The Pod of DC

Sara Quinteros and Juli Shesser are registered dietitians and nutrition experts in Washington, DC. With March being National Nutrition Month, Sara and Juli stopped by the studio to share their expertise in managing food and nutrition choices for individuals and families. On this episode of the pod, Sara and Juli break down how to navigate nutrition in a fast-paced world, the ever-changing landscape of diet trends, creative solutions to engage children to take part in their own food choices and nutrition, understanding micro and macronutrients, the cost and accessibility of healthy foods, the Beyond the Plate theme for National Nutrition Month, and their plans to launch a podcast that will engage with experts to help demystify nutrition for individuals and families.

On this spontaneously recorded and minimally edited and mixed podcast, Rick shares some thoughts about the start to 2024, the therapeutic nature of podcasting, how The Pod of DC was conceived, and how podcasting can help unleash your true voice.

On this final pod of 2023, Rick reflects on his firsts this year, waxes nostalgic on how technology has evolved in helping us capture those moments throughout the year, and shares quick clip recaps from inspiring individuals featured on the pod in 2023. On behalf of The Pod of DC, we wish you all a happy and healthy New Year, and we'll talk soon in 2024!

Dave Moya is the owner of The Moya Group, the parent company of Three Stones Residential, one of the top real estate teams at Keller Williams Metro Center in Arlington, Virginia. We recorded this episode in Dave's newly set up podcast studio and discuss his candid takes on the current state of real estate, how adaptability and curiosity has helped propel his career, his approach to educating his clients, the challenges of real estate in a higher interest rate market, how AI can help move his business forward, and tips for realtors to continue evolving their business in today's difficult market. To learn more about The Moya Group, visit moyagroup.com.

Tony Barone is a Protective Paramedic Practitioner and CEO of Emergility, a security, protection, and emergency medical services company based in Alexandria, Virginia. Over 60 years ago in Alexandria, four physicians established 24/7 year-round emergency care, which today has become accessed and over-accessed from the most minor ailments to the most life-threatening ones. On this episode of the pod, Tony discusses the traumatic events in his childhood that shaped his interest in medicine and helping others, the impact business has made on the delivery of care, the true meaning of what protective treatment is, and how Emergility is filling the gaps in bringing clients and patients emergency, protective care where they need it, when they need it. To learn more, visit emergility.com

Tina Fox is an Entrepreneur, Creator, and CEO of TERN Mentoring, a B Corporation that provides a platform for individuals to share their experiences and live their legacy through mentorship. Of course, through networking, I met Tina's husband, who encouraged me to connect with Tina as she was a fellow JMU Duke. Tina and I hit it off immediately and chatted it up on how mentorship and networking shape one's career path. On this episode of the pod, Tina shares the importance of vulnerability in mentorship, how mentors and mentees can share their wisdom and experiences, the process by which TERN pairs mentor with mentee, and the crucial role of connections and networking in career advancement. To connect with Tina visit ternmentoring.com

Sytera Field is an innovative yoga instructor and owner/operator of Sytera Yoga in Vienna, Va. I’ve spent the last 1 ½ years taking classes from her and the instructor team there and wanted to learn more about Sytera’s yoga journey and experience as a small business owner. For this pod episode, Sytera and I met just outside the studio doors to share some laughs and delve into her early experiences as a yoga student following a devastating break to her right leg. Years later, she would set up a Kickstarter campaign and, with incredible community support, opened up the doors to SyteraYoga. Sytera details how yoga helps create healthy relationships “along the chain” throughout the body to manage external stressors more effectively, the qualities in bringing along new instructors to the studio, and the innovative Nadi ball method she created blending Thai yoga massage with balls to awaken the right muscle groups to prepare the body for more dynamic movements. Sytera’s story is one of perseverance and service and is a great model for individuals who practice or are new to yoga to help “find their shine.”

Rick shares another Happy Father's Day message to all the Dads out there and explains why this Father's Day feels extra bittersweet.

In 2005 David Reynolds Jr. was teaching General Music to Elementary School students when he was approached to start a percussion ensemble for kids as a community service project. At first the group consisted of about two dozen 5th and 6th graders banging on instruments available to them in the school from xylophones to trash cans and other non-traditional instruments. Fast forward to today, The Vienna Jammers is celebrating it's tenth year as a not-for-profit organization consisting of 5 performance ensembles, a tech group focused on directing and editing video performances, and serving over 130 students aged 8-18 across 25 schools throughout Northern Virginia. The performance ensemble group has traveled out of state and graced stages around Washington DC as well as on the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial. On this episode of the pod David, a 2018 Music Educator Grammy nominee, shares his approach to performance, how complex music pieces are taught and broken down that make it fun and engaging for the kids, the penultimate goal for his students to perform abroad in the countries where the marimba and steel pan sounds originated, and the meaning and importance of always bringing the "turtle poop" to every performance.

Julie Cangialosi is the founder of Operation Little Angel 101: Hope after Loss centered on advocacy and support for the pregnancy and infant loss community. It was almost six years ago that Julie and I first crossed paths on the Mrs. DC America stage and upon her crowning that evening, Julie set in motion an array of mission-driven pursuits centered on her journey as a mother, nonprofit founder, and now published author of two books, Mom: A Collection of Personal and Poignant Journeys to Motherhood and The Moon is Always Following Me, a children's book inspired by her son. On this first pod of 2023, Julie shares what led her to the pageant stage in 2017, her personal experiences with two pregnancy losses, the services and support that Operation Little Angel 101 provides families across six countries, and the light and love her family has provided that has inspired her work to grow, flourish, and make an impact.

Kristen Berset-Harris is an award-winning host of Great Day Washington on WUSA9 in the greater DC/Baltimore metro area. For the final pod of 2022, I visited Kristen at WUSA9 to discuss her upstart in broadcasting, how competing in pageantry gave her a foundation to find her voice and confidence that led to years as a news and sports anchor and co-host of the Ravens Report. But it was a second breast cancer diagnosis and fight that reshaped Kristen's focus and energy leading her to Great Day Washington, a morning lifestyle program featuring stories from throughout the region, celebrity interviews, musical performances, and all the latest trends in fashion, food, and entertainment. Kristen is a survivor and "thriver" whose hard working and infectiously fun spirit embodies all that is good in entertainment broadcasting.

Kathleen Klawitter is a speaker, resiliency expert, visionary, former LPGA golf pro, and author of Direct Hit: "A Golf Pro's Remarkable Journey Back from Traumatic Brain Injury." On this episode of the pod, Kathleen shares her story from gifted athlete to marketing manager on the stock exchange to finding her true calling as an LPGA golf instructor helping students discover and refine the art of creative golf shot making. One summer morning in 1998, Kathleen's life was turned upside down when an errant golf ball hit her on the head causing a traumatic brain injury. Kathleen would have to relearn how to read, write, speak, and live independently. Enduring years of rehabilitation and with the support of therapists, friends, and family, Kathleen now travels the country sharing her inspirational story of overcoming life's biggest challenges and facing them with hope, determination, spirituality, and empowerment. 

Michael Pukownik is the Head of Genre Marketing at Amazon Music. Michael and I met as classmates and fraternity brothers in college and we connected on our shared love for all things music, but he was the one who dove head first into the music business in New York after a short stint in DC upon graduation. Soon after his move to NYC, Michael's brother gifted him a CD of original music that Michael leveraged to start a small record label and began researching the music business and making contacts at live shows. Fast forward twenty years and Michael is now based in LA and embracing music distribution's next frontier. In this episode of the pod, Michael shares his inspiration to pursue a career in marketing and advertising, the inner workings of the music business from artist discovery to music distribution, licensing, and publishing, and the rush of breaking and representing some of the world's biggest artists.

Meghan Grana is the author of Call Me Penny Pickleberry, a relatable story for children and adults alike about a girl named Penelope who faces a roller coaster of emotions in her everyday life and learns to reframe her thinking to take on everyday challenges. Meghan has been a tireless advocate for children and families in some of the country's largest public school systems for decades working to help identify and remove a range of learning barriers from attendance to mental health support for elementary and middle-school-aged children. In this episode of the pod, Meghan shares her relationship with anxiety, her weekly routine supporting children and families, how the idea and story behind Call Me Penny Pickleberry came to her, and the process of writing, publishing, and now sharing Penelope's story with the world.

Graham Dodge is a serial entrepreneur, patented inventor, and technology leader whose career has spanned the industries of entertainment, healthcare, and information technology over the last two decades. Always gracious and generous with his time, Graham shares his journey to entrepreneurship starting with music and playing in bands around LA, to creating the first data map of crime with producers of the show Cops, to stints as Art Director on sets from MTV to Nickelodeon. After getting sick traveling between Baltimore and LA, Graham set in motion the co-founding of Sickweather, the very first "doppler radar for sickness" using his prior data aggregation experience but now incorporating social media and social listening tools. Fast forward to today and it is Sickweather's foundation that began and accelerated the tracking and notification of sickness including pandemic-related data, and Graham discusses the impact this data will have moving forward on the OTC market, presenteeism in the workplace, and what our public social health contract looks like moving forward. Graham currently serves as Executive Director of MAGIC, Inc. a 501c3 dedicated to creating a premier technology hub in Westminster, Maryland as well as President of Pathcheck Foundation, another 501c3 creating pandemic response notification applications. On top of running those organizations, Graham serves as an advisor to future tech leaders in the development of novel technology solutions at Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures. Graham's story is truly one of professional reinvention, ingenuity, and inspiration.

Kinosha Soden has been on the move since arriving in the nation's capital over a decade ago. She made her way to D.C. via St. Louis holding a Masters in Biomedical Engineering and Analytics from Washington University in St. Louis. She cheered for the Super Bowl Champion St. Louis Rams ("Greatest Show on Turf"), became a master esthetician, was crowned Mrs DC America 2016, and is now Creator/Producer/Co-Host of the streaming series Good Things DC. Onstage at the Mrs. DC America 2016 pageant is where I first met Kinosha and on this episode of the pod she looks back on her life growing up in St. Louis, the work ethic and commitment to community instilled in her by family example, overcoming her own doubts to land on the pageant stage and the opportunities that lead to the creation of Good Things DC, a show co-hosted with friends Leiah Rochleau and Britt Jones focused on living a modern life full of love for yourself, for others, and doing good things.

Alison Gary is founder and editor-in-chief of Wardrobe Oxygen, a professional blog offering "real-life style advice for grown-ass women." Her work has earned her features in The Washington Post, The New York Times, and on the Today Show to name a few. A native of the Washington, D.C. area, Alison began blogging and musing on fashion for enjoyment and to stay busy as she continued climbing the ladder in corporate America and raising her newborn daughter. Drawing from a decade of experience in retail and apparel, Alison began finding her voice and audience demystifying fashion with every outfit and perspective posted. On this episode of the pod, Alison shares her journey into becoming a professional blogger, the viral post that took her exposure and profile to a new level, how the support of her family propelled her to managing Wardrobe Oxygen full-time, the lessons and skill-sets she continues to learn to stay relevant and challenged as her blog evolves, and how she aligns her "quality not quantity" motto with ethical, sustainable brands that reinforce her passion for personal style that is real and accessible for any age, size, and lifestyle.

Mala Persaud is an environmental advocate, sustainability commission member in the Town of Vienna, Virginia and owner of Trace - The Zero Waste Store, the first zero waste store in Fairfax County, the most populous county in the state of Virginia. As the daughter of South American immigrants, Mala learned early in life to appreciate the gifts of the Earth and to push herself outside of her comfort zone personally and professionally to now help move wide scale behavior change in the reduction of plastic production and waste. On this episode of the pod, Mala shares her journey into practicing waste reduction from a career in television and ghost writing, tips on adopting a sustainable practice mindset, how confusing messaging has hindered our collective understanding of proper recycling methods, popular items available for purchase at Trace and the need to also serve as a drop off point for difficult to recycle items, and the very real impact investing in sustainable practices makes on our businesses, communities, and environment.

Courtney Phillips is a mental health advocate and coach who founded Hope for Invisible Wounds to provide awareness and understanding for mental anguish caused by trauma and has shared her own story of survival through her platform as a former Washington, D.C. and Virginia state pageant title holder. When Courtney and I first met onstage in 2018 during the Mrs. DC America competition, Courtney was re-discovering herself and re-emerging into pageantry after spending years away from competition. On this episode of the pod, Courtney shares those formative competition experiences living in Houston, Texas and the new work she put into prepping, competing, and engaging the public as a title holder and public figure traveling thousands of miles and making hundreds of public appearances to share her story and help others share their stories of survival. Courtney details the importance of understanding your own internal and external "why", the power of working with a coach, managing the reach and impact of social media, and how employing healthy coping mechanisms alongside new self-development challenges like pageantry competition can open up a new world of opportunities for unlimited personal and professional growth. 

John Daly is a three-time Winter Olympian in Skeleton Racing and friend who is closing in on his fourth Winter Olympic Games in February 2022. From the age of 14 John has been training, competing, and performing at the highest level of sport to capture that elusive medal that was in his grasp in 2014 but slipped away in his final run. On this episode of the pod, John shares his story of entering competitive skeleton racing, the training and mindset required to compete at an Olympic level, the feeling of being one run from his dream two Olympic Games ago and the lessons of competition that he has taken with him that he applies every day to his personal and professional life.