Dr. Brad & the Path of Perseverance
We chatted with podiatrist and foot surgeon, Dr. Brad, of the popular TLC show, My Feet Are Killing Me. We talked about his journey coming out, and what he learned along the way, as well as how the people he loved supported him - and learned to support him in the way he needed. It was an incredibly honest, funny, and interesting conversation about stepping into our truth, what it means to love ourselves, finding your career passion, and of course, corn chips!
Nia Dennis & the Decision to Choose Happy
We chatted with viral gymnastics sensation Nia Dennis about her journey in gymnastics, and how one single second changed the rest of her life - and led her to many new Fresh Starts. We discussed her viral moment at The Met Gala, her fresh start in college, and how she pivoted her whole career at a young age.
Alex Frankel & The Hot Fat Guy Club
Alex is a plus-size model with Wilhelmina, and a body acceptance advocate and role model to fat guys all around the world. We had an amazing conversation with Alex, about everything from his career as a professional opera singer, his entrepreneur journey founding The Hot Fat Guy Club, childhood bullying, his foray into the big and tall modeling industry - and so much more.
Susannah Blinkoff & the Harmony of Singing Together
Susannah Blinkoff is an accomplished singer-songwriter, screenwriter and actor. We chatted with Susannah about the power of singing and how transformative it can be to get your voice in the world. Plus, all of her career pivots in the entertainment industry, from acting to screenwriting, to music, to musicals, and always with the intention of community and uplifting people with the power of song.
Megan Bowen & the Choreography of Our Souls
Megan Bowen is a dancer, actor, entrepreneur, and content creator. We chatted with Megan about the power of movement and dance, her Fresh Start journey in New York City, and major career pivots during the pandemic. Ever the entrepreneur, Megan had to completely pivot her entire career in dance overnight and founded her company Dance from Home, a platform to take live and on-demand dance classes with Megan and move your body and soul.
Laura McKowen & the Greatest Gift of Your Life
Laura McKowen is the bestselling author of Push Off From Here: Nine Essential Truths to Get You Through Sobriety (and Everything Else), and the founder of The Luckiest Club. We chatted with Laura about her journey to sobriety, how even the darkest of Fresh Starts can lead to beautiful journeys, the foundation of The Luckiest Club during the early days of the pandemic, and of course, her gorgeous book Push Off From Here: Nine Essential Truths to Get You Through Sobriety (and Everything Else).
Erica Taylor & the Creativity of Finding Your Path
Erica Taylor has been a professional makeup artist and beauty expert for over 25 years working with top brands like MAC, Laura Mercier, Benefit Cosmetics, and more. We chatted with Erica about her winding career in the world of makeup and beauty - and why you just need to “do the work,” and lead with kindness.
Larry Sprung & the Joyful Currency of Life
Larry Sprung is the Founder and Wealth Advisor of Mitlin Financial, and an Award-Winning Wealth Advisor and Financial Literacy Advocate, the host of the Mitlin Money Mindset podcast, and most importantly a father, and husband. We chatted with Larry about how he became an entrpreuner, how his brother-in-law’s suicide propelled him to help others, fatherhood, marriage, and his beautiful perspective on the relationship between money and joy.
Emily Feret & the Normalizing of Normalcy
Emily Feret is a stay at home mom who loves to “normalize normal” on her social media platforms by talking about motherhood, body image, marriage and more with no filter! We chatted with Emily about her fresh start into motherhood, and her mission to help normalize normal lives so that no one feels alone, and why it’s so important to talk about the real, authentic, messy parts of parenthood and how it truly connects us all.
Zach Lupetin & the Symphonic Storytelling of Life
Zach Lupetin is the founding member of folk-rock band Dustbowl Revival. We chatted with Zach about the birth of his daughter, how his wife nearly died during delivery, and his fresh start into fatherhood during a traumatic event. It’s a beautiful conversation about parenthood, marriage, making brave decisions, and how the soundtrack of our lives is the heartbeat within all of our stories.
Zoe Fishman & The Fun Widow’s Book Tour
Zoe Fishman is the 2020 Georgia Author of the Year in the Literary Fiction category. She is the critically acclaimed author of six novels, the most recent of which is The Fun Widow's Book Tour, which was published in March of this year. We chatted with Zoe about her husband’s sudden passing, how her entire world changed overnight, and how writing helped her heal, grieve, and grow.
Olivia and Jenny & the High School Daze
What was it like going to a Quaker high school on Long Island in the early aughts? In this March sister episode of A Fresh Story, Olivia and Jenny take you down memory lane of their high school experiences. We chat about everything from their love for Latin class, high school heartbreak, bullies, their fashion sense, how high school impacted the rest of their life, and lots of very odd and funny stories about attending a private school before social media existed!
Dana Bowling & the Casting of Our Story
Dana Bowling is a former award-winning casting director turned brand strategist and video coach. We chatted with Dana Bowling about her experience in the world of entertainment as a casting director, why she ultimately decided to make a career pivot while she was at the top of her game, how she met her husband and why it’s so important to see the potential in a person when you fall in love, and how our childhood passions are actually the key to our happiness as adults.
Andrew Scrivani & the Secret Sauce of Life
Andrew Scrivani is an award-winning photographer, director, and producer who has worked on editorial, publishing, advertising, content creation, and documentary, and feature film projects for the past 20 years. We chatted with Andrew about his major career pivot into photography and how it changed the course of his life, finding his way post-divorce, saying ‘yes’ to new adventures, and his passion for storytelling.
Emily Helck & The Lost Bookshop
We chatted with Emily, the founder of The Lost Bookshop, about her many fresh starts in life - including supporting her partner through cancer, a diagnosis and experience of breast cancer as a young woman, figuring out her career, pregnancy loss, grieving a parent, and ultimately - following her dream and opening The Lost Bookshop - Delhi, New York’s independent bookstore.
Samantha Sineni & the Awakening of Inspiration
Samantha Sineni is the founder and CEO of Formation Media. We chatted with Samantha about her decision to open her marriage up, her journey with intense sleep deprivation as a new mother and entrepreneur, and a fantastic conversation about how to bring art into your world even if you are struggling to keep your head above water. It’s an honest and vulnerable behind the scenes view of entrpreuner-life as a new parent, wife, and creator.
Beth Booker & the Significance of Representation
Beth Booker is the founder and CEO of Gracie PR, a boutique lifestyle public relations company in Naples, FL. We chatted with Beth about accidentally coming out as queer during the pandemic, why representation matters, how she navigates her fresh starts in life with confidence, and why it’s so important to show up for ourselves.
Chaz Thomas & the Artistic Expression of Nostalgia
Chaz Thomas is a self-taught artist and maker currently living in New Jersey. His work focuses on translating ideas or words into abstract paintings that focus on color, shape, and direction. Chaz’s art is shown at galleries along the East Coast and appreciated by celebrities and art collectors. We chatted with Chaz about growing up as a Black student in a predominantly white school, his love of reading, how he weaves art and nostalgia together, his journey as a professional athlete, parenthood, and how he’s stayed true to himself through his life.
Gabrielle Stone & the Diary of Metamorphosis
We chatted with author, and award-winning actress, writer, and director, Gabrielle Stone, about how she took a massive heartbreak and turned it into a best-selling book, podcast, and movement. We talked about the transformation after divorce, traveling alone through the world, her journey writing her books, and how she healed herself through creativity, wisdom, and empowering others. It’s a gorgeous, honest, and vulnerable conversation about turning heartbreak into humor, and everything in between.
Rob Abney & the Marketing of Our Character
We chatted with Rob, a marketing executive, about growing up between two worlds, what it was like being a Black student at a predominately white school, how he found his way into marketing, parenting daughters, marriage, and how he ultimately found himself through all of the fresh starts in his life. It’s a powerful episode about race, masculinity, parenthood, and writing your own story in life.