Welcome to the last episode of Season 2!

Rocko Paolo is a singer, songwriter, rapper, screenwriter, novelist, actor and a comedian, he does it all!  He knows how to live life.  

This conversation covers creative burnout, the spiritual side of creating, serendipitous moments, taking tragedy and letting music connect and heal strangers, talking to a Sumerian God, the magic of collaborating with others and more!

I can't make this up.  Rocko is such a unique person and I respect how he has stayed true to himself throughout his career, during this episode and I'm sure for the rest of his life.  He is a shining example of how to let your soul and spirit lead you.

Enjoy!

Welcome to Season 2, episode 9.  

D.B. Marshall, the author of international best-seller, Love's Pursuit: A Journey to Wellness, is the special guest.

He shares how being "po'" helped him use the resources he had in a creative manner for the first half of his life, and then how pain and sorrow were the catalysts to using his creativity to share the wisdom he gained through life's struggles.

Mr. Marshall is a formidable human being in that he learns from everything and doesn't let life's pitfalls stop him, in fact he uses them to grow and love even more.  Truly remarkable.

The link to his book is here:

https://lovespursuitatl.net/

Enjoy!

Welcome to Season 2, episode 8!

Justin Connor speaks about why he made this movie and starred in it and directed in it and sang in it and...well you get the point.  He did ALL the things!

From what Justin says during our conversation, it may just be the most thorough form of therapy you can do on your own.  He put everything he had into telling a story that was about his life and the life of many musicians as well.  

Movie making, spirituality, mental health, pop music - it's all covered during this fascinating conversation.

Enjoy!

To find Justin Connor's work click below:

USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08M98K6NJ

U.K.: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08M9Y1MB6

Worldwide: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/tgafilm

Soundtrack: https://Lnk.to/tgafilm

Welcome to Season 2, episode 7!

Finlay Stanley is a photographer, videographer and the creator of  Finlay Stanley Media, (YouTube site here) provides social media content to help your profession stand out, or in his own words:  "Whether you're the owner of a small business, a musician, or an actor/actress, we will provide the content you need to find your way to success."

His Etsy shop is where you can find his photographs: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FinlayStanleyMedia, and if that weren't enough, he also tells the stories of football players (soccer if you're in America) on his YouTube channel, which shows off both his videography and storytelling skills, and that is found here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5egKa6Q2uyRsMN24FmV3VA.  I love this idea, and really enjoy his channel.

Finlay shares what he learned on his journey to expressing  his passions in various creative ways that not only helped keep him sane during this pandemic, but also earned him a profit.  He also explains what he feels is missing from the education system that would help foster creative thinking and expression.

Super talented bloke, and if you want to find him on Instagram, here are those links:

AFC Finners: Https://www.instagram.com/afc_finners/

Finlay Stanley Media: Https://www.instagram.com/finlaystanleymedia/

Enjoy!

Daniel Hess is a film maker and has filmed over 5000 weddings!  

However he has moved on to other projects and just scripted a feature film, is mentoring others and has published a book of poetry called: Just A Boy Blaming Himself.

In this episode, Daniel speaks about how the loss of his childhood friend motivated him to create To Tony Productions, and how experiences with tough relationships fueled the publication of his poetry.  He also speaks about struggling with depression, the collaboration process and how when you put yourself out there you open yourself up to ALL types of feedback, and how you can navigate that in a healthy manner.

Daniel, like a lot of guests on this show, is a wise soul and is quite humble.  He demonstrates how one can maneuver through life's darkness in a way that is both kind and authentic.  And that takes a lot of strength.  Thank you Daniel, I see you.

You can find Daniel at:

https://totonyproductions.com/

And his book of poetry, Just A Boy Blaming Himself can be found here:

https://www.amazon.com/Just-Blaming-Himself-Daniel-Hess-ebook/dp/B08SMQKXHJ

Also, if you or someone you  know is struggling with depression or another mental illness, and need more support, here is a link to a hotline that could be beneficial:

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

Tyran Saffold Jr. is a Spoken Word artist who shares how he went from doubting his gift to performing on stage.  He even was generous enough to perform during this episode, and it is POWERFUL.  

Please stick around to hear his journey, wisdom and also all about the magazine he has started called: The Ink.  He even created a section in the magazine where he interviews poets from the past. Such a great idea!

You can find Tyran Saffold and his magazine on instagram at these two sites:

@gods_ink_spokenword and @theinkmagazine

There is also a website for the magazine: https://theinkmagazine.carrd.co/

Enjoy!

Welcome to episode 4, Claudia Goetzelmann is the special guest.

Claudia is a fashion, advertising and beauty photographer & art director and more!  

She also is trained as an end of life doula, and has a spiritual coaching business called Permission to Bloom, where she aims to "help women step into their full potential to live a purposeful life in the Here and Now."

You can find Claudia Goetzelmann's photography here: 

https://www.claudiagoetzelmann.com/

Her Spiritual Coaching Services at Permission To Bloom here:

https://www.permissiontobloomcoaching.com/

And all of her links here:

https://linktr.ee/ClaudiaGoetzelmann

Joshua Marquez is a talented Filipino-American composer, sound artist and guitarist who has received death threats.

Why has he received death threats? The answer is something I'm still processing, although Mr. Marquez explains it thoroughly and transparently in this episode.

Unfortunately this is not the first guest who has spoken about their experience with racism. 

The amazing thing is, like previous guests, Joshua uses his art to bring awareness to this issue, and for cathartic purposes.  He uses creativity,  in one of it's most powerful and highest forms - as medicine for himself and as a sword of truth for the rest of us who may still be ignorant of the sheer depth of hatred there is in this world. And, almost miraculously, the way he expresses the complex emotions he has, is pure beauty.  That in itself is a major feat to accomplish.  The strength it takes to channel all of those powerful feelings and then translate it into a piece of music that adds to the world - I just can't say enough about.

In addition to diving into the depths of the underworld of composing, Joshua also explains his creative process, shares bits of wisdom his mentors gave to him and breaks down composing in a way that makes people feel like they too can start composing at any age.

His album, Violent Yellow can be found here:

https://joshuamarquez.bandcamp.com/album/violent-yellow

You can find all of Joshua Marquez's links here:

https://linktr.ee/joshuamarquezmusic

And if you want to get involved in helping Asian Americans fight racism:

https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/get-involved

Nina is CEO of Bay Area Children's Theatre which has won awards as well as toured nationally and internationally. She also is a person who understands the ins and outs of creativity, just look at her answers to the 4 questions I ask every guest:

1) What is creativity?

"Creativity is the magical combination of a spark of an idea and the discipline to go on the journey, including the struggles to allow that spark to become a beautiful flame."

2) What do you love about creativity?

"I love that creativity allows for discovery and failure simultaneously.  I love that creativity has no limits or bounds.  I love that creativity can make an entire world appear and disappear in the length of a breath.  But mostly, I love that creativity can be the ultimate conduit to connection."

3) What do you hate about creativity?

"It's hard.  There's no way that a creative process can ever happen without at least a few hours, a few days or a few months of staring at a wall, completely convinced that everything you are doing is terrible and that it will never work out."

4) Where is your creativity?

"My creativity lives in the shine of my daughter's eyes when she laughs at a story we are creating together.  It's in nature.  It's on the pages where I write.  It's on the stages where I direct.  It's everywhere I look, as long as I remember to open my eyes."

Her passion is creativity, stories and story-telling for children and adults alike and that definitely is apparent throughout this episode. She talks about the power of dyslexia, and how it shaped her mind and also gives 5 excellent tips on how to bring creativity into parenting, so keep an ear out for them.  

You can find Nina Meehan at:

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

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

For her blog:

https://ninameehan.com/blog

A page with all of her links:

https://linktr.ee/ninameehan

Also, here is a link to the amazing book she mentioned, Beautiful Oops:

https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Oops-Barney-Saltzberg/dp/076115728X

Welcome to season 2!

Please look at this link before listening to the episode, we discuss the video and it is gorgeous: 

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CIuMScpByAK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Ava speaks about how she was introduced to competitive pole dancing and dispels any myths people may have about who it is for and what type of people can do it.  Ava also uses the artform in a powerful manner as shown by her video.

Enjoy!