After stints as an independent contractor and social enterprise builder, Danny went on to create his own agency, Trove Tourism Development Advisors. At Trove, Danny and his team work with different countries around the globe to create innovative solutions for attracting international tourists to destinations. This includes everything from social media and influencer marketing to strategic planning and visitor experience design. Since Danny has been on both the agency side as well as the brand side, I thought he would be a perfect fit for the podcast to help bring value on what it really takes to become an entrepreneur. We talk about lessons he's learned in starting his own business, how failure is our best teacher, getting over his fear of presenting in front of large crowds, being a fearless networker, recognizing your specific skill set, and the most important question to ask your team regularly: are you happy?

On this week's episode, I virtually reunited with my former FIT classmate, Ryan Charchian. A lot has changed since we went to college together 10 years ago, but I will never forget how Ryan was always such a fearless networker who always went after what he wanted in life. We brought it all the way back to the beginning, from starting his own blog to working at Tumblr, L'Oréal, Revlon, and most recently, managing vertical social strategy for President Joe Biden's campaign! We talked about how to do influencer marketing the right way, practicing #selfcare when working in social media, how working for different beauty brands has shifted his own perception of beauty, how clout doesn't pay the bills, and mantras he lives by. Press play to get to know Ryan and learn so much from his insane wealth of knowledge!

On this week's episode, I virtually sat down with Alexander Sorondo, the founder of the Thousand Movie Project podcast. We had such a great conversation on his podcast that I had to bring him onto the show for you all to meet him! We talked all about why he started his podcast, the psychology of marketing, the best and worst parts of social media, reminiscing about the good old days of the internet (Tumblr anyone?), his dream person to interview, why he always wanted to be Jim Carey growing up, the biggest lessons during his 20's and the two e-books he just released. Make sure to check him out at @thousandmovieproject.

On this week's episode, I virtually sat down with Journalist, Njera Perkins, to discuss everything you need to know about being a successful freelancer. We talked about transitioning from a full time job to full time freelancing, the importance of time management, the best apps and websites for organization, writing the perfect pitch, branding yourself, how to get out of a creative rut, interviewing Issa Rae, writing for Afrotech, advice for young writers and mantras she lives by. I loved talking to her and I know that you will get tremendous value out of this episode if you're in the freelance game or looking to jump into it.

On this week's episode, I sat down with Armon Sadler and Nic Earley from the Stay Busy Podcast, where they have discussions on the music business and culture. We met over Zoom to talk about their career journeys in entertainment, the most challenging and rewarding parts of their job, how rejection is just redirection, mantras they live by when they're going through a difficult time, pushing yourself to see how badly you want something, the power of manifestation and the importance of believing in yourself even when everyone is against you. Follow them at @staybusypod for more.

Amanda Barona, AKA @thatdancer, is the woman behind the photos of some of your favorite artists. Whether she's on a European tour shooting Rae Sremmurd or sneaking her camera into some of the biggest music festivals, Amanda always finds a way to create magic. On this episode, we talk about how she quit her 9-5 to pursue her dream of being a pro photographer, never taking no for an answer, shooting for free vs. getting paid, using social media to grow your platform, the most unforgettable memories on tour, what it's really like to work in the music business and how she missed an opportunity to shoot Beyoncé... we know.

Fun fact: Mwanel was the first person I EVER interviewed for The Blair List back in 2012. To say this is a full circle moment would be an understatement! We talked about how to develop and brand yourself as an artist, working with brands like Starbucks, Perrier and Adidas, securing shows for Art Basel, hanging up on Pharrell, working with Omarion and Jhene Aiko, the psychology of color, embracing being different, where he gets inspiration from, and how he stays relevant while never compromising his craft. I felt so energized after this conversation and rediscovered inspiration that I didn't realize I needed. I hope you do too!

From flying to Shanghai for Tommy Hilfiger to filming Shawn Mendes and Hailey Bieber for The Met Gala, Paul is in these rooms as a result of hard work and being kind. He's a Senior Producer and Partner at Starr Media, a full-service digital film and broadcast production company that produces a wide range of media from commercials to marketing videos. His client roster includes Spotify, Louis Vuitton, Grey Goose, Nike, RedBull and National Geographic, and his passport has endless stamps. On this episode, we talk about learning to delegate when you're a perfectionist, setting and sticking to your rates, why failure is never an option and how to land a global brand as a client.