Episode 49: Author and Publisher Pamela McColl joins the podcast for a special Holiday Episode to discuss her book Twas The Night - The Art and History of the Classic Christmas Poem in celebration of the bicentennial of the iconic poem “Account of A Visit From St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore on December 23, 1823.

During our conversation, Pamela discusses her journey in art and history and how it led to a personal ten-year project researching and curating a book on “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Expanding on the poem’s theme, we talk about its impact on the spirit of the Holiday Season and how its message of kindness and generosity has stood the test of time.

Episode 48: Piper + Enza’s Rita Ho-Bezzola joins the podcast to discuss the road she has taken from growing up in Taiwan and becoming a concert pianist to becoming the Founder and CEO of Piper + Enza.

During this engaging conversation, we talk about everything from the demands of family businesses to how going through Covid as a parent inspired Rita to launch Piper + Enza - a company built to provide children with engaging stories and toys and parents with expert resources to serve their family’s physical and mental wellbeing.

Episode 47: The Nextdoors’ Mika Larson and Russell Mark join the podcast to talk about the role music and the arts have played in their lives and how they have built a unique sound in East Pasadena.

As a duo, Mika and Russell have performed locally, but also hosted shows in the Midwest, and in 2022, they released their debut album, Linda Vista - an ode to Americana music. We talk about their backgrounds growing up in Minnesota and Arizona, respectively, the origins of The Nextdoors, and their recently released music video for their song Awaken.

Episode 46: Merch Motel’s Barkev Msrlyan joins the podcast to discuss his journey from growing up in Pasadena to how his interest in design led him to launch Merch Motel, a retro-inspired brand built around historic places and vintage signs. With Merch Motel, Barkev has hosted events, produced one-of-a-kind collectibles, hosted his own podcast, and released wonderfully made videos.

Episode 45: Found Coffee’s Annie Choi joins the podcast to discuss creating a community at Found Coffee, the shop she opened in 2015 in Eagle Rock.

While coffee has always been a part of her life, Annie’s journey took her from La Crescenta to UC San Diego and then a career in post-production, where she worked on some pretty big shows, but was unhappy. She took an unpaid internship at one of her favorite coffee shops, and started her second career as a barista and eventually the owner of her own wonderfully bright and warm shop.

Episode 44: Esotouric’s Kim Cooper and Richard Schave come on the podcast to talk about their journey as guides and preservationists dedicated to keeping the stories and places of old Los Angeles alive.

In a far-reaching conversation, we talk about the responsibility of storytelling, the return of their famous bus tours after COVID-19, and an ongoing preservation battle over the B’nai B’rith Lodge on South Union Avenue in Downtown. This special episode was recorded at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, and we discuss its role as one of the world’s great independent research libraries.

Episode 43: Exploring Pasadena’s Julia Long joins the podcast to share her story of growing up in Pasadena, her adventures traveling and working in museums as a curator, and how she returned to Southern California.

With a love of history, Julia founded Exploring Pasadena - a walking tour project focused on what makes our area so interesting and unique. This summer, she joined the Pasadena Museum of History as Curator of History and Exhibitions and is already working on some amazing exhibits to celebrate the Museum’s centennial.

Episode 41: Altadena Town Councilmember Dorothy Wong joins the podcast to talk about the road she has traveled from growing up in Hawaii to moving to Los Angeles and eventually working in the TV production industry. An athlete and competitor, Dorothy discovered mountain biking and cyclocross and became an elite racer and legend in the local cycling community. Bikes led her to her other career as a race organizer and she has been the SoCalCross Series Director since 2005.

Dorothy is a tireless advocate and leads with compassion and heart and has served on the Altadena Town Council since 2017, where she is the Council’s Corresponding Secretary and Chair of its Altadena Safe Streets – Traffic Safety & Mobility Committee.

Episode 40: Heavenly Hughes and Victor Hodgson from My Tribe Rise join the podcast for a discussion about the Altadena community, its importance to their lives, and how it inspired them to create their impactful non-profit. My Tribe Rise was founded to create a voice of unity, and they have focused on helping others by providing food security, mentorship, advocating for freedom from racial profiling and police violence, and instilling a sense of purpose in those that need it most.   

On Saturday, June 17th, they are organizing their Third Annual DENA Juneteenth 2023 celebration at the Metropolitan Baptist Church at 2283 Fair Oaks Avenue in Altadena from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm. All are welcome to this family-friendly event.

Episode 39: Michelle Ares of LA Dreaming joins the podcast to talk about a journey that has taken her from Long Beach to Tennessee and back to California. When she was four and her family moved to Tennessee, she vowed to return to the Golden State and has worked in and around the entertainment industry since college, including time at Warner Bros, Disneyland, and Walt Disney World.

As a way to share her adventures and passion, Michelle founded LA Dreaming in 2018 and, in 2021, launched her companion podcast. She brings the energy of a tour guide and the honesty of a local to explore and educate visitors and Angelenos alike.

Episode 38: Marla Frazee joins the podcast to talk about her journey growing up in the Los Angeles area and how illustrating her best friend’s book in the third grade started an illustrious career as an author and illustrator. For her illustrations in A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever and All the World, Marla has been recognized twice as a Caldecott honoree, a distinction for being one of the best children’s book illustrators in the country.

In February 2023, Marla’s latest book, In Every Life, was published. It is a project with a Pasadena connection and a continuation of Marla’s incredible voice as an author and illustrator, blending intimate portraits and vast landscapes to share a timeless message. Over a plate of cookies and fruit, we discuss the importance of children’s books and how she creates stories that impact children and adult readers alike.

Episode 37: Pablo Miralles joins the podcast to discuss growing up in Altadena and attending Pasadena’s iconic John Muir High School. After a college professor submitted a music video he filmed to a student film festival and he won, he embarked on a career in filmmaking and storytelling.

In 2008, Pablo founded Arroyo Seco Films to create films, TV, and digital media productions that entertain and challenge. He co-wrote, co-directed, and co-produced “Gringos at the Gate” - a film about the soccer rivalry between Mexico and the US and his most recent film is the award-winning documentary "Can We All Get Along? The Segregation of John Muir High School.” It is a powerful film about Pasadena's history, public education in California, and diversity in our community.

Episode 36: Councilmember-Elect Jason Lyon joins the show to discuss his life in public service and how he went from growing up in North Carolina and wanting to make documentary films to pursuing a law career in California.

Since moving to Pasadena with his family, Jason has served on several critically important city commissions and boards, including the Historic Preservation and Planning Commissions and the Board of Zoning Appeals. These experiences, along with his non-profit work, provided Jason with invaluable knowledge and reinforced his passion for public service. In June of 2022, Jason was elected to the Pasadena City Council for District 7 and will take office in December. Jason shares why he choose to run for public office, his views on creating a unified city, his priorities on the City Council, and we close our conversation with his perfect day in District 7.

Pat Amsbry joins the show to discuss his journey from advertising and owning a small business to why he is running for the PUSD Board for District 3.

A product of public schools, Pat has an interesting history. His family could not lottery into PUSD to accommodate his son’s special needs, so they had to explore private school options. However, believing that our community should better support its local schools, Pat and his wife created Friends of Madison Elementary, a non-profit donor-advised fund that provides charitable and educational support for students and their families and teachers and staff. Pat discusses his top priorities for PUSD, including improving 3rd Grade reading and accountability, and we close our conversation with his perfect day in The Crown City.

To learn more about Pat and his campaign, please visit www.pat4pusd.com and to support Friends of Madison Elementary, please visit www.friendsofmadison.org .

Episode 35: Patrice Marshall McKenzie joins the show to talk about the role that Pasadena public schools had in her success, her journey in education policy, and why she is running for the PUSD Board for District 5.

Believing that public education is a community benefit, Patrice has championed collaboration and policies to not only improve schools but other important operations like how contracts are awarded. Since 2015, Patrice has worked for LAUSD Board Member Dr. George McKenna and currently serves as his Deputy Chief of Staff. Showing her commitment to improving Pasadena schools and preparing them for the future, Patrice co-chaired the “Yes on Measure O” campaign, which raised $516 million in bonds to upgrade schools and infrastructure. Patrice shares her vision for Pasadena public schools and how we can make PUSD a premier school district, and we close our conversation with her perfect day in Pasadena.

Episode 33: Pasadena Wine Shop’s Nicole Lalagüe joins the show to talk about her career as a sommelier and how a car accident inspired her to open up her own wine store in the Green Street Village.

After working for the Thomas Keller Group and managing local sales and distribution for some of the best wines in the world, Nicole opened the Pasadena Wine Shop in May 2022. The store carries a diverse and curated selection of wine, but more importantly, it offers each guest the opportunity to find their next perfect bottle. Nicole shares her unconventional path in the industry, what makes wine so unique, and her ideal day in Pasadena.

Episode 32: My Zero Waste Store’s Cheryl Auger joins the show to talk about her upbringing and career in engineering, project management, and cybersecurity and how a chance conversation changed how she viewed plastic and recycling.

In the summer of 2020, Cheryl opened My Zero Waste Store to reduce our dependence on plastics and to offer customers a more sustainable shopping experience. As of June 2022, My Zero Waste Store has eliminated more than 3.1 million pieces of plastic and recently received a 2022 Sustainable Earth Small Business Award. In addition to owning My Zero Waste Store, Cheryl is an environmental activist and leader of BAN SUP, a group dedicated to raising awareness and advocating for local and statewide legislation to reduce plastic in our communities.

Episode 31: Historian Bill Deverell joins the show to discuss his interest in the American West, the importance of studying our past, and his excellent podcast series Western Edition.

Bill originally considered following his father’s footsteps of being a doctor before dedicating himself to exploring the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Following professorships at UC San Diego and CalTech, Bill became a teacher at USC and then the Director of the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West and one of the founding directors of the Los Angeles Service Academy. In 2021, Bill and the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West launched Western Edition, a wonderful podcast series that explored our relationship with fire in season one and Los Angeles’ Chinatown in season two.

Episode 30: Tournament of Roses’ Senior Event Manager Mariela Spillari joins the show to talk about the impact of her hard-working family, how she got involved with large-scale event planning, and her favorite part of a parade.

Born in Guatemala and raised in New York, Mariela has built a successful career in one of the most stressful and demanding jobs imaginable. Before joining the Tournament of Roses to work on the most recognized parade in the world - The Rose Parade - Mariela was an event manager at Macy’s, where she worked on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Fourth of July Fireworks, among countless others. In 2019, she joined LA Pride as Producer of the LA Pride Parade, an experience that has had a tremendous impact on her personally.

PCC Board of Trustee Sandra Chen Lau joins the show for a conversation about the role education had in her early life, her work with non-profits and higher education, and why she ran for the Pasadena City College Board of Trustees in 2018.

Raised in Monterey Park after her family immigrated from China, Sandra attended Rio Hondo College before earning her bachelor’s degree from UC Riverside and a master’s degree from UCLA. As a non-profit philanthropy executive, she has worked to improve higher education while at Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, UCLA, and USC. Sandra joined the PCC Board of Trustees to help bring some governing stability to such a storied institution and her mission continues as PCC faces new headwinds following Covid. Among other topics, we talk about falling enrollment, the rising cost of higher education, parenthood, and some of her favorite places around Pasadena.