Setting Stages

RJ Vergara (@rjv_collectives) started sketching as a hobby in his childhood. He even got in trouble for graffiti in his early years, but one thing he knew for sure was that he was damn good at drawing.

Fast forward to current day, and RJ is now a published illustrator for a children’s book whose art can also be found on album and record covers for hip-hop artists, and on multiple occasions his work has even been recognized by top-tier celebrities.

RJ (@rjv_collectives) talks about the complicated art of earning a paycheck for his passion. He’ll also share how he manages working a full-time day job and raising a family while side-hustling his profession in art - sound like you?

Whether you’re an artist or not, RJ’s perspective in this episode is sure to hit home with anyone pursuing ambitious goals.

Connect with RJ Vergara:

IG - www.instagram.com/rjv_collectives

Interact with Me:

www.instagram.com/_eddiemac

Intro/Outro Music by Ryan Little

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Marlina Moreno continues her quest to use her media skills to promote conservation efforts around the world. In this second installment to Episode 15, she explains the mission of Project Conservation, her expectations for the organization’s future, and gives you an in-depth look at the kind of conservation efforts she produces content for.

You'll get to meet Marlina's husband and content creation partner, Zander. The two will take you back to their 7-month, 7-country road trip in Africa.

It's gonna be a fun (and emotional at times) conclusion to the two part series featuring Marlina Moreno.

Connect with Marlina and Zander:

IG Marlina - www.instagram.com/marlinamoreno

IG Zander - www.instagram.com/zandrover

Blog - www.margonewild.com

Interact with Me:

www.instagram.com/_eddiemac

Intro/Outro Music by Ryan Little

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Marlina Moreno is a former NFL Cheerleader who danced at night clubs to earn money for worldwide wildlife conservation. She's also self-taught in videography, photography, and media production. She's been featured in Sports Illustrated, Nat Geo Wild, and Forbes. Oh, and she grew up on a farm! If you've ever wondered, "What should I do with my life?" Do what Marlina did... try everything! Listen to Marlina's story of triumphs and errors and everything in between. She recounts her experience in the NFL, gives advice on what it takes to travel as she does, and explains how she became a passionate wildlife conservationist. Connect with Marlina: IG - www.instagram.com/marlinamoreno Blog - www.margonewild.com Interact with Me: www.instagram.com/_eddiemac Episode Image by: www.instagram.com/zandrover Intro/Outro Music by Ryan Little

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Melinda Guerrero is a National Park Ranger who spent her whole life enjoying the outdoors. She's traveled many corners of the earth, worked jobs to save enough to leave for her next destination, and offers a colorful way of sharing her stories. In our discussion Melinda shares how her past influenced her enthusiasm for adventure, recalls a time she prepared to defend herself during a solo trip, and offers extremely valuable travel advice for those of you looking for similar experiences abroad.

Connect with My Guest:

Melinda Guerrero - www.instagram.com/wheresmelindanow

Connect with Me:

www.instagram.com/_eddiemac

Intro/Outro Music by Ryan Little

www.instagram.com/iamryanlittle

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Alastaire Vicente and Ceci Angelica are hosts of their own podcast. The two come from very different upbringings, yet they share in common a life-threatening experience; both of them have suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Through this intense injury, combined with other experiences, Alastaire and Ceci have made a tremendous and positive turn-around.

Links:

Alastaire Vicente - www.instagram.com/e1337hax0r

Ceci Angelica - www.instagram.com/c.angelanova

Intro/Outro Music by:

Ryan Little - "Dawn"

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Dante is our 12-year-old son and our oldest of two kids. Dante talks about his love for numbers and video games, and shares his experiences in exploring the outdoors and traveling abroad. What's really cool about this talk is that Dante's at an age where he's molding his own opinions, insights, and perspectives and I had a few proud dad moments that I think you grown-up listeners would appreciate in our discussion. Have fun, and thanks for listening!

Connect with Me:

www.instagram.com/_eddiemac

Intro/Outro Music:

Ryan Little - www.instagram.com/iamryanlittle

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Nomis is a hip hop artist whose music in 2017 reached 53 countries, 19k fans, and 3k hours of listens on Spotify and continues to grow. He'll reminisce about his past experiences recording music on an answering machine (on a what?), the evolution of music streaming and its impact in the artistic process, and revisits some memorable wins and Ls.

Nomis Links:

Instagram - instagram.com/nomishiphop

Spotify - open.spotify.com/artist/1pu7JlJwcHBIK3nxGbYCIJ

Rhodes to Rome - itunes.apple.com/us/album/rhodes-…-rome/1398905602

Interact:

www.instagram.com/_eddiemac

Intro/Outro Music:

Ryan Little - www.instagram.com/iamryanlittle

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Carlsky Quichocho is the owner and chef of Guahan Grill. He'll dive into his inspiration for pursuing his restaurant dreams, but what he learned through the process is the bread and butter of this episode - no pun intended. Carlsky recalls his childhood influences, how he deals with doubters, and talks about his greatest setback in restaurant ownership.

Links:

Guahan Grill Website - www.guahangrill.com/

Guahan Grill IG - www.instagram.com/guahangrill/

Carlsky Quichocho IG - www.instagram.com/quich004/

Follow Me:

Eddie Mac - www.instagram.com/_eddiemac/

Intro/Outro By:

Ryan Little

www.instagram.com/iamryanlittle/

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Originally Published in June 2018:

I'll retrace the start of my podcast journey in this episode. I share the lessons I've learned in hosting this radio talk show by reflecting on fear and insecurity, how my work activity didn't match my ambition, and I even make a connection on how RUNNING taught me about commitment to Setting Stages. You'll need to pardon my random word vomit in some instances throughout, but I promise there's some FIRE in this one!

Interact:

www.instagram.com/_eddiemac

Intro/Outro by:

www.instagram.com/iamryanlittle

Nick Keomahavong is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who studied to become a monk in Thailand. Nick shares his knowledge on how to heal emotional pain by telling ourselves the truth. I open up my own experiences with Nick in this discussion and I hope you gain some perspective through our interaction as things get personal for me in this episode.

Links:

Nick on Facebook - www.facebook.com/therapywithnick

Nick's email - [email protected]

Nick's Online Course:

thealchemistschool.thinkific.com/courses/findingyourself

Follow Me:

www.instagram.com/_eddiemac

Intro/Outro Music By:

Ryan Little - www.instagram.com/iamryanlittle

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