Hey Beauty

n this Phiending for More episode, Giovanna talks to Seraphine and we learn more about what Seraphine was like as a child. We also learn the highs and lows of Seraphine's life that have shaped who she has become today. There's so much packed into this episode, so you won't want to miss it! https://seraphiend.com

Dominic Franco is the first male dancer/cheerleader for the Kansas City Chiefs! He has his own dance party in F45 at every game!

He began dancing as a child of 9 years old and he got pretty serious about it by the time he was 11. He was always drawn to cheerleaders and boy, did he ever love the pom poms!

Dominic’s family jokes that he learned to dance before he learned to walk!

Step Up 2

Dominic is in love with the choreography of this movie and watched it probably 20 times when it first came out. He loved the raw masculinity that all of the characters portrayed in their choreography. The ending dance sequence is one of the smartest dance sequences you will ever see.

Life on Both Coasts

Dominic has lived on both coasts and experienced dance in both. He’s loved his experiences in towns both large and small. He feels like those varied experiences helped contribute to his growth as a dancer and who he is today.

Not Disney

Dominic has a lot of dancing friends who are involved in Disney productions and he has never heard any of his friends say a bad word about their experiences working there. So if the time ever came where he got a good opportunity with Disney, he would be open to it because their company ethos is so similar to his value system.

Sailing the Seas

Dominic spent some time as a male dancer on a cruise ship. He did all of his auditions and interviews online and then ended up being part of a dance troupe that performed on a cruise ship in Europe! It was an incredible experience and he has so many positive memories from that time! This was actually Dominic’s first experience doing aerial work and he fell in love with it.

Giving Back

Dominic has been teaching dance since he was 17 years old. Giving back in the way of teaching dance has really served to fuel his passion for sharing dance with others who may not ever gets a chance to get this kind of training.

Connect

Instagram @d.franco95

https://seraphiend.com

Alyssa Rivera is the other half of an amazing power couple here in Kansas City. Alyssa is married to Brandon Adams, who you met on a previous episode.

Alyssa was born and raised in Leavenworth, KS, which is a military town. Her Dad was in the military, which is why they were in Leavenworth. 

Alyssa has now gotten used to the big city (Kansas City) and she has realized it has more opportunities for dancers.

The Dance Journey

Alyssa was raised in the church and also had a love of dancing and began dancing as a form of worship.She wasn’t able to get to college on a dance scholarship, but she was able to get into a show choir and dance classes during college. This allowed her to realize all the possibilities of dance as a career.

Ballet as a Structure

Alyssa started out with hip hop dancing and also liturgical dancing, so when she had to take ballet, she had a harder time getting her body in that form. She understands why ballet is important as a structure, but she also knows that it’s the hardest type of dance for her to do.

Finding Inspiration

Honey is one of Alyssa’s favorite movies and she loves any of the step up movies that feature dancing that makes you want to move. Alyssa finds inspiration in Broadway style dancing and just loves any music that makes her body want to move.

Breaking Stereotypes

Having a black woman’s body has led to Alyssa being told that she wasn’t suited for certain types of dance and it has sometimes limited her ability to cross between genres and styles of music and dance.

Being the Boss

Alyssa now uses her dance experience in her role as a choreographer. She’s not only able to move and perform all of the dance moves, but now she gets to create and influence the whole program by being a choreographer. 

Pageants Are Brutal

Alyssa has experienced the brutality of the pageant world first hand because she has participated in several pageants. However, Alyssa was able to use some of those lessons to make her stronger and more determined. 

Giving Back

Alyssa has a heart for less fortunate urban communities. Many children growing up in lower income families don’t have the money to fund dance lessons and all of the things that go along with competitive dance. Alyssa understands the struggle and wants to help by offering good quality training for a very discounted rate. Education is the most important factor in helping the next generation of dancers.

Connect with Alyssa: 

Instagram @absskc

Brandon’s Instagram @chocolatemuscle_

Instagram @alyssariveraofficial

Brandon Adams was raised in Kansas City and his upbringing was deeply rooted in his faith. His Father was a Pastor and believed in Christian education, so Brandon went to Christian schools and his faith has become a big part of his story.

Brandon is a Fitness Coach at Orangetheory Fitness in Kansas City, and his goal with every class is to make every person who takes his class fall in love with him. Brandon knows that mindset is so important and he always strives to be better at the end of each day that he was that morning when he got up.

A Foundation of Discipline

Brandon has seen so many examples of people who have been able to apply discipline to any area of their lives and then explode their results. His hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger is a perfect example of this. He took the same discipline he used to refine his body and applied it to business, politics, etc. Discipline can improve any aspect of your life.

Adapting to Quarantine

Brandon and his wife adapted to the new online world where they combine fitness and dance to create a really fun class and impact people’s lives and health. Brandon and his wife hold each other accountable in fitness and business and it’s been the most productive accountability he has ever had.

Filling the Cup

Brandon and his wife find that they get filled up from doing all the things they love doing. It’s the things they were including in their lives before they met. They still make time to fit those things in their schedule and try to stay balanced.

Core Values

Brandon’s faith is deeply rooted. However, this year, he had a period where he began questioning things for the first time. When the pandemic hit and quarantine was the rule of the land, he really took some time to really figure out what he believed and why he believed it. He realized that the Prosperity Gospel that he previously believed, wasn’t really God’s plan for everyone’s life. Brandon is open minded and he always wants to dive deeper to know the truth.

Life’s Work

Brandon wants to be able to help people who may not feel like they matter. This overwhelming desire to make sure people know that they matter has propelled him to work in suicide prevention and awareness. He knows that one person can make a difference and he wants to be able to help as many other people as possible. Everyone matters and Brandon wants each person he comes in contact with to know they matter and that the world needs them.

Connect with Brandon

Instagram @chocolatemuscle_

Books Mentioned:

You Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins

In this Phiending for More episode, Team Phiend gets together for a wide ranging conversation about some of their personal experiences, which leads them to a discussion about some of the weirder aspects to pop culture!

Join us!

https://seraphiend.com

In this Phiending for More episode, you get to meet Seraphiend Brand Manager, Giovanna Capanetto. Giovanna is a go-getter with amazing energy. She thrives on making things happen and building authentic relationships.

Giovanna and Seraphine have known each other for several years and had worked for a mutual business previously, but in completely different roles.

Get to know Giovanna a little better by listening to this episode. You'll hear more about her background, her big, Italian family, and what's currently going in her life.

https://seraphiend.com

Giovanna on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giovanna.caponetto/

In this Phiending for More episode, Seraphine introduces us to her newest team member, Chelsey Attia.

Chelsey and Seraphine met each other several years ago from a previous establishment in the community. But they really didn’t know each other yet, as circumstances didn’t allow.

Chelsey has lived on both the East and West Coasts. She has a background in fashion and her aesthetic is impeccable. She was able to intern with Rachel Zoe and some other big names in the fashion industry.

Meeting Her Husband

Through a chance encounter while walking down the street, Chelsey caught the eye of a 6’10” gorgeous, Egyptian man, who eventually became her husband. He’s the most caring and thoughtful human being that Chelsey has ever met and she loves being married to him!

The Ice Queen Aesthetic

Chelsey can come across as cold sometimes because she’s intensely private, but the reality is that sometimes fear can take hold in her and it’s hard for her to overcome - but she’s always working on it.

Returning from LA

The time Chelsey spent in LA taught her a lot about what she wanted in a career. She realized that the very creative jobs doesn’t pay as much as other jobs in fashion, but she also realized she wanted more of a work life balance than some of the hardcore fashion jobs allowed. Eventually, she decided she was ready to move back home to Kansas City and hoped that she could start dating again.

Looking at the Future

Chelsey has enjoyed getting into building websites as of late and she enjoys the creative process along with the collaborative process in building something custom that reflects the best of her ideas and the client’s aesthetic.

https://seraphiend.com

In this Phiending for More episode, Seraphine introduces her newest team member, Giovanna Capanetto, who is Serphine's Brand and Authenticity Manager.

However, the team has other plans for the show and they flip the script on Seraphine and start asking her questions about her past, some of her favorite things and her family.

This leads to many fun stories that Seraphine shares, including her meeting with Keanu Reeves - be still our hearts!

You won't want to miss this episode!

https://seraphiend.com

Whether you’re familiar with Reiki or not, you’ve probably heard of it in the very traditional sense. But today, we’re talking about some of the ways Reiki is being used in very non-traditional ways.

Mae Monroe is a makeup artist, esthetician and master of all things related to the skin. Sam Levi is a photographer who specializes in creative content creation for brands, businesses, and individuals.

Not only are these ladies respected professionals in their own fields, they are also light workers. They have figured out how to incorporate the power of Reiki in their professional work.

Being Open

From an early age, Mae found herself deeply intuitive. She didn’t completely understand what she was experiencing. Later she tried to self-medicate and dampen her intuition with alcohol, and found that to be self-destructive.

Ayahuasca and Reiki

Although Reiki is “healing hands”, and Ayahuasca is a completely unrelated tool that can be used on your spiritual path, both have been used by Mae and Sam. Ayahuasca is more controversial and you need proper guidance when tapping into this modality in order to not have negative effects.

Connected by Separated

Through their spiritual journey, Mae and Sam found out that they are connected. Uncovering this connection further bonded them together, but you’ll have to listen to them explain their connection - it’s really unbelievable.

A Powerful Awakening

Since incorporating Reiki and Ayahuasca into their businesses, it has changed each of their businesses in amazing ways. Doors and opportunities have opened for both Mae and Sam that they can only attribute to the synchronicity of the Universe.

Special Recognition:

Mae has been awarded the Best Makeup Artist for the 3rd year in a row!

Sam has been named the Best Photographer in Kansas City!

https://seraphiend.com

Lynette Sierra is our guest today. Lynette found herself drawn to astrology very early in life, even though she was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness. Her capricorn rising was what explained all of her ability to keep it all together and look like she was conforming to what was expected of her growing up.

At 13, Lynette moved to the Galapagos in South America with her family to set up a Kingdom Hall. Lynette’s Mother was a 3rd generation Jehovah’s Witness and her Father was raised as a Catholic.

Summers in NY

Lynette’s family home and other family members were still in NY, so she would come home in the summers and visit and reacclimate to city life. She longed to go to college at NYU, but it wasn’t really something her family supported, so instead she ended up getting married.

The Significance of Seven

Every 7 years the cells in our bodies renew. People say you have a “seven year itch” in marriage. Lynette felt like she wanted to get out of the Jehovah’s Witness religion and simultaneously left her marriage at the same time. She just outgrew her marriage and wanted more out of life.

Embracing Freedom

Lynette was able to start her new life and go to college. She had a 4.0 GPA and was enjoying her first taste of freedom in her life. She soon found out that she was pregnant and it threw an unexpected kink in her plans.

Always Learning, Always Growing

Lynette got involved in real estate and was always soaking up and learning anything that she could to grow and expand her horizons. 

Human Design

An acquaintance was able to introduce Lynette to the concept of human design. It wasn’t something she was familiar with, but it intrigued her and she started learning more. She eventually bought a website, with the hopes that at some point she would be able to do something with it!

Readings to Mirror Wisdom

In her practice now, Lynette does readings to help reflect and mirror wisdom back to her clients. She is able to help clients gain insight into their own behaviors and feelings and help them understand why they react and respond the way they do.

Connect with Lynette:

https://instagram.com/tribalvenus