Jake Strange is an American entrepreneur, real estate investor, and former Hollywood Hills influencer-house resident who opens up about chasing success, status, and identity in modern America.

On Meeting With Americans, he talks about growing up around wealth, becoming obsessed with success, and the night he came face to face with every homeowner's nightmare.

We talk about:

▪️Growing up privileged while still wanting to build his own life

▪️Living in the Hollywood Hills around influencers and chasing status

▪️Building confidence, masculinity, and self-worth as a young man

▪️Why success, women, and money never fully fulfilled him

▪️The home invasion that changed the way he sees life and responsibility

▪️What he learned about purpose, identity, and becoming the man he wants to be

00:00 Intro

02:02 Blue Angels, Patriotism, And The Gulf Of America

08:51 Growing Up With Successful Parents In America

13:05 His Father As A Role Model

15:10 What The American Dream Means To Him

18:09 Why Comparing Yourself To Others Is Dangerous

20:35 Defining His Own Version Of Success

23:57 How COVID Changed His Career Path

25:18 Getting Started In Real Estate

30:14 The Biggest Lessons He Learned From Business

35:04 Living In A Hollywood Hills Influencer House

38:08 The Party That Brought Police Helicopters

41:04 Why He Eventually Left Los Angeles

45:13 Social Media, Pressure, And Modern Masculinity

49:55 Dating Culture In Los Angeles Vs. The South

55:51 Politics, Division, And Modern America

1:01:55 Abortion, States' Rights, And Personal Beliefs

1:03:39 Growing Up Around Guns And Hunting

1:06:44 The Home Invasion That Changed Everything

1:10:06 Why He Chose Not To Pull The Trigger

1:15:03 Why He Admires George Washington

Nesto Farinas is a Venezuelan immigrant, former tennis player, and acro yoga instructor who moved to the United States to pursue his dream of becoming a professional athlete.

On Meeting With Americans, he opens up about failing in tennis, rebuilding his confidence from scratch, and realizing how much of his self-worth was tied to validation from women.

We talk about:

▪️Growing up in Venezuela and chasing a professional tennis career

▪️Moving to the United States to pursue his dream

▪️What happened after tennis didn't work out

▪️Why he tied his self-worth to women

▪️The difference between validation and real confidence

▪️What he believes actually creates happiness and fulfillment

00:00 Intro

02:33 Leaving Venezuela And Chasing A Bigger Dream

03:10 Growing Up In Venezuela

04:33 Failing As A Professional Tennis Player

06:44 Living With Insecurity And Being Bullied

12:04 His Family, His Mother And Life In Caracas

14:55 Training Like A Pro — And Struggling Every Day

17:44 Why Venezuela Felt Like "Everyone For Themselves"

19:53 Why America Felt Different

22:21 Money, Happiness And The Pursuit Of Freedom

23:53 "This Is What Love Feels Like"

27:07 The American Dream And Starting Over

29:57 Why Bali Changed His Life

34:05 How He Discovered Acro Yoga

38:26 Turning Acro Into A New Identity

41:36 Building Retreats And Making It A Business

43:30 Tying His Self-Worth To Women

46:14 Comedy, Confidence And Facing Fear

50:19 Immigration, Trump And The Broken Political System

01:01:40 Comparing America, Europe And Southeast Asia

01:04:07 Social Media, Comparison And Financial Pressure

01:06:14 Traveling Latin America And Taking Risks

01:10:05 Why People Should Stop Waiting To Live

01:11:42 Learning Not To Get Too Attached

Emily Birmingham is the daughter of a pastor who grew up between the United States, Turkey, and South Korea — surrounded by faith, structure, and strong beliefs about life.

On Meeting With Americans, she opens up about losing her sense of direction in her early twenties, the experiences that shaped her identity, and the moment she was told it was her fault after a sexual assault.

We talk about:

▪️Growing up in a religious household and moving across different cultures

▪️How she slowly lost herself in her early twenties without realizing it

▪️The moment her therapist asked, "what were you wearing?"

▪️Why she believed for years that God was punishing her

▪️Her perspective on American culture, success, and chasing fulfillment

▪️What she believes about purpose, faith, and what happens after we die

00:00 Intro

01:50 Growing Up Between Cultures And Never Feeling Settled

03:13 Her First Real Exposure To "American Culture"

06:25 What It Feels Like To Never Have A Real Home

09:14 Finding A "Chosen Family"

13:17 Growing Up As A Pastor's Daughter

14:18 Why She Actually Believes In God

19:08 What She Thinks The Purpose Of Life Really Is

21:25 Why Americans Chase The Wrong Things

26:56 The Real Meaning Of The "American Dream"

30:24 Social Media, Cancel Culture And Losing Ourselves

34:46 How She Slowly Lost Herself In Her 20s

39:41 The Moment That Changed Everything

42:54 "What Were You Wearing?"

43:41 Why She Thought God Was Punishing Her

45:21 The Truth About Faith, Guilt And Shame

47:47 Why Money Doesn't Actually Change Your Life

50:37 Do You Need Money To Enjoy Life?

53:03 Talking Politics Without Hating Each Other

55:27 What Makes Her Who She Is Today

58:00 Why She Believes In Making People Happy

01:01:38 Her Vision For The Future

01:02:20 What She Believes Happens After We Die

Valerie Pableo is a Filipino-American nursing student, creative, and hit-and-run survivor who came to the United States as an immigrant child.

On Meeting With Americans, she opens up about the DNA test that changed her identity, the car accident that nearly killed her, and the $333,000 hospital bill that followed.

We talk about:

▪️Growing up as an immigrant child in America and feeling the pressure to make that opportunity count

▪️Finding out through a DNA test that her father wasn't her biological dad

▪️Being hit by a car in Atlanta and nearly losing her life

▪️Waking up to $333,000 in hospital bills without insurance

▪️Her boyfriend cheating while she was still recovering

▪️The message she has for anyone going through the hardest moment of their life

00:00 Intro

02:20 Growing Up Between Two Worlds

04:17 The DNA Test That Changed Her Identity

08:17 "He Was Afraid I'd Leave Him"

10:36 Chasing The American Dream

12:17 Meeting Her Real Family For The First Time

15:15 "Do I Even Belong Here?"

19:16 The Pressure To Make It In America

21:52 Leaving Everything Behind At 19

25:10 Choosing Stability Over Dreams

26:27 "This Was My Most Vulnerable Moment"

26:56 Hit By A Car — And Left To Die

29:12 Waking Up With No Insurance

30:40 "I Knew It Was A Bad Idea"

33:15 The Decision She Regrets Most

34:42 He Cheated While She Couldn't Walk

36:17 Strangers Who Helped Save Her Life

40:02 Watching Her Own Near-Death Moment

43:15 $333K In Hospital Bills — And No Answers

47:14 "I Was Given A Second Life"

59:34 What's Broken In America

01:12:14 "It's Not Always Going To Be Like This"

Karlie Redd is a reality TV star, entrepreneur, and licensed sex therapist best known for her role on Love & Hip Hop Atlanta.

On Meeting With Americans, she opens up about the reality behind fame, her public divorce, and why she believes discipline matters more than talent.

We talk about:

▪️Why going through a divorce is even harder when everything becomes public

▪️The relationship she thought she would have — and why it turned out differently

▪️How she deals with constant judgment from people who don't know her story

▪️The emotional pressure of being watched, criticized, and talked about online

▪️How she turned her personal experiences into a way to help other women

▪️What it really takes to stay strong when your life is under a microscope

00:00 Intro

02:20 Living Life As Karlie Redd — Always Being Watched

03:12 Using Her Platform To Help Others

04:14 "My Life Is Like A Microscope"

05:10 Going Viral For Every Move She Makes

06:22 The Pressure Of Living In The Public Eye

07:45 "I Wanted A Marriage With No Abuse"

08:30 Turning Her Pain Into Purpose

10:23 "I'm Going To Be A Star" — And Becoming It

11:06 The Hollywood Lifestyle That Distracted Her

12:11 Becoming The Head Of Her Family

13:04 Providing For Her Parents — And The Pressure That Comes With It

15:34 "I'm Not Satisfied — I Want More"

16:20 What The American Dream Means To Her

20:09 Being A Mother While Living In Public

22:35 Wanting Another Child — And Feeling Time Pressure

29:20 From Reality TV To Sex Therapist — Reinventing Herself

31:07 Why So Many Women Struggle With Intimacy

36:34 "Drama Sells" — The Truth About Reality TV

44:27 Leadership, Business And Treating People Right

Ken Yasger is a gay war veteran, recovering alcoholic, and Republican candidate running for Governor of Georgia.

On Meeting With Americans, he opens up about the darkest night of his life, his struggle with addiction and mental health, and why he ultimately turned against Donald Trump.

We talk about:

▪️The moment Ken nearly ended his life — and what stopped him

▪️Why he criticizes both Democrats and Republicans

▪️What he believes is broken in modern political leadership

▪️His personal battle with alcohol addiction and mental health

▪️What it means to be a gay conservative Christian in America

▪️Why he still believes the American Dream is alive

00:00 Intro

02:18 What The American Dream Means To A Combat Veteran

02:55 Four Deployments, Front Lines And A Life Between War And Restaurants

05:03 The Parents Who Kept Him From Losing Everything

05:58 Watching 9/11 As A Child — The Moment He Chose The Army

07:17 The Tattoo That Represents A Life He Nearly Ended

08:02 Alcohol Addiction, DUIs And Hitting Absolute Rock Bottom

08:38 The Night He Tried To Take His Own Life

11:29 Why He Now Feels Responsible To Help Strangers

13:06 Running For Governor Without Money Or Party Support

14:12 Why He Says Donald Trump Changed — And Why He Turned Against Him

18:06 Patriotism, Identity And What Being American Means To Him

20:45 Why He Thinks Most Americans Are Exhausted By Politics

22:58 Afghanistan, The Taliban And A Story He Can't Forget

25:08 Gun Laws vs Mental Health — What He Thinks The Real Crisis Is

28:38 Getting Sober, Relapsing And Starting Again

32:33 Growing Up In A Military Family With Little Money

34:16 Eliminating Income Tax And Legalizing Marijuana — His Economic Plan

41:18 Immigration Raids And Why He Calls Them "Un-American"

47:10 Challenging His Own Party — And Not Being Afraid To Lose

52:34 Being Openly Gay In A Special Forces Unit

01:01:12 The Faith He Believes Saved His Life