In episode 140 of Relate, we are joined by Lyssa Mandel. Lyssa is an actor, writer, storyteller, and comedian and we chat about the importance of reminding ourselves why we are doing something, why we must tell the messy, raw, human truth, the power of storytelling, and the upsides that come with using technology.

Be sure to check Lyssa out on these various platforms:

https://zanie.app/

http://www.lyssamandel.com/

https://open.spotify.com/show/3OOLZYCaGUn53JrZs1micS

@aflockofsandwiches

Lyssa is an actor, writer, storyteller, and comedian who is torn in half between NY and LA. She's the host of What's Betwixt Us, a podcast about empathy at work, and the Conversation Engineer for zanie, an app designed to bring trust and authentic human connection into remote workspaces. Her other podcast, The B*tch Seat, a comedy/therapy talk show about the universal vulnerability of youth, was featured on This American Life. She can be seen in the recently released feature film The Artist's Wife. Bread, coffee, and tomatoes forever.

Jorn Rigter, the Co-Founder of unpluq, joins us for episode 139 of Relate. Jorn speaks with us about his innovative solution for designing technology that would help us combat distractive apps. We discuss the importance of giving control back to the people and why we must be mindful in how we use technology so as not to degrade human connection.

Be sure to check out https://unpluq.com/ and http://evolvedprimates.com/ for more information on Jorn's work.

Jorn Rigter is the co-founder of Unpluq. The goal of Unpluq is to help people regain control over technology, so they can spend their time in the most meaningful way. The first product of Unpluq is the Unpluq Key, that enables you to remove distracting apps from your phone through a physical action. His background is in Computer Science and Industrial Design. Next to that, he is the host of the Evolved Primates podcast, about living a more meaningful life in the 21st century.

In episode 138 of Relate, we are joined by Maria Miller. Maria is a spiritual life coach who drops a lot of knowledge bombs in our conversation. We discuss the "four R's" for changing your relationship to yourself, being a creator for what you want in your life, and why we must overcome conflicting beliefs. Maria also chats about the concept of finding your joy space and our personal responsibility in our relationships.

Please learn more about Maria by visiting The Self Care Coach and @marialynnemiller.

Maria is a spiritual life coach who is an expert at guiding her clients to ditch self-doubt and feelings of unworthiness, discover their inner guidance and trust themselves. She’s been obsessed with personal and spiritual development since she was a kid and loves teaching others how to invite ease, flow, clarity and purpose into their life and work. In addition to being a coach, Maria is a certified yoga teacher and ayurvedic yoga specialist who lives in southern California just 15 minutes from the beach with her husband, Derek, and has the wild good fortune of getting to support the most amazing clients.

2020 has been an interesting year! In this episode of Relate, I reflect on the year that has been and the year that is to come, and what we can do to make the most of what has happened and what is coming.

Alexandria Bellivan, an entertainment career development specialist, joins us for episode 136 of Relate. We talk about the current state of the entertainment industry, the importance of identifying industries and professionals that excite you, and why it's important to stay open-minded when looking for work. Alexandria encourages our listeners to ask themselves what type of problem solvers they are and to have space and community for people to collaborate with one another.

Be sure to connect with Alexandria on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandriabellivan/

Alexandria Bellivan is a career development professional with nearly 10 years of experience working within the workforce development realm. Currently, Alexandria works as an Employment Specialist and Program Manager for The Career Center at The Actors Fund assisting performing arts and entertainment professionals to secure multiple streams of meaningful income while they pursue their creative endeavors.

Scilla Andreen, CEO and Co-Founder of IndieFlix, joins us for episode 135 of Relate. In this episode, we talk about film being one of the most powerful mediums in the world. Scilla talks with us about her experience working in Hollywood and her transition to starting IndieFlix. We discuss why it's important to elevate storytellers, how being clear makes you fearless, and how film models for us.

Be sure to check out https://www.indieflix.com/ for more information on Scilla's work.

Scilla Andreen, an award-winning film and TV veteran of Sony & Warner Bros., is the CEO and Co-Founder of Indie Flix . She directed, executive produced and produced “ The Upstanders”, “LIKE ” as well as serving as executive producer for “ Nevertheless ”. Scilla served as the Executive Producer and Distributor for “ Angst”, “Screenagers ” and “ The Empowerment Project ”, and is a key supporter for “Finding Kind” , the original film in the Indie Flix stable. Scilla has been recognized by Screening International’s Women To Watch and Variety’s Women’s Impact Report and is a popular speaker at Sundance, Cannes, CES, SXSW, Women in Film and MentalHealth Summits. She is also the author of “The Creative Coping Toolkit ”, a book with simple, fun conversation-starting activities that gamify talking about our feelings, which is integrated into our Mental Health Trilogy SEL curriculum.

Evan Crommett, singer/songwriter, actor, and music producer, joins us on episode 134 of Relate. In this episode, Evan talks to us about his experience growing up in an artistic incubator, why we must make our art personal, why it's important to remain gentle and compassionate in this world, and why we must prioritize relationships. We also discuss the release of his amazing EP, "Craving Compassion or Maybe Just a Baconeggandcheese."

You can check out Evan's music on Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, or wherever you get your music. Subscribe to his YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/Crommetthefrog and check out his website at https://www.evancrommett.com/

Evan Crommett is an actor, singer-songwriter + music producer born & raised in Hell's Kitchen, NYC. When it comes to his tunes, his commitment is to cranking out bops from his bedroom studio, sidestepping the genre-police, and officiating the marriage between music that's sincere and music that slaps.

In episode 133 of Relate, we are joined by Tamer Gargour, a creative content creator and radio broadcaster behind the new hit podcast, "Travelling While Arab." In this episode, we discuss the content behind Tamer's podcast and the dissonance that exists in the Western world's perception of Arab culture. We discuss underlying prejudices, lack of cultural understanding in social media use, and why storytelling and communication are so critical in our world today.

Be sure to check out the podcast and its upcoming episodes at https://travellingwhilearab.net/. You can follow Tamer at the following places:

Twitter: TamerGar

Instagram: TamerGar

Twitch: TamerGar

Youtube: TamerGargour

Facebook: TamerGargour

Tamer Gargour is a Jordanian/American radio presenter and content creator. He holds a bachelors of law degree but chose to secure a foothold in the Jordanian entertainment industry, recently expanding with the introduction of his podcast 'Travelling While Arab', which showcases the technical checks on the free movement of Arabs around the world. He recently obtained a Master of Digital Media degree from Ryerson University in Toronto.

Katie Griffin is the casting director and founder at Katie Griffin Casting. Katie joined us for episode 132 of Relate where we discussed the wide world of casting, the entertainment industry, the importance of mutual respect, and her career as a casting director. We also discuss important topics for actors to know when auditioning for projects (so for all you actors out there: listen up!)

Please visit https://www.katiegriffincasting.com/ to learn more about her company and follow Katie on social media at:

FB & IG: @katiegriffincasting

TW: @kgriffincasting

Backed by over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry, Katie Griffin Casting is a first Class agency concentrating in the casting of television, film, commercials, print and music videos. Katie Griffin Casting is a full service casting agency aiding clients in New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Miami. Launched in 2011, Katie Griffin Casting pioneered on site mobile casting services. Katie Griffin’s years of experience, both as a performer and as a casting director, allowed her a unique perspective on how to better serve the needs of this industry. In addition to our mobile services, Katie Griffin Casting, also offers studio space for casting sessions, training, equipment rental and editing sessions. With a keen eye for talent, Katie Griffin Casting is always seeking actors and models of all ages and professional athletes for a variety of different clients. The agency has strong relationships with talent agents and managers in New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Washington D.C. and Miami. Katie Griffin Casting serves many of the industry’s major networks, including: NBCU; HBO; OWN; AMC; VH1; Lifetime Movie Network; TLC; Discovery; HGTV; Sprout; FOX and Comcast.

Emma Sameth is a a singer/songwriter based in LA and Portland, OR, who recently began a new initiative called Tech Nutrition. In this episode of Relate, we discuss the concept of cultivating an online presence versus an in-person presence. We talk about authenticity and how it relates to the online world and one's identity. We also chat about fandom, social media's impact on artists, and how tech wields the power to change relationships, for better or for worse.

Be sure to check out Tech Nutrition at https://tech-nutrition.com/ and listen to Emma's music on Soundcloud at https://soundcloud.com/emma-sameth.

Emma Sameth was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. Her love of all things music led her to a career as an artist/songwriter in the bustling LA music scene. Working with hundreds of fellow artists both in the states and abroad, her singing can be found on Spotify and in the trailer for Paramount’s feature film Wonder Park.

As an independent artist reliant on social media and online platforms to market her music, overuse gradually turned to compulsive dependence when it came to online feedback. This weakened her intrinsic love for the creative process, while simultaneously reinforcing the idea that vanity metrics and popularity contests were the ultimate objectives.

Her experiences in the industry led her to found Tech Nutrition, a creative writing-based rebuttal to the incessant whisperings of big tech promising social salvation through statistics and follower counts. She’s determined to share her findings in the hope of helping others break free of their Instagram envy, and rediscover creativity and collaboration for personal fulfillment and healing.