As Told by Zink

As a New Yorker, when I found out that the Co Founder of The Meatball Shop was coming on you can only imagine how excited I was. Michael Chernow's story is both inspirational and honest. I loved hearing about his journey and how he came out on the other side of addiction with determination, ambition and a passion to have something all his own. 

Michael has opened restaurants, founded the brand Kreatures of Habit and ultimately turned his life around through work, wellness and healthy habits. You already know I had to also pick his brain as an entrepreneur. We dive into setting boundaries with your work, having growing pains as a founder, thriving in negative situations, challenges that come with this path and what characteristics a successful entrepreneur embodies.

Loved this conversation and I know you will too! Be sure to also check out his brand Kreatures of Habit

Michael Chernow // IG

When organizing our Beyond Profiles campaign with Cybersmile Foundation I immediately thought of Sydney Gordon to get her thoughts on working with us. Being in the industry, I know that what you see on TV isn't always real. Especially reality TV where it is the producer's job to edit the content and put out a wildly entertaining show that will capture the attention of people of all ages. After the show aired, people took this edit too seriously, not understanding that Sydney is not the person she was made out to be. Sydney was immediately cyberbullied and attacked  - one of the worst I've ever seen. It didn't stop. It was viral, it was a wildfire, it was ruining her life and wellbeing. No  social media user one seemed care. As long as they could go viral, as long as they could bring someone down, as long as they could take their problems out on someone besides themselves. Sydney received social hate, threatening phone calls, people harassing her family and trying their hardest to ruin her business she worked so hard to build. Sydney couldn't leave bed and had crippling anxiety. She was crushed.

After speaking with Sydney, she felt drawn to support the campaign by sharing her personal story. Ultimately she hopes to use her story to get this important conversation started, end cyberbullying and help others struggling. When we met up, I was shocked at what people had said about Sydney, because that is not her. She is thoughtful, intelligent, genuine and sweet. To know Sydney is to love her. After chatting with her, you immediately want to be her friend - you feel like you've known her for years. What broke my heart is that all of the people cyberbullying Sydney don't know the real her. They know an edit for entertainment. It was important for her to come on and finally share her story. Nothing has been edited. 

Sydney Gordon // IG

I geek out over Female Founder stories, so chatting with sisters Celine & Joline Nehoray was so fun and inspiring! They have such a unique story too! Let's just say they don't have the typical starting a business story - I'll let y'all listen for yourselves though. 

Celine & Joline share all of the insight into having a streetwear lingerie business and how they have received top tier organic coverage. A few organic lovers of the brand are Addison Rae, Amanda Steele, Madeline Cline and Amelie Zilber. Beverly Hills Lingerie has also caught the attention of top outlets such as Forbes, Vogue, GQ and WWD. 

You'll love hearing their story and getting all of this valuable insight into starting a brand, effectively working with your sibling, finding a void in the market, receiving organic love through gifting and relationship building, future planning and more!

Beverly Hills Linger // IG

Celine Nehoray // IG

Joline Nehoray // IG

Ellen Bennett is the CEO/Founder of Hedley & Bennett, a Los Angeles based apron and work wear company at 25 while working as a line cook at a 2 Michelin star restaurant in LA. She found that the aprons in the industry were poorly made and needed an upgrade. Ellen saw a hole in the market, but most importantly became extremely passionate about creating a stylish and durable apron for chefs.

Fast forward, Ellen has written a book Dream First, Details Later and has her own show Kitchen Glow Up; a kitchen renovation series!

Ellen shares it all in this podcast episode! From how she started a company with only $300, the importance of putting yourself out there and being scrappy, that it's okay to fail and hear no's [just gets you closer to where you need to be] and how to continue creating and believing in everything you do!

I loved this conversation and hearing Ellen's story. She is an absolute go-getter and is so inspiring. You'll leave this episode feeling motivated to go after your dreams too!

Ellen Marie Bennett // IG

Hedley & Bennett // IG

Sat down with Sydney who is an artist, teacher, and entrepreneur based in LA. She is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga + Meditation Teacher, Breathwork Coach, and Sound Healing Practitioner. 

In the uber to the studio, I had an intuitive thought that I wanted to have a deep conversation with Sydney instead of the normal interview style. The universe knew exactly what this episode needed to be and let me tell you, it has so much value!

We talk about practicing appreciation, which leads to acceptance for all experiences in life [especially the bad]. We also touch on: setting boundaries, continuous healing and growth with a partner, learning to surrender, healthy conversations, finding bliss in life + embodying unfuckwithable energy.

Y'all want to go deep? Let's go deep.

Sydney Strabala // IG 

Veritas Yoga // IG

Veritas Island // IG

Excited to share more on our cyberbullying movement and why I started this in the first place. I feel extremely passionate about being the change and having people join in to help make social media a positive place again. I also discuss finding your purpose in this world without it being transactional. Doing something for good and not for money or success is key in life fulfillment. I also share how you can make your intuitive thoughts a reality! 

I had the realization that every panel and podcast that I've listened to had the same information: action-just get started, community-surround yourself with other entrepreneurs, routine, meditation, impostor syndrome, etc! 

While all of this is great, there is a lot that entrepreneurs aren't sharing about owning a business that may not always be positive. I think it's also important to share the realness of everyday life and lessons business owners face throughout their journey.

Had a great chat with Sam "Moouse" Messina where we discuss breaking out of society's norms to work in a career that you love! The path of Sam's life changed in college when he had brain surgery after having an aneurysm. This ended up allowing Sam to explore a career that he loves and he quickly found out that you can make a living from a hobby or passion. Such an honest and raw conversation - I know Sam's thoughts will resonate with a lot of you! We also talk about making friends in a new city, starting a creative agency, experiencing burnout as a creator, entrepreneurship & always searching for more in social media.

Sam "Moouse" Messina // IG

Sat down with a fellow agency owner, Georgia Fowkes [CEO/Founder of Elation Experiences] to chat all things starting a business! I asked her all of the questions I felt were valuable for someone wanting to find their niche and start a business from scratch. We discuss: begining stages of starting a business / getting scrappy, how to pitch potential clients, finding an accountant, building your team, the journey and the evolution of the travel content creator space.

Georgia Fowkes // IG

Elation Experiences // IG

There is a lot going around about holistic health and wellness -- Renee Moussa, an LA based holistic health practitioner is here to put the record straight. Renee doesn't believe in chronic illness - instead, she feels that these diseases are labels that can be cured or tamed through holistic practice. We talk about top illnesses women face and how to heal from within [PCOS, IBS, etc], removing toxic products from the home and beauty routine. Renee shares some amazing beauty brands we can instead try out that are just as good, if not better! We also chat about functional lab testing and how to take conscious steps forward in your health journey. Let's get into it!

Renee Moussa // IG, Website