlight their life, their business, their passion, and most importantly, their gift they share with the world.
Our listeners are diverse and 9% are 18-24, 18% 25-29, 13% 30-34, 18% 35-44, 18% 45-54, and 55+ 24%.
Life's Essential Ingredients
Season 2 Episode #36 John and Mark Cronin are using SOCKS to bring HAPPINESS to the world.
Season 2 Episode #36 John and Mark Cronin are coming from Farmingdale, NY
You can find John and Mark via their website johnscrazysocks.com, via their The Spreading Happiness Podcast, and on all other social media platforms.
About John: He is a dancer, athlete with an upcoming performance in the New York State Games, a loyal friend, philanthropist, entrepreneur, joke teller, speaker, networker, pretzel eater, and hopefully a pizza lover!
About the team - John and Mark are the father-son team that founded John’s Crazy Socks, a social enterprise with a mission to spread happiness. You may have seen them on one of their many television appearances. You may know them for being named EY Entrepreneurs of the Year or testifying before Congress or speaking at the United Nations. You may know them because John became “Sock Buddies” with President George H.W. Bush. Or you may know them for having bootstrapped a start-up into a multi-million-dollar social enterprise and the world’s largest sock store. You will love their socks, but the socks are just the physical manifestation of the happiness they share.
Life’s Essential Ingredients appreciates the work you both do to bring happiness to the world as well as help people take care of their feet… Welcome to the show!
TOTD – “THEY SAY A PERSON NEEDS JUST THREE THINGS TO BE TRULY HAPPY IN THIS WORLD: SOMEONE TO LOVE, SOMETHING TO DO, AND SOMETHING TO HOPE FOR." Tom Bodett
In this episode:
What was life like growing up?
Why is it so important to give back?
You have found strength in your differing ability. I love it. How did you learn how to play to your strengths?
SPREADING HAPPINESS – what does that mean to you?
I heard you are a joke teller… let me have it!
Love the relationship you two have and how you found a way to make it the focus of your lives and you happen to sell A LOT of socks… Mark, share a story about the gift John has given you?
5 pillars
Inspiration and hope: Hiring and showing what people with differing abilities can do.
Giving Back: 5% of earnings go to the Special Olympics, plus their Awareness Socks raise money for charity partners.
Socks You Will Love: Over 4,000 choices makes John’s Crazy Socks the world’s largest sock store.
Making It Personal: Every package gets a thank you note from John and candy.
Make It a Great Place to Work: Create a workplace our colleagues can love.
Legacy