Empowered Artist Collective Podcast - for actors, singers, dancers, writers, creators and performers

In this podcast episode, Jennifer sits down with Marissa Ghavami as they shares their personal healing journey, which led to the creation of Healing TREE, a 501c3 organization dedicated to healing trauma through resources, education, and entertainment. The discussion dives into the nature of trauma, distinguishing between "big T" and "small t" traumas, and the impact of cumulative life stressors. They also explore the significance of body-based work and the importance of different therapeutic modalities beyond talk therapy that are available for those seeking help. They share the significance of accessing care and resources - especially through the work of Healing TREE - and how artists can engage in this healing to deepen their own growth, personal wellness, and hopefully create meaningful change.

About Marissa: Marissa Ghavami (they/she) is an Iranian-American, queer artist, advocate and creator based in NYC. Most recently, they played Khalilah, opposite Tony Winner KO (Karen Olivo), in a workshop of Siluetas, part of 4xLatiné Off-Broadway. Up next on stage, they can be seen as Irene in the NYC premiere reading of the international hit play The Little Pony on October 13th at the Prelude Festival and Jessie in Divine Riot’s Cry It Out this November. Film/TV highlights include starring in the feature film The Gift of Christmas, alongside Academy Award Nominee Bruce Davison, and roles in Paramount’s Not Fade Away, with James Gandolfini, and on CBS’s Without A Trace; as well as singing on NBC’s It’s Showtime at the Apollo. Marissa has also sung at Joe’s Pub (alongside Tony Nominee L Morgan Lee), Birdland (alongside Academy Award Winner and Tony Nominee Ariana DeBose) and 54 Below. Voiceover/Commercial/Print highlights include Audible, McDonald's, Ford, JCPenney, Belvedere, PepsiCo, Girl Scout Cookies and KFC.

Marissa co-produced the feature film Mass, starring Ann Dowd, Martha Plimpton, Jason Isaacs and Reed Birney. Mass premiered at Sundance, was acquired by Bleecker Street, had a theatrical release, won the Robert Altman Award, was a Gotham, Critics Choice and BAFTA nominee and is now streaming. They produced and co-wrote the short film Silk, directed by John Magaro (Carol, The Big Short), an Official Selection at the Academy Award Qualifying Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival, among others.

Marissa is the Founding Executive + Artistic Director of the nonprofit Healing TREE (Trauma Resources, Education & Entertainment). They are a national public speaker, a healing trauma-focused coach for artists and a trauma consultant for productions. They are a Queer Writer Fellow at Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing and an Artists Striving To End Poverty (now Arts Ignite) Fellow and participant in the Artist As Citizen Conference at Juilliard. They are a Founding Company Member of Divine Riot, a new theatre and film company that defies convention. They are also an avid meditator, vegan and cat parent. AEA, SAG-AFTRA. 

Marissa's IG: @marissaghavami

Healing Tree's IG: @healingtreeorg

Divine Riot's IG: @adivineriot

Marissa's Website: www.marissaghavami.com

Healing Tree's Website: www.healingtreenonprofit.org

Divine Riot's Website: www.divineriot.org

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In this podcast episode, Jennifer has a heart-conversation with Emily Martinez all about navigating the tumultuous journey of being an artist and creative. They talk about what it means to openly share the highs and lows of one’s artistic pursuits on social media, battling the comparison game, embracing one's uniqueness, and the transformative power of becoming our own biggest cheerleader in a world that often demands conformity. They discuss success as a personal journey and how crucial it is to root for yourself in a world that often feels competitive and uncertain. They also emphasize the importance of speaking up and the privilege of letting people into your life on your terms. 

About Emily: Emily is a multi-hyphenate creative with achievements onstage and off as a musical theatre actor, content creator and podcast host. Most recently she made her Off-Broadway debut with the popular Internet trio Lewberger in their new musical Lewberger and the Wizard of Friendship. Emily also hosts a theatre/lifestyle channel on YouTube where she creates content for people with a passion for the arts. Her loyal band of followers, the Forever Theatre Kids, lovingly call her Mama Bear and look to her for empowerment and inspiration as they navigate the ups and downs of the entertainment industry. Her channel is a place where they know they can come for advice, audition tips, backstage vlogs or even just a few laughs. Inspired by her original series, “Bloody Broadway,” Emily cohosts Exit, Stage Death The Podcast, a True Crime podcast of the CHILLING stories behind your favorite Broadway shows, as well as her own solo podcast Ohh, I’m Lonely! Finding Purpose in Loneliness, Together.

Emily’s IG: @emilymartinezofficial

Emily's Website: www.emilymartinezentertainer.com

Emily's Youtube: youtube.com/emilymartinezentertainer

Emily's Podcast: Ohh I'm Lonely Podcast Finding Purpose in our Loneliness: www.buzzsprout.com/2037268

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While we are on our mid-season 2 hiatus, we wanted to share an Episode Guide with you outlining what we have released thus far to help you navigate through your listening!

This guide breaks down our episodes from Season 1 and thus far in Season 2 into categories so you can better decide what you might be most intrigued by or discover a guest you wanted to hear from more in depth. We hope it can be a resource to you as you listen for the first time or want to return again to a specific topic.

Our second half of Season 2 will be released in a few weeks and we cannot wait to share what we have in store!

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In this episode of the podcast, Jennifer talks to attorney Lauren Bercuson about the ways to protect oneself with or without representation in this industry. They unpack the importance of hiring a lawyer to navigate contracts or other alternatives if hiring one is not possible. Lauren provides negotiating tips on ways to be assertive while maintaining respect, the value of trademarks and copyrights in safeguarding one’s work, protecting one’s intellectual property rights, and key clauses in contracts to look out for, such as payment terms, favored nations clauses, exclusivity agreements, and merchandising rights. They discuss the challenges of social media and content creation in todays climate. They encourage artists to be proactive in protecting themselves and their livelihood. 

About Lauren: Lauren Bercuson is the founder of LB Legal Creative, a dynamic and forward-thinking service catering to the needs of creative professionals and small businesses. With a powerful fusion of legal expertise, writing prowess, and an unwavering passion for all things creative, Lauren offers a comprehensive range of solutions to amplify and safeguard your brand. From crafting compelling communications to skillfully negotiating contracts and protecting valuable intellectual property assets such as copyrights and trademarks, LB Legal Creative stands as the ultimate ally for overcoming your creative challenges. Let Lauren's innovative approach and deep understanding of the creative landscape empower you to reach new heights of success.

Lauren’s IGs: @lblegalcreative and @happily.ever.elephants

Lauren’a Website: www.lblegalcreative.com

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In this episode, Jennifer talks to Adrienne Rose White about pitching and selling TV shows. Adrienne shares her journey, her creative process, and what has worked/not worked for her. She provides insights into crafting effective pitch materials, navigating the dynamics between production companies and networks, and building authentic connections. They talk about the importance of celebrating every step of the process, staying resilient through rejection, and paving one’s own path to success in this ever-evolving entertainment industry. 

At the time of us releasing this episode, both SAG-AFTRA and the WGA are on strike together for the first time since 1960 and we here at EAC are in full solidarity with both of these unions and what they are fighting for. Changes must be made - there is power when we stand together.

With that, this episode covers things that you cannot necessarily put into practice at this current time in the industry, but its content is still incredibly helpful and relevant as you are creating on your own during this time, so when things hopefully do come to a favorable conclusion, you have all these tools in your back pocket.

About Adrienne: Adrienne Rose White makes good TV that makes the world a better place. She developed the online course How to *Actually* Sell a TV Show, Organically to empower and inform creatives on how to develop, package, and sell the authentic story that only they could tell. As a writer and producer she’s optioned or sold 5 TV shows, and helped other creatives get yeses from Netflix and Paramount, meetings with their dream show runners, and more. As an actress, her indie feature film “After We’re Over “was released on Amazon on May 16th, and she appears in Annapurna’s forthcoming feature “Nightbitch” starring Amy Adams.

Adrienne’s IG: @somethingtrulybrilliant

Adrienne’s Website: www.somethingtrulybrilliant.com Use the code EMPOWERED for 50% off of the “How to *Actually* Sell A TV Show, Organically” course.

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In this episode, Jennifer talks to Kati Schwartz about channeling challenging personal experience into art and more specifically, playwriting. They delve into large themes of gaslighting, the importance of trusting one's gut, and the complexities of culpability and complicity. They explore what it means to rewire memories, experience betrayal, and to trust the wrong people. They address the bystander effect, one’s responsibility to respond to harm, and the gray areas of human judgment. Plus, they discuss finding joy amidst the overwhelming and relentless nature of these topics and the importance of authentic self-care.

CW: #MeToo-related topics around sexual assault, grooming, parasocial relationships, & abuse.

About Kati: Kati Schwartz is a New York City based playwright and actor. Kati’s audio play, Bad People, is currently available on Audible and in paperback and was an Amazon bestseller for four months straight. Her play, The Coward, won the 2017 New York New Works Festival and was a semi-finalist for the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, in 2017. Her play She Got Off The Couch premiered at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2016 where it received the Producers Encore Award and was extended twice. Other plays, including The Whale Play and Caring for The Dead featuring original music by For You The Moon, have been produced Off-Broadway (The Duke Theater), as well as at theaters such as Dixon Place, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Arena Stage (DC), Ugly Rhino Theatre Company, Next Stage Arts Project and Alchemical Theatre Lab. Excerpts of The Coward have been published by Smith and Kraus in December 2017 as a part of their Best Stage Monologues collections. Favorite acting credits: The Wolves (Studio Theatre – Helen Hayes Award), August: Osage County (The Fulton Theatre), “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”; Season 5.

Kati’s IG: @katischwartzie

Kati’s Website: www.katischwartz.com

www.badpeopleaudioplay.com   

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In this episode, Jennifer talks to Emilie Leyes about brain training and hypnosis. They share what led them to this work and how rewiring our brains through self-hypnosis and visualization can bring about profound changes in our lives and health. They unpack misconceptions surrounding hypnosis and expand on how it can be used as a tool for transformation and rewiring the subconscious mind. Plus, Emilie offers practical techniques for stress regulation and highlights the significance of embracing joyful moments and finding balance in the face of challenges.

About Emilie: Emilie is an actor, singer, brain training specialist, and hypnosis practitioner for performers. They help folks use mental practices to change their brain and body’s response to stress, build confidence, strengthen the parts of the brain responsible for creativity, navigate challenging roles, and boldly pursue their goals. Emilie is trained in clinical hypnosis, positive neuroplasticity, positive psychology and mind-body medicine. You can learn how to train your brain and support your creative career with Emilie through 1:1 hypnosis sessions, online courses, workshops, and through their popular TikTok account, where they offer free resources and practices.

Emilie’s TikTok: @emilieleyes.hypnosis

Emilie’s IG: @emilieleyes

Use code EMPOWERED20 for 20% off programming: www.emilieleyes.com/hypnotic-empowerment-masterclass

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In this episode, Jennifer talks to Melissa Moschitto and Dr. Haile Eshe Cole of The Anthropologists to discuss their unique approach to investigative theater and explore how anthropology & research intersect with storytelling & art. They share what it means to challenge assumptions, break predominant narratives, and unearth hidden histories. They also navigate leaning into gaps, asking critical questions, and embracing the transformative power of art in shaping our understanding of the world. Plus, they unpack what responsibility and accountability are when it comes to devising work and creating art in general.

About Melissa: Melissa Moschitto (she/her) is a director, playwright and producer advancing the form of research-based investigative theatre. She is the Founding Artistic Director of The Anthropologists, a theatre company dedicated to the creation of devised theatre that inspires action. Her dynamic, kinetic work has been seen at HERE, The New Ohio, Dixon Place, and she has been an artist-in-residence at Abrons Arts Center. Most recently, she helmed The Anthropologists' world premiere of No Pants In Tucson, for which she received a 2020 NYC Women’s Fund Grant. Melissa holds a B.A. in Theater from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is married to an engineer-slash-secret-dramaturg and the mother of two dramatic children. She resides and works in Upper Manhattan on the ancestral land of the Lenape.

About Dr. Cole: Originally hailing from a small Central Texas town, Dr. Haile Eshe Cole has spent most of her adult life working and playing in Austin, TX. She has a B.A. in Sociology and African-American Studies and received both her M.A. and PhD in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin. Haile has conducted research on alternatives to incarceration for mothers and their children in both Texas and New York as well as maternal and infant mortality for Black women nationally and in Texas. She is also a trained birth educator and birth companion (doula). In her free time, Haile likes to read, write, watch movies, try new recipes from the food network, and spend time with family and friends. She currently resides in the New England area with her two wonderful children.

About The Anthropologists: The Anthropologists is dedicated to the collaborative creation of investigative theatre that inspires action. Fusing research, expressive movement, and rigorous dramaturgy, we create dynamic plays rooted in social inquiry. We use theatre to engage with challenging questions, to re-contextualize the present and reimagine our collective future. Founded in 2008.

The Anthropologist IG: @theanthropologists

The Anthropologist’s Website: www.theanthropologists.org

The Anthropologist’s Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheAnthropologists

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In this episode, Jennifer talks to Jenny Piersol about navigating fear, the importance of courage, and the concept of doing something right vs. truthfully. They discuss how to demystify overwhelming emotions in the creative process, how to break down bigger tasks into smaller steps, and how to cultivate connections and build relationships. Plus, they remind us of the power of empathy, that everyone is making it up as they go, and importance of making beautiful choices with a caring heart on the unpredictable journey that is one’s life as an artist.

About Jenny: Jenny Piersol is an NYC-based actor and writer whose work creates generous spaces for others to honor their wounds en route to healing. Her short film DEAR SIMONE, which she wrote, produced, and starred in, had its world premiere at the Big Apple Film Festival this past May and will be screening at Kaufman Astoria Studios in June (additional festival appearances TBA!). Her previous film Q_ARANT_NE screened at the Toronto Lift-Off Film Festival and Studio City Film Festival, among others. Hailed by BroadwayWorld as "remarkably talented," Jenny has appeared at regional theaters across the country, including Walnut Street Theater, Fulton Theater, and the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. Her favorite stage credits include the Lincoln Center national tour of South Pacific, Talley's Folly, and the Off Bway play Dear Jane.

Jenny’s IG: @jenny.piersol

Dear Simone IG: @dearsimone.film

Jenny’s Website: www.jennypiersol.com

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In this episode, Jennifer talks with Sarah Wenig, a registered dietitian and nutritionist specializing in performance and sports nutrition for athletes and performing artists. Sarah clarifies the difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist, addresses misconceptions, and highlights the significance of listening to one's body. They discuss the athleticism of performers, the importance of recognizing food as fuel for sustaining the demands of this career, and the need for recovery. Sarah shares practical tips for preparing meals and snacks to support busy schedules, gives further insights on balanced nutrition, and ways to create small and sustainable changes in mindset and routine to continue trusting oneself & taking care of oneself holistically. 

About Sarah: Sarah Wenig is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and the founder of New York Nutrition, LLC. She has over 10 years of experience in the wellness industry having worked as a certified Pilates instructor and health coach prior to becoming a dietitian. Sarah specializes in performance nutrition and helps her clients reach their goals through a non-diet method. As a sports dietitian, Sarah has worked with the New York Liberty, Brooklyn Nets, New Jersey Devils, as well as players in the NFL and performing artists. Prior to this, she worked with the football and basketball teams at Rutgers University. Sarah takes an intuitive approach to nutrition that combines functional wellness with meaningful lifestyle changes. She has extensive training in medical nutrition therapy and helps clients manage various health issues through dietary and lifestyle interventions. Sarah completed her Didactic Program in Dietetics at New York University and holds a dual master’s degree in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology from Columbia University.

Sarah’s IG: @sarahameliawenig

Sarah’s Tiktok: @sarahameliawenig

Sarah’s Website: www.newyorknutrition.com

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