A Fresh Story

A Fresh Story, season 2, episode 10

Zach Lupetin is a songwriter, playwright, podcaster, and the founding member of folk-rock adventurers Dustbowl Revival. Since coming together via a hopeful California Craigslist ad, Dustbowl has played in over ten countries and produced seven beloved albums. The group's latest, “Is It You, Is It Me,” appeared in the top 20 of the alternative sales charts and enjoyed features in Rolling Stone and Billboard. A new EP “Set Me Free” dropped in 2022.

We chatted with Zach about the birth of his daughter, how his wife nearly died during delivery, and his fresh start into fatherhood during a traumatic event. Zach talks about his passion for storytelling, his journey into music, and how his daughter has become his musical muse since her birth. It’s a beautiful conversation about parenthood, marriage, making brave decisions, and how the soundtrack of our lives is the heartbeat within all of our stories.

​Lupetin began his music discovery podcast The Show On The Road in 2018. The show aims to introduce incredible artists to new audiences, and focuses on giving fans a sense of what it's really like to tour the world and play music 200 + days a year. 125 episodes strong, the podcast has been downloaded nearly 1 million times. In 2022, Lupetin launched his first radio show The Sway Out West Radio Hour on 88.5FM the SoCal Sound in LA on Saturday mornings where he showcases his favorite songwriters each week.

You can listen to Dustbowl Revival’s albums here, check out their tour schedule and learn more on their website, and check out Zach’s podcast, The Show on the Road.

A Fresh Story, season 2, episode 9

Novelist Zoe Fishman is the critically acclaimed author of six novels, the most recent of which, The Fun Widow's Book Tour, was published in March of this year. She’s the recipient of myriad awards, including an AJC "10 Southern Books We Loved in 2019" selection and an IndieNext Pick, and was the 2020 Georgia Author of the Year in the Literary Fiction category.

We chatted with Zoe about losing her husband suddenly and how it completely changed course of her life, how living with grief feels, her relationship to writing, and her dedication to telling her story so that no one else feels along in their grief journey. Join us as we talk about her new novel, The Fun Widow’s Book Tour, loss, grief, writing, and finding hope.

Interviews and profiles of Zoe have been featured in Publisher’s Weekly, The Atlanta Jewish Times and The Huffington Post among others and her essays have been published in The New York Times' Modern Love column, as part of The Atlanta Journal Constitution's Personal Journey series and Modern Loss.
Zoe worked in the New York publishing industry for thirteen years before moving to Atlanta in August of 2011. She was most recently the Executive Director of The Decatur Writers Studio as well as an instructor, and a Visiting Writer at SCAD Atlanta. She is currently working on her next novel and raising her two young boys in Decatur, Georgia.

You can learn more about Zoe Fishman on her website, and snag The Fun Widow's Book Tour here.

A Fresh Story, season 2, episode 8

What was it like going to a Quaker high school on Long Island in the early aughts? In this March sister episode of A Fresh Story, Olivia and Jenny take you down memory lane of their high school experiences - and they were very different experiences! We chat about everything from their love for Latin class, high school heartbreak, bullies, their fashion sense, how high school impacted the rest of their life, and lots of very odd and funny stories about attending a private school before social media existed! Let us know if you have any questions - and enjoy this walk down memory lane!

A Fresh Story, season 2, episode 7

Dana Bowling is a former award-winning casting director turned brand strategist and video coach. She helps small business owners and entrepreneurs get comfortable and confident on camera to create video content that increases visibility, all while having Fun. Dana lives in Los Angeles with her husband, a Director of Photography and her two sons. She also hosts the podcasts, Show Up on Video and A Daily Dose of Dana.

We chatted with Dana Bowling about her experience in the world of entertainment as a casting director, why she ultimately decided to make a career pivot while she was at the top of her game, how she met her husband and why it’s so important to see the potential in a person when you fall in love, and how our childhood passions are actually the key to our happiness as adults.

You can find Dana on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, her website, and check out her podcasts, Show Up on Video and A Daily Dose of Dana.

A Fresh Story, season 2, episode 6

Andrew Scrivani is an award-winning photographer, director, and producer who has worked on editorial, publishing, advertising, content creation, and documentary, and feature film projects for the past 20 years. Andrew is also a certified leadership and performance coach and consultant, internationally recognized workshop instructor, author, and columnist. Andrew recently launched his own online learning platform in April of 2022 called the Andrew Scrivani Academy.

We chatted with Andrew about his major career pivot into photography and how it changed the course of his life, finding his way post-divorce, saying ‘yes’ to new adventures, and his passion for storytelling. It’s a wonderful episode about figuring out what lights you up inside, and how, when we follow our passion, we simply can’t lose.

You can learn more about Andrew Scrivani on his website, Instagram, his book, “That Photo Makes Me Hungry: Photographing Food for Fun & Profit,” his podcast, and the Andrew Scrivani Academy.

A Fresh Story, season 2, episode 5 

Sometimes people come into our lives and change the course of it forever - Emily Helck is one of those people. We chatted with Emily, the founder of The Lost Bookshop, about her many fresh starts in life - including supporting her partner through cancer, a diagnosis and experience of breast cancer as a young woman, figuring out her career, pregnancy loss, grieving a parent, and ultimately - following her dream and opening The Lost Bookshop - Delhi, New York’s independent bookstore. 

As she says about The Lost Bookshop, "Our name plays with the dual associations of the word "lost" when it comes to books —it’s a pleasure to be lost in a story, for example, and people in periods of change or transition (like leaving home, relationships ending or beginning, and grief and loss) who are perhaps feeling lost, can benefit from time spent with books. We offer books for getting lost and finding your way. Our carefully curated selection, which is guided by personal recommendations from our community, will place absorbing books in the hands of all readers, including those at crossroads in their lives."

Emily Helck is a writer and artist who divides her time between Philadelphia and New York's Catskill Mountains. She holds a bachelor's degree from Drew University, a master's degree from Fordham University, and is a graduate of Rutgers University–Camden’s creative writing MFA program. Her writing has been published by ABC News, Bustle, and other outlets. In addition to writing, she's proud of professional accomplishments in young adult cancer advocacy, and in the arts, having worked for iconic artist William Wegman for nearly twenty years. Emily is currently in the process of opening her own bookstore, The Lost Bookshop. 

You can learn more about Emily and The Lost Bookshop:

website: https://thelostbookshop.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lostbookshopny/

Samantha Sineni is the founder and CEO of Formation Media, a full-service digital marketing agency for artists and lifestyle brands. We chatted with Samantha about her decision to open her marriage up, and how it ultimately helped her learn about her communication style, her journey with intense sleep deprivation as a new mother and entrepreneur, and a fantastic conversation about how to bring art into your world even if you are struggling to keep your head above water. It’s an honest and vulnerable behind the scenes view of entrpreuner-life as a new parent, wife, and creator.

You can learn more about Samantha and Formation Media on her website, twitter, and instagram.

Beth Booker is the founder and CEO of Gracie PR, a boutique lifestyle public relations company in Naples, FL. When she's not pitching her heart out or trying to help her community in Southwest Florida get back on its feet post-hurricane, she can be found chasing her two kids, snuggling with her three dogs, reading, or at the beach.

We chatted with Beth about accidentally coming out as queer during the pandemic, why representation matters, how she navigates her fresh starts in life with confidence, and why it’s so important to show up for ourselves.

You can learn more about Beth on her website, twitter, and instagram.

Chaz Thomas is a self-taught artist and maker currently living in New Jersey. His work focuses on translating ideas or words into abstract paintings that focus on color, shape, and direction. Chaz’s art is shown at galleries along the East Coast and appreciated by celebrities and art collectors. We chatted with Chaz about growing up as a Black student in a predominantly white school, his love of reading, how he weaves art and nostalgia together, his journey as a professional athlete, parenthood, and how he’s stayed true to himself through his life. 

You can learn more about Chaz and see his artwork on his website: https://www.chazthomas.com/

We chatted with author, and award-winning actress, writer, and director, Gabrielle Stone, about how she took a massive heartbreak and turned it into a best-selling book, podcast, and movement. We talked about the transformation after divorce, traveling alone through the world, her journey writing Eat, Pray, #FML, and how she healed herself through creativity, wisdom, and empowering others. It’s a gorgeous, honest, and vulnerable conversation about turning heartbreak into humor, and everything in between.

Gabrielle Stone is no stranger to the world of entertainment and the idea of a fresh start in life. Growing up on set with her legendary scream-queen mother, Dee Wallace, she had days of licking off mommy’s fake blood and watching behind the scenes movie magic. Seeing the world with mom and dad gave her the travel bug at an early age—until Gabrielle experienced a real-life horror when she lost her father suddenly at age seven.

After many years in the industry herself, Stone transitioned from meaty acting roles to writing and directing. Her award-winning films It Happened Again Last Night and After Emma gained her awards for writing, directing, and acting—but she had a bigger role in life that would soon present itself: freaking badass.

After the rug was vigorously pulled out from under her when her husband’s affair came to light, she found herself falling into the arms of another man. After a second failed attempt at love and a massive heartbreak, she decided that instead of landing flat on her ass—she’d make a career out of it.

And so came the birth of the book Eat, Pray, #FML, where she shared all the mistakes, all the lessons, and most importantly, how she became a fearless leader from it all.

When fans around the world demanded more, the highly anticipated sequel, The Ridiculous Misadventures of a Single Girl, and the podcast FML Talk were born—and Gabrielle soon realized that her broken heart had bloomed a movement. 

You can learn more about Gabrielle Stone and purchase her books on her website: https://www.eatprayfml.com/