It’s more important to understand someone than to judge them. We think the first step to understanding someone is asking them the fundamental questions about who they are and how they became the person they are today. Understanding and empathy are essential building blocks for a better, more compassionate world. We’re incredibly fortunate to be able to ask these questions each week through our interview series. Below you’ll find inspiring interviews from in and around LA.
Lissete Lanuza
I got started in the most contradictory way possible, I went to law school. I wanted to be a journalist, but you know Latino parents and expectations, so I did what was expected of me and went to law school. And I didn’t actually hate it, at least not the work. I did hate being a woman, being in a male-dominated industry, and being expected to dress in one particular way and smile at my male bosses, go to dinner with them, and pretend I didn’t mind if they leered at me. I minded that. I minded being expected to work till 10 pm and get to the office at 9 am every day. I minded the expectation that work was my life. Then the pandemic came and the possibility to do entertainment journalism came, not so much on the side, but as a full-time job and I jumped at it. So I took every bit of the discipline and hard work I’d put into my previous career and put it into this. Read more>>
Ernie Manansala
My journey in the world of marketing and brand management has been a dynamic and fulfilling one. It all began with a passion for innovation and a keen eye for market trends. I embarked on my professional odyssey starting with entry-level positions where I honed my skills in sales management and brand strategy. Read more>>
Rodney Kwame Issacson
When I was 9 years old, my cousin, a talented artist, drew Spider-Man on a blackboard at our house. I admired him so much that I decided I wanted to be as good as him. This led me to start drawing in my class books, which often got me into trouble. Art was the only subject I took seriously. One day, my art teacher praised my work in front of the class, and a girl named Michelle exclaimed, “Mr. Fantastic” because of my skills. That nickname stuck with me. Read more>>
Mike Girma
I was born and raised in Southern California and was interested in a career in medicine from a young age. I was lucky enough to pursue that interest, ultimately getting my MD and becoming an Anesthesiologist. I’ve traveled war and wide for school and ended up back in Southern California, where I’m living and working now. Read more>>
Eric Christianson
Well, I was one of five kids, right in the middle. Raised in a Christian home by parents who loved each other very much and loved us kids probably even more. They both worked hard to keep us all fed and clothed. I had a pair of sneakers for school and a pair of cleats for afterwards that I’d wear until the rubber wore off. No one seemed too rich where I lived, so we never felt like we were missing out. Read more>>
Elizabeth Paravicini
As a young child, I always knew there was something different about me, and that God had a bigger plan for my life. I was always in tune with my spiritual side, and relied heavily on my angels for protection and guidance throughout my life.
I grew up with my mom Elena, and dad Oscar, and three younger sisters, Patty, Alexandra and Michelle. We moved frequently throughout my childhood, always struggling to find some stability in our home and in a new school. It was always difficult to make friends and keep them, because I knew we would always move the next time. I always got used to keeping everyone at a distance, and not getting too close to anyone, because I knew we would eventually have to say good-bye. Read more>>
Rayyaan Jameel
So it all started in a living room in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. My grandfather loved his camcorder and watching be baby bop to his old cassette tapes. He had a very exquisite set up which I can still remember clearly. This continued as we got older into summer music videos or random shorts we had to shoot one every summer and the whole family would watch. I loved it, being in front of the camera having a good time, singing, dancing just getting to be me. it helped that my uncle and mother were also artists at heart. With my uncle we spent days at the Cinema, theater and found a love for renting movies on a weekly basis. My mother I feel is one who truly saw me, through her nurturing I was able to let me love for calligraphy, sketching, painting, the abstract arts and fashion come to light. I was always staring at the clouds and day dreaming about great battles that might be going on up there. Looking at waterfalls and thinking about the creatures that Lurks behind and under them that we never see. What might be under the bed, in teh closet or hiding in the shadows at night. I always had a very vivid imagination, that created stories if love, laughter, superhuman abilities, drama and emotion. Read more>>
Euphoria
I have always dreamed of being in the spot light. Somehow I always ended up surrounded by darkness. Tragedy struck in 2019 leading to my spiral into a major depression. The love of my life was on the brink of death due to a bad decision (He was in a coma for 3-4 months then started his 6 year sentence). I remained in limbo for the first 3 years while struggling to believe life was worth living. We had just started our new life in a new place and it felt like my empire crashed and burned down. Now that I was alone, I was afraid. I weighed about 145 lbs when it all started, I had lost at least 50-100 lbs during this time. This made me extremely insecure about my body. I finally decided to move back home to California with my parents at the 3rd year. The change scared me but I knew if I stayed in my old apartment someone would eventually find me unalived. Read more>>
Blair Shalea
I lean verbose (a.k.a. the literary form of gift of gab, with quill & ink. I’ll do my best to focus on the landmark events we shared, including the woe I met her in all the way to the glow I feel and have because of Kyza today. How I got here: To be blunt, and not the cute edgy bob-type haircut, but to the point: all my hair fell out. The last time I wore “short hair” (slightly above the shoulders), was 8th grade. I’m 40ish now. So long and blonde has been my lewk forever. The blonder the better my mantra which charted the course for my color for the next decade or few… Read more>>
Marjorie Baker
I’d been having lower back issues since my mid-thirties. I’m now 74. I saw a few doctors , but their only answer was steroid shots. They were treating the symptom, but not the cause. A few years ago, I started seeing a chiropractor. The adjustments helped, but he said my abs and glutes were weak and that strengthening those muscles would help my back pain. He had actually been a client of Paula’s for many years and felt certain she could help me. He was right. Since working with Paula, my back pain is greatly reduced, my posture improved significantly and I gained the strength needed to better function in my daily life. Read more>>
Esmeralda Gallemore
My name is Esmeralda Gallemore, and I come from humble beginnings. I embarked on a journey that defied societal norms, and learned the true potential of determination and hard work.
I was raised in a close-knit family in a small Mexican town, where the drive for a better life led us to the United States with little more than a dream and unwavering determination. We had next to nothing, but we knew that there was opportunity wherever there was will. Read more>>
Paola Hernandez
I’m Paola Hernandez the founder of Pretty Fun Things. After a decade of event planning, I sought a new challenge and transformed it into a space for women’s empowerment. My goal was to unite women and provide a sanctuary where they could freely express themselves. This idea was born from my own longing for a safe haven. Despite the abundance of women empowerment initiatives, I believed I had something unique to offer and decided to take a leap of faith. From a young age, I found joy in hosting gatherings for my family, understanding the power of kindness and its profound impact on people. Read more>>
C-Asia Chanté
My journey started back in 2014. It had been two years since being out of high school and I had no idea on what I wanted to do, as far as working or going to school. I’ve attended community college TWICE, two different schools at that. Community college was fun for what it was, I just did it completely wrong. I wasn’t in the right classes that actually mattered and when I think about it I wasted ALOT of time and I did homework for nothing lol. (No one told me I needed general ed classes, I literally signed up for all the “FUN” classes. Keep in mind this was all straight out of high school, year 2012. I pretty much was guiding myself. Moving along I was having a conversation with an old friend about what we wanted to do with our futures and of course I didn’t have an answer. She said to me verbatim “I think you should become an esthetician.” Oblivious to what that was I looked it up and found a school that was in one of my favorite cities (Alameda of course) and super close to where I lived at the time two bus rides away to be exact. Me being one of those people, when I come up with an idea I have to see it though. Read more>>
Andra Corral
Opening Cookies N Pints was the culmination of almost 20 years of work. I studied Baking and Pastry in culinary school, worked at hotels and high-end bakeries, catered small events, and spent a year as a cook at a mountain camp facility. I burned out and took a break when I got pregnant with my first kiddo. Read more>>
