Today, in our 3rd installment, we’d like to introduce Samara Helfman, proud owner of THE PAINTING PLACE in Wellesley, a drop-in art studio and premier party place all in one!  At The Painting Place, you can paint pottery, plaster or canvas, mine for gems or make a candle! Staff members are always on hand to help with a project, plan a party or answer any other questions you may have.  Samara Helfman has always loved children.  A graduate of Pine Manor College, with a degree in child psychology, Samara previously taught nursery school for several years. Though she thoroughly enjoyed her work, she always wanted to open her own business.  The Painting Place was born in 2000 and has been building memories ever since!

Today, in our 4th podcast installment, we bring you Shant Banosian. Shant has been Guaranteed Rate’s #1 Loan Officer nationwide 4 years running, with 1,215 closed units and $536 million in funded loans in 2018 alone.

Today, in our 5th podcast installment, Traci Shulkin and Jared Wilk of The Shulkin Wilk Group sit down with Cara Soulia of The Front Steps Project, a creative photography/charity initiative that has already gained global acclaim. Cara, along with Kristen Collins, started The Front Steps Project only weeks ago, on March 17, 2020, as a way to support their local non-profit charity of choice, the Needham Community Council. The Project requests a donation (in an amount determined by the donor) and in exchange provides a professional “front step” family photo that will forever commemorate this time of coming together.  The Project has quickly taken on a life of its own, with over 200 photographers participating globally.  There are currently over 15,000 photos tagged with #TheFrontStepsProject and more than $25,000 in local donations (and an estimated $125,000 globally) already raised, with much more to come! Although, sadly, The Front Steps Project has been placed on pause with the Commonwealth’s stay at home advisory, more than 200 potential donors have placed their names on a local waiting list – a list that Cara and her team promise to attend to soon!

Now Live - Episode 6!  Traci Shulkin and Jared Wilk of The Shulkin Wilk Group sit for a chat with Nicole Hirsch of Nicole Hirsch Interiors. Today’s discussion first focuses on how Nicole has recently transformed her interior design business into a virtual platform.  Unable (for obvious reasons) to be onsite personally, Nicole has created new methods that allow her to work with clients remotely.  Her physical presence may be missed, but the final results have not changed a bit - beautiful spaces that transform houses into comfortable yet chic homes!   As a special treat, Nicole provides us a peek into a few of her favorite rooms in her own home, then spills the beans on some of the most cutting edge 2020 design trends.  To top things off, we get to hear about a few of her local favorite eateries!

Now Live - Episode 7!  Traci Shulkin and Jared Wilk of The Shulkin Wilk Group sit for a chat with Elyssa and Jeff, of New England Country Mart/J.W. Lopes. A 4-generation wholesale food broker to 5-star restaurants, the business recently adjusted to a direct-to-consumer model to adapt to the current climate. Home delivery service was added on April 10th  and can be accessed here - New England Country Mart.   For current home delivery customers, all future orders will go through this new, user-friendly system - product images, recipe ideas and much more have been added to the platform! J.W. Lopes is still the same family-owned and operated company, dedicated to providing its customers premium fresh produce and a wide array of high quality, locally sourced products.  Their extraordinary customer service lives on!

Now Live - Episode 8!  Traci Shulkin and Jared Wilk of The Shulkin Wilk Group sit for a chat with Samantha Sherman, of Beth Israel Deaconess, Needham. Sam, the hospital’s Chief Development and External Relations Officer, discusses the current status of operations at the hospital and the ways in which it has reacted to the pandemic. She discusses COVID-19 testing, its impact on hospital staff and the gratifying outpouring of support from the community.  Tune in to get an understanding of how hospitals in general are handling the pandemic and what to expect in terms of operational changes in the future.

Now Live - Episode 9!  Traci Shulkin and Jared Wilk of The Shulkin Wilk Group host an informal conversation with Allison Mazer (Senior Vice President) and Brian Dougherty (Managing Director) of Compass Boston.  Explore how the Boston and Metro West markets are each being impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, at times in very similar ways yet quite different in others. While each area presents unique challenges, learn how many of the responses and solutions have proved effective regardless of the geography. The discussion moves on to the newest guidelines in real estate, the rise of online buyers and the increasing importance of virtual tours and other online tools. 

Now Live - Episode 11!  Traci Shulkin and Jared Wilk of The Shulkin Wilk Group host a lively show with Emmy Award winning television host Maria Sansone.  Maria, since the very young age of 11, has had an exciting career!  Having been discovered early on at a local basketball game, she holds the title "Youngest Reporter in the History of Network Television”. Among many other topics, Maria discusses her interview with Michael Jordan and his advice for her as a youngster.  Learn as well how she declined an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show. Maria goes on to tell us how she has easily adapted to working from home and launching a new digital show called Mom2Mom.  She continues to host Real Cooking Live, broadcasting from her kitchen over the last few years.  Maria also enjoys mentoring young people with their own dreams of being on television. Along with everything else she does, you can catch Maria on the daily lifestyle show The Hub Today on NBC 10!

Today we’d like to introduce Amy Reich Weil and Yitz Magence, two of the leading real estate attorneys in the Greater Boston area.  They will enlighten and impress you with their creative ideas for closing real estate transactions, during the COVID-19 crisis, using safe and responsible practices!