This is a "RUN IT BACK" episode! The episode was originally recorded in July, 2017, when the podcast was previously called, "The Hustle Sanctuary."

Koreen Odiney (IG: @Koreen) is the founder of the viral authentic connection card game, "We're Not Really Strangers" (IG: Werenotreallystrangers), which teaches strangers how to connect authentically & vulnerably. The game has been featured in Vogue, GQ, Red Table Talk, BuzzFeed, and many more and their social media platforms have millions of followers. Koreen and I sat down for this conversation to discuss the game when it was in its very early infancy and had just a few thousand followers! Super inspiring stuff. Enjoy!

Are you a struggling creative looking for support? Book a coaching clarity session with Samson, spaces are limited, follow this link: https://calendly.com/connectionismagic

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS //+ We’re not really strangers – break down the game for us!+ What’s it like connecting with people with different viewpoints?+ Early days of discovering photo journalism and photography+ Has a stranger ever changed your life?+ Did going up to a complete stranger ever go badly?+ Talk to us about chance/serendipitous encounters with important people in your life.+ What’s a recent career high?+ Biggest career low?+ Favorite thing about modeling?+ How do you achieve internal peace?+ What comes to mind when you hear the word “LOVE”?+ Thoughts on people impulsively leaving relationships?+ Are you lying to yourself about anything?+ Gem dropped.. “every level has a different devil”+ Success on the outside, depressed on the inside+ The value of friends holding us accountable+ What guides / motivates you to keep pushing + hustling?+ One of the most powerful quotes I’ve heard yet…

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Love and blessings,

– TEAM CIM

Ron Leshem is an Israeli-American television producer and writer, best known for creating the first incarnation of HBO's hit teen drama "Euphoria," in Israel, before the show was ultimately cancelled after one season in 2012. Ron is currently an executive producer of the US version of Euphoria. Additionally, one of Ron's first writing projects EVER, "Beaufort" was nominated for an Academy Award in 2007 for Best Foreign Language Film. Ron has also co-created and written the television series No Man's Land (Hulu), Valley of Tears, and The Gordin Cell. In addition to his career as a television executive. He is also a bestselling author, having had his works translated into 20 different languages. As a novelist, he has won some of the top Israeli literary awards, among them the prestigious annual Sapir Prize for Literature in 2006. Ron shared that production on Season 3 of Euphoria will begin in October, 2022.

Are you a struggling creative looking for support? Book a coaching clarity session with Samson, spaces are limited, follow this link: https://calendly.com/connectionismagic

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS //+ Euphoria getting rejected by all the major networks at first in the US, including HBO, where it would later end up.+ The process Ron went through, releasing Euphoria in the Israeli market at first and getting called into a government office and chastised for not portraying their youth in a better light.+ D.A.R.E's open letter to HBO and Euphoria cast and crew for negatively influencing today's youth and Ron's thoughts on it.+ Avoiding the wrong partnerships and harvesting the right ones.+ The metaphor for characters always banging on doors and being indicative that the characters are always looking outside of themselves and pointing fingers vs. looking within.+ The problem with networks mandates and creating generic algorithms new shows must fall into, and how that ends up with out of the box shows succeeding. + The original life experience that lead Ron's first draft for Euphoria.+ How today there are so many different distractions that we are unable to have any long thoughts anymore.+ What separates those who sustain success and lose it.

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Love and blessings,

– TEAM CIM

Peter Paterno started out his career writing software for NASA and would eventually transition into pursing music law. He since became a FORCE in the music industry and over his career has represented Dr. Dre, Pharrell, Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Soundgarden, Skrillex, Frank Ocean and many more…. He also had a stint running the Disney owned, Hollywood Records where he signed Queen for $10 million dollars when no one believed they had any success left in them in the US market and they soon after exploded back onto the charts with “Bohemian Rhapsody” featured in Wayne’s World quickly recouping the deal. Peter is a founding partner at the formidable law firm King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano and was legal counsel on two of the biggest landmark cases in music business history… The ”Blurred Lines” copyright lawsuit representing both Pharrell & Robin Thicke against the Marvin Gaye estate, as well as representing Dr. Dre & Metallica in the lawsuit against Napster that would mark a watershed moment transitioning the industry from physical to digital consumption.

Are you a struggling creative looking for support? Book a coaching clarity session with Samson, spaces are limited, follow this link: https://calendly.com/connectionismagic

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS – PART 2

+ Peter Shares a hilarious Easy-E Story

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Love and blessings,

– TEAM CIM

Peter Paterno started out his career writing software for NASA and would eventually transition into pursing music law. He since became a FORCE in the music industry and over his career has represented Dr. Dre, Pharrell, Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Soundgarden, Skrillex, Frank Ocean and many more…. He also had a stint running the Disney owned, Hollywood Records where he signed Queen for $10 million dollars when no one believed they had any success left in them in the US market and they soon after exploded back onto the charts with “Bohemian Rhapsody” featured in Wayne’s World quickly recouping the deal. Peter is a founding partner at the formidable law firm King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano and was legal counsel on two of the biggest landmark cases in music business history… The ”Blurred Lines” copyright lawsuit representing both Pharrell & Robin Thicke against the Marvin Gaye estate, as well as representing Dr. Dre & Metallica in the lawsuit against Napster that would mark a watershed moment transitioning the industry from physical to digital consumption.

Are you a struggling creative looking for support? Book a coaching clarity session with Samson, spaces are limited, follow this link: https://calendly.com/connectionismagic

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS – PART 1

+ Peter’s journey from software engineering & math major into being a lawyer

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Love and blessings,

– TEAM CIM

Shawn Setaro (Twitter: @sameoldshawn) is a writer and reporter for podcasts at Complex. Throughout his prolific career he has written for The Atlantic, Vibe, The Source, GQ, Forbes, the Sondheim Review, and many more outlets. He was formerly, the Editor-in-Chief of Genius.com. He was the writer and reporter on Spotify x Complex podcasts…. Infamous: The Tekashi 6ix9ine Story, narrated by NYC radio legend Angie Martinez; a second season of Infamous about Florida rapper YNW Melly; and Complex Subject: Pop Smoke, a biographical series about the late Brooklyn rap star. Shawn created and hosted The Cipher, a podcast that featured interviews with over 200 legendary figures in hip-hop and is a newly published author with his book, Complex Presents: Dummy Boy, Tekashi 6ix9ine and the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, available wherever books are sold.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS //+ How Shawn first got into journalism+ Stumbling across and working at RapGenius.com when it was just in embryo form+ How rap music can assuage feelings of PTSD+ Getting signed to a record label and then it falling apart and the trauma that can leave artists with for a long period of time+ Lack of proper resources within the music industry to deal with emotional and mental health+ In a society that glorifies hustle mentality and productivity, it’s crucial to avoid burnout + What got Shawn so interested in the Tekashi 69 saga+ Our fascination with celebrity culture and the history behind it+ Shawn’s biggest adversity in his own journey and what he learned from the experience

Sophia Esperanza (IG: SophiaEsperanza) is an activist, chef, model, vegan, and all around amazing human being. She grew a viral following across her social media channels and is using her platform to make a meaningful difference, promoting health + wellness for both animals and humans alike. She is the founder of the popular vegan recipe site, “Elbows On The Table” because the food is so good you cannot help but throw your manners out the window, put your elbows on the table and stuff your face off! She gained TONS of wisdom along her journey of leaving the traditional modeling space and shares much of it with us in this episode! The episode is a MUST listen!

Are you a struggling creative looking for support? Book a coaching clarity session with Samson, spaces are limited, follow this link: https://calendly.com/connectionismagic

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS //

+ We can’t escape ourselves, wherever we go there we are…

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Love and blessings,

– TEAM CIM

Chase Anthony (IG: Chasecomedy) is an American actor, comedian and former college football player. He’s had notable appearances in the films Journey of a Goddess, Love & Trust and Hidden Treasure as well as television shows Grey’s Anatomy, Lethal Weapon, TheBkdwn, Deal With It, Netflix & Chill and starred in the web series A Whole New Irving, which won him the Best Male Performance from the International Academy of Web Television award. He is presently a leading role in the BET series Bigger, produced by Will Packer and Devone Shepard.

Are you a struggling creative looking for support? Book a coaching clarity session with Samson, spaces are limited, follow this link: https://calendly.com/connectionismagic

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS //

Hit up CONNECTIONISMAGIC.COM to sign up for our email list and get access to new episodes before they drop, special animated story clips from our most powerful episodes and other special goodies & offers!

Love and blessings,

– TEAM CIM

Russell Brand (IG: RussellBrand) is an outlier, activist, actor, author, podcaster, spiritual teacher etc. His YouTube channel has amassed more than 5.3 million subscribers. Amongst all of the divisiveness and polarization in today's zeitgeist he has quickly become a mainstream voice for meaningful change and antidisestablishmentarianism.

Are you a struggling creative looking for support? Book a coaching clarity session with Samson, spaces are limited, follow this link: https://calendly.com/connectionismagic

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS //

Hit up CONNECTIONISMAGIC.COM to sign up for our email list and get access to new episodes before they drop, special animated story clips from our most powerful episodes and other special goodies & offers!

Love and blessings,

– TEAM CIM

Tara Savelo (IG: @Tarasavelo) is originally from Massachusetts and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 19 to pursue a career in acting before getting a degree in beauty and hairstyling at MUD Makeup Institute in Burbank, California. Tara ultimately became Lady Gaga's make-up artist after the make up artist she was assisting left, and so Tara stepped into the role, very fortuitously, just prior to her rise to global superstardom.

Are you a struggling creative looking for support? Book a coaching clarity session with Samson, spaces are limited, follow this link: https://calendly.com/connectionismagic

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS //

+ Leaving her home state with her friends with no money and leaping to LA super young+ First discovering the magic of makeup+ How she got her dream job working for Lady Gaga+ The odd feeling of seeing Lady Gaga’s fame grow from the inside vs. the outside+ Dealing with critics online+ Tara’s most surreal moment on the 6 year journey of working with Lady Gaga+ How when mentally struggling on tour, telling people on the outside, often gets little to no sympathy, because they can’t see past the glamour of it+ How & why her time working with Gaga came to an end and the rollercoaster of emotions+ Her health declining and the journey to finding healing, including a surprise Lyme Disease diagnosis+ The importance of balance and self-care especially when pursuing what you love+ What the early days of life were like after leaving the Lady Gaga whirlwind+ Being a superstar in today’s world vs. when Lady Gaga broke+ More gems on what her experiences have taught her…

Hit up CONNECTIONISMAGIC.COM to sign up for our email list and get access to new episodes before they drop, special animated story clips from our most powerful episodes and other special goodies & offers!

Love and blessings,

– TEAM CIM