Episodes

  • Your Iconic Image : Beyond the Lens

    Your Iconic Image : Beyond the Lens
    Jan 18 2023
    “We teach people how to think of us.” Are you ready to steer your reputation? Are you ready to up-level your brand? Are you ready to connect with your audience and show them who you really are? Are you ready to create visual assets that frame the way you are seen and understood? And, most importantly….are you ready to show up on purpose? My name is Marlana and I am an international photographer and visual strategist. My client base has included athletes, celebrities, WWE Superstars and public figures including Miss North Carolina. My experience includes storytelling, advertising, location scouting and set styling and design. My work has been featured on magazine covers and in NY Times ads. I have been hosting Your Iconic Image for 100 episodes now and for episode 100, my first guest, John Dalrymple is going to turn things around and interview me. www.marlanasemenza.com IG: marlana.semenza.photo Transcription : Vision In Word Marlana Well, welcome to the 100th episode of Your Iconic Image. And today, you are actually going to get a little insight on me, and what we're going to do is, we're going to bring this whole thing full circle. My very first guest is going to do the interview. If you missed his episode, please go back and watch it. It is called What Makes An Icon? John, the show’s yours.  John Well, hello, Marlana. How are you?  Marlana   I'm well.  John   Well, it's an honor to talk with you today. You know, you are a genuine and authentic person, incredibly talented. And I would even say gifted in your ability to bring out the best in people. You've reached this milestone 100 podcast. And today, we get the chance to get to know you. Even though you've done 100 podcasts, many people really don't know what you do. So, first question, tell us about what you do. Marlana I am a photographer and visual strategist. So, what that means is, I take all the things that make you unique, and I bridge the gap between that and what your audience or clients need to know. I do that in images, and that's in a nutshell, that is that. John Okay, you're in a crowded field, as we all are. Tell us what makes you different than other photographers. Marlana I think part of it is my background. But also, at its core, I'm really not in the photography business. Photography is the vessel that I used, and the means of communication that I use. But really, I'm in the reputation business. And so, I think that's the biggest difference. John Wow, I love that. I absolutely love that. So, tell us a little bit about your creative process. Walk us kind of through that. How do you get to know someone? Marlana It's a busy world in my brain, John. When somebody comes to me, and they want to collaborate, because I don't look at it, as you know, I'm doing this for you, I do look at us as a collaboration because I very much go off of their input also, and you know, their suggestions, all that kind of thing. So, it's not just me, it's us. That said, there is a questionnaire that I have people initially fill out and I have worked with somebody who is in the psychology realm to help me word the questions in a way that will make you dig a little deeper. And when I get that back, then what happens from there is we go over it. Often I have found that the answers that people write down really aren't the answer. It's about three answers deeper than that. So usually, that comes from the conversations and evoking those. John Nice replies. Yeah, that's absolutely awesome. Now, you know, personal branding is become such a huge, dynamic, fluid issue and an important one. So walk us through how can someone be best prepared to work with you and make the most out of a session with you? Are there some tips and things that you would share with people about how they can work with you or make the most out of their time with you?  Marlana I will say this, all photographers aren't a one size fits all. So I may or may not be the right fit for you. And that's okay because when we first connect, we're kind of interviewing each other. And I want to make sure that you get the best person, the best photographer, the best storyteller for you, which, like I said, may or may not be me. And if it's not me, I have people that I can refer you to. And it's not that there's anything, you know, quote unquote, wrong with either one of us, it's just that we just may not be a fit. And you want somebody that can fall in love with who you are, what you stand for, and all those kinds of things.  I know for me, that's essential, because if I can't fall in love with you, then I can get other people to fall in love with you. So, I think that's what you have to look for when you research somebody's website. First of all, if you're looking for a brand photographer, it's got to be more than headshots, you need to see storytelling. And aside from that, I want you to also look at their style of photography, because what you see is ...
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    25 mins
  • Your Iconic Image : Placing Models and Actors With Agencies

    Your Iconic Image : Placing Models and Actors With Agencies
    Jan 11 2023
    Model Makers Group Model Makers Group is not a mother agency or management company, but rather trusted, industry modeling industry consultants. Over the past 13 years they have successfully placed models and actors with top agencies around the country. Together, co-owners Cristina Buehrer and Tara Rasheta have over 50 years of experience in the entertainment industry. They use that knowledge and insight to empower their clients with the practical knowledge and personalized guidance needed to get started in the business. https://www.modelmakersgroup.com/ https://www.instagram.com/modelmakersgroup/ https://www.facebook.com/modelmakersgroup our sister non-profit: https://www.amodelpatient.org/ www.marlanasemenza.com Audio : Ariza Music Productions Transcription : Vision In Word Marlana: Model Maker's Group places models and actors with top agencies around the country. Owners, Christina and Tara have over 50 years of experience in the entertainment industry. They use that knowledge and insight to empower their clients with practical knowledge and personalized guidance needed to get started in the business. Welcome Tara. Tara: Hi. Thank you so much for having me. Marlana: So, first go into a little bit of detail. What exactly does Model Maker's Group do? Tara: Sure. So, our specialty is agency placement. We consult with models and if they're under 18, we're also often working with their parents and we're helping them navigate the industry. Right. We are primarily working with models, hence the name model makers, but we also have clients who are our in entertainment, maybe as a TV host or an actor. So, we also work with other specialties under that entertainment umbrella. But our specialty is helping those clients sign to reputable agencies around the country. And though I am now based in Dallas and my partner Christina is on the East coast, we work with clients every day all across the country. We accomplish a lot of that through Zoom sessions. And of course, we love to work with our clients in person. So, I have a great office here in Dallas where I meet with clients. We also anytime we're traveling, we make an announcement to our clients so that we can hopefully connect face-to-face. Cuz as you know, nothing beats face-to-face, but our success rate is really the same whether we're meeting with our clients in person or online. Marlana: So, what is the benefit of having an agency like yours versus trying to go direct to various agencies, modeling agencies? Tara: Sure. That's a question that we get a lot. And you know, agencies are flooded with new model, new talent submissions every day and it is the snap of a finger for them to say no. In fact, most of their submissions will instantly go into the no pile. And so, what we found is that, you know, you don't know what you don't know until you figure out you don't know it. And so that's where our models and clients are. They don't know what they don't know, but what we offer is practical guidance to get them where they need to go. So, it often starts with like reviewing imagery and as you know, as a photographer, imagery is so impactful, but a lot of times these models are applying to agencies on their own not knowing what the agents want. So, they're sending in the wrong types of pictures. Maybe they have incomplete applications. They don't know what a talent resume should look like. They don't know what a slate video should comprise of, they don't have their measurements correct. I mean something so simple as taking your body measurements. I measure models all the time and I usually want to test them like, Hey, take these at home and when we meet in person, if we have the opportunity to, I'm gonna test your measuring skills. And a lot of times those are off and you know, this is an image-based business so a few inches off can make a big difference on an application. And so, we're looking at all those elements start to finish to prepare before we recommend that a client submit to agencies. And we have two different consulting packages. We have one where we are doing all that legwork ahead of time and then we sent a customized list of agencies that we have that we know to be reputable, ethical, and professional in the industry. And then they are handling the submissions on their own. But we're there every step of the way to answer questions. You know, to review emails that they receive, we're there supporting them through that process, but they're handling the submissions on their own. And then we have like what we call our ultimate consulting package where we personally submit the clients to agencies which is much more full service. It's a very tedious process to submit to agencies but you know, we've done it for so many years, it's really easy for us and it takes that off the plate of the model or the parent. So, really, that's it. It is just, you know, the success rate of getting signed if you've worked with a professional is going to...
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    35 mins
  • Your Iconic Image : Metaxa : The Family Behind the Brand

    Your Iconic Image : Metaxa : The Family Behind the Brand
    Jan 4 2023
    Zika Metaxa writer Zika Metaxa grew up in an internationally known family spirits business, founded by her ancestors in 1888. As a marketer, she traveled the world promoting the family spirit, as a member of the family business and then, for the multinational company that acquired the Metaxa brand.  After becoming a mom Zika left a career in marketing, advertising, and retail and turned her attention to more intimate, creative pursuits. She first penned a children’s book in her native Greek language. Her new book, an English language memoir, “Metaxa Stars: The Evolution of a Greek Spirit Within Generations,” shares stories and lessons growing up Metaxa. She is currently developing her third book. Metaxastars.com https://www.amazon.com/Metaxa-Stars-Evolution-Spirit-Generations-ebook/dp/B0BJCDHCSX www.marlanasemenza.com Audio : Ariza Music Productions Transcription : Vision In Word Marlana   Metaxa, the name is iconic. Founded in 1888, the spirits brand spanned generations as to the stories and lessons shared. Today, we had the honor of speaking with Zika, daughter, marketer and author, as she says a bit of what it was like growing up as part of the family behind the brand. Welcome, Zika.  Zika   Hello, very nice to see you. Hardly, I'm very happy to be here with you. Marlana   So, you know, as I read your memoir, I thought there are a lot of different ways we could take this conversation. But what I'd like to do is I'd like to actually start with the women because I feel that in society, and also in certain cultures, that it's very difficult for women to find their way, you know, find their voice, all of these things, but you come from a long line of very strong women. And sometimes that strength was a good thing, and sometimes not such a good thing. But tell us a little bit about your mother and your grandmother, who you are named after. Zika   Yes, thank you very much indeed. Basically, it all started of the woman of the family, my great grandmother, she was really, really a very dynamic personality. Now we are talking in the 88 is of course, that was a thinkable of woman to have to speak their mind at the time, especially in Greece, which I'll come to that later on. So, she was very dynamic she was working in. It was not a factory yet in the business, whatever business it was, at the time, it was at the very beginning. She raised her children, she had nine children single handedly with her husband, but she was in care of everything. And she even had a say in politics, and was able to issue a law. She was also a great philanthropist. She lived in a house, in the suburbs in Paris, airport, very well-known port in Greece. And every day she would have, she would give up free food in big plates for the people who did not have money to buy food for the poor. And there were queues and queues of people waiting for the food. Despina, that was her name, was giving out. So that was my great grandmother.  Then my grandmother Zika, whom I am named after, because this is the family tradition. We are named after the father's usually parents. She was also extremely dynamic. She had a very, very strong personality. People in at the time we had the factory so she was coming to the factory every day, people the factory, the employees were always almost scared of her because she was always walking around looking around poking her nose, everywhere, literally. And she has a big nose. And obviously she was not working with finances or the marketing's but she was taking care of the other house. Can I say this The other aspect of the business she was going around making sure the gardens work, yay. We had chicken at the time in that factory that Hans had laid the chickens. She was always around, she knew who was working were in one place. She was walking up and down all day. Like a surgeon that would say, so she was very, very dynamic.  Now my mother, Karina, she was less dynamic in the business area. Because she left my father to do that, as it was his parental business. She stepped aside. But she was very dynamic and that she grew up also single handedly without help three children, me and my two brothers. And she had her presence was let's say, low key. But she was dynamic in an invisible way. Always making sure her way, eventually, you know past Marlana   and sometimes, you know, the quiet strength is usually under rated, and it's seeming like your mother had a lot of quiet strength. Zika   That's true. I think it's very intelligent to have a quiet strength. I have tried a lot of times to imitate her but I have never succeeded because I'm very spontaneous. And I always speak out the my mind sometimes even faster than I should. Marlana   But your grandmother and your mother didn't have a great relationship in the beginning. Zika   Not at all. My grandmother was very, very difficult in her relationships. And the weird thing is that's why the book is about you know, ...
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    34 mins
  • Your Iconic Image : Tower One. 78th Floor. Sept 11.

    Your Iconic Image : Tower One. 78th Floor. Sept 11.
    Dec 28 2022
    Michael (Mike) Hingson. I am president of The Michael Hingson Group, Inc. and the chief vision officer for accessiBe Blind since birth, Michael Hingson was born to sighted parents who raised him with a can-do attitude. Always a high achiever, Michael learned how to ride a bike, and was able to do advanced math in his head! He received a Master’s Degree in Physics, and a Secondary Teaching Credential.  Michael worked for high-tech companies in management until September 11, 2001 when he and his guide dog Roselle escaped from the 78th floor of Tower One in the WTC. Thrust into the international limelight, Michael began to share lessons of trust, courage, and teamwork based on this experience.  Mike is the author of the #1 NY Times Bestseller “Thunder dog,” selling over 2.5 million copies, and his 2nd book “Running with Roselle, A story for Our Youth.”  An international public speaker, Mike delivers inspiring and thought-provoking messages to the world’s elite, including President George W. Bush, and has appeared on hundreds of TV and Radio programs, including Larry King. Hired by major organizations, Michael speaks on perseverance, the importance of trust and teamwork, and moving from diversity to inclusion.  www.michaelhingson.com www.marlanasemenza.com Audio : Ariza Music Productions Transcription : Vision In Word Marlana: Blind since birth, Michael Hingson is a high achiever whose parents raised him with a can-do attitude. He worked for high-tech companies and management until September 11th, 2001, when he and his guide dog Roselle escaped from the 78th floor of Tower one of the World Trade Center thrust into the international limelight, Michael began to share lessons of trust, courage, and teamwork based on his experience. Welcome Michael. Michael: Thank you. Good to be here. Marlana: So, I know that the events of 9/11 were a little bit ago. However, I know that any one of us that is old enough to remember them, they will be forever etched in our memory. So, walk us through a little bit of what it was like from your perspective. Michael: It's really interesting the way you phrased that because one of the things that we have experienced for me is that, as you say, we all remember it. And over the past 10 years especially, I've realized that we now have a whole generation of children now going into young adults who have no personal knowledge of September 11th at all. So, I think that it is absolutely important that we remember it. We still remember Pearl Harbor and rightly so. Some of us remember when JFK was shot, and all the things around that. I think it's important that we remember September 11th because there were a lot of lessons to be taken from that. Again, actually since September 11th, people have asked me if I will come and talk about September 11th, my experience and the lessons that we should learn. I hope that continues cuz I'm glad to travel and speak and be keynote speakers and all that stuff. So anyway, for me, it was a day of validation because as a person who happens to be blind, the typical response for me and for other blind people who try to get a job is, well, you're blind. How could you do this job? Or you're blind, how could you get to work? I could go to a job interview and clearly get there on my own. And somebody says, well how you gonna get to work? Well, I got here, didn't I? Right. And you said you were interested in my resume. My resume demonstrates that I constantly overachieved goals and so on. What's the issue? The problem is we haven't taught people that blindness isn't the problem. It's our attitudes about blindness.  And the reason I say that is because in reality I was very fortunate in one way because what I was fortunate to be able to do is to get a job out of college and went from one job to another. At one point when I couldn't get a job, when a company was acquired by Xerox and phased all of us out, I had to start my own company just to get a job. Well, I did that and did that for four years and then went back into the workforce and I was able to get a job. And that's a story I'm gonna save for a little bit later. But the, the bottom line is I got a job and eventually that led me to being relocated to New Jersey and working in New York. And eventually that led to opening the office in the World Trade Center. One of the things that I have always felt in my life is it's all about teamwork. People don't necessarily do things alone. Part of my team always is a guide dog. I've been using a guide dog since 1964. I'm currently on my eighth guide dog (Alamo.) And what I learned, and it took a while, even after September 11th to put it into real words, is it's a team. I am the team leader. It's up to me to give the dog commands. Well, how do you know when to turn? Why is that relevant? How do you know when to turn? You can see, but how do you know you read signs and other things? I have techniques and ways to do the same things that you do ...
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    38 mins
  • Your Iconic Image : Profit, Passion and Purpose

    Your Iconic Image : Profit, Passion and Purpose
    Dec 21 2022
    Danny Rosin Brand Fuel for profit Band Together nonprofit Danny Rosin, is co-owner of Brand Fuel, a brand merchandising agency, that is a B Corp. He is also the co-founder of the nonprofits PromoKitchen, PromoCares, Reciprocity Road and Operation Smile’s International Student Groups. He serves on the board of A Place at The Table, Raleigh’s mighty “pay what you can” café.  Rosin is the active co-founder of Band Together, a nonprofit that has donated over $12 million to 31 nonprofits in the Triangle through live concert experiences.  Danny is a tireless community builder who likes starting organizations doing things that matter. He is happiest when there is a mix of philanthropy, music, marketing and “familying.” He is married to Niccole, and they have two teenage daughters. He has come to grips with the idea that well-behaved women rarely make history. https://www.brandfuel.com/big-change-were-proud-to-be-a-b-corporation/ www.brandfuel.com www.bandtogethernc.org  https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/ www.linkedin.com/in/dannyrosin www.marlanasemenza.com Audio : Ariza Music Productions Transcription : Vision In Word Marlana: Danny Rosin is a timeless community builder who likes doing things that matter. He's co-founder of the company, brand Fuel, but also has a hand in promo, kitchen promo cares, reciprocity, road operations, smile, A Place At The Table and Band Together. He's happiest when there is a mix of philanthropy, music, marketing, and family. Inc. As a married father of two teenage daughters, he has come to grips with the idea that will behave, women rarely make history, but they learned that from him, along with how to lead a life of purpose. Welcome, Danny. Danny: Oh, thanks for having me. I'm, that's, it's nice to hear that the word,   family yang is not a real word, but I want it to be. I want it to be a verb family.  Marlana: I think you have made it one. I really do. And knowing the things that you have done and put together, Danny: That's nice, that's the one thing that I hope. You know, you think about legacy,   I think Ban Together, the work that I've been involved in with that organization is definitely the stuff of legacy. But the family, I just hope our kids look back one day and all the trials and tribulations of parenting and being invested in that, shines a light on these girls and they say their dad and mom did a good job. That's all I'm looking for.  Marlana: Well, it's actually kind of funny to watch you on this journey with them, because I feel like sometimes it's kind of like you've been on a wild bucking horse and you're just trying to hold on and keep the reins in your hand. Danny: Yeah, so true. I've got a wild bucking horse as an older daughter and a little bit more calm daughter as a younger daughter. They're 15 and 18, so they're complete opposites. I am more like my oldest daughter, the wild bucking horse. So, I think we relate to each other a lot more, which allows my relationship with my wife to either flourish because I can step in and say, I know what Brooke is going through, or there's just a lot more tension there because,   we don't see eye to eye and my wife doesn't understand, because that's not who she ever was.   she's got a little wild side, but not like Brooke or me. . Marlana: And, you know, it's interesting to me because you have taken that wild side and anybody that reads any of your history or even some of the things that you have real and posts that you do, you've taken it and put the reins on it to a large degree and directed it in ways that matter. So how is that a struggle for you to do, or do you Danny: ? It's not a struggle for me. It's a struggle for my wife and sometimes my daughters. Just for example, I posted this great video of my youngest daughter. I took her to where I went to college at UNC Chapel Hill. A band we both love was playing. I was involved in helping book the band, and also, I was a big fundraiser, raising money for the Children's Hospital. I was like, you should go. We'll have a good time. And she separated and went to go hang out with her friends on the front row, which is where I would normally be watching the Future Birds. I was kind of to the side of the stage and I could see her and she was living her best life, just dancing, just having so much fun, and the band was engaging with her. And I got a lump in my throat thinking about it because, you know, these are the special moments in life. Like, it was kind of a dad moment. So, I grabbed my camera, I videotaped it, and I thought it was just so great. I put it out on Instagram, you can still find it on my page. I didn't lose the battle when they're like, you've got to take that down of Brooke really rocking out. I get pushback for,   I think from time to time exposing the truth, you know, and being vulnerable and honest about maybe, you know, the Crazy Daughter or,   you know, this recent one that I think you may be...
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    36 mins
  • Your Iconic Image : Life With an Icon

    Your Iconic Image : Life With an Icon
    Dec 14 2022
    Joe ‘Road Warrior Animal’ Laurinaitis was half of arguably the greatest tag team in wrestling history.  Together with Mike ‘Hawk’ Hegstrand, they were the perfect mix of intimidation, artistry and skill.  They continue to be legendary and you can search the internet and find countless hours of matches and interviews. But, today we are going to learn about Joe, the man behind the face paint and what life with this icon was like.  FB: https://www.facebook.com/kim.turmanlaurinaitis IG: https://www.instagram.com/kimlaurinaitis_/ www.prowrestlingtees.com www.powerbombpizza.com Wrestlemerch.com www.theasylum.com www.marlanasemenza.com Audio : Ariza Music Productions Transcription : Vision In Word Marlana: Joe Road Warrior Animal Laurinaitis was half of arguably the greatest tag team in wrestling history together with Mike Hawk Hegstrand. They were the perfect mix of intimidation, artistry, and skill. They continued to be legendary and you can search the internet and find countless hours of matches and interviews. But today we're gonna learn about Joe, the man behind the face paint, and what life with this icon was like. Please help me welcome Joe's Other Half the love of his life and my dear friend Kim Laurinaitis. Kim: Aw! Thank you. That was so sweet. Marlana: . So you know, anybody that saw you and Joe in a later years,  would not have guessed that Y'all didn't like each other much at first. Kim: No, not at all. , that was the going talk like once we finally reconnected because we did not connect at the beginning at all. A lot of people knew that Hawk and I, Mike and I were much closer friends. He was like a brother to me for many, many years. And I always used to ask him what was wrong with his partner. Like what crawled up his button died basically, because he was always so it came off as rude, but he really wasn't rude. He was more the business guy. He was always taking care of business. You know how it was in the back, you know, when you have things to do, timelines to meet deadlines, that's how he was. Me being 17 , you know, going back there and first getting backstage and around all those guys, you're looking going, God! He's rude because he, compared to Mike, the life of the party, was two totally different people. And so that's what I was accustomed to, I guess. And then some of the other guys, you got Owen Hart who was the ultimate prankster, you know, and who never had an enemy at all and who was always happy. And you had other people too that were kind of like that. And so, coming across Joe and you know, his exterior, his face, everything kind of come off as very hard when you're like, oh my God, oh, sorry, I walked past you, you know, some days. And one day he asked me, I was outside walking Davies's dog, I think we were in Pensacola or something, . And he was like, what are you doing out here walking the dog? I'm like,  because I was told to . Yeah. I was just scared to even answer him. And then I told Mike, I was like, oh my God, can you tell him not to be so mean to me? He wasn't mean, he just asked me a question, but I took it as being mean. And he has never forgot that. Like he was like, I just thought what mom would let their daughter come and be doing shows and vignettes and stuff like that here by themselves and you're not even 18 and having to get your contract signed, blah, blah, blah. I'm like, oh my God! So that's why you were rude to me, . And so, we talked about it later. He goes, no, I was just worried about you. I was protective of you in a sense, but you just didn't know it. I said, no, I thought you hated me. And he goes, why wasn't a fan ?  Marlana: So, when did that change? How did he become a fan?  Kim: When we reconnected, I actually convinced Mike McGuirk, our mutual friend to,  she had recently lost her husband a few months prior to us going to WrestleMania or Wrestle Con that event in 2012. And so, I commenced her to go, she needed to get outta the house. We went,  and when we went, we went to Miami, Florida that year. Joe was there doing an appearance and I actually ran into him unexpectedly. I knowingly, and like Mike was the one going, oh my God, Kim, look who it is. And I was like, oh, great . And here we go again. He's gonna like ask me, what am I doing now without my mom's permission or something. I'm having flashbacks. And he was like, night and day, I'm telling you. Like, it was a totally different person is all I can tell you.  and obviously a lot of things had happened in both of our lives by that time. We had both been, you know, married, he was going through a divorce.  I had already been divorced.  I had terminal breast cancer. I had stage four breast cancer. And so, I had already gone through 10 years of being by myself with my daughter. That was my life. I wasn't looking for anybody. I didn't want anybody. I was kinda like that getting back. And I was just there to visit friends, reconnect with people, and then help...
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    43 mins
  • Your Iconic Image : A Naked and Afraid Spouse

    Your Iconic Image : A Naked and Afraid Spouse
    Dec 7 2022
    Molly Harper Heaton Real Estate/Sales Professional I have been in sales for over 30 years, working in a variety of industries-Advertising, Pharmaceutical, Technology and Real Estate.  I love working with people to find solutions to their problems.  I am passionate about family - married with 5 children and two dogs. I am an avid lover of sports-playing and watching and enjoy being outside as often as I can. Molly is also the wife of Naked & Afraid All-Star, Wes Harper heatonrealestate.com wesharper.com www.marlanasemenza.com Audio : Ariza Music Productions Transcription : Vision In Word Marlana Molly Harper is a real estate professional who is passionate about her family and enjoys being outside as often as she can, something she shares with her husband, (Naked and Afraid all Star Wes Harper.) We've all seen him on the show, but today we will learn what goes into these experiences that we don't see and what is happening before and after the cameras roll. Welcome, Molly.  Molly Thank you, happy to be here.  Marlana So, it's my understanding that Wes's whole start of this experience was you're doing.  Molly Unfortunately, that is true.  Marlana So, tell everybody what happened.  Molly Yeah, so be careful what you sign people up for. Wes and I were avid watchers of the show, we loved it and every week it got more intense with him adding invite and saying gosh, I can't look how dumb they are. They don't know how to start a fire, and there was just one evening, it just got to me and I said you know what you think you could do better. Let's get the laptop and so literally within 15-20 minutes we went through this fun little exercise of signing him. And hit submit and literally the next day middle of the afternoon he calls me and says you're never gonna believe this, but a casting company called me about the show, and I was like, Oh my gosh that's so great and everything was very exciting, and you know it took a little while for him to actually get on the first episode. It was about a year long. Commitment of a lot of different interviews and it was a lot harder than people think to get on that first time. But right then and there I knew that this was going to be pretty consuming in our life and that we were about to really jump into something we really didn't understand until this moment. So, it isn't my fault.  Marlana The first time this process occurred, what surprised you about it?  Molly I think what I was surprised about was how much he had to do in order to even get considered. They would send him things like you need 13 short videos. You need it first. There's the application you know. Then there were all these short videos that you'd have to do with regard to being out in the wilderness, and you know Wes is very creative, so he loved that he jumped in that he submits that and then next they would come back and say, OK, we have a 2 hour Zoom call that you have to have like production quality. And that's the next series. So, it literally took about 5 months for him to go through this process and then they fly him out to California for this psychological evaluation. He had never been to California. He was so excited. He never got to leave the room he was in. Sequestered in there. They ran him through a lot of you know, again, you have to go to your doctor. You get healthy all this, so it took about I don't know four or five months for him to even be considered as a participant on the show. I was very surprised. I just figured you signed up. I mean, how many people could be out there that want to do something crazy like this? Is my thought, you know? Just throw them out there and you go with it. But that first one was a very time-consuming experience, and it took quite a while.  Marlana So, when it got down to it and you knew he was going, he had talked about walking around barefoot and all this kind of thing, what kind of preparation went in on your end?  Molly I was just trying to maintain a kind of normalcy, you know, I think what a lot of people don't realize, and I would say every person at the level that Wes is at really spends a lot of time preparing for the show. So yes, he walks around barefoot. Of course, all the neighbors are like, why is your husband walking around barefoot. You know, he started to build fires in the back and so for me it was really just trying to keep things normal. We had quite a few kids at home. Still, you know with soccer, and we had homework and not that he was not helpful, he was. But everybody could slowly start to see that he was diving into this full-fledged, and so I felt like I just had to be the constant because none of us really knew what to expect. And you know he was changing a little bit because personally he's trying to get into this game mode and experience mode. I really wasn't sure what to expect. So, I just kept trying to be normal.  Marlana Yeah, and if I remember correctly the first challenge ...
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    29 mins
  • Your Iconic Image : Rewriting Our Narrative

    Your Iconic Image : Rewriting Our Narrative
    Nov 30 2022
    Michelle Kuei  Elevate LifeCoaching Michelle Kuei is an international speaker, certified visibility coach, content marketing strategist, and author.  As the Founder of Elevate LifeCoaching, Michelle mentors women to use the power of storytelling as their secret sauce in attracting clients and turning their passion for coaching into a profitable business. Clients who work closely with her start their coaching business confidently and courageously through Attract Clients Through Storytelling online course. They get clarity to the message and implement marketing strategies that are profitable and authentic. In her book, Perfectly Normal: An Immigrant’s Story of Making It In America, Michelle shared her stories of Love, Courage, and Connection to empower her audience to let go of the imposter so they can make a more significant impact. Michelle was born in Taiwan, Grew up in New York. And today, she lives in Los Angeles, California, with her short-hair orange tabby cat named ‘Toby.’ Website http://elevatelifecoaching.org Instagram http://www.instagram.com/elevatelifecoach Linkedin http://linkedin.com/in/michellekuei Facebook http://www.facebook.com/lifecoachingbyelevate Youtube https://www.youtube.com/michellekueispeak Book Website: http://elevatelifecoaching.org/orderbook a story archetype quiz to find out what story you are telling in your business  http://quiz.attractclientsthroughstorytelling.com www.marlanasemenza.com Audio : Ariza Music Productions Transcription : Vision In Word Marlana: Michelle Kuei is an international speaker, certified visibility coach, content marketing strategist and author. As the founder of Elevate Life Coaching, Michelle mentors women to use the power of storytelling as their secret sauce. Welcome, Michelle.  Michelle: Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure to be here.  Marlana: So why do you think we struggle so much with that, especially as women?  Michelle: I think number one is there's a lot of limiting belief. As women, we have this idea of there needs to be a perfect image of who we are, and that perfect mi image is oftentimes shaped by, you know, what, what is outside of us and not really what's inside of us, right? So, we grew up watching these beautiful iconic figures on television, in the news magazines, and we started to kind of mimic or, or have a role model of, I don't know who your role model is, but you know, when I was little, I remember there's the singer, and I grew up in Taiwan. So, there's a singer and she's beautiful. She has cute little hair. She's dressed up all the time and she's just like, very, very iconic, very beautiful, right? And so I grew up thinking that is how every woman should be. That's how I shoot. I want to be. And so the ideal image that we ha grew up with really shaped our beliefs in adulthood and moving into a lot of things that we do. So, like for the health and wellness industry, people are jumping onto like juicing all these different diets, you know intermittent diet. Why? Because we're trying to live up to certain expectations that we believe are important to us. And so we really fail to look at what the beauty that we hold inside. If I were to look like I don't know, Kardashian, that's probably a bad example, but if I were to look like Kardashian, you know, the girl next door also want to look like Kardashian. So, we're walking around looking all like Kardashian. But is that who you truly are? No. And you know, the interesting thing about it too is people don't seem to realize that even the models that we see in magazines don't look like the model that you see in the magazine. A lot goes into it, and I'm not saying that these aren't beautiful women, but a lot goes into it.  Marlana I think, you know, when we look at pretty pictures or images, we forget that there's more than just a visual, right?  Michelle: It's the level of confidence, how they stand out in public, the way that they talk. There are certain elements of the quality that we can see through the pictures. But when you see them on television, where they're talking, when they're speaking, there's personality that shine through that image and that together becomes a package of what you know as the Kardashian. What's her name in Harry Potter? Harry Potter, Heron Harmonic. She's British, and she's beautiful. She's very elegant. Every time she stand on the podium, it is like there's a level of confidence that's coming out from her. So every image that we see of her on media, it's like, okay, I really like this woman. Why? Because you know her as a person, and you know how she speaks. So, there's that personality touch that you don't see. We don't recognize it just from looking at the pictures.  Marlana: I wanna go back because I read your story about hiking Machu Picchu, and I feel like in that story you took control of your narrative because it could have gone a very different direction. So, tell ...
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    29 mins