THE CITY CONFESSIONS

This week guest is Shaynon Gramling, a licensed real estate agent in NYC. Shaynon Gramling specializes in the sale of commercial and residential real estate in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Mr. Gramling began his career at the end of 2013 after graduating from Hobart & William Smith Colleges. He has gained experience in both real estate sales, as well as property management, including at the world-iconic Empire State Building. Understanding that real estate is a relationship-driven business, Mr. Gramling takes a genuine approach, building life-long friendships with property owners, sellers, buyers and renters.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savvybroker/

Compass Profile: https://www.compass.com/agents/shaynon-gramling/

Today's guest is Aaron Ho, the founder of Sour Mouse NYC, which is a game hall nestled in the Lower East Side that seeks to build community for artists. Aaron is a full time professor and entrepreneur and values giving back to his community and making a positive difference.  With a humble upbringing and being raised by supportive immigrant parents, Aaron explains his work ethic and love for helping others. His first business was Black Cat, which is an espresso bar in the Lower East Side. From the very beginning, Aaron has always had an interest in creating a space for people to come together. Sour Mouse aims to do the same. Aaron opens up about how this business idea started, the realities of being an entrepreneur and the honest struggles that comes with being a business owner, especially during these unprecedented times.  It would be greatly appreciate it if you guys can follow @sourmousenyc on Instagram and support this local business whose main mission is to simply create a space where people can come together and have fun. If you are also in NYC, feel free to visit Sour Mouse at 100 Delancey Street. Operating hours: Monday - Friday, 4:00 pm - 12:00 midnight Saturday & Sunday, 3:00 pm - 12 midnight.

Please also direct any questions, comments or feedback regarding this episode to [email protected]. 

In today's episode, we are joined by Alejandra Ortiz & Caitlin Clarke, the CoFounders of My Faros, an on demand text concierge design for your social life. Both Alejandra and Caitlin give us background on how they met and how the idea of My Faros came to be. They acknowledge that their decision to go into business as best friends was a tough and risky decision, but explain how they ultimately decided to take the plunge. We dig deeper on how they are balancing and navigating their work and friendship relationship and talk about the importance and role of communication, setting boundaries, and creating worst case scenarios for their business. In the later half of the episode, we also talk about how they both define success and happiness, what My Faros means to them and confessions relating to dating in New York City. Feel free to connect with both ladies on Instagram as well as Faros:

https://www.instagram.com/alejandra_0rtiz/

Should you have any questions, feedback or comments regarding this episode, you can email [email protected]. 

Today's guest is Haley Hoffman Smith, a professional speaker who was recently named one of today’s most influential speakers by Forbes. With a TikTok community of over 140K+ strong, she is passionate about helping others bring their ‘pipe dreams’ to reality. She is the author of Her Big Idea, a book on creativity, ideation, and women's empowerment which named a must-read by the Tory Burch Foundation and Forbes. Haley graduated from Brown University in 2018, and stays close to campus with her Her Big Idea Fund in partnership with Brown University's Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship, which awards grants to women who apply with BIG ideas.

Haley has spoken at institutions such as Harvard, Yale, SoGal Ventures, and more, and coaches 1:1 to help ambitious women to manifest and create plans of attack for their dream lives. She lives in NYC, where she is a signed model and actress with MMG and the host of a podcast called Big Conversations.

Website | Instagram | Tik Tok

Feel free to direct any questions, feedback or comments to [email protected]/ 

This week's episode is an exciting one as we are joined by Imad Jbara.  He is a relationship coach who started his coaching career at NYC Wing Woman, an esteemed relationship coaching agency based in New York City. He's been featured in wikiHow, Fox, CNN, NY Weekly, LA Wire, etc. After discovering that most of his clients’ obstacles stemmed from past trauma, Imad realized that the solution to becoming better at “dating” does not rely on learning techniques or methods but instead developing an understanding of oneself. Once he started focusing his work with his clients on healing their past wounds their success began to increase exponentially. After that discovery, Imad decided to start his own new venture and founded The Imperfect Suitor. With over 5 years of experience, Imad has serviced over 100+ clients, both men and women, ages 21 to 50, helping them achieve their personal goals in love and growth while enabling them to discover their ideal partner through customized coaching programs. His High Caliber Blueprint program has resulted in client marriages, long term relationships, and above all, improved interpersonal skills.

In this episode, we talk about all things dating related ranging from Imad's dating style/ approach, dating controversies, the key to building attraction, the importance of communication, what guys want and look for in women, the common mistakes that people make when it comes to dating, the issue with dating apps and having so many options and much more! In the later half of the episode, Imad opens up about his own insecurities and how he found his purpose through a meditation retreat. He also reveals a confession that you guys don't want to miss! 

You can connect with Imad on his platforms below:

Website|  Instagram | TikTok

Feel free to direct any questions, feedback or comments regarding this episode to [email protected].

This episode features Michelle Lam, who is the founder of Bklynnite Media, a public relations and social media agency that caters to hospitality and lifestyle clients in NYC. Michelle started as a public relations associate in the financial services sector and after giving birth to her daughter, she decided to become a stay at home mom. With a soft spot for restaurants and hospitality due to her family's background as immigrants and owning restaurants, she decided to pursue a career in the digital marketing agency. Inspired to help others, Michelle launched Bklynnite Media in 2019 and gained clients through networking and taking risks. In this episode, Michelle opens up about the struggles with starting a business on her own while balancing being a mom and entrepreneur. She gives insight to her work ethic and gives credit to being inspired by her family's hustle as immigrants. Feel free to connect with Michelle on Instagram and sure to follow Bklynnite Media for their upcoming launches and projects. You can also email [email protected] should you have any questions, comments or feedback. 

This week's guest on The City Confessions features Kaisha Huguley, a New York based actress, entrepreneur, creative, educator, and activist. Kaisha is an example of someone who is living her dream. After working for the Department of State for 6 years, Kaisha decided to quit her job to pursue her dream of being on Broadway.  In this episode, Kaisha recounts her first audition process and how luck was on her side.  She explains how her drive and ambition has allowed her to remain positive and determined in the competitive space of musical theatre in NYC. She also gives advice for those who have a similar dream and reveals an unexpected confession in the end that you don't want to miss! You can find Kaisha on her social platforms below:

Blog: www.kaishacreates.com

Feel free to also direct any questions or feedback to [email protected] 

This week's episode features Anneliese Gartner, the CEO and Founder of Apto Media, which is a creative marketing agency based in NYC. Her main goal is to help businesses grow and succeed. In this episode, Anneliese gives suggestions for those who are interested in starting a business and the importance of building a network. She also shares that managing expectations with clients is a huge component in how she runs her business. As someone who has lived in several neighborhoods in New York City, Anneliese confesses that she has a love/ hate relationship with the city. She also reveals, like most of us, that she doesn't have it all figured out, but she is trying her best. Given the pandemic, Anneliese is also finding new ways to still work with clients whose budgets have been cut because her main passion is to help businesses grow. You can fine Anneliese on her social platforms below:

Feel free to direct any questions or comments regarding this episode to [email protected]

Today's guest is Dr. Jennifer Tsai, a Manhattan optometrist, entrepreneur, and influencer/model in New York City. She is the founder of Carrot Eyewear, a trendy but affordable blue-filter computer eyewear line and also recently opened LINE OF SIGHT, a modern eyecare and wellness studio in Hudson Yards. Dr. Jennifer Tsai walks us through how she her positive and personal experience with eye-care in addition to her passion for helping others led her to a career path in optometry. Originally showcasing only her travels on her Instagram account, Jennifer made a conscious decision to include her career on her page, which was not an easy decision. However, it has proved to be a great move as she found it beneficial to launch her business. Jennifer talks about her strengths with time management and finding balance in her life as she juggles being an optometrist, a business woman and a public figure. This episode ends with some helpful tips on how to take care of your eyes and of course a confession that I'm sure many of us have ourselves, so you don't want to miss out on knowing what that is! Feel free to follow Dr. Jennifer Tsai on Instagram and all of her social links can be found below:

Dr. Jennifer Tsai | Carrot Eyewear | Light of Sight Vision 

This week's episode features Thomas C Knox, a Master Connection Curator, Social Entrepreneur, and Thought Leader from Brooklyn, New York. His critically acclaimed movement, Date While You Wait puts a brilliant spin on connection and communication. He has received attention from the likes of CNN and the NY Times and is currently producing a television series. Thomas is deeply committed to developing strong communities and passionate about innovating ways to bring people from all walks of life. Thomas is also the owner of The Connection Collective and BeGreat Bow Ties. Both companies put a unique spin on creating meaningful connections. 

In this episode, Thomas talks about his relationship with NYC, his love for the city, and his passion for telling stories and making an impact in people's lives. Thomas also opens about his upbringing in a foster home as a child and explains how his childhood taught him the value of brotherhood, unity and relationships. He also credits how his past has led him to his career path today as a connection curator and entrepreneur. Feel free to connect with Thomas on his social platforms, which can be found below:

Thomas Knox: @TheConnectionCurator

Date While You Wait - DateWhileYouWait.tv - @DateWhileYouWait

The Connection Collective - Instagram: @TheConnectionCollective

BeGreat Bow Ties - BeGreatBowTies.com - Instagram: @BeGreatBowTies

Feel free to email any feedback, questions or suggestions to [email protected].