Born and raised in Los Angeles, Dion Ramos found his voice early—singing in his church choir by fourth grade. Music became his passion through high school and college, where he spent most of his time in the music building and student government. It was during this time, as a standout vocal student helping others, that he discovered his love for teaching and coaching.

Though classically trained, Dion expanded into musical theatre, performing across Southern California for over 15 years. One of his most iconic roles was portraying the King at Medieval Times. He has also graced major stages, including a performance at the Hollywood Bowl and the 1984 Olympic Opening Ceremonies.

His talents led him to TV and film, where he quickly stepped into the role of First Assistant Director—a perfect blend of artistry and leadership. Over his 30-year career, Dion has acted with legends like Cyd Charisse, directed pageants, produced stage events, and coached countless performers in finding their power on stage. In his next chapter, he’s returning to the spotlight—as a motivational speaker—empowering others to take center stage in their own lives.

Today, Dion shares his journey from singer to stage leader — and what it feels like to live in Torrance, a city that quietly pulses with creativity, diversity, and a deep love for the arts!

www.inthemoodforcalifornia.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.korpacheva.3

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

Twitter: @InTheMoodForCA

Originally from Tasmania, Australia, Catherine Joy is a composer, music producer, community leader and educator. She's received multiple awards and nominations including best score for the doc Gold Balls, an ASCAP Composers Choice Award nomination for Naughty Books and the David Raksin SCL Emerging Talent award for Home Is A Hotel. She has scored a number of Romantic Comedies for Reel One Entertainment including Love Gala, Luckless in Love and Romantic Rewrite, two thrillers for Lifetime, and composed additional music for the recent Dalai Lama documentary Wisdom of Happiness, and projects from Disney, Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Sony, Discovery and History channel. One of her favorite projects to date was scoring a Sesame Street Letter segment. Catherine has also has been lead orchestrator and produced scoring sessions for acclaimed projects such as the Oscar-winning A24’s Minari, Universal Pictures’ Speak No Evil, The White House Effect, The Problem With People, UNTOLD on Netflix, Hulu’s Death and Other Details, HBO’s Edge of the Earth and most recently the new JJ Abrams Apple TV series Presumed Innocent. Catherine is the founder and CEO of Joy Music House, a full service score production company. She was the President of the Alliance for Women Film Composers from 2021-2023 after being part of the leadership from 2016, and now serves on the Advisory board. She is also on the Early Career Committee for the Society of Composers & Lyricists and she is Adjunct Faculty for the NYU Steinhardt Screen Scoring Masters program.

Website:

https://www.catherinejoymusic.com/

https://www.joymusichouse.com/

Instagram: @cathjoymusic

LIsten on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/26Vw5AFxPh1cWsWwodSxUk?

Today, Catherine opens up about her path as a composer — and how her life and work have become part of Los Angeles’ ever-unfolding soundtrack!

www.inthemoodforcalifornia.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.korpacheva.3

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

Twitter: @InTheMoodForCA

Christine Dickson is an international speaker, mentor, and transformational guide who has spent over a decade helping people break free from toxic relationships and reclaim their power.

With over two decades of lived and professional experience, Christine has guided hundreds of individuals out of cycles of addiction, abuse, and generational trauma. She’s known for walking beside her clients through life-changing transitions, offering fierce compassion and 24/7 support when needed. Her clients describe her as an anchor—helping them break patterns, set boundaries, and reconnect with their children, their calling, and their confidence.

Through her signature Path to Freedom Method, Christine empowers clients to rise stronger, build unshakable confidence, and step into a life of purpose and potential. Her holistic approach—combining one-on-one work, group coaching, and transformational retreats—creates powerful shifts through deep inner work and real-world breakthroughs.

Christine’s passion is deeply personal. Having overcome her own history of codependence, toxic relationships, and almost losing her life, she’s spent the last 20+ years rewriting her story—and now helps others do the same. Whether she’s hosting retreats, mentoring clients, or tending to her ranch and animals, Christine is living proof that it’s never too late to choose freedom and joy.

Contact info: [email protected]

www.christinedicksonmentor.com

https://www.facebook.com/ChristineDicksonOnThePath/

Instagram: onthepath_mentor

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/christine-dickson

Today, Christine will share with us her story and what it feels like to live in Lake View Terrace!

www.inthemoodforcalifornia.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.korpacheva.3

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

Twitter: @InTheMoodForCA

Born on Halloween with two different colored eyes and the last name Bible, Karie always stood out. Raised in suburban Fort Worth, Texas, she knew early on she was destined for something different—and classic Hollywood films lit the path. Karie made the move to Los Angeles in 2000 and have worked behind the scenes at HBO, Miramax, and for an agent, eventually finding a long-term home at a box office reporting firm since 2009.

Karie's love of film history runs deep. In 2002, she launched monthly tours at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where she shares stories, debunks myths, and helps people see classic stars in a new light. That same year, she founded FilmRadar, an e-newsletter dedicated to repertory and revival cinema in L.A., now carried on by a friend.

Karie has co-authored Location Filming in Los Angeles and Hollywood Celebrates the Holidays, and during the pandemic, she launched Hollywood Kitchen, a show blending vintage recipes and film history through interviews with authors, collectors, and fellow film lovers.

Karie lives in a mid-century modern apartment, wears and collects vintage clothing, and enjoys gardening, axe throwing, travel, and making jello.

More at: www.hollywoodkitchenshow.com

Today, we’ll hear a personal journey through Los Angeles and the storied grounds of Hollywood Forever Cemetery, as Karie will share her unique connection to the city and the legends who rest there.

www.inthemoodforcalifornia.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.korpacheva.3

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

Twitter: @InTheMoodForCA

Keith Bush is a gifted pianist and lifelong musician whose music speaks directly to the soul. With over 25 years of experience, he has performed at fine resorts, art shows, music festivals, and with orchestras across the country. Raised in Montecito, California, Keith’s connection to the piano began at age two. Described as a genius savant, he blends masterful technique with deep emotion, creating performances that are both powerful and intimate.

He leads his own orchestra, teaches, and cultivates meaningful musical relationships. Guided by his philosophy “Love Always Wins,” Keith’s life and music are rooted in his love for God, people, and the healing power of sound.

Today Keith will share with us what it was like to grow up in Montecito!

www.inthemoodforcalifornia.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.korpacheva.3

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

Twitter: @InTheMoodForCA

Experienced and respected in theater from coast to coast, Robert Yacko is known as a remarkably versatile actor & singer, equally at home in Repertory, on Broadway and in front of a camera. An admitted character actor from his early years, and blessed with a rich, lyric baritone of effortless range, he has garnered epithets for his work that lean from "raucous" and "hilariously deadpan" all the way to "emotionally intense" and "broodingly dark".

Robert starred in the Los Angeles Premieres of Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George and Chess, the West Coast Premieres of Legacy of Light and Romance, Romance, and debuted a Bernstein aria never heard before in performance in The Bernstein Peter Pan. Robert has had the honor of sharing the stage with luminaries such as Carol Burnett, Leslie Uggams, Herschel Bernardi and Carl Reiner, and has had the great fortune to work under the direction of the great Jerome Robbins. He can also proudly count himself as one of Cyd Charisse's dance partners. After 53 years of a rich life in the theatre, he is still hungry for the next creative adventure.

Website: https://robertyacko.com/

Blog stories: https://robertyacko.com/blog

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yackorama

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

Today Robert will help us explore the quiet elegance and creative spirit of Toluca Lake!

www.inthemoodforcalifornia.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.korpacheva.3

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

Twitter: @InTheMoodForCA

Stephen McGhee’s experience includes a career in financial services, advanced degrees in consciousness, health and healing, and more than thirty years advising leaders on personal, professional and planetary change.

Stephen has done just about everything one can in the leadership space—keynote speaking, strategic planning, running board meetings, creating culture change and more. He is an entrepreneur, author and film maker, and he has led experiential leadership cohorts like climbing Mt. Aconcagua and class five white water excursions on Rio Futaleufú in Chile.

Stephen’s personal journey has revealed a universal truth: leadership isn’t just about achievement—it’s about personal sovereignty. This combination creates the true bottom line: mastery in leadership and mastery in life.

Stephen currently lives in Southern California with his wife, Veronica, and his family.

https://www.mcgheeleadership.com/

https://www.facebook.com/stephen.mcghee.3

Today, Stephen lends his voice to the story of resilience, sharing how he found strength, meaning, and a new beginning in the wake of unimaginable loss during Pacific Palisades fire.

www.inthemoodforcalifornia.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.korpacheva.3

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

Twitter: @InTheMoodForCA

Linda Santiman is a fiber artist, as well as a licensed Marriage and Family therapist who has lived in Los Angeles for almost 25 years and calls it home. Linda works with felt and embroidery and specializes in mid-century modern miniature house sculptures that make up the Linda Felt Village. She has had her work shown in galleries in Los Angeles and Palm Springs. She is currently working on sculptures that honor the architecture of Los Angeles.

Today, Linda will share how she brings mid-century modern homes to life using the simplest materials, showing us how entire communities can be crafted from felt, thread, and imagination!

Linda Santiman’s websites:

www.lindafeltvillage.com

www.lindasantiman.com

IG: lsantiman

Facebook: Linda Pinda

www.inthemoodforcalifornia.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.korpacheva.3

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

Twitter: @InTheMoodForCA

Heather Eastwood and Ruslan Abaev are recent Altadena residents and first-time homebuyers. They both grew up in Los Angeles, in the San Fernando Valley—Heather as an LA native with childhood roots in Hawaii, and Ruslan as an immigrant from post-Soviet Russia. Having lived in LA for the past 32 years, Ruslan now considers it home.

Both work in STEM—Heather as a scientist and Ruslan in IT (Information Technology). After years of searching for a special place to call home, they finally found it in Altadena. They were drawn to its natural beauty, community spirit, and unique character. Heather’s love for wildlife and Ruslan’s appreciation for mountain life made Altadena the perfect place for them to settle.

Today, Heather and Ruslan will share their story of resilience and triumph as they overcame the devastation of the Eaton Fire.

www.inthemoodforcalifornia.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.korpacheva.3

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

Twitter: @InTheMoodForCA

Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Martin Turnbull has always been drawn to history, storytelling, and the golden age of Hollywood. After moving to Los Angeles in the mid-1990s, he worked as a private tour guide, sharing the city’s storied past, and deepened his expertise through historical guiding with the Los Angeles Conservancy and time on the Warner Bros. movie lot.

Inspired by his love for classic cinema, Martin turned to writing, bringing Hollywood’s past to life through Hollywood’s Garden of Allah series—a nine-novel saga set between 1927 and 1959 at the legendary Garden of Allah Hotel. He continues to write historical fiction, capturing the glamour, ambition, and behind-the-scenes drama of old Hollywood, ensuring its magic endures.

Please check out Martin’s website: https://martinturnbull.com/

Today Martin will take us on a very special journey to the golden age of Hollywood!

www.inthemoodforcalifornia.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.korpacheva.3

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

Twitter: @InTheMoodForCA