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The Silva Harapetian Show

The Silva Harapetian Show

By Silva Harapetian

We focus on the power of storytelling.

We feature ordinary people with extraordinary stories living life on their own terms.

Everyone has a story. It is by sharing our authentic stories that we carve our place in this world; in business and in life.

It is our mission to tell EPIC stories and help teach you how you can leverage the exposure from the stories into achieving greatness in your life and massive publicity and growth in your business.


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Episode 16 - Reporting From The Front Line: Independent Correspondent Speaks on War

The Silva Harapetian ShowOct 24, 2020

00:00
35:12
Episode 27 - Narbe Mansourian: How a Middle School Teacher Became a 11 Time World Bench Press Champion

Episode 27 - Narbe Mansourian: How a Middle School Teacher Became a 11 Time World Bench Press Champion

Narbe Mansourian is a father of two and a proud teacher to 5th and 6th graders. 

In college, h discovered what he calls a “God-given talent.” Since then, this 5’6” 147-pound father holds a world record for benching 392 pounds. 

In this episode, Silva Harapetian talks to Narbe about his childhood, how he uses the adversities in his life as fuel and how he hopes to be an example of what it means to live intentionally.

Aug 18, 202139:38
Episode 26 - Aron Bender: Why One Man Who Lost His Wife to Cancer Says Getting Fired Was the Greatest Gift

Episode 26 - Aron Bender: Why One Man Who Lost His Wife to Cancer Says Getting Fired Was the Greatest Gift

Just two months after getting fired from KFI Radio, Aron Bender and his family received devastating news. His wife’s cancer had returned, this time it would take her life.

Silva Harapetian talks to Aron Bender about how he and his family fought cancer. How his two young daughters have been coping and why he calls the experience the greatest gift he’s ever been given.

Aug 18, 202139:30
Episode 25 - Mariya Palanjian: Necessity Is Mother of Invention: How One Woman Has Built Multiple Businesses Based on Her Own Needs

Episode 25 - Mariya Palanjian: Necessity Is Mother of Invention: How One Woman Has Built Multiple Businesses Based on Her Own Needs

Mariya Palanjian is a serial entrepreneur. Her passion for entrepreneurship began with her dad in Armenia. She remembers as a six-year-old telling everyone she would someday be a business owner.

Silva Harapetian speaks with Mariya, the CEO of a successful advertising business, and the co-founder of a health & wellness company.

They talk about business, how to pivot from online to offline, the power of marketing and storytelling in the success of startups.

Aug 18, 202139:10
Episode 24 - Nika Nour: Equity and Equality in the Game Development Industry

Episode 24 - Nika Nour: Equity and Equality in the Game Development Industry

The gaming industry is a 160 Billion dollar industry, larger than the music industry. It is also an industry where women, minorities, women, and people of color have historically been underrepresented. Only 41% of women work in the gaming industry.

One woman is on a mission to change the landscape. Nika Nour, an Iranian woman from California is leading the charge as the CEO of the International Game Developers Association where she is a leading voice for diversity, inclusion in the video gaming industry.

Silva Harapetian speaks to Nika Nour about being bullied after 911. How gaming saved her and turned her into an advocate for equity, equality, and inclusion.

Aug 18, 202136:44
Episode 23 - Lori Lizarraga: Breaking The Culture of Silence: How One Woman's Fight For Inclusion Shattered The Status Quo

Episode 23 - Lori Lizarraga: Breaking The Culture of Silence: How One Woman's Fight For Inclusion Shattered The Status Quo

We have been hearing and talking a lot about diversity, equity, and inclusion in the past year -- particularly in the media.

However — when those issues are being talked about — we must stop and ask ourselves — who is presenting those issues to the public and who is represented in the stories that are told.

Lori Lizarraga is a former Denver journalist. She claims company-wide guidelines toward covering immigrants and immigration issues were discriminatory. She says it discouraged Latina reporters from covering issues within those communities.

She says, for two years, she and her colleagues fought for equity and equality within the newsroom but were ultimately axed. The TV station got rid of her and two other Latina reporters in one year.

Silva Harapetian has a candid conversation about why it’s important to sound the alarm to the public and how her voice has already changed decades-old company guidelines for the future.

Aug 18, 202139:41
Episode 22 - Maki Hsieh: Stop Asian Hate - Conversations Advances Equity, Excellence and Equality

Episode 22 - Maki Hsieh: Stop Asian Hate - Conversations Advances Equity, Excellence and Equality

Anti-Asian violence and open acts of hate against Asians of all nationalities continue to escalate in America and worldwide.

68% of Asian hate crime victims are women.

Silva Harapetian speaks to Maki Hsieh, the CEO of Asian Hall of Fame, about advancing equity, excellence, and equality and why we must increase the severity of hate crime penalties and allow prosecutors to seek harsher punishments.

Aug 18, 202137:14
Episode 21 - Ann Keil-Dux: How A Woman Transformed Her Life and Career After Catastrophic News

Episode 21 - Ann Keil-Dux: How A Woman Transformed Her Life and Career After Catastrophic News

“What if I die.”

“What if I’m sick.”

“What if he doesn’t want to marry me?”

When a former Emmy-winning journalist was diagnosed with stage one cancer in her face her life changed forever.

Silva Harapetian speaks Ann Keil-Dux about the life-changing decisions she had to make and how she has taken the health crisis to build a whole new life and career.

Aug 18, 202142:35
Episode 20 - Aaron Rentfrew: How to Breakthrough Hopelessness and Change Your Life

Episode 20 - Aaron Rentfrew: How to Breakthrough Hopelessness and Change Your Life

Aaron Rentfrew is on a mission to help people reach their full potential and achieve their ideal life and live on purpose.

Rentfrew is the author of “Turning Point.” He is a recovering addict who once tried to take his own life. Today, he is healthy, happy, and fulfilling his mission as an adventure coach.

In this week’s episode, Rentfrew speaks to Silva Harapetian about how he turned a life that was unfulfilling and stressful into a mission to help others succeed in business and in life.

Aug 18, 202139:22
Episode 19 - Jasmine Minor: How Journalist Became the Story - Everything We Can’t Say

Episode 19 - Jasmine Minor: How Journalist Became the Story - Everything We Can’t Say

Everything We Can’t Say is a new series where Black journalists and journalists of color get raw and real about what the public doesn’t see happen at their jobs at the organizations for which they work and the things they deal with while reporting. 

Founder Jasmine Minor spoke to Silva Harapetian about why she started the project and why she believes this project will change the life of journalists and make an impact in the communities in which they work.

Aug 18, 202137:39
Episode 18 - Jubril Agoro: How a College Drop Out Turned Digital Marketer Makes $15 Million Traveling the World

Episode 18 - Jubril Agoro: How a College Drop Out Turned Digital Marketer Makes $15 Million Traveling the World

At a time when unemployment numbers are soaring, one man is busier than ever. Jubril Agoro credits his success to life lessons he learned early on as an entrepreneur.

Silva Harapetian talks to him about how he went from being homeless to building a 15 million dollar digital marketing empire.

Aug 18, 202152:41
Episode 17 - Lewis Howes: How a High School Dropout Went From Sleeping on His Sister's Couch to Making Millions

Episode 17 - Lewis Howes: How a High School Dropout Went From Sleeping on His Sister's Couch to Making Millions

Lewis Howes lives the American dream. 

Howes is an online marketing expert, sought-after business coach, and a globally recognized speaker.

His podcast, The School of Greatness has more than 10 million downloads. He interviews influential people like Arianna Huffington, Kobe Bryant, Tom Bilyeu, Gabrielle Reece, Jay Shetty, and many more. 

Howes is a New York Times Best Seller of the book The School of Greatness. He is also the author of the Mask of Masculinity. 

In this episode, we talk about the step-by-step process he used to turn his life around going from being an injured pro-athlete with no job prospects to becoming an entrepreneur and a millionaire. 

He opens up about the secret he carried for years and how sharing it helped him find peace. 


Jan 12, 202126:41
Episode 16 - Reporting From The Front Line: Independent Correspondent Speaks on War
Oct 24, 202035:12
Episode 15 - War: Feelings and Emotions

Episode 15 - War: Feelings and Emotions

War is always a humanitarian crisis. The innocent victims caught in the middle of two countries, parties, entities fighting are always the ones that suffer the most. 

Most recently, the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, land between Armenia and Azerbaijan has resurfaced complicated feelings for those who live there and millions in the diaspora.  

Armenians in the diaspora are feeling helpless and stressed as International powers have not stepped in to intervene in the conflict.   

Many reports feeling a sense of guilt and an intense desire to do more.    

Edit Alaverdyan is a licensed associate psychotherapist who works with families and children.   

We discuss why Armenians are so loud. Why we are always seeking validation. How the denial of the Genocide has impacted who we are as a community and people.   We dig deep into the impact of transgenerational trauma and how it has shaped our ability to process information. The importance of how we communicate with our children during these stressful and tense times.   

► Watch the interview and Subscribe to My Channel Here  https://www.youtube.com/Silvaharapetian

Oct 23, 202039:39
Episode 14 - How to Overcome Loss and Grief: Lessons from a Grieving Mom

Episode 14 - How to Overcome Loss and Grief: Lessons from a Grieving Mom

There is no pain greater than a mother's pain who has lost a child.  

This is the story of one woman who endured excruciating pain and her journey from the depths of grief to moments of joy eventually arriving at a life of happiness.  

Her advice and processes to overcome loss and grief are timely as with the global health crisis we are all feeling a sense of loss in one way or another.  

Watch the interview. 

The pandemic and the stay-home orders have isolated us from our families and friends.  It has cost us our way of life, our jobs, our businesses, and worst of all, in some cases taken from us our friends and family members.  

The loss we feel is real. The pain that comes with that loss is also real.  How we cope with it and how we come out on the other side of that hurt has everything to do with how we grieve and heal. 

There is nobody better to teach us about loss, pain, grief, and hope than Dr. Betsy Guerra,  a Doctor of Clinical Psychology, a mother of four, a devoted wife, and the mother of an angel named Fofi.  

In a candid conversation, Dr. Guerra tells us how she turned hurt to hope.  

She explains the anatomy of pain, how to honor it, use it as fuel to grow and transform our lives even in our darkest moments.  Let this serve as a reminder to take a moment and check-in with yourself.  

Check-in on your friends and family.  

Remember to check-in on moms and dads who have lost a child, even those who've been a mother/father figure feel the loss as the pain for them is also real and particularly difficult in these times.  

If you need resources to cope, manage, and heal reach out to Dr. Betsy Guerra.

Oct 06, 202036:11
Episode 13 - How to manage your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in crisis.
Sep 23, 202039:37
Episode 12 - How Important is The Immigrant Vote in Elections
Sep 12, 202038:36
Episode 11 - How to Build a Community and Pandemic Proof Your Future

Episode 11 - How to Build a Community and Pandemic Proof Your Future

Building Community: How One Organization is Helping The Youth “Pandemic Proof” Their Future  

Watch Full Episode HERE

The pandemic experience has led to a renewed appreciation for the community. We’ve experienced loss in this time -- many have been mourning and grieving in isolation.  

But, the continued push to communicate that “we are in this together,” has created what seems to be a shift from our individualistic philosophy and lifestyles to more collective and community-based engagement.  

Community is built by showing up, time, and time again something many of us have been able to do simply because our lives have slowed down.  We’ve posted less and reached out more. 

We’ve texted less and talked more. We’ve had zoom meetings, Facetime coffee hour, virtual happy hour, drive-by baby showers, birthdays, graduations and so much.  

In this episode, we explore what it means to be part of a tight knight community, what it takes to build and sustain one, and how one group is pulling all of its resources to help the youth pandemic proof their future.  

Silvana Vartanian and Michael Zakian with the organization called @nerouj_wd (which stands for Nerki Ooj - translates to “Strength Within”) join me in this episode.  

To register for their upcoming event here:   https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NQaQ45m0R56RUOyK0HcPgw

Sep 06, 202041:03
Episode 10 - Sports and Social Justice: NBA Boycotts Lead to Athletes World Wide Taking a Stand and Demanding Change
Aug 30, 202040:59
BONUS - Everybody Has a Story. What's Yours?

BONUS - Everybody Has a Story. What's Yours?

ORDINARY PEOPLE. EXTRAORDINARY STORIES: Everybody Has a Story, What’s Yours?
By: Silva Harapetian
We are digging deep into our archives featuring some past stories that have touched our hearts and mind. We hope you enjoy it.
Story 1: How to Overcome Grief: William the Veteran
William saved his neighbor during a chaotic standoff. The woman’s mentally ill son had taken his parents hostage at knifepoint and was refusing to let them go. William, a veteran, a neighbor across the street, saw an opportunity and jumped into action pulling the woman out of the garage.
William, a hero, in this situation, acted as though he had done nothing out of the ordinary. His calm and cool demeanor was impressive. It led to a heartfelt conversation. William is 71-years old. He rides a Harley-Davidson. The kind of bike you know it’s coming when it’s two blocks away. He is a war veteran and a man who is not afraid of dying.
Story 2: How to do What You Love: No Name Pub
Many of us just have a job and earn a paycheck but we do not like what we do. On Big Pine Key Island. There is a bar called "No Name Bar."
The world-renowned tourist attraction is known for having its walls covered with $1 bills. For more than three decades, visitors have left personalized messages written on $1 bills that they then staple to the wall. Every open surface inside the bar -- the walls, the ceiling, and the bar stand are covered with $1 dollar bills. The waitress estimates that there is more than half-a-million dollars worth of $1 bills inside this pub. In a very strange way, being inside the bar, I felt this odd connection to everyone who had passed through and left a message. In talking with the waitress, I realized how happy and carefree she seemed. I, wanted to know how?
Story 3: How to Find Peace: Addicted to Stress
How to overcome stress addiction is a subject many of us never even think about because...well...why would we? My friend Gillen, a former CEO who led a 500 person company, from France shares her experience in how she overcame her addiction to stress.
Story 4: How to wait for love: A Couple’s Love Story
We meet a man who admits his fear of commitment cost him 10 years with the woman he loves.
Story 5: How to Find Happiness: The Story of a Bathroom Attendant
Most people think of happiness as a destination. But happiness is choosing to find joy in moments. I met a woman a few years ago whose job had been attending the bathrooms at the Miami International Airport airport for 23 years. Her action to create a moment of happiness brought so much joy to her life that although she lived in a state of pain, happiness was always right next door.
Story 6: How a Man Who Lost Everything Finds Hope and Motivation: A Homeless man’s Confession.
Robert, once a photographer and journalist for the space station in Florida, he lives in the streets in Broward County, Florida. This is a story of how a man with experience, credentials, and a drive to succeed ended up being homeless. He shares with us what it’s like being homeless and how he is trying to rebuild his life.
Story 7: How His Attempt at Suicide Saved Him: One Man’s Journey to Greatness
Shawn is an Uber driver and a realtor working to create a better life for him and his new wife. After a rough few years, struggling with depression, a suicide attempt, and failure, Shawn shared with me how he stays positive even when things get tough.

Aug 21, 202038:22
Episode 9 | How to Survive Anxiety and Stress Triggered by Trauma

Episode 9 | How to Survive Anxiety and Stress Triggered by Trauma

How to Survive Anxiety and Stress Triggered by Trauma. For one specific population, managing stress, trauma, and triggers is a lot more challenging during the Covid19 crisis. The virus, the response, and the subsequent stay-at-home orders are having unintended consequences around the world.

 In immigrant communities, there have been a growing number of reports about feelings of anxiety and stress. Thousands of people displaced from their home traumatized by war and conflict are reliving their past. 

The current health crisis and the subsequent isolation is triggering a heightened sense of instability and fear among those who have experienced transgenerational trauma. 

Many survivors are aware of these types of triggers and often seek help but there is a vulnerable group that is unaware of its impact on their mental health. They may be suffering in silence without even knowing the cause of their heightened level of emotions.   It is important to help this vulnerable population to manage its emotional and mental health during this crisis. 


Silva Harapetian speaks to Adriana Karapetian, a psychotherapist who works with survivors says it is important to remember that we are all in this together.   She has some tips on how to manage anxiety.  

1. Surround yourself (virtually) with loved ones (family and friends)  
2. Find a new hobby
3. Get close to nature (hug a tree)  
4. Listen to your body   

In these times, it is important that we also check on our families and friends who have survived trauma. Remind yourself and remind them to take the following advice.     

Be kind to yourself.  Be kind to others. Talk to someone. Don't push people away.  

Aug 16, 202045:47
Episode 8 | Arielle Loren - 100K Incubator

Episode 8 | Arielle Loren - 100K Incubator

Funding a Small Business. 

Silva Harapetian explores how one woman is helping other business owners find funding to grow and scale their businesses. 

The pandemic, the protests, and conversation around systemic racism has raised even more questions about economic equality and progress. 

It is imperative that we have conversations about the real economic challenges black, brown, and minority communities face today and have faced for decades. 

It’s time to talk about ownership, control, and how to build generational wealth. 

In an interview with Arielle Loren Founder of 100kincubator, Silva Harapetian talk about what it’s going to take to survive the economy during the pandemic, how to find funding to help us sustain and how to position ourselves as a small business to take advantage of the downturn.

Aug 06, 202029:38
Episode 7 | How One Woman Finds Happiness Everyday

Episode 7 | How One Woman Finds Happiness Everyday

 Nancy, a Cuban woman finds happiness everyday despite what circumstances stands in her way.

Aug 05, 202006:57
Episode 6 | How to Stay Positive

Episode 6 | How to Stay Positive

Everyone has a story!  Shawn, an Uber driver and a realtor working to create a better life for him and his new wife. After a rough few years, struggling with depression, a suicide attempt and failure, Shawn shared with me how he stays positive even when things get tough.

Aug 05, 202007:10
Episode 4 | How to overcome Stress Addiction

Episode 4 | How to overcome Stress Addiction

How to overcome stress addiction is a subject many of us never even think about because...well why would we?  Most of us don't consider the time we spend on the non-stop speedy treadmill stressful let alone addictive. We justify it as our way of achieving success, being productive, showing up constantly no matter what, and being reliable.  It's not until something drastic happens to us when we are shaken to the core that we realize perhaps we need to reconsider the definition of stress and stress addiction.  I came to understand that I too was addicted to stress years after I stopped working in television news. Having worked inconsistent ungodly hours sometimes 18 hour days for almost 22 years, it was hard to sit still. It turns out I was addicted to stress something I didn't even understand until I had a conversation with a BNI member and friend Gillen from France. She talked about the French philosopher René Descartes who said "I think therefore I am."   She challenged his thinking by explaining that we are not only what we think. We are also what we feel, we are our bodies and our intuition. But we don't pay enough attention to ourselves as a whole being.   Gillen was a CEO that led a 500 person company. But when she left her position and decided to take some time off -- she realized taking time off came very hard. She felt restless and like a fish out of water. She felt unproductive but had a breakthrough.   "If I'm not stressed I have this false belief that I'm useless."   Once she realized she was addicted to stress -- she began to focus more on who she was rather than what we did. She says, focus on being rather than doing.   We are a mixture of what we do and who we are when we do it.

Aug 05, 202008:23
Episode 5 | How to Wait for Love

Episode 5 | How to Wait for Love

How to Find Love. One couple waited 10 years to be together. Their story is an inspiration to anyone looking for love, respect, and partnership.
Aug 03, 202006:49
Episode 3 | How to Do What You Love

Episode 3 | How to Do What You Love

On Big Pine Key island in south fl, there is bar called the No Name Pub. the world Renowned tourist attraction is known for having its walls covered with $1 bills. For more than three decades,  visitors have left personalized messages written on $1 bills that they staple on every open surface of the bar. The employees don't consider what they do a job but it's what they love; Meeting new people, sharing stories and being part of history.

Jul 23, 202004:09
Episode 2 | How to Get Over Loss and Grief

Episode 2 | How to Get Over Loss and Grief

How to get over loss and grief: lessons from a man who has lost almost everyone he has loved.   William is a war veteran who watched his brothers in combat get killed.  The loss he has felt in his life is sometimes too much.  The loss he has felt in his life is sometimes too much. He struggles to find answers to life's most difficult questions.  "Why me?" He asks.   He relies on his faith to get through the day.   The tattoo of the word "believe" on his arm is a reminder that there is a reason for why he survived. He wants everyone to know that living is what he chooses to do despite his sadness and guilt. It's a choice we all have to make consciously every day in order to appreciate the gifts around us.   He relies on his faith and believes there is a reason he survived.

Jul 22, 202007:11
Episode 1 | How to hustle in business and life

Episode 1 | How to hustle in business and life

How to hustle in business in life.  

Silva Harapetian believes Hustle is a state of mind.  As an immigrant who escaped war, religions, and political persecution, I have always been actually aware of the opportunities that I've been afforded in this country. (Context is important here)  Being raised by parents who gave up everything they had ever known, everything they worked for, their home, their way of life, and their friends and etc...to give me and my sisters a chance at a better life, I've felt it my responsibility to make the most of all opportunities.  

It is not lost on me that while life has at times been challenging and I’ve often felt like I’ve been playing catch up, I’ve had more opportunities than most of my black and brown brothers and sisters.  The recent protests, conversations about racial injustice, and systemic racism have brought to the forefront the lack of leveled playing field in all facets of life including, education, legal, financial, and more…  

Many in the black, brown, minority, the immigrant, and underprivileged communities have had to work harder to have a shot at opportunities and the potential to make it. For that reason, Hustle runs through our veins developed out of the necessity for survival.  On this episode, we’re talking to John Henry the host of Hustle on ViceTV, co-founder of Harlem Capital, a member of Forbes Under 30 investor and proponent of generational wealth We talk about the definition of hustle and how it gets thrown around in business and entrepreneurial circles a lot but few have actually lived by its principles. Even fewer understand that The Hustle is a state of being and not necessarily something one does.  We speak about surviving the pandemic, the importance of ownership when facing racial inequality, and how to position oneself for success in business and life.

Jul 20, 202055:33
Episode 1 Promo

Episode 1 Promo

Promotional for Episode 1 with John Henry airing Sunday July 12th, 2020

Jul 12, 202000:22