Third Chapter Curious - Spotlight Interview - Segment 2 “Live from Detroit, it's Mr. Will Kitchen!”

INTERVIEWER:

It’s been a minute since our last interview. I’d love to hear about your move to Detroit. What guided your decision to make the move from Traverse City?

WILL:

For me, the move to Detroit is simply a natural progression of wanting to test my skills and abilities to start “anew” in life.  Traverse City was a good place for me to try new things and jumpstart my life after my wife passed.  Now, I need new challenges, and I love the feel of Detroit. It has a feeling of wanting to get things done; it doesn't feel privileged, but more entrepreneurial, and it offers a larger canvas to try new things.  I am not ready to retire or sit back and do the same things over and over again because they are easy.  There's too much to do in the time I have left on this planet! AquaAction gave me the platform to try new things in a new and larger community.  Plus, I missed the diversity that an urban setting offers. 

INTERVIEWER:

As the year comes to a close, what are you looking forward to in 2026?

WILL:

New friends, new adventures, and new stories are all what I look forward to every year.  I want to see AquaAction take a huge leap in having the US understand what this amazing organization can do for Michigan and the region.  Its brand needs to grow, and I want to be a small part of that.

INTERVIEWER:

Age is strength and wisdom gained. What is a hope you have for future generations?

WILL:

Learn from our mistakes.  Do not be patient; have a sense of urgency about doing things better.  Do not rely on technology as the be-all and end-all solution.  It takes community, trust, curiosity, empathy, kindness, and compassion to work together to develop new solutions.  Disrupt through innovation and care about people. 

INTERVIEWER:

What is your new community like, and are you part of something similar to OOPs (The Office of Possibilities) in Detroit?

WILL:

My new community is very diverse.  It continually amazes me how people who are so different are so alike if we just take the time to have a conversation with our neighbors.  I feel so alive because things are so different.

I talk about OOPs weekly to different people I meet.  To a person, they are intrigued and want to see how they can participate or develop one for their community and/or organization.  When I talk to them, I explain that the Traverse City OOPs is one model, and it does some good things.  However, I tell people down here that while it is a model, it is not THE model, and I will work with them to co-create an OOPs model that fits their community and needs.  I see several potential OOPs communities being formed in the region, with one of them being an AquaAction OOPs.

INTERVIEWER:

You’re a wonderfully and outwardly cheerful person. Lately, the world can seem quite dark; what are some things that bring you joy and make you laugh? 

WILL:

Thank you for saying that.  I am more and more optimistic, even in these dark times, because I believe in the goodness of people AND these times will pass.  I try not to get too down or too up during the current state of affairs.

What makes me laugh comes from a range of things:

I laugh at myself.  I can be a knucklehead sometimes, and that is part of being human.  I need to laugh at myself so that I can accept who I am and at the same time, identify the things that I can work on to become a better version of me.

I seek opportunities to laugh because it makes me feel better.  It can be interacting with my friends or watching the simple foibles of life.  If you look closely, every day (or nearly every day), there is something to be discovered that is humorous.  I guess that can start with myself because I am an easy one to laugh at and with! 

Written and edited by Cameron Thompson for Third Chapter Curious, LLC, 2025