Episode 32: Vocal Coach Mama Jan Smith Has Worked With Some of the Biggest Names In Music But It’s The Message of Jesus That Excites Her The Most

Jan Smith is a nationally recognized singer, songwriter, and musician. And, she is a Grammy nominated producer, Georgia Music Hall of Fame inductee, and a multi-platinum certified vocal coach and vocal producer who has vocally trained distinctive voices in the industry from Usher to Justin Bieber. She’s the owner of Jan Smith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, a state-of-the-art vocal coaching facility, but she offers services nationwide to record companies, artists, producers and motion pictures.

Episode 31: BBC World News Turned Sky News Presenter Yalda Hakim Talks Women, Journalism, and Afghanistan

Yalda Hakim is a Sky News presenter, as she was formerly with the BBC World News . She made her on-screen debut in March 2013 presenting a special three-part series of Our World entitled, Iraq: Ten Years On for the BBC. Before joining BBC World News Hakim, was the presenter of SBS Dateline in Australia, and she has reported on Afghanistan's Kandahar province, Libya during the Arab Spring, from the streets of Juba, South Sudan, as many celebrated the new country’s independence, and on various issues from the Middle East, the U.S., Africa and Europe. Though a lot has happened in Afghanistan since this interview, Yalda opens up about her native homeland, why Australia will always be home, and how she stays positive amidst the horrors of the stories she has to report on.

Photo Credit: Yalda Hakim/Instagram

Episode 30: Maria de Medeiros, A Citizen Of Europe Opens Up About Culture and How Acting Found Her

Maria de Medeiros is Portuguese, but grew up in Austria and has lived in France for many years. She’s an actor, director, and singer mainly partaking in European productions, but also American. She got her big break in Hollywood, firstly with the film Henry & June in 1990 and Pulp Fiction in 1994. I first met Maria during Paris Fashion Week in September 2023 at an art exhibition. During the February/March 2024 women’s Paris Fashion Week, I sat down with her in Saint Germain to talk about being a citizen of Europe, how acting found her, and what it was like working with Quentin Tarantino for Pulp Fiction.

Photo Credit: Manon Costantini 

Episode 29: From Being A Stewardess for Emirates Airlines To Founding Brave By Faith Travel, Jules Bush Speaks On Launching Her Business That’s Impacting Women

Jules Bush loves God and loves people, and everything she does is to uplift Jesus and empower people to go after their dreams and goals. In 2009 when she moved from Atlanta to Dubai to be a stewardess, her eyes were opened to a great big world of cultures and languages. From there, with three months’ rent in her bank account, Bush spent several years serving in South Africa through the Hillsong Foundation. In 2017 she started Brave by Faith, where she runs about 20 retreats a year in exotic locations, inspiring travelers to adopt new healthy habits, while casting off old insecurities and mindsets, replacing them with a fresh knowledge of God and His deep love for mankind.

Episode 28: Rani Zakhem, The First Arab Designer To Design A Ready-To-Wear Collection For Plus Sized Women

Rani Zakhem was the first fashion designer that invited me to his atelier to sit down and have a chat. I was new to the whole fashion scene, and I remember making my way to Sinn El Fil, where his showroom is in Beirut, to the Zakhem Tower. Ever gracious, Rani is detailed and makes sure to do things right, whether that’s in fashion design or in how he treats people. Ever astute, you get a consistent person in Rani and I’m blessed to call him friend. Trained in interior architecture at the Lebanese American University in Beirut and in fashion design at Parsons in New York, he’s able to bring the two worlds together to create some of the most carefully crafted couture, ready-to-wear, and bridal silhouettes.  

We talk about the importance of having ready-to-wear for plus size women in the Arab market, a rarity that’s slowly being tackled. But, Rani is the first one to do this with his 2009 ready-to-wear collection. Focusing solely on private clients at the moment, it’s nice to see designers like Rani Zakhem, whose niche is to focus on creating sought-after looks for all women.

Episode 27: Kilian Hennessy Talks His Calling As A Perfumer

In this interview Kilian talks how perfumery found him, how perfume-making is more similar to cooking than cognac making, and how he knows he’s found a winning scent.

Episode 26: Desolas Mezcal Founder, GG Mirvis Talks About What It Takes To Be A Female Spirits Brand Owner

Mezcal is set to surpass Tequila in the US this year

Desolas Mezcal is a female-founded, premium mezcal brand founded by GG Mirvis, which is found in several states and can be shipped nationwide through their website. She’s smart, decisive, and a good reader of people, which makes her a good businesswoman. 

Desolas Mezcal is an artisanally crafted spirit that is thoughtfully produced from 100% Salmiana Agave found in the state of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The Salmiana agave, also known as the “green giant,” is cooked in above ground ovens resulting in a mezcal with a fresh botanical aroma and gentle smoke. Its grassy, earthy and agave forward character are a product of the arid and chalking soil of San Luis Potosi. So we sat down to talk about all things mezcal. 

Desolas is served at premier New York City and Miami hotspots including Bond St, Polo Bar, Spring Place, Sant Ambroeus, Casa Tua, Mayfair Grill, BOHO house, among others.

For more information, please visit www.desolasmezcal.com.

Episode 25: A Woman With Many Hats, Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger Shares Some Wisdom and Talks Fashion

Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger is an entrepreneur, designer, wife, mother, philanthropist, and advocate living in Palm Beach. A third culture kid, she grew up in the US with one parent being from Turkey and the other from England. She was a model and lived many years in Europe raising her kids, until she met fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger. Ultimately, she became a fashion designer herself. Firstly, as creative director of Judith Leiber, and later she founded her own namesake brand.

A kind person, she graciously sat down with me for a chat about the importance of women having their own independence, why she felt she had a sartorial story to tell in the oversaturated market of fashion, and she answers if she would have become a fashion designer if Tommy Hilfiger wasn’t her husband. There was a glitch in the recording so the very beginning of her answer to the first question was cut off, which was: “you’re a third culture kid. Do you have connection to your Turkish and British heritages? Do either inspire you as a designer?”

Photo Credit: Kate Martin/ Dee Hilfiger Insagram

Episode 24: Mexican Actor And Producer Eduardo Verástegui Talks The Type Of Men Women Should Be Pursuing And ‘The Sound Of Freedom’ Film

Janet Giachino and Ally Portee sat down, over Zoom during the Covid_19 quarantine to speak with Mexican actor, model, producer, philanthropist, businessman, and former Mexican-Kairo boyband member Eduardo Verástegui. He got his start in Mexico City as a model and actor for soap operas, later joining a boyband. His heart was into his-then definition of success: fame, women, acting and singing. After discovering and accepting Jesus for himself, Verástegui started the production company Metanoia Films, with the goal of producing films that had the potential to not only entertain but also to make a difference in society.

In 2013, Verástegui worked with top TV producer Mark Burnett to be an executive producer on the Spanish Language version of his film, Son of God. And, in 2015, Verástegui co-starred alongside Kevin James in the movie, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, and alongside Oscar-nominated actors, Emily Watson and Tom Wilkinson in the highly acclaimed movie Little Boy, which Verástegui also produced.

His film, Sound of Freedom, which he produced was supposed to hit theaters in 2020 but didn’t arrive until 2023, delves into the global issue of human trafficking through the true story of a former CIA agent.

Episode 23: Cristina Dunlap, The Cinematographer From "American Fiction" Talks The Visual Side Of The Film

As a cinematographer, Cristina Dunlap’s passion is fueled by the belief that people can be brought together by a shared visual experience, so she finds a way to visually translate someone's inner most thoughts and feelings to an audience through movement, lighting, and color.

Cristina on the set of American Fiction with director, Cord Jefferson | Photo Provided By: Cristina Dunlap

Cristina on set with actor Jeffrey Wright | Photo Provided By: Cristina Dunlap

American Fiction is her most recent film project, about a man dealing with the internal challenges of not being able to relate to people, of feeling society’s pressures telling him how a Black person is supposed to act, and family drama – sibling rivalry, an aging parent, the past and the present butting up against each other all the time. Shot in 26 days, it spoke to Director Cord Jefferson and the crew, as it is both a trenchant satire and a poignant story of a family and a man at a crossroads.  

Photo Credit: Tram Kolluri

So far it has won numerous awards from the 2023 People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, it was named one of the Top 10 films of 2023 by the American Film Institute, and has received nominations including PGA Awards, Critics Choice, Golden Globe, and Independent Spirit Awards.

A graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts in 2009, Cristina is a tenth generation Californian and a first-generation filmmaker. She did the cinematography for the 2022 film Cha Cha Real Smooth, and for Am I Ok? And, she’s done the cinematography for Lizzo, Coldplay, Kali Uchis, The Chainsmokers, Katy Perry, and most recently for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. She also has some filming credits under her belt. In 2018 she filmed Brandi Carlile’s music video for Party of One.

Episode 22: From Metal Music To Country Music Devin Dawson Talks His Journey

Devin grew up in a house where music was at the center. It was his mom who influenced the language of music come alive in him. Initially he made Metal music and he played bass for the band, ‘Shadow of the Colossus,’ and then made his way into Country Music as a songwriter. His first love is creating lyrics, but, he made his way into the genre as a singer, and gained fame after filming a mashup of Taylor Swift’s Style and Blank Space. We talk everything from his Metal days, to what inspired him to go Country, and the pandemic.

Episode 21: Eugenia Kuzmina: From Soviet Russia, To Paris’ Top Runways, To Acting and Comedy

Eugenia Kuzmina is a Russian-American, born during the Soviet era in all its hardships, who was discovered as a model on the streets of Moscow, and from that moment, her life changed. Her life has ebbed and it flows from the world of fashion, where she has walked for luxury brands and worked with the most notable of fashion designers from Alexander McQueen, Mugler, Viktor&Rolf, Karl Lagerfeld, Alber Elbaz, and Vivienne Westwood- to name a few. And it has extended now, to the worlds of film and comedy. A good-hearted soul, we all need a Eugenia Kuzmina in our lives.

Episode 20: A Heart To Understand- A Chat With Katie McKenzie On Systemic Race Relations in the US

Katie McKenzie is a creative, living in Columbia, South Carolina. Both McKenzie and Ally Portee grew up in the same church in South Carolina. Recorded during the time of the George Floyd murder, and the racial unrest that it brought to the US, both wanted to discuss how it's not possible to move forward as a nation- Black and White unless people seek to understand, talk, listen, repent and heal together. Both chat on themes of racism and share ways of moving forward.

Episode 19: Musician Phil Joel From The Newsboys Talks About What He’s Doing Now

Ally Portee chatted with New Zealand musician Phil Joel, who was formerly with the Christian rock group, Newsboys. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Phil now lives in Nashville, TN with his family. But now, he has his own band Zealand. “Zealand means a state of heart and mind; where the soul is awakened and the leaves turn greener,” he says. Though he’s not with The Newsboys anymore, he sometimes performs with them on tour.

Episode 18: “Paul, Apostle of Christ” Andrew Hyatt Opens Up About Making The Film

A conversation with Andrew Hyatt, an award-winning writer and director.  He talks his film, Paul, Apostle of Christ, as well as his journey. The movie was made on a shoestring budget of $5 million. Hyatt is passionate about God, and he has done well in combining his two passions: storytelling through film and God.

Episode 17: Country Music Band LANCo Performs In London

From March 2018’s Country2Country Music Festival at London's 02 Arena. Ally Portee sat down with Country Music band, LANco, where the band of five talked music, faith, performing in the UK and humility.

Episode 16: Sherrynorth Lamisi Attakora’s Story Of Survival From Human Trafficking

A native of Ghana, she details her escape from domestic worker abuse

Sherrynorth is known as ‘Misi Resilience’ by those who know her best, was like many women on the African continent, who leave home to work as domestic workers because they need to make more money to provide for their families in their countries. Originally from Ghana, she was conned by a fellow Ghanaian that she trusted, who acted like an agency and arranged her travel to Kurdistan to work for a family, but everything went extremely wrong after that. Sherrynorth was later trafficked to Iraq and underwent the worst horrors of what domestic workers fear: rape, beatings, human degradation, mental attacks that she trusted no one. Her story could be a movie. But, it is her faith in God and the will to fight that got her through. Now back in Ghana, Sherrynorth helps other domestic workers, educating them on the realities of being a domestic worker, and provides them with the resources they need if they have negative experiences like hers.

Episode 15: Alessandra De Tommasi Gets Real On What It’s Really Like Being An Entertainment Journalist

Alessandra De Tommasi is one of the entertainment industry’s top journalists, writing for Vanity Fair Italia, Vogue Italia, Cosmopolitan Italia, and others. You’ll find her at the Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Toronto, Zurich, Berlin, Monaco, and others in press junkets sitting front row and asking the most intelligent of questions to actors and directors. Alessandra is a sharp thinker, but most importantly she’s a beyond kind person. Her heart is deep and she’s always in a happy mood, making the most stressful of days at a film festival a delight to see her.

Born into a family of farmers in Lecce, Italy, she was destined to work all things tobacco. But, her teachers and an uncle could see she was meant for the learned world, and she went to Rome on a university scholarship. Ale, as I call her, has sat down and interviewed some of the film and TV industry’s most renowned actors from Scarlett Johansson, Tom Cruise, Cynthia Nixon, and Julia Roberts- and these are just a few names.

In the interview we talk about her journey from Lecce to where she is now, the hardships of being an entertainment journalist in these times, the exciting moments of the job, our private moment we had with Leonardo di Caprio and Casey Affleck, and no matter how stressful the industry can get, why she wouldn’t dream of doing anything else.

Episode 14: From Discovering Lady Gaga To Modeling In Fashion Weeks Around The World, Wendy Starland Gets Candid About Her Journey

Wendy in the studio | Photo Credit: Wendy Starland

Wendy Starland is a multitalented and inspiring woman. From New York City, she now calls LA home now and manages two very distinct careers: music and modeling. It was her babysitter, a soulful woman from South Carolina that influenced Wendy with music. And by the time she was in high school, she knew music was going to be a big part of her life. She discovered and developed Lady Gaga, and in this episode, Wendy opens up about that. She also talks what led her to do modeling.  And she also drops some practical life applications, something that we can all glean from.

Episode 13: A Chat With Ellen Mirojnick, The Costume Designer For Oppenheimer

Ellen has costumed designed for many Hollywood films and TV shows for 30 plus years. This is Ellen on the set of Bridgerton Season 2 | Photo Credit: Ellen Mirojnick/ Instagram

First of all, Ellen Mirojack looks great for her age. She’s 74 years young and I hope I can look that great when, God-willing, I’m 74. This was a memorable interview, maybe because I’m in awe of anything designed fashion-wise for the runway or for the silver screen. Ellen has been in the business of designing costumes for film and TV for over thirty years, and she’s known for inspiring men’s fashion in the early 90s, when she created bold patterned ties, colorful suspenders, and crisp suits for the 1987 Wall Street film. After that film, men saw how sharply Michael Douglas’ character Gordon Gecko dressed, so they started dressing just like him.

Cillian Murphy playing J. Robert Oppenheimer | Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Ellen’s resume includes from Fatal Attraction (1987), Wall Street (1987), Basic Instinct (1992), Speed (1994), What Women Want (2000), The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), By The Sea (2015), The Greatest Showman (2017), Bridgerton (2020), to Oppenheimer (2023).

“It was the most spectacular and fulfilling collaboration I have ever experienced,” says Ellen of designing the costumes for Oppenheimer. In this podcast episode, we talk about how she got into costume design, what a costume designer does, and her process for Oppeheimer.

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Writer and Director Christopher Nolan on set with actor Robert Downey, Jr. "| Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Oppeheimer is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin. Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who directed Tenet, Dunkirk, Interstellar, Inception and The Dark Knight trilogy. His films have earned more than $5 billion at the global box office and have been awarded 11 Oscars and 36 nominations, including two Best Picture nominations.

It was filmed in a combination of IMAX® 65mm and 65mm large-format film photography including, for the first time ever, sections in IMAX® black and white analogue photography.

Only two characters in Oppenheimer wore hats in the film, Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer | Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

The cast includes Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey, Jr., Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Florence Pugh, Benny Safdie, Michael Angarano, Josh Hartnett and Kenneth Branagh. It was also produced by Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan.