Do you need lessons to do what you do? A degree? A mentor?

Or is figuring your craft out on your own an okay way to get there?

And if you do figure it out yourself, does this mean you’re not as skilled as someone who was trained formally? Or maybe it means you’re better at what you do in a different way?

We're talking with My Morning Jacket Drummer Patrick Hallahan about his self-taught journey from drumming against the side of a bed as a kid to playing on stages in front of thousands.

And Host Nikki Dinki will reveal some of the ways her path in the food world might have gone more smoothly if she were a better student.

Join us for this Season Finale episode as we try to figure out—is it better to be formally trained or to forge your own path?

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Have you ever thought about revisiting a dream?

Creatively and professionally, we almost always end up taking different paths throughout the years. Maybe you start out doing something towards achieving one dream and then you pivot to something else—for a variety of reasons.

And then you probably pivot again...and again.

And when you're looking to that next pivot that you're about to take, have you ever thought about looking towards your past?

Should you pick up something from your past—OR is it better to let it lie?

We're talking with Food Network Star and Restauranteur Justin Warner about his choice to get back into restaurants.

And host Nikki Dinki will explore her thoughts about revisiting the past (for better or worse!)—and how to figure out what's next.

So if you're finding yourself at one of those pivot points, join us! Let's get into it!

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When we’re young, we have all sorts of ideas about how our lives will look at 40, 60, 80…but as time passes, we realize that even the best laid plans tend to go awry—or at least change a little.

And if things don’t turn out the way we planned, does that mean we’ve failed? That there’s no room for some of those dreams that haven’t been realized yet?

Or is there still time and space for them?

Join us as we talk with Tattoo Artist and Owner of The Tilted Rose Tattoo, Joseph Folmar. He’ll recount the choices he made at critical points in his life—choices that caused his life and career to pivot and brought him to where he is today.

And Host Nikki Dinki encourages us to look at each stage of our life as a different phase. Just because we're not where we thought we'd be, it doesn’t mean we haven’t found success in other ways or in other places.

This episode explores the idea that putting a dream on hold doesn’t mean it’s over. If it’s something that still speaks to us, we can still pursue it—in whatever way it might look or fit into our lives now.

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When is it TOO LATE?...

To follow a dream?

To make a decision that will affect your life’s path?

To just take up a hobby?!

Are you too old if you’re 40, 50, 60?!

Join us as we talk with Jenny Hutt, mom, lawyer, consultant, podcast host, inventor of Bunny Eyez, and so much more!

She’s sharing that getting older means getting wiser—as well as recounting the freedom she felt when she stopped being a perfectionist (and/or giving a f*— about what people think of her!) after 50, as well as what she’s still figuring out.

And Host Nikki Dinki explains her own feelings about midlife crises, being happy, and using the rest of her time on this planet wisely.

Whether you’re 20, 30, 40…90! —This episode is for anyone who’s ever known they want to make the most out of life.

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Do you have a hobby? Multiple hobbies? And do they spark your creativity--or exhaust it?

Join us as we talk with Food Network’s Damaris Phillips about how her multiple hobbies bring her joy and allow her to play—something she doesn’t necessarily get from her work.

And hear about Host Nikki Dinki’s experience trying out a brand-new hobby!

This episode is for anyone who’s been struggling to find a hobby, worrying their hobby takes away from their work, or just likes listening to podcasts…as a hobby. ;)

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So you want to start a podcast…

Do you have the right equipment? What would you talk about? How do you grow your audience?

If these questions have been on your mind, then this is the episode for you!

We’re talking with Food Network and Bravo television producer, Chris DeRosa, about his wildly successful podcast, Fixing Famous People—and he’s giving us some of his best tips on hosting, producing, publishing, and marketing a successful podcast.

This episode is for anyone who’s ready to dive into the world of podcasting and share their ideas with the world.

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Are you always yourself? Or do you sometimes present a more polished up version of the real you?

Do you sometimes turn your light down a little bit to fit in?

Are you afraid if you show people all the weird and wacky sides of yourself that they won’t pick up what you’re putting down?

We’re talking with Food Network’s favorite self-proclaimed nerd, Justin Warner, about being one’s authentic self and finding your own audience at the same time.

He’s sharing all the things that make him who he is (Legos and fly fishing, for starters) and why he’s never cared too much about what others think of him.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever thought about what it would be like if you were just yourself—just as you are.

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Do you set crazy-high standards for your creative work?

Are you spending hours polishing up your finished products?

Is it hard for you to delegate because you imagine YOU’RE the best person for the job?

If you answered YES to any of the questions above…you might be a perfectionist.

Join us as we talk with Tattoo Artist and Owner of The Tilted Rose Tattoo, Joseph Folmar. He’ll explain how he used to spend hours of personal time perfecting each tattoo design—and how his process has now evolved to be more organic and collaborative.

And hear Host Nikki Dinki discuss her own hangups with perfectionism along with her plans to stop letting it run the show so she can focus more on productivity and happiness in her work.

This episode explores the idea that sometimes the work we do IS good enough and asks what would happen if we let go of polishing every creation to perfection and let the creative process take the wheel.

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Can you be a creative AND a parent? The short answer is yes. The long answer is…complicated.

It can be hectic, it can be challenging, BUT it can also be extremely rewarding.

We’re talking with My Morning Jacket Drummer Patrick Hallahan and Weelicious and One Potato Brand Founder Catherine McCord about how to balance the time and attention we give to our families and our work.

Hear how they carve out space for themselves and why it’s important to focus on the positive rather than comparing themselves to others.

And hear host Nikki Dinki’s encouraging tips for being a parent, being a creative, and killing it (mostly) in both arenas (she also recommends not having two babies at once!).

This episode explores the things we struggle with and celebrate when we DO IT ALL as creatives and parents.

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You’ve got what it takes to be a writer, a food stylist, a TV chef. But everyone who makes it big needs a little (or a lot of) luck. So now all that’s left to do is sit around and wait for luck to strike…right?!

WRONG!

Join us as we talk with Writer Christina Perez and Food Stylist, Art Director, and Owner of Secret Sauce Culinary Lauren Bloomberg about forging their own paths to reach impressive levels of creative success.

And Host Nikki Dinki shares her journey of launching a YouTube cooking channel, posting her own food blog, and proactively scoring a gig as a food-centric radio show host—and how all these independent endeavors propelled her towards landing a contestant spot on Season 9 of Food Network Star.

This episode will inspire you to DIY your own way to creative success and will remind you that with the skills—and with or without the luck—you can Do It Yourself.

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