The Downward Facing Spiritual Spiral

Writing Music Again

In this episode, I felt inspired to tell a quick story about the new song I released on iTunes and Spotify and what inspired me to start writing music again. I released my last record about four years ago, and since that time, DJing, teaching Yoga, the podcast and writing a book has taken up most of my creative time and energy. But I actually think the podcast and talking to so many thoughtful and creative people face to face each week is inspiring me to write music again. You can check out the song here on Spotify or by clicking here on iTunes. Thanks so much for listening as always! Next week I welcome the super cool and talented Olivier Ozoux to the show!! 

Rae Scharfman

This week, I am super excited to welcome my friend and amazing Yoga Teacher, Rae Scharfman to the Spiritual Spiral Podcast. Rae currently teaches regularly at Y7 and Wanderlust, two of the most popular studios in LA and she's definitely become one of my favorite Yoga teachers for sure. So we'll talk about Yoga, what it's like teaching in a city oversaturated with teachers, how she got into teaching and she'll share her thoughts about the competitive yoga culture in LA. We talk music, art, social media, definitely Instagram and why she sometimes keeps her phone turned off for extended periods of time. I ask her how she feels after posting naked photos on Insta, we dive in and talk about her upbringing, and we discuss the polyamory lifestyle and how it is something she has embraced. Oh and Rae even talks about teaching Goat Yoga in LA which apparently we all have to check out.  A great conversation this week. Thanks as always for listening. Remember to share the podcast with your friends or if you can, write a super quick review on iTunes! Thanks so much!

My Yoga Story

One of the topics I talk a lot about on my podcast is Yoga. I know a lot of teachers and I have a long standing relationship with the practice so I thought this week, I'd talk about Yoga and how it became such a valuable part of my life. Why do I hold it to such a high standard, why did I become frustrated with the trends happening in the LA yoga scene and why did I ultimately make the decision to become a teacher. I thought before speaking with more Yoga teachers on my show, I'd shed a little light on my story and how Yoga became an important part of my life. I hope you enjoy this week's show! 

Zoe Wirth

This week, I welcome Zoe Wirth to the Downward Facing Spiritual Spiral Podcast. Zoe is a full-time yoga teacher in Los Angeles and she is currently teaching over at Hyperslow as well Yoga Vibe in West Hollywood. We'll talk about Yoga and why Zoe loves to teach and what drew Zoe to the practice in the first place. Zoe shares stories about growing up in Florida, why she moved back home after going to college in the Northeast and how she ended up in Los Angeles teaching Yoga. We will also talk about Instagram as Zoe shares her opinions about the platform and how she can become addicted to the "monkey brain scrolling" of Instagram. A heartfelt conversation so I hope you enjoy this week's show!

Erinn Sullivan

This week I welcome the CEO and Creative Director of Luna Impact, Erinn Sullivan to the DFSS Podcast. I met Erinn this past year at a Yin Yoga teacher training and what impresses me most is how she's founded and owns a successful creative/design firm at the age of just 29 years old. She's intelligent, talented, a big time go getter and it's no shock her firm just had its most profitable year to date. Luna Impact is a creative studio that produces high impact video and design typically for strategic marketing and branding purposes. Her clients have included Carbon 38, 360 Media, the City of Los Angeles and The Neda Nobari Foundation. I'll talk to Erinn about what it was like going to school in Nevada, her passion for the arts and how from a young age, she always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Erinn created a spray tanning business in college at the age of 19 and since her parents are entrepreneurs as well, she knows firsthand the hard work and discipline needed to start and grow your own business. She is also a graphic designer and creative consultant for numerous companies in LA and always takes pride in meeting clients face to face to talk shop and creative strategies or just have a cup of coffee. She shares her opinions about the importance of brand and marketing and discusses her love/hate relationship with social media. An insightful interview about the power of good marketing this week on the show! Thanks as always for listening!
 
 
 
 

Jen Ditchik

This week I welcome my friend, artist, and Creative Advertising Executive Jen Ditchik to the Downward Facing Spiritual Spiral Podcast. Jen has been a friend of mine for close to twenty years, but lately my podcast and the conversations I'm having on the show about Instagram has  inspired Jen and I to talk more often about staying less distracted and more creative. Jen not only works countless hours as a senior executive in the entertainment industry, she is also an artist in the truest sense with a passion for photography, painting and film. Noticing the impact social media was having on her mindset over the last few years, Jen also became a minimalist and often goes on digital detoxes where she'll delete social media off her cell phone altogether.
 
 
 
We'll talk about Instagram, social media and the impact it has had on her life and why she feels more inspired after staying off Instagram and why she may continue to stay off the platform. She'll talk about the power of being bored and how some of our best ideas come from boredom. We'll also talk about "Deep Work" by Cal Newport and how it takes a certain level of depth and concentration to truly focus and work deeply on our craft. It's a powerful and inspiring discussion about the negative and manipulative side of social media and why it may benefit us all to take a break from social media every once in awhile. Great conversation this week and thanks for listening!

Aaron Byrd

This week I'm excited to welcome L.A. based DJ Aaron Byrd to the Downward Facing Spiritual Spiral Podcast. Aaron is a well known DJ on KCRW which is one of the most influential and well regarded radio stations in the world. We'll start off the interview by talking about KCRW and what makes the station such a unique and special place to be a part of. He'll share the story on how he ended up working at KCRW and how Garth Trinidad played such a pivotal role in his evolution as a DJ. Aaron is originally from Los Angeles and we end up touching on a multitude of topics including the L.A. culture, stories about the history of the city as well as music, DJing, racism and social issues affecting our society. We also discuss sports, social media and the powerful impact music has had on his life. As always, thanks so much for listening and enjoy the show!
 
 
 
 

Logan Cahoon

This week I am excited to welcome Logan Cahoon to the Downward Facing Spiritual Spiral Podcast. Logan is the owner/chef and creator of Meathead BBQ LA.  While I met Logan a couple years ago at Yoga Works where he was a teacher, Logan has clearly moved away from teaching so he can pursue his passion which is cooking incredible barbecue. In the last 6 weeks, I have been to two of his pop ups at Santa Monica Brew Works and I can honestly say he is serving some of the freshest, best tasting barbecue I have ever tried. FYI his next event will be Super Bowl Sunday back at SM Brew Works so if you're craving some amazing barbecue, you definitely should check it out. 
 
 
 
Logan and I talk about cooking and his passion for barbecue but we'll first dive in and talk about yoga and how he became a teacher at Yoga Works. We talk about the yoga community in Los Angeles and ultimately what drew him away from yoga and eventually focus on Meathead BBQ.  He talks about his love of high-quality tri-tip, brisket, pork, the recipes he's created and the work that goes into setting up a barbecue pop up event. We discuss his upbringing in Florida and what led Logan to move all the way to Los Angeles.
 
 
 
How did Logan get into yoga in the first place and how much prep time goes into a Meathead BBQ event? Find out the answers plus hear some great stories about food, yoga, growing up in the South and much more this week on the show! Thanks for listening!