Archives: Episode

Dr. Cortney S. Warren, is an award-winning Board-Certified Clinical Psychologist, author, and Adjunct Clinical Professor for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). She’s an expert on addictions, self-deception, eating pathology, and the practice of psychotherapy from a cross-cultural perspective. Known for her ability to distill complex psychological concepts into easily applicable advice for the public, Dr. Warren is a go-to research consultant, speaker, and expert for numerous publications and television shows, including The Doctors.  Dr. Warren’s practical advice is designed to empower individuals to overcome their biggest obstacle to personal growth: self-deception.

Her latest work, Letting Go of Your Ex: CBT Skills to Heal the Pain of a Breakup and Overcome Love Addiction, explores breakups and how to heal from them through the lens of addiction.

Dr. Cortney’s love for travel and ‘real-world’ experiences is a testament to her understanding of the human condition. Before the age of twenty, she lived in Australia and Argentina and traveled throughout Central America, South America, Russia, Scandinavia, and Western Europe. She is married and has two children—11-year-old Isabella and 9-year-old Kane. She loves to walk on the beach and find little pieces of sea-glass with her family.

Dr. Sara Nasserzadeh, is a globally renowned author, speaker, and thinking partner. With a Ph.D. in Social Psychology and specialization in the fields of human sexuality and relationships, Dr. Nasserzadeh has worked with thousands of individuals, couples, and organizational clients to enhance relational health and a sense of thriving at micro and macro levels. She has been a sought-after cultural advisor, speaker, and expert facilitator at high-profile events hosted by governmental organizations, UN Agencies, academic institutions, and Fortune 500 companies.

Her latest book, Love By Design: 6 Ingredients to Build a Lifetim of Love, is the result of her two-decade-long research on the status of thriving relationships and its key ingredients, namely attraction, respect, trust, shared vision, compassion, and

Her parents grew up speaking different languages and followed different cultural rituals, so she grew up in an intercultural, interfaith household in Tehran. Her mom was a social scientist, and her dad was a social worker. She’s been married for 23 years to Dr. Pejman Azarmina, a medical doctor and researcher who founded Thinkocrats. Dr. Nasserzadeh is based in Los Angeles, CA, and has been to 41 countries. Her interest is in helping people move past a more superficial love, to the type of love that is more lasting, more real, and more desirable– not by chance but by design. Spreading love to the world . . . one book at a time.

 

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Introductions

02:38 – Growing up in an intercultural and interfaith household

08:28 – Developing your own sense of self and resiliency

16:47 – Journey of her Career

24:19 – How she transitions into multiple roles

32:04 – 6 ingredients you need for a successful relational relationship (romantically or professionally)

41:56 – Communicating pet peeves without offending others

51:06 – Successful love model – Emergent Love

54:39 – Difference between sexual desire and sexual arousal

57:19 – Importance of sexual harmony than sexual chemistry

1:05:12 – Top 3 healthiest habits

1:06:08 – Top 3 healthy vices

1:07:41 – How Dr. Sara achieves balance

1:09:33 – Top 3 Recommended Books

 

Stefanie Wilder-Taylor is an author, TV personality, and co-host of the popular podcast For Crying Out Loud. She co-created and hosted the late-night comedy parenting show Parental Discretion with Stefanie Wilder-Taylor for Nick Mom on Nickelodeon. She’s the author of Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay; Naptime Is the New Happy Hour; It’s Not Me, It’s You; I’m Kind of a Big Deal; and Gummi Bears Should Not Be Organic.

Stefanie was born in Queens, New York. Her biological father was stand-up comedian Stanley Myron Handelman. She is a competitive swimmer and also teaches memoir writing classes. In her latest book, Drunk-ish: Loving and Leaving Alcohol, which will be released in January 2024, she talks about her journey as a wine-loving mommy blogger to giving up alcohol. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband Jon and their three teenagers.

 

TIMESTAMPS

 

00:00 – Introduction
03:51 – Stefanie’s childhood
11:27 – Her Relationship with Alcohol
13:07 – Bulimia as a Form of Addiction
15:44 – Having an Addictive Personality
24:47 – Quitting Alcohol
37:53 – The “Whack-A-Mole” Experience with Addiction
43:26 – Advice for Mothers Struggling with Balance
46:53 – Her Relationship with Her Husband
59:16 – Stefanie’s Experience with Postpartum Depression
1:02:15 – Alleviating Anxiety Without the Use of Addictive Pharmaceuticals
1:07:19 – Stefanie talks about her new book “Drunk-ish”
1:20:36 – Top 3 Healthiest Habits
1:26:22 – Top 3 Healthiest Vices
1:29:30 – How Stefanie Achieves Balance
1:31:57 – Top 3 Recommended Books

---

 

Kwame Alexander, is a poet, educator, producer and #1 New York Times Bestselling author of 38 books. He is also the writer and executive producer of THE CROSSOVER TV series, based on the novel of the same name, which premiered on Disney Channel and Disney+ in April 2023. 

His latest book, WHY FATHERS CRY AT NIGHT, published by Little Brown and Company, is a soulful mashup of poems, recipes and stories. In this book, Kwame shares a moving portrait on becoming a “growing man”, learning how to love, stumbling along the way, and getting back up again. 

Kwame was born in New York and grew up in Virginia. His father was a scholar and book publisher, and his mother was an educator, so he was always surrounded by books. At Virginia Tech, he took a writing class with award- winning poet Nikki Giovanni which eventually sparked the artist within him, and his future writing career. He has 2 daughters, a 15 -year-old who loves musicals, and a 32 -year- old who works in criminal justice. In his free time, he likes to play softball with his daughter, listen to audiobooks and travel to schools across the globe.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off when using the promo code “raquel” or by clicking our link!: https://betterhelp.com/raquel

 

TIMESTAMPS

 

00:00 – BetterHelp Ad
01:37 – Intro
03:00 – How Writing Found Kwame
04:50 – Changing the World One Word at a Time
10:00 – What It Means to be Interesting
11:40 – Why He Changed His Name & His First Love Poem
15:00 – Tough Love From His Mentor, Nikki Giovanni
17:18 – Visiting 2000 Schools Around the World
21:48 – Kwame’s Advice To Young Artists
27:02 – The Importance of Mentors
37:04 – Kwame’s Relationship With His Daughter
44:48 – One of Kwame’s Favourite Poems
49:38 – Kwame’s Top Three Healthiest Habits
50:59 – Kwame’s Top Three Healthy Vices
59:06 – Kwame’s Top Three Books
1:00:23 – Kwame’s Billboard Message

---

 

Dr. Simran Jeet Singh is the Executive Director of the Religion & Society Program at the Aspen Institute and he is the author of the book, The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life, published by Riverhead Books in 2022.

Dr. Singh is an internationally recognized scholar and human rights activist, teacher, children’s author, and a columnist with hundreds of thousands of followers across social media.

In his latest book, The Light We Give, he invites readers to embrace the lessons he’s learned as a self-proclaimed “brown-skinned, turban-wearing, beard-loving, sports-playing dude trying to survive in modern America.” He talks about the wisdom he gained from being a practicing Sikh who’s trying to find common ground with others and brings a fresh perspective to how we can cultivate empathy and fight racism.

Dr. Singh was born and raised in Texas, and is the son of Indian immigrants. He graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio, then attended Harvard Divinity School and got his PhD at Columbia University. Throughout those years, Dr. Singh has confronted racism, bullying, and ethnic slurs. Yet instead of growing bitter or angry, he drew from Sikh teachings to seek out the good in every situation and find positive ways to direct his energy. What started as a matter of survival has become a calling.

Dr. Singh currently lives in New York City and is married with two children. He balances his professional life with a love of sports and is a huge San Antonio Spurs fan.

 

TIMESTAMPS

 

00:00 – Intro
02:30 – Growing up in San Antonio
07:54 – Experiencing Racism at a Young Age
12:14 – Humor as a Disarming Tool
18:08 – The Basics of Sikh Faith
28:18 – Capitalism Under Sikh Faith
33:40 – Using Love to Fight Hate
39:30 – Getting into the Balanced State of Mind
43:13 – Navigating Fatherhood
52:26 – Creating Conversations with Children about Racial Injustice
59:19 – Enjoying Parenthood and Maintaining Partnership with Spouse
1:05:33 – Mental Health Check-Ups
1:10:31 – Top 3 Healthiest Habits
1:12:08 – Top 3 Healthy Vices
1:13:56 – Achieving Sahaj – The State of Equilibrium
1:17:24 – Top 3 Recommended Books
1:19:03 – Outro

 

---

 

Saad Alessa is a Los Angeles based stand-up comedian originally from Kuwait City, Kuwait. Saad quickly made his mark in the stand-up community by performing at some L.A.’s favorite comedy clubs, including The Comedy Store, The Ice House, and The Hollywood Improv.

In December of 2019, Saad opened for Maz Jobrani in his hometown Kuwait, where he performed in front of 2,000 people. Shortly after, Saad released a short comedy special entitled Unconventionally Arab on YouTube-covering his performance in Kuwait. Saad continues to perform and open for Maz Jobrani locally in Southern California.

Saad’s latest work is entitled On Deck Comedy – The Documentary. The story covers how Saad turned his own backyard into a speakeasy comedy venue during the L.A. shutdown. Starting with what was an open mic for comics, it quickly turned into the number one speakeasy comedy show in the county within a span of a couple of months. Today On Deck Comedy is one of the most popular and best produced shows in L.A.’s favorite comedians, as well as notable stars like Craig Robinson and Maz Jobrani.

Saad is also the Producer and host of Legendiary, a YouTube documentary-series with over one million views-where he interviews various successful individuals across all domains sharing their stories in hopes of inspiring others to simply do more, and become their best selves.

 

TIMESTAMPS

 

00:00 – Intro
01:40 – Transition from Law School to Comedy
10:09 – Saad’s Style of Comedy
20:20 – Comedy as a Form of Activism
26:55 – Living in LA
31:15 – Pain is a Part of Life
41:53 – Requirements of a Good Performer
47:25 – Thriving Under Pressure
56:30 – Success is Relative
59:58 – F%ck Balance!
1:12:12 – Relationships Impacting Career
1:18:29 – Defining the Self Through Accomplishments
1:28:35 – Saad’s Family
1:35:23 – Top 3 Books
1:46:40 – Top 3 Healthiest Habits
1:50:20 – Top 3 Healthiest Vices
1:58:44 – Outro

 

---

 

Gabriella Aratow is a professional matchmaker.  She was born and raised in Berkeley, CA, and has lived worldwide, including in Greece, Bali, Panama, New York City, and LA.

Gaby holds a BA in film studies from Cornell University and an MFA in Writing from Columbia University.

She started working at Tawkify, America’s fastest-growing matchmaking firm, in 2016. Within a few months, Gaby became their most successful matchmaker, with the highest number of engagements and marriages ever.

Now, she is the owner of KIS, Keeper Introduction Services, a boutique matchmaking firm with clients worldwide. The singles seeking out Gaby range from blue-collar workers to billionaires, college students to seniors, and the rainbow of races and religions under the sun.

You can get a glimpse of Gaby’s matchmaking process on The Learning Channel’s show, “I Am Shauna Rae,” where she was a matchmaker for a woman with a disability.

Gaby is also working on her forthcoming book (“Follow the Heart”), which helps singles revitalize their dating mindset. Her work has been published on Medium, Mind Body Soul, The Lily, Aspen Magazine, and the Roaring Fork Lifestyle Magazine.

Gaby currently lives in Aspen, Colorado, where she spends her time working, writing, hiking and fly-fishing.

Chris Cristi is the evening AIR helicopter reporter for ABC7 Eyewitness News.

Since moving to Los Angeles in 2014, Chris has enjoyed a bird’s eye view of Southern California while reporting over breaking news. In addition to weather and traffic, his coverage has included police chases, wildfires and the 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino. 

In 2016, Chris received a Radio and Television News Association Award for his live coverage reporting over the Cajon Pass brush fire, which consumed an entire stretch of freeway traffic.

Born and raised in Florida, Chris graduated from the University of Central Florida and worked for NASA at the Kennedy Space Center. Following his work during the tragic Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003, Chris went on to launch his helicopter reporting career at FOX in Orlando and later, at WSVN in Miami. In 2005, as Hurricane Rita ravaged the Texas coastline, Chris flew on special assignment for CBS News and chronicled the hurricane as an airborne photojournalist.

In the years since, Chris has traveled around the world interviewing newsmakers and celebrities for various entertainment outlets. 

Prior to living in L.A., Chris spent several years reporting for FOX 5 in New York City where he covered historic moments such as the 2005 MTA subway strike and the US Airways flight 1549 “Miracle on the Hudson.”

Chris is married and has an 18-month-old daughter.  He likes to read Disney books with his daughter.

Gal Aharonov, MD is a world leading Double Board-Certified Facial Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon. His meticulous attention to detail, customized personal care and expert surgical skills have provided his patients with a natural rejuvenated appearance. He specializes in facial plastic surgery to create balance, youthfulness, and beauty, while maintaining an absolutely natural result.  

Dr. Gal was born in Israel and raised in Los Angeles. He attended UCLA before going to Chicago Medical School.  From there he returned to LA to train in general surgery at UCLA, and then moved to Richmond, Virginia to continue his training in Head and Neck Surgery, and Facial Plastic Surgery at the Medical College of Virginia. He then performed a highly competitive accredited fellowship in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, one of only 30 fellowship positions in the world.  Today, he has a private practice in Beverly Hills and is also a teaching instructor at the University of Southern California. 

Privately, he lives a modest and simple life. He believes in dissociation from materialism, feeling that happiness should not be driven by material wealth, but by gratitude and humility.  

Between running his plastic surgery practice, Dr. Gal is married with three children.

Tami Pardee, Founder and CEO of Pardee Properties, which has established dramatic new standards of success in real estate. She is the creator of a cutting-edge concierge brokerage model, using specialized teams to create life-changing client experiences in buying and selling homes. Since its inception in 2004, Pardee Properties has sold over $5.8 billion worth of residential and commercial real estate and grown to four offices across California.  

Ranked as one of the top 10 real estate agents in California since 2008, Tami has represented A-list celebrities and tech industry pioneers, as well as advised some of the world’s most renowned architects in their development projects.  

In 2001, she was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis (MS), which can leave some with permanent nerve damage in the brain, spine and other body parts. This diagnosis made her realize she needed to live her life with purpose and vision.  

Pardee Properties fosters wellness in and out of the workplace with holiday parties and paid retreats for her employees, and through her “Giving Back” program that devotes a portion of the firm’s commission from each property to the local charity of the client’s choice.  

Tami is the mother of four children, and fiancé to her partner John Moos. Along with her work priorities, she makes sure to balance her time with her partner with fun getaways and to have dance parties with her kids.

 

TIMESTAMPS

 

00:00 – Intro
15:50 – Best practices from the entertainment industry to the real estate industry
22:40 – Trauma healing through psychedelics
28:55 – Changes you need to be a good leader
33:06 – Meditation
37:58 – Vision boards and Life Change Warriors Foundation
49:47 – Balancing life as a multi-million dollar business owner, a mother, and a partner

 

---