Rookie Mistakes

On today's episode, I spoke with Liza Shtromberg, a jewelry designer who has had a successful jewelry brand in Los Angeles for almost 40 years. Some things we discussed: - Starting her jewelry brand at 16 hustling on the streets of LA - Overcoming the 2008 financial crash and finding out her employees were stealing from her - The mechanics and aesthetics of jewelry design - Balancing being a designer and business owner - The ups and downs in her career - Advice for aspiring jewelry designers or people who want to start a jewelry brand Enjoy! Website: lizashtromberg.com IG: www.instagram.com/lizashtrombergjewelry

On today's episode, I spoke with Jamie McShane, an actor who has had recurring roles on hit shows like Wednesday, Bloodline, Sons Of Anarchy, and Southland. Jamie has an incredible story that is a testament to the importance of perseverance and never giving up on achieving your dream. His first series regular role was on Netflix hit show, Bloodline, after being an actor for 25 years. Some things we discussed: - His acting career & how he got different roles - Landing his first series regular role as Eric O'Bannon on Bloodline & what the experience was like - Working with Gary Oldman - Playing Sheriff Donovan Galpin on Netflix #1 Show Wednesday - Advice for people looking to pursue acting - Inspirations growing up - Mindset and the technicals of acting (related a lot of it to sports) Hope you enjoy!

Welcome to episode 4 of Rookie Mistakes! Today's guest is Tommy 'Chooch' Chuchvara, a professional drummer with over 40 years of experience. Tommy has an incredible story. My biggest takeaway was the importance of continuing to move forward despite the setbacks you may face in life. In this conversation, we discuss: - How Tommy got into drumming - Finding out he had type 1 diabetes at 19 / learning to manage it throughout his life - His career as a professional drummer - Running 4 marathons - Overcoming adversity / the importance of consistency - How music taste has changed over time - Advice for becoming a professional drummer If you would like to get in contact with Tommy, the best place to reach him is at his website tommychooch.com. Hope you enjoy the episode!

Welcome to episode 3 of Rookie Mistakes. Today's guest is Virydiana Aranda, a tattoo artist from Mexico. This was a really interesting conversation with someone in a career I didn't know much about, so I enjoyed learning about it. Virydiana is truly an incredible tattoo artist. Check out her Instagram, the colors are insane! On this episode, we discussed: - How she got started tattooing - Being able to travel the world as a tattoo artist - The importance of surrounding yourself with more talented people - Challenges of being a female tattoo artist - Nightmare client stories - Advice for aspiring tattoo artists - Tattoo styles based on different cultures If you are interested in getting a tattoo from Virydiana, you can reach out to her below:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/v_aranda_tattoo Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gingkotattoo Enjoy the episode! 

Welcome to episode 2 of Rookie Mistakes. Today's guest is Jennifer Landon, a real estate broker in Los Angeles. This conversation is one that really represents everything I hope for with this podcast. I've listened to it a few times now and each time I have left motivated to go after what I want.  We discussed: - Realizing her initial career path wasn't for her after graduating from USC - How she got into real estate - Why she transitioned to the appraisal business - The 07-08 financial crisis (recognizing pivots in business) - Running a dance school - Opening her real estate brokerage - Balancing passion with what pays the bills  - Advice for buying a house, investing in real estate, and working as a real estate agent - The importance of mentors (finding someone you can relate to who shows you it's possible) If you'd like to get in contact with Jen, you can find her below:  Email: jennifer@lrgla.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/landonrealtygroup Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/landonrealtygroup Website: https://www.lrgla.com Enjoy the episode! 

Welcome to episode 1, season 2 of Rookie Mistakes. After a 3.5-year hiatus, I'm back! My intention for this podcast was always to have conversations with other people, so I am finally doing it.  My first guest Jana Collins. Jana has lived an interesting life and has had an incredibly successful career in politics, public relations, and real estate. On top of all that, she's easily the most generous person I know.  Some topics our conversation covers:  - Business ventures gone wrong (selling silk pajamas from Hong Kong at Nordstrom) - Working for the Republican Party in California during the Reagan years/meeting Ronald Reagan - Her family real estate business  - Near-death experiences at 19 and on her honeymoon - Advice on becoming successful  - The impact of her mother and grandfather on her life - Dealing with failure Enjoy!

On episode 42 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about his tips and recommendations for visiting Bangkok after living there for a month and a half in his most detailed travel guide yet.  Some topics he covers are: - The best areas in the city - What to do  - Where to eat  - The best street markets to check out  - His case for skipping out on street food - How to avoid getting food poisoning - Things to bring in case of food poisoning and how to deal with it - Using public transportation and getting around the city - The best SIM card in Bangkok - Where to watch pro Muay Thai for free - The best gyms to train Muay Thai at - Renewing your visa - How long to stay, where else to go in Thailand, and the best time of year to visit 

On episode 41 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor breaks down his guide for visiting Seoul after living there for a month and a half.  Topics included are:  - The best time of the year to visit  - The areas of the city you must visit - What sites are worth seeing (N Seoul Tower, Korean Demilitarized Zone) - The best restaurants to eat at  - Korean Coffee Culture  - Nightlife  - Foods/Snacks you should try  - Buying a SIM card - Using public transportation

On episode 40 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about his tips and recommendations for visiting the most popular cities in Romania. He covers topics like visiting Dracula's Castle, riding a ferris wheel in the bottom of a salt mine, and getting lost in a supposedly haunted forest.

On episode 39 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor starts if off talking about the college admissions scandal with Lori Loughlin and other celebrities. He then goes in to talking about the people he met during his ten months traveling that made the experience so great and left a lasting impression. He touches on day trips with strangers, motorcycling through Seoul, the Irish stereotype, and much more. 

On episode 38 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor starts it off talking about the documentary, Free Solo, which follows Alex Honnold's life or death journey to becoming the first person ever to free solo climb El Capitan in Yosemite. He then talks about his tips and recommendations for visiting Venice, Italy (13:11). He covers what to see, where to eat, how to get around the city, and gives you some insider information so you are able to have the best experience possible in Venice. 

On episode 37 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about his tips and recommendations for visiting Warsaw, Poland. He covers everything from the best places to see, the must try restaurants, and what he liked/didn't like about the city. 

On episode 36 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor starts it off with a rough estimate of the cost for a week trip to London. He then goes in to his tips and recommendations for places to see and restaurants to eat at. He covers transportation, SIM cards, London style, and gives a sample itinerary of what to see each day. 

On episode 35 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about his top 10 favorite restaurants from his travels in cities like Rome, London, Tokyo, and Bangkok. These are restaurants that you are not going to want to miss out on if you are visiting the cities mentioned in the episode. Stayed tuned for part 2 in the future!

On episode 34 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor starts it off talking about Tom Brady and the Patriot's Super Bowl win. He then gets in to talking about the biggest mistakes he made with growing an Instagram following. He covers methods for growing a following and the ideal engagement percentages for content. He ends the episode talking about what he would do differently and his plan for Instagram going forward. 

On episode 33 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about mistakes he made traveling and what he would have done differently. He covers packing and preparing for the trip, mistakes made that cost him money along the way, and warns against the one mistake you do not want to make. He also touches on the different types of cameras good for traveling, the best shoes in his experience, and gives you advice on how to approach travel so you are saving the most money. 

On episode 32 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about the advantages and disadvantages of traveling by yourself for an extended period of time. He goes over what to expect, the good and the bad, and discusses how travel will change you and help you grow as a person. If you are unsure on whether or not you want to travel, this is the episode for you!

On episode 31 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about the events that led him to the decision to travel and pursue a career in content creation. He covers his doubts and fears, quitting his job, and the personal insecurities he had to overcome to be able to make the decision. 

On episode 30 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about his first week back adjusting to being home in Los Angeles now that his travels are officially over. 

On episode 29 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor looks back on traveling to 11 countries and 20 cities over 10 months in 2018. He gives his honest initial reactions and thoughts from every single city he visited, the good and the bad. He ends the episode talking a little about some of the episodes to look forward to in 2019, as there is still a lot to break down from this whole travel experience.