The Hollywood Second Act Club Podcast

Welcome back to Season 2 of The Hollywood Second Act Club Podcast. I can’t wait for you to meet my fabulous lineup of guests this season, starting today! As always, my mission is to empower entertainment industry professionals (and beyond!) with the inspiration, resources, and strategies to make life's bold pivots less overwhelming...and way more fun!

We're kicking off the Season by laying out the blueprints for Big life a...

Hello, my beautiful friends! Welcome to the final episode of The Hollywood Second Act Club Podcast for this year. Can you believe we’re wrapping up 2024?  Today, I’m settling in for a little heart-to-heart to close out the year. I'll be sharing three big lessons that carried over from my life in production that really stood out to me this year ( I bet you can relate to a few!) Plus, a sneak peek at what’s coming in 2025...and ...

Ready to hit the reset button and reboot? My guest today did just that! And the results were transformative. I'm thrilled to welcome financial adviser Kristin Wollam to the show this week.

Kristin began her career as a music supervisor in Los Angeles, working on films such as “The Blind Side,” “Sex and The City 2”, and Tom Ford’s “A Single Man.” She eventually took her talents to the boutique music publishing company ...

Happy Thanksgiving Sweet Friends! In honor of this special day, we’ve got an episode that’s equal parts heartwarming and mouthwatering. Foodies and pizza lovers, this one's for you!

Joining us is the one and only Michael "Kriky" Krikorian—a sound mixer with credits like This Is Us, The Jungle Book, and American Horror Story.  During the industry strikes, Michael took a leap and went all in on his  passion for cooking ...

Happy Sunday, friends! Welcome to Part 2 of my conversation with Sari Rose Barron, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and certified EMDR therapist. If you haven’t listened to last week’s episode, start there to get context on Sari's journey in the industry before diving in!

Sari specializes in trauma, PTSD, parenting, and adolescent therapy. She brings over 15 years of experience in private practice. She founded SoCal Ind...

I’m thrilled to welcome my dear friend Sari Rose Barron, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and certified EMDR therapist, to the podcast this week! We dive into the theme of evolving dreams and discuss Sari's own Hollywood Pivot. Originally pursuing a career as an actor in New York and Los Angeles, she found her true passion in a field that brings her deep fulfillment—helping others heal as a therapist.

With 15...

My guest today is the incredibly lovely and inspiring Jane Carroll, founder of Jane Foodie. Growing up, Jane defied traditional roles for women, paving her own path and embracing the unconventional. She shares her journey from a single mom in the Bronx to a pioneer in the floral event design and movie catering industry. Despite facing numerous personal and professional setbacks, Jane shares how she reset and adapted to life's ...

Today's guest is author, speaker, comedian, and mental health advocate Kristina Kuzmic. Kristina is a cheerleader for her fellow humans. After immigrating to America from Croatia during the war in her homeland and later facing more challenges (divorce, single parenting, poverty, mental health challenges), Kristina’s goal became clear: to be for others what she needed when she was at her lowest. Now, with well over one billion ...

If you're anything like me, it's been much more Hustle than Flow lately. Well, time to switch that up. The Hollywood Second Act Club is teaming up with Neon Soul Yoga on Sat. Nov 16th for a Special Yoga Pop-Up Event inviting you to press pause, realign, and take a moment to reflect on what might be next.
 
For many of us, it's been a Big year with many changes and transitions. This special session, guided by...

My guest today is Akilah Chopfield. Akilah is a former Production Manager of Health and Safety for Disney Corporate, Writer, and Yoga instructor. Akilah shares her journey of self-discovery and healing after a high-pressure role managing COVID protocols led to severe stress and health issues. Following massive industry-wide layoffs and historic dual strikes, she took the opportunity to pursue becoming a certified yoga instructor an...

In this Business Builder episode, we deep dive into the transformative potential of LinkedIn—an often-overlooked gem for entertainment industry professionals! If you've spent more time updating your IMDb profile than your LinkedIn page, this episode is for you. Tune in to discover how it can be a powerful game-changing platform for freelancers and creatives looking to forge new paths.

My delightful guest, Janice Porter, is a Li...

Today's episode is a fun one! It will likely spark some wanderlust and encourage you to think outside the box—two of my favorite things:) We'll travel from Hollywood to Nashville and explore the transition from life on set to Tik Tok success.

I'm thrilled to introduce you to my guest, Michelle Spieler. Michelle is a Makeup Artist, Course Creator, and Mature Beauty Educator with 30 years of professional experience. She...

Friends! I’m thrilled to welcome my new pal and native New Yorker, Beth Kushnick, to the show. Beth is a Set Decorator and Interior Designer with over 35 years of experience in the industry. She is known for her work on "The Good Wife," "The Good Fight," and films like "Rare Objects" and "Insidious 5”. Kushnick is a Hall of Fame Inductee of The Set Decorators Society of America, a Christie’s Arbit...

This week's episode with Under Water Portrait Photographer Jennifer Tanksley-Coss is nothing short of magic! Get ready to discover a whole new world and perspective with this extraordinary woman as your guide.

Jennifer grew up eating, drinking, and breathing film in an industry family in Germany. She began working as a high-speed camera technician right after high school on films and commercials across Europe- Eventua...

Whether you're exhausted from trying to get a new side hustle off the ground, overwhelmed, or simply done with figuring it out alone- hang in there friend, today's shorty episode is for you! I'll let you in on a little secret...this episode was supposed to come out three days ago, but life had other plans. So I pivoted!

Today we get Meta about what it really takes to switch things up, the speed bumps along ...

If you've ever found yourself making a career pivot on a dime, despite having a good thing going- this episode is for you! 

My guest is  Film Development Executive turned Author and Advocate for parents , caregivers, and individuals with disabilities, Kelley Coleman. Her writing is an extension of her Before Times career developing talking animal movies, and also a few fun disaster movies!

Kelley's boo...

Ladies- and gentlemen- start your engines !!! This week's episode is about the incredible things that show up in our lives when we allow ourselves to pivot- and embrace the unknown. My guest this week shows us how !

 With 200+ credits as a Makeup Artist and over 50,000 production hours to her name, Brenda Rippee is making a career "pivot" into the petrol world, Porsche in particular and Women In Porsche to be exact.  ...

If you're looking to diversifying your income outside of the Entertainment Industry, this Business Builder episode is for you! We've all lived through this season in Hollywood- and it feels like the punchline is this: Now more than ever, cultivating that side-hustle isn't just smart, it's essential.

 If you're short on ideas for *what* that could be -or not feeling confident you've got what it...

This episode is for anyone who has found themselves somewhere in the middle- between what life used to be, and what it's becoming. Navigating without a roadmap, but trusting ( and following ) the "yeses" along the way!

My guest today is Erinn Eichinger. Erinn is a producer, writer and professor with more than 25  years of experience in the television industry. She shares her journey from working in journalism and loca...