Episode 42: Being Shot By Top Brands From Levis To Valentino, Kimanee Mason Now Elevates Women With Her Brand Grace & Company

Born and raised in Westmoreland Jamaica, Kimanee Mason moved to New York City for college at 15 and was soon discovered by Elite model management. The next day she shot for Teen Vogue. Her modeling career spanned over 15 years from runways to commercial work, working with top designers from Oscar de la Renta to Valentino. Kimanee completed her BFA in design at New York School of Interior Design, transitioning into a career in commercial design at Perkins Eastman Architects. She launched Grace & Company in 2015 with a passion for creating luxury products that are as equally functional as they are fashionable and beautiful. Kimanee and her husband Frank reside in New York City and have three boys, with a girl on the way. She is a woman of faith and supports causes aimed at elevating the worth of women. 

We talk about her modeling career, her decision to start her own brand, and her decision to take her Christian faith seriously.

Episode 41: Former Russian Secret Agent Aliia Roza- “People think that the world of James Bond, Salt, and Red Sparrow Is Glamorous, But It’s Not”

Aliia Roza was born in the USSR into a Kazakh-Tatar military serving family. She was raised to be patriotic with the understanding that she would protect civilians and protect the Russian motherland. So, at 18 years old, Aliia was sent to a secret military academy of internal affairs in Russia, where she was chosen from 350 students to participate a special secret program developed by former KGB psychologists and high-ranking officers and agents, called sexpionage. Her training is in the art of seduction, persuasion and neuro-linguistic programming in order to get information from targets and to recruit.

Her last mission with a drug lord was a dangerous one, and the growth and healing that has come from leaving Russian espionage has been a challenging one. Since leaving her secret agent life, she has found it rewarding to give back and spends a lot of her time serving others.

In this episode we get into a lot from what it was like growing up in the former USSR, to working in Russian espionage, to why she became a Christian, and why fashion is her passion.

Episode 40- “My Relationship To Fashion Is Intense,” says Aurore Donguy

Aurore Donguy is a Paris based stylist that has a showroom in Monaco during the 63rd Monte Carlo Television Festival. For the past twenty years she has been involved in fashion and styles her clients for festival like these and the Cannes Film Festival. She sits down and chats about fashion and how it brings light to life and to the world.

Episode 39- Vinette Robinson and Eva Morgan Talk About Their TV Series The Gathering

Both Vinette Robinson and Eva Morgan are British actors who star on British series The Gathering. Eva plays a teen gymnast, who is in the middle of a horrible situation in which her friends and their parents are incriminated. Vinette plays an overbearing pushy mother. I sat down with both of them during the 63rd annual Monte-Carlo Television Festival to discuss the show, why they got into acting, and what they’re working on next. 

Episode 38- Chen Kolter Abrahams: Just Wants The Israeli Hostages Back

Chen’s kibbutz was attacked on October 7, 2023, and five members are a part of the 132 hostages still in Gaza. She opens up on how she’s feeling about Hamas, what happened to her kibbutz that day, and what people can do to help.

Episode 37- The Seriousness Of Marriage with KB Chakela

This is a conversation on the seriousness of marriage with KB Chakela, the faith editor of Seele Magazine. We talk about a lot of things in this topic from why God created marriage, to dating with intentionality, and the red and green flags women should look out for in dating.  

Episode 36- Cait West: Standing Up And Stepping Away From The Abuses Of The Christian Patriarchy Movement

Cait West is a writer and editor based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is the author of Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy, a book that is profound especially in how the movement she grew up in uses God as a justification to control women.

West’s work has been published in The Revealer, Religion Dispatches, Fourth Genre and Hawai’i Pacific Review, among others. As an advocate and a survivor of the Christian patriarchy movement, she serves on the editorial board for Tears of Eden, a nonprofit providing resources for survivors of spiritual abuse, and co-hosts the Survivors Discuss podcast.

In this episode, West opens up about her book out in May, and her journey of growing up in a movement that significantly affected her life. But, she chose for herself a new life and to step away from an unhealthy ideology that governed her life for far too long.

Episode 35- Joe Challita: The Lebanese Fashion Aficionado OpensUp About Lebanon’s Couture Contribution To The World

Joe is the Founder of Lebanese Fashion History on Instagram, and he is the Fashion Editor of Marie Claire Arabia. His knowledge of Lebanese fashion history is like nonother. When I think of Joe, for me, he’s the Suzy Menkes of Lebanese couture history. He dives into Lebanon’s rich couture history that goes back to the 1920s, unpacking the country’s impact on the fashion industry. So, enjoy this podcast episode with Joe Challita.

Episode 34- Shefali Karani: Navigating Being A First Time Mother

Shefali Seele Magazine’s Lifestyle Editor. An Indian-American who left the United States at the age of 5 and grew up between Mumbai and Dubai. With high expectations, she became an executive at the age of 21 at her family’s corporate business in Mumbai, and she has also been a board director for two other companies. And, in 2019, Shefali launched a book called Own It! that helps individuals prove themselves as capable leaders. But, last year Shefali became a mom and has had to navigate being a mom while maintaining working. Residing in Dubai with her husband and new baby, Shefali opens up about navigating being a first-time mom and why waiting till her thirties to have a child makes her a patient mom.

Episode 33- Kanessa Tixe: Pivots, Let Downs, Rising, and Building A Global PR Agency

Kanessa Tixe is an industry PR guru with over 22 years of experience in Latin and non-Latin public relations, global and cross marketing, branding, and talent management. Kanessa is a visionary and storyteller with knowledge that spans from the public sector to the private sector. Her make-it-happen attitude has gotten music artists, actors, and athletes positioned in top media like ET, Variety, and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon; and her clients have been featured in campaign collaborations for brands like Mugler, Macy’s, Saint Laurent, Alaïa, and Dolce&Gabbana.

A true New Yorker from the Bronx, Kanessa’s journey started in New York City’s City Hall under then mayor, Rudy Giuliani then Michael Bloomberg. Navigating the hardships that life can throw, Kanessa forged on, working for Robert De Niro, and then at Rubenstein PR and Quinn PR, until she launched her own agency TS Collective. There she has represented dietician and model Maye Musk, Colombian singer Maluma and Jackie Cruz from Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black, and now she works with the likes of music mogul and film director Spiff TV, model Anok Yai, boxer Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, DJ Kaskade, and Romeo Santos.

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.