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Bsidez is a Visual Artist and Sound Designer from the Oakland, California. He is also a member of the rap group Barbaydose. “ You have to be vulnerable because you’re basically telling people your story, through; rhythm and rhymes, sounds and frequencies. To be authentic is the smartest way to go about it […] If you don’t it’s going to be hard for people to resonate with your music if its not true to who you are. Things can all change, but you have to be on that path […] Music is a lifelong journey, and there is no point in which I think you can quit […]” Bsidez shares with us his passion for authenticity & vulnerability in music, film and pictures as he walks us through his own journey of finding his artistic passion. From loving record artwork as a child, being in the rap battle scene as a teenager and growing up as a young adult spending quality time in the studio Bsidez continues to hone his craft. He reminds us how important community is for creators as well as mental and physical health during the creative process. Music for this episode is composed by Humans Win and podcast editing is by Bill Fires.  

Gisselle Loera is the Writer and Director of the award winning film: It’s not a Big Deal she is also a Digital Production Coordinator for TVGla. She is based in Phoenix, Arizona. “ Representation in entertainment is something that we desperately need, I was told when I wanted to study Film that being a woman and being Mexican was my disadvantage - I disagree, it is my advantage because you will never see me coming […] Hollywood is very late in updating with the times. Being creative and having stories to tell has the potential to bridge the gap in bringing in new perspectives and voices to the table of change.” Gisselle recounts how she discovered Directing as a career and how her experiences as a first-generation Mexican paved the way to produce films that would bring visibility and resonate on a personal level with first-generation immigrants. Music for this episode is composed by Humans Win and podcast editing is by Bill Fires.

Nick Tabron  is a Musician and Songwriter based out of Nashville Tennessee. Nick walks us through his journey of falling in love with music and recounts how growing up in a home with religious values created friction in pursuing secular music as a career. In his journey of self discovery he took a leap of faith and moved on his own to Tennessee in his 20s facing financial hardships and homelessness yet found his way through perseverance. Nick encourages us to be vulnerable, to love ourselves and be unique. "I have had my fair share of deterrents - im not going to put a limit on myself. Weather I go on to be the biggest artist in the world or a local artist who has my scene and does my thing - I am always going to do to music. Its like breathing, It's what I do. It's what I was put on this earth to do."     

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, bilingual Emcee/Rapper Deuce Eclipse and co-founder/vocalist of Bang Data, draws influence from both his Nicaraguan heritage as well as the culture of Hip-Hop he grew up with in the United States. At nine, he began rapping with a middle school friend, the two adopting the names Ace Moon and Deuce Eclipse, which he carries with respect to this day. He toured the world alongside one of his best friends the late Zumbi as an accompanying voice to Zion I Crew and also acquired an extensive international and local list of collaborations including Mega Banton, Eva Ayllon, Pep Love, Louie Culture, Chico Trujillo, Asdru of Ozomatli, The Grouch & Eli, and more. He has released a variety of albums some of which have been featured on TV shows, commercials, and movies most notably the song ‘Bang Data’ on AMC’s show Breaking Bad.  Deuce’s true talent will continue to be his ability to paint a vivid picture of where we are as a society by weaving compelling personal stories into his rhymes.  The music for this episode is by Simon Sharp and the podcast editing is by @100firesmusic_ 

Michelle Miller better known as DJ Shellheart is as an International DJ producing events all over the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. She grew up in Richmond, California and was introduced to music when her father bought her turntables in high school (3:10). During the same time she was working with youth, she taught herself how to DJ and surrounded herself with friends that pushed her to work in the music industry and build out her DJ career (5:34). In each performance, DJ Shellheart transmits her self-confidence to the audience. "I'm giving the people what they want, and that's me. It's authentic to me. Everything that I've come up with is from me." Music for this episode is produced by Humans Win and the podcast editing is by 100fires. Listen to the full episode on our website.

In this episode, we have a conversation with Bomani Mintz, Founder & CEO of Crave It based in Los Angeles, California. The driving force of Mintz's business is to ensure that food creators and food lovers have a space where people can easily find and share the best places to eat based on recommendations. Since college Mintz wanted to build a business and make an impact on his surrounding community, leading him to take on many risks before starting an app for foodie lovers (11:56). “I want to make sure that food creators and food businesses truly have a home. I want to break down cultural barriers and I think the best way to do that is by breaking it literally with food, dishes, and understanding who we are as a people,” Mintz said (02:04). Mintz's passion started as a side hustle, taking photos and videos for restaurants, and event companies. Later on, he started looking into how to get to Silicon Valley eventually landing a job at LinkedIn. Working as a Mid-Market Enterprise Customer Success Manager at LinkedIn, Mintz acquired the skills necessary to create a successful business focused on tech and food (6:24). For Mintz, consistency has become a key factor in creating innovative, disruptive ideas for a business at the intersection of food and tech (29:15). Music for this episode is produced by Boris Skalsky and the podcast editing is by 100fires. Listen to the full episode on our website.

Paula Dewart is an Award-winning dancer and choreographer, Co-Director of DAYP Co. based in North Oakland. With over 25 years of professional performance experience and 15 years of mentoring, developing, and teaching the arts to youth throughout Oakland and the Bay Area . Born and Raised in the Bay area, growing up she split her time between Oakland and San Francisco. Paula uses her background in ballet, modern, and hip-hop to create dynamic experiences for her students. Paula has been teaching dance since 2004.

Edreece Arghandiwal is the Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer for The Oakland Roots SC, a soccer club seeking to harness the magic of Oakland and the game of soccer as a force for social good. In this episode, Edreece discusses how his parents left Afghanistan to come to America. Out of college, he landed internships in New York that shaped his perception of the world and built his interest in marketing. Later in life, he found a co-founder group with diverse experiences and perspectives which had the recipe for success for the city of Oakland. When Edreece discovered his North Star— celebrating the diversity of Oakland and his passion for soccer— he started working on the creative process and investing his most important assets in life: time and energy. The song in this episode titled "Lofi Chill Funk" is produced by Gushito and the podcast editing for this episode is by @100firesmusic_ Listen to the full episode on our website.

Momo Chang is a Freelance Journalist, Editor, and Co-Director of Oakland Voices based in the San Francisco East Bay. Born in Taiwan, and raised in the United States, her work has a special focus on healthcare, immigration, education, Asian American communities, food, and culture. Growing up with not enough Asian-American journalists to look up to, she aimed to create a more diverse media by working with the alumni network of Oakland Voices. Momo’s writing journey began with writing short stories and poetry which led her to receive journalism awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for investigative reporting and the Asian American Journalists Association, among others. Momo's portfolio:  www.momochang.com The podcast editing for this episode is by @100firesmusic_ Listen to the full episode on our website.

Oscar Quiroz-Medrano is a multifaceted community activist located in San Jose, CA. He works as Political Education Coordinator for Somos Mayfair addressing systematic inequalities in the community. Oscar uses the voice of the community to create maps of anti-displacement policies caused by gentrification that will work as a role model for future generations. Oscar also performs as a Venture Capital Scout for Rebel One looking for ways to create a more sustainable future around the world solving water scarcity and renewable energy solutions. In addition to his work with Rebel One and Somos Mayfair, Oscar is a mentor at the Bronco Venture Accelerator for Santa Clara University. Through this mentorship, startups receive resources that help create incubators empowering them to obtain funding and execute projects. In our conversation, Oscar reflects on the motivations behind his passion and actions to create a better world. The song "Lofi in Coffee Shop" for this episode is composed by Simon Sharp and podcast editing is by 100fires. Listen to the full episode on our website.

Heli Cienfuegos, stage name 100fires, is a Music Producer and DJ located in Houston, Texas. The Houston native creates hip-hop music heavily influenced by the East and West coasts. After completing his degree and working as a software engineer in San Francisco, 100fuegos decided to move back to Houston and transition into his passion as a music producer, DJ, beatmaker, businessman, and sound designer. Making a career change is not easy, but for 100fires not following his musician career felt like it would kill his passion. The song "Still Great" used in this episode is produced by 100fires and the podcast editing is also by 100fires. Listen to the full episode on the website.

Shawndeez (they/them) is a Ph.D. of Gender Studies, an independent scholar, educator, public speaker, and spiritual guide based in Colorado. We recently hopped on a call and discussed their decision to step away from higher education to focus on helping Queer and Trans communities find spiritual meaning through Islam as a form of resilience and overcoming.

Melecio Estrella (he/him) is a director, dance artist and educator based in Oakland, CA. Committed to advancing equity, access, environmental and social justice, Melecio believes dance and art-making play a vital role in the health of individuals, communities and societies. Melecio has been dancing with BANDALOOP since 2003. In 2011 he became the company’s Education Director and in 2015, the Associate Artistic Director. His BANDALOOP artistic milestones include making dances on the cliffs of Tienmen Mountain in the Hunan province of China; Art and About in Sydney, Australia; The Africa Cup in Libreville, Gabon; The Barents Spektacle in Kirkenes, Norway; and the JFK Centennial at The Kennedy Center, Washington, DC. In addition to his work with BANDALOOP, he co-directs the dance theater company Fog Beast and is a longtime member of the Joe Goode Performance Group. His choreographies have been commissioned by Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the San Francisco Opera Center, Dancers’ Group, Headlands Center for the Arts and numerous universities around the US. He is a 2018-2019 recipient of the Gerbode Special Award in the Arts, and a 2017/18 Leadership Fellow with the Association for Performing Arts Professionals (APAP).

Eric Merrill is the Music Director, Singer, and Songwriter at The Eric Merrill Project. In this interview, Eric tells us how music has become a tool to tell beautiful stories and have a closer relationship with God. Eric's foundation for songwriting began with a refreshing and unique style and melodies accompanied by poetic words. In addition to becoming a fantastic singer and songwriter, Eric went on to obtain a Bachelor’s of Science degree, became a Chemist, successfully matriculated through medical school, became a Medical Officer in the US Navy, a Flight Surgeon in the Air Force, and a Neurosurgery Resident Physician. The music for this episode is composed by Oleksii Abramovych and editing is provided by Bill Fires. Listen to the full episode on our website.

Michael Salaam is Chaplain at the California Dept. of Corrections & Rehabilitation in Hanford, CA. We recently hopped on a call where we discussed how he found purpose in becoming a Muslim Chaplain, what it was to gain access to vulnerability in the face of adversity, and how poetry become an outlet for him to reconnect with his self-awareness. Music for this episode is composed by Humans Win and editing for this episode by Bill Fires.

Mark Abrams is a Producer, Mixer, and Co-Founder of EchoPunch based out of Columbus, Ohio. We recently hopped on a call where we discussed the origins of his passion for music mixing and production, also about what is being a mentor at pureMix sharing his experience producing with intention and letting creativity flow, this combination takes him to collaborate with some of the biggest names in the music industry and big-name brands. The song "Chillenium" for this episode is composed by Jon Presstone and the podcast editing is by Bill Fires.

Tracy Cruz is an award-winning musical artist, songwriter, and vocal coach at Tracy Cruz Vocal Studio located in the Bay Area. We recently hopped on a call where she explained to me that you must channel vulnerability in order to pour your heart out on stage.  Music for this episode by biggrez, editing for this episode is provided by Bill Fires. Listen to the full episode on our website.

Zachary Pitt-Smith is the Music Director at Edna Brewer Middle School . We recently hopped on a call where we discussed his passion for music and his students, what it was like to refocus teaching methods amidst a pandemic and  OEASE - Oakland Eastside All Star Ensemble  a youth based ensemble focused on music, mentorship & leadership within their community. Music for this episode is composed by Mason Taylor and editing for this episode by Bill Fires.

Charlese Banks is a Bay Area native and Founder & Owner of The Town Experience. We recently hopped on a call where we discussed her love for Oakland and her community and how they became the driving force behind The Town Experience. Music for this episode is composed by Mason Taylor and editing for this episode by Bill Fires.

Rafael Bustamante Sarria is a Musician, Activist, and Bandleader of La Gente SF. We recently hopped on a call where we discussed his passion for music, love for his audience and the driving force behind his activism. Music for this episode is composed by Mason Taylor and editing for this episode by Bill Fires.