That's What I'm Saying Podcast

Eric Geggatt, Community Manager at Workbar. Eric is a friend I met when we both attended a startup bootcamp. Later, we both went on to work at Workbar, though at different times. He got his start as a Community Associate at WeWork and progressed to a role as a Community Manager at Workbar. He shares his insights on community, co-working, and the job hunt. 

Sara Moore, PMP, Chief Operating Officer at Ankota LLC, a home care software company shares her insights as she progressed from building community in the art world, managing a home care agency, and becoming the COO of a tech company.

Sara Hammel's, latest novel, "The Strong Ones: How a Band of Civilian Women Made Their Mark on the Army" tells the story of Sara, Marion, and other "ordinary" civilians who came to prove (via a study conducted 25 years ago) that women could get strong enough to do the military's toughest tasks. 

Sara's work has been featured alongside Maya Angelou and Susan Faludi as well as a number of national magazines.  

Marion and Sara chat about their experiences during the study, their journey after the study, and about reconnecting 25 years later.

Actor/comedian Dennis Hurley, who is featured in Justin Timberlake's music video, "Can't Stop This Feeling" and the NBC Sitcom, "Superstore") joins me in a conversation.

Dennis was my first guest, (Episode #1, you should listen to it. it's fun) almost 2 years ago to the day. I wanted to chat with Dennis again to see where his journey has taken him, what new perspectives he gained, and what new advice he had for creatives to succeed at their craft.

He quoted a piece of advice that he received in the past: "Figure out exactly what you love about art and exactly what you want from that art, and chase that at all costs."

Anny Din shares her experiences progressing from a hip hop group, producing independent film, working at an educational animation production house, an advertising agency, and digital project management.

She shares practical tips, Best Practices, and stories about pivoting careers. She talks about applying what you've learned from your previous role to each next step on your journey, and how to stand out on set.  

My friend Liz Santoro, a Cinematographer/DP who has worked on TV shows such as "Alaska Bush People," "Biggest Loser," & "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo." She got her start on the crew of "Kill Bill" (Tarantino), "Zathura" (Favreau...Mandalorian, Elf, Iron Man, Swingers) & "The Aviator" (Scorsese).

---Not to mention working as a cinematographer on a number of fantastic indie films...and my first film.

---We talked about tips for getting started in film/tv production, how to thrive on set, and goal setting.

Community Manager and Event Planner, Ann Holland talks about pivoting careers, community building, struggling to build a career, defining success, and taking the leap to live in Los Angeles

Some of my favorite quotes from her this episode: 

"[My mentor] taught me that it is OK to be your authentic self at a workspace and still be successful...that confidence in my unique perspective and my desire to make my mark on the cuture really comes from her and the time that we worked together [at Workbar]."

This was one of my favorite interviews I've done so far, give it a listen and let me know what you think!

Almost a year to the day, I posted my last podcast which was about how we never know what the future holds, using the a story about Janelle Monet and a director of the TV show "This Is Us:" (You can listen to the episode here as well)...It turns out that a year ago, I posted a podcast that my current self needed to hear one year later.

A couple excerpts from this podcast: 

"Right now things aren’t how we want them to be, how we how we’d hope they’d be, however, we don’t know what the future holds, so we might as well believe it’s going to be amazing."

"If I never direct or produce a studio level film or show, I’m not going to have regrets...I am going to have regrets if I don’t take my creative energy and turn it into something I enjoy and that I think have as a positive effect on people."

I start with with the story of the time, 23 years ago, a person who now Directs shows such as "This Is Us," was the Director of Photography on the first independent film I worked on (as a PA) rewarded my work on set with a free t-shirt...a simple kind gesture that stuck with me for years...and from that starting point, I move into discussing how we never know where our lives may take us, nor do we always know the affect we have on others and their lives.

Some excerpts include: 

• “It’s real easy in this world to think and feel that things don’t change, both when things are going great and when things aren’t going your way…but things change in weirder ways and unpredictable ways than we can often never imagine."

An introspective podcast Ep. on my birthday thinking about the importance of having your voice be heard, making a difference, and finding happiness:

"While I still have pangs of: 'I put all this time and energy and hard work into all these things and no one knows who I am (nor getting paid for much of what I create)'...The math for me if I'm doing something I enjoy and there's a chance someone else can get something out of it, then that's enough for me...though a basic level of stability and money is a concern for me, my goal is be happy moment by moment, do good moment by moment, as best I can, and I'm not going to equate money with happiness if I can."