Welcome Jake Gould, a social media comedy sensation who accumulated over 2.1 million TikTok followers in under a year. He found viral fame in mid-2020 thanks to his prank videos featuring shenanigans between him and his dad.

"I’m not doing it for the short-term. I’m doing it for the long-term. I’m seeing the culmination of all of this—the snowball effect. Eventually the avalanche of love is going to be so big that it doesn’t matter what happened today.” - Ruben Rojas

Jake sits down with Ruben to talk about how he turned his love for pranks into a full-time career. They both agree that making something out of your passion, no matter how unconventional it is, comes down to having a long-term vision for what you want.

They talk about what it takes to keep up with the moving targets of social media algorithms, and why they believe that rising above the noise, no matter the platform, comes down to consistency, authenticity, and going for quality over quantity.

Finally, Jake gives his three best pieces of advice to aspiring or budding comedians and pranksters in the age of social media, and how love plays a role in every one of his pranks, no matter how outrageous.

"Have fun. If you really don’t like what you’re doing, it’s impossible to keep going.” - Jake Gould

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About the Guest:

Jake Gould (@jakesfunny) is a social media comedy sensation who accumulated over 2.1 million TikTok followers in under a year. He found viral fame in mid-2020 thanks to his prank videos featuring shenanigans between him and his dad.

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Welcome celebrity chef, restaurateur, and author Michael Voltaggio.

"If you’re around people who bring something to the table, it’s your responsibility to be a sponge and soak that up.” - Michael Voltaggio

Michael sits down with Ruben to talk about his love of food. He shares how his passion for cooking came almost as an accident when a 15-year old Michael, then a busboy at the Holiday Inn, was invited to help prepare some of the dishes in the kitchen. A spark was lit, and he never looked back.

He encourages young creatives in today’s fast-paced world to discover their one true passion, focus solely on it, and embrace the journey towards turning that passion into a real career.

Finally, Michael shares his globe-trotting adventures on the show Breaking Borders, in which he and journalist Mariana Van Zeller traveled to areas of conflict and unrest around the globe with the goal of bringing people together through food.

"Sometimes, the gift that you can give through your art can be most inspired by how well you listen.” - Michael Voltaggio

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About the Guest:

Michael Voltaggio is a Los Angeles-based celebrity chef, restaurateur, and author. He is the winner of the sixth season of Top Chef where he competed with his brother, Bryan Voltaggio. The two ended in the finale, alongside Kevin Gillespie, with Michael winning the contest. Top Chef Head Judge Tom Colicchio said of Voltaggio, “Out of all the cooks that have come through the show, Michael is the most talented—both from a sensibility and technical standpoint. He has the chops to pull off what he’s trying to do.”

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Welcome martial artist and self-defense and combatives expert Tony Blauer.

"Fear is contagious, but so is courage.” - Tony Blauer

Tony sits down with Ruben to discuss how to reframe our relationship with fear and turn it into a force for love. They kick things off discussing Tony’s mantra—know fear—and why being open about being scared actually begets and inspires courage, not only in yourself but in those around you.

Going further, he teaches that leaning into our fears builds self-awareness, and when we improve our self-awareness, we improve our critical thinking, followed by our situational awareness. In the end, our independent spirit—our ability to think for ourselves and to act courageously on our beliefs—skyrockets.

Tony does a deep dive into fear management. He offers real-life examples that illustrate how changing our relationship with fear allows us to remain in control in spite of the fear spikes, big or small, that inevitably crop up in our day-to-day lives.

"You can’t self-actualize if fear is holding you back, and one of the ways to do that is by leaning into the fear.” - Tony Blauer

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About the Guest:

Tony Blauer has been in the martial art, self-defense, defensive tactics, and combatives industry for almost four decades and is one of the only Combatives experts who has successfully affected training across all the combat related communities: self-defense, combat sports, and the military & law enforcement sector. His research on physiology, mindset as it relates to confrontation management, has influenced over three decades of reality-based martial artists.

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Welcome actor, comedian, and game show host Cedric the Entertainer.

"Comedians aren’t here to teach you a lesson. We’re here to reflect on society, and sometimes it ain’t pretty. Sometimes it’s not the way we all like it.” - Cedric the Entertainer

Cedric sits down with Ruben to break down cancel culture and the negative impact it has had for comedians around the country.

He also talks about the evolution of entertainment as a whole, celebrating the fact that social media has given everybody an equal shot at building their own platform. What’s more, as the space continues to saturate because of how easy it is to produce content now, Cedric sees creativity coupled with authenticity as key to growing a loyal following.

Finally, Cedric talks about his journey from corporate America to stand-up comedy. He offers his best advice to anyone looking to make the scary yet exciting leap away from traditional employee life into the career of their dreams.

"Most people really want to skip the journey—the story. That’s where it all is.” - Cedric the Entertainer

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About the Guest:

Cedric Antonio Kyles, aka Cedric the Entertainer, is an American actor, comedian, and game show host. He hosted BET’s ComicView during the 1993–94 season and Def Comedy Jam in 1995. He is best known for co-starring with Steve Harvey on The WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, as one of The Original Kings of Comedy, and for starring as Eddie Walker in Barbershop. He hosted the 12th season of the daytime version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2013–14 and starred in the TV Land original series The Soul Man, which aired from 2012 until 2016. He has also done voice work for Ice Age, the Madagascar film series, Charlotte’s Web and the Planes franchise. In 2019, he will receive a Hollywood walk of fame star.

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In this episode of the Live Through Love Podcast, Ruben speaks with award-winning digital artist and creative director Jason Naylor.

"As artists, the ability to express something emotional is our responsibility.” - Jason Naylor

Jason sits down with Ruben to talk about his ever-present mission to spread love and positivity through the lens of color. To Jason, this mission is defined by the phrase, “Open your heart,” exemplified by his famous character aptly named OPN Heart.

He talks about how his “graduation” from corporate America gave him the tools to succeed as his own boss in the creative space, and encourages artists to look at “sales” not as a dirty word but as a valuable skill to get one’s work out. He also gives his thoughts on the unfortunate stereotype of the “struggling artist”.

Finally, Ruben and Jason speak on the magic of vulnerability and how to navigate those dark and lonely moments as an artist.

"As artists, none of us have to starve. We can all win, and it starts with us as a community saying our work has value. Let’s not devalue our work and ourselves by selling something for less than the time we put into it just so we can pay rent.” - Jason Naylor

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About the Guest:

Jason is an award-winning artist, designer, and creative director based in Brooklyn. He began his professional career as a graphic designer before setting out to start spreading his own message into the world. Today, he works in both digital and traditional media, ranging from typography and illustration, to products, and large scale murals. Jason’s mission is to spread color and positivity across the globe.

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Welcome filmmaker, actress, and entrepreneur Noel Elie. She is the CEO of the production and PR company, Noel Elie Productions.

"We make excuses for why our body is seemingly breaking down, when actually, our body is trying to alert us and say, ‘Hey, something’s off.’.” - Noel Elie

Noel was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2021. She sits down with Ruben to reflect on her healing quest, from surrendering all her possessions and escaping her own toxin-infested home, to seeking plant therapy over mainstream medication.

She talks about what inspires her to express her creativity in the entertainment industry today. Noel discusses the pitfalls of victim mentality, the power of following your own path, and embracing your nature as an empath.

"I’m in charge of my destiny. I have a choice, and I’m going to do the things that light me up. When I do that, I will be in flow. And when you’re in flow, you’re inspired. And when you’re inspired, you’re in spirit.” - Noel Elie

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About the Guest:

Noel Elie is an award-winning actress, director, and writer who quickly emerged as one of the Go To Production and PR Experts in NYC + LA's wellness industry. She is the CEO of the production and PR company, Noel Elie Productions, where she helps conscious entrepreneurs become #1 bestselling authors and top experts in their field by amplifying their messages and taking their careers to the next level.

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Tune in as Ruben welcomes Gleb Savchenko to talk candidly about his adventurous life as a Russian-American model, actor, and professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars. 

Gleb describes what it’s like being a male dancer in Russia and leaving his home country to travel the world and pursue his dreams. He tells the story of how he finally became a US citizen after facing deportation and getting banned from the US for 10 years. Then, Gleb gives insight into how his career, recent divorce, and frequent travel affect his health, wellness, and being a father to his two daughters.

Plus, Ruben asks Gleb about his creative process for dancing and acting, highlighting the many feelings he feels when performing and competing on Dancing with the Stars.

“Always be grateful for what we have and what God gave us.” – Gleb Savchenko

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About the Guest:

Gleb Savchenko is a Russian-American dancer, choreographer, actor, model, and father of two, who is currently a professional dancer on the U.S. version of Dancing with the Stars. He previously appeared on the UK, Australian, and Russian versions of the show.

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Tune in as Ruben welcomes Ivana de Maria - producer, actress, activist, and tech entrepreneur - to talk about the power of storytelling in living your life through love. Ivana highlights the app/platform she created called StoryPlace, which is promoting empathy through the most basic and powerful form of education, storytelling.

“If you’re stuck in something or you’re unhappy with your life, going back to that question of ‘what stories are you telling yourself?’ can help you identify and actually change the origin story of whatever is happening in your life.” – Ivana de Maria

Ruben and Ivana talk about the dangers of distraction and staying busy, along with the immense value of being in silence and simply hanging out with yourself. She shares her candid thoughts on navigating life freely, how creative writing and reflection improves your ability to be present and mindful, and the main discovery she made while spending time alone.

“Being a good listener, you learn so much. And if you’re present and listening to somebody, you will never run out of conversation.” – Ivana de Maria

P.S. Have you ever written yourself a love letter? Ruben challenges YOU to write yourself a love letter (just once or for 30 days, you choose). And be sure to stay tuned to StoryPlace so you can participate in our love letter challenge!

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Resources Mentioned:

Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chögyam Trungpa: https://amzn.to/3c5WQtj 

Sign up for StoryPlace

About the Guest:

Since becoming a Los Angeles resident in August 2014 Ivana has specialized in Storytelling as a whole as a writer, producer, and actress for Film and Television. She has starred in a number of films as well as TV shows such as La Piloto, La Bella y Las Bestias, The Best People and Women Is Losers. Ivana is currently focusing on creating content based on true stories and is currently a producer on the Netflix television series MONARCA as well as an Executive Producer on an upcoming Television Series based on the life of renowned journalist Oriana Fallaci.

Ivana’s entrepreneurial spirit and passion for true stories led her to create StoryPlace, an empathy-driven digital platform where you can write and read stories from people all around the world. StoryPlace launched in 2019 and is now available via Web and as a Mobile App. 

Whether she is acting, producing or developing empathy-driven technology, Ivana’s goal remains the same: to promote empathy through the most basic and powerful form of education, STORYTELLING. 

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Here and now, Ruben welcomes Darin Olien - author, entrepreneur, health and wellness expert, and “Superfood Hunter” - to talk about how he integrates his mental, physical, and spiritual health to live life through love. Darin also touches on how he’s persevering through the grief of his home being destroyed by wildfires.

“One of the underutilized superpowers is the ability to face the challenge and not pretend that it’s not there. That’s very dangerous, actually, in any emotion. In any change, it’s a dangerous thing to “La, la, la, I’m fine!”… That will eat away at not only your soul, but your actual physical body.” – Darin Olien

Ruben and Darin speak on the importance of having hard conversations (including with yourself), implementing radical responsibility in your daily life, and how to stop getting so offended by everything. Then, Darin sheds light on the deeply interconnected relationship between our mindset, consciousness, mental health, and physical health.

“The greatest biohack is being kind and loving and hanging out in a hug for more than 30 seconds.” – Darin Olien

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About the Guest:

Darin Olien is co-host of the Emmy™ Award Winning, #1 Netflix docu-series, Down to Earth with Zac Efron.

Spending nearly 20 years exploring the planet discovering new and underutilized exotic foods and medicinal plants as a Superfood hunter Darin developed, Shakeology – grossing over $4 Billion in sales since 2008 for Beachbody. He also created a plant-based Ultimate Reset 21-day detoxification program for the company.

From his years of experience within the health space, he wrote his New York Times best-selling book, “SuperLife: The five fixes that will keep you healthy, fit and eternally awesome”.

As host of the widely popular podcast The Darin Olien Show, Darin curiously explores people, solutions, and health as well as life’s Fatal Conveniences™ – a segment of the show uncovering modern-day flaws and challenges that may be undermining our health and our environment.

Darin the founder of Barukas™, the most nutrient-dense nut in the world coming from the Savannah “Cerrado” of Brazil. Through sustainable business practices, the company is committed to supporting this important biome by planting 20 million Baruzeita trees while getting out the most delicious nut on the planet.

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Adam Roa is a coach, poet, motivational speaker, actor, and filmmaker here to talk about personal development for creatives, navigating depression, being a fearless creator, and more. 

Adam first describes his recent experience at an Ayahuasca retreat in Peru, which evolves into a discussion about the value of apprenticeship for artists and creators, developing mastery, and the importance of integration in your personal development journey. Ruben and Adam also shed light on their deepest battles with depression and how they navigate life’ dark moments. 

“The difference between first place and last place in a 100m sprint is fractions of a second and the same thing is true I think in personal development. It’s not that we’re ever free of the very human aspects of ourselves, but as we become more conscious and aware, the nuance becomes what we notice more and more. It’s the fractions of a second.” - Adam Roa

Then, Ruben shares how he uses art and creativity to get through hard times and overcome negative self-talk while helping others do the same. The duo also speaks on the power of having a studio space, riding the ups and downs of life, and the concept of “the tortured artist”.

“It’s okay to say that you need help. It’s okay to say I need a therapist, I need a coach, I need whatever to help me move through things that I’ve been too scared to look at until now. We’re not meant to do it alone.” - Adam Roa

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About the Guest:

Adam Roa is a coach, spoken word poet, motivational speaker, business consultant, podcaster, actor, filmmaker, and creator. He is the founder of The CREATE Community, a global community for creatives, entrepreneurs, visionaries, speakers, artists, and thought leaders who want to grow, heal, learn, and create an impact on this planet.

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Listen to his NEW podcast, You’re Too Much

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This is an Operation Podcast production. 

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