"Authenticity" alone no longer earns trust; what matters for brands is ruthless self-awareness.

Originally published by Drucker+, the Drucker School of Management's thought leadership platform, this essay explores the rise of a new kind of audience — one that values depth, discernment, and creative integrity over noise.

In this special bonus episode, Maya reads her article aloud and unpacks how the "Discerning Class" is reshaping culture, business, and the creative economy.

Read the article on the Drucker Institute's website.

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White Water is a podcast about creative urgency and the magical things that happen when we 'ride the wave' of life.

Hosted by Maya Guice, business storyteller and Founder of Panakin Studios, each episode features candid stories of tenacity and grit from individuals leading creative ventures that span industries, mediums, and borders. If you've got an idea and don't know where to start, come hang out with us in the white water!

Panakin Studios is an interdisciplinary shop of thinkers and doers. Medium-agnostic, we're half think-tank, half content studio, creating a whole machine that produces new stories for smart audiences. www.panakin.co

Painter Victoria Cassinova survived a five-story fall—and turned that life-altering moment into a masterclass in creative alchemy.

Victoria is an LA-based visual artist whose work explores the unconscious and unseen. Her bold, multimedia style blends striking portraiture with abstract textures, touching on themes of identity, resilience, and community. Known for her large-scale public murals, her distinct voice has made her a sought-after collaborator for brands like Netflix, Disney Pixar, Adidas, CNN, Time Magazine, The Washington Post, Teen Vogue, and more. She's also contributed to political and social justice initiatives through powerful visual storytelling.

Entirely self-taught and fiercely expressive, Victoria's art is as much about social commentary as it is about beauty, placing her among the most compelling creative voices in LA's contemporary art scene.

In this episode, Maya talk about what it means to be in the White Water—that turbulent stretch between who you were and who you're becoming. From learning to walk again to redefining her path as an artist, Victoria shares how she transforms pain into purpose, and why manifesting your dreams often requires us to slow down to speed up.

Learn more about Victoria: www.vcassinova.com

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White Water is A podcast about creative urgency and the crazy things that happen when we 'ride the wave' of life.

Hosted by Maya Guice, business storyteller and Founder of Panakin Studios, each episode features candid stories of tenacity and grit from individuals leading creative ventures that span industries, mediums, and borders. If you've got an idea and don't know where to start, come hang out with us in the white water!

This episode was mixed, mastered, and music and sound designed by Dylan Agajanian.

Panakin Studios is an interdisciplinary shop of thinkers and doers. Medium-agnostic, we're half think-tank, half content studio, creating a whole machine that produces new stories for smart audiences. www.panakin.co

Can imagination help solve a housing crisis?

In this episode, Maya joins Kacy Keys—"one of LA's most influential women in real estate"—and Maya's mom, a lifelong Altadena resident, for a drive through a neighborhood still healing post fire. As they take in what was lost and what remains, Kacy and Maya discuss what happens after the fire: the slow rebuild, the policy gridlock, and the deeper housing crisis it exposes.

Listen in as we explore how imagination becomes a tool for recovery, how local politics have stalled development across LA, and what it might look like to reimagine housing from the ground up—not just in Altadena or the Palisades, but citywide.

See Maya's photos of Altadena here: https://www.mayaguice.com/altadena-fire

Learn more about Kacy: http://www.praxisdevgroup.com

Learn more about Freedom West: https://freedomwest.com

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White Water is A podcast about creative urgency and the crazy things that happen when we 'ride the wave' of life.

Hosted by Maya Guice, business storyteller and Founder of Panakin Studios, each episode features candid stories of tenacity and grit from individuals leading creative ventures that span industries, mediums, and borders. If you've got an idea and don't know where to start, come hang out with us in the white water!

This episode was mixed, mastered, and music and sound designed by Dylan Agajanian.

Panakin Studios is an interdisciplinary shop of thinkers and doers. Medium-agnostic, we're half think-tank, half content studio, creating a whole machine that produces new stories for smart audiences. www.panakin.co