The Wrong Advice Podcast

In this conversation, Alex Scot, a relationship coach, discusses her journey of exponential growth in her business and the challenges she faced along the way. She emphasizes the importance of building a strong foundation and doing personal healing work before pursuing entrepreneurship. Alex also shares her experience of going through a public breakup and how it impacted her business. She highlights the need to stop giving too many chances in dating and offers advice for overcoming past negative dating experiences. Finally, she discusses warning signs to look out for in potential narcissists and egomaniacs. In this conversation, Alex and John discuss various aspects of relationships and dating. They emphasize the importance of deep friendships and the need for genuine connection beyond surface-level conversations. They also highlight red flags such as contemptuous interactions, negging, love bombing, and excessive texting. The concept of mirroring and future faking is explored, along with the different texting styles individuals may have. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the significance of vulnerability and communication in relationships. Overall, the conversation provides valuable insights and advice for navigating the complexities of modern dating.

• Building a strong foundation and doing personal healing work is crucial before pursuing entrepreneurship.
• Going through a public breakup can be challenging, but it can also lead to personal and business growth.
• Stop giving too many chances in dating and prioritize your own well-being.
• It is important to be aware of warning signs of narcissists and egomaniacs in the early stages of dating. Deep friendships are essential for meaningful connections and should go beyond surface-level conversations.
• Contemptuous interactions, negging, and love bombing are red flags to watch out for in relationships.
• Excessive texting and mirroring can indicate potential issues in a relationship.
• Being vulnerable and open in communication is crucial for building healthy and successful relationships.

Teague Shoup is a photographer out of Wisconsin now located in the New York area. Starting off in street photography, Teague is currently working to expand his eye for contrast and light into other areas like film BTS and documentary work, even moving into the fashion world as well. In his third year of photography, he hopes to further explore his own vision and create something uniquely and recognizably his own.

Takeaways

• Discovering and developing your own style is an important part of the artistic journey.
• Film photography can offer a unique and rewarding experience, even for beginners.
• Taking risks and pursuing passion can lead to fulfilling and meaningful work.
• The debate on doing work for free is subjective and depends on individual circumstances and opportunities. Compensation in creative work depends on the circumstances and the value of the opportunity.
• Being selective with opportunities can lead to better experiences and growth.
• Building a reputation and handling oneself professionally are crucial for success in creative fields.
• Developing an artistic voice takes time and involves exploring different styles and influences.
• Continuous exploration and learning are essential for personal and artistic growth.

James Green aka SlimSnapped is a photographer currently based out of Phoenix, AZ. Hailing from the small town of Cloverdale, IN his experiences of his upbringing and travels have shaped his photographic eye. He holds a BS from Trine University in Design Engineering Technology and is currently working on his first long term passion project that he hopes to display in a gallery one day. 

You can find him on instagram @slimsnapped

Born in Battle Creek, MI Devan grew up in rough conditions. Most of Devan’s childhood was riddled with violence, government assistance, drug abuse, alcoholism, moving from state to state, and capped off by abandonment from his mom as teen. He spent his time on sports fields and creating businesses to escape his home life and gives credit to baseball and Morgan (now wife) for saving his life. He met Morgan at 12 years old and they would eventually get married, open a business, and start at family 12 years later. They now share a wonderful life together living in Cornelius, NC with their daughter Cameron and two sons, Max and Ryan. Devan played collegiate baseball at Central Michigan University and left school to continue his baseball career with the San Francisco Giants which ended a few years later. His baseball journey led to his love for health and fitness because he experienced the joy from helping his host families achieve more happiness through health. This sparked the idea of Burn Boot Camp and since Devan has dedicated his life’s work to helping families all over the world. Today, he is the leader of thousands of amazing people employed by Burn Boot Camp who share the vision of helping women achieve more than they thought possible for themselves and their families. Devan defines success as “making every life he touches healthier and happier” and if you asked him, “how do you do that?” He will reply, “you teach them to love themselves today, so they’re inspired by the possibilities of tomorrow.”

Matthieu Guillot was born and raised in Burgundy, France. He initially pursued his passion for wine and studied sommelerie before eventually moving to New York City in October 2015. It was here that he discovered his love for photography and decided to become a self-taught photographer.

Matthieu has always been fascinated by the mystery and enigma of black and white photography, and he enjoys exploring the balance of light and energy in his work. In 2016, he began his photographic career by capturing the beauty of New York's cityscape.

In 2019, Matthieu decided to enhance his skills by enrolling in the International Center of Photography (ICP) to gain a deeper understanding of all the details related to lighting and studio work. During his time at ICP, Matthieu excelled and was even chosen to be a teacher assistant of Robert Meyer, a highly respected photographer and teacher.

Matthieu's work has evolved over the years, and he now specializes in portraiture and fashion photography. He is highly skilled in capturing the essence of human beauty and strength. In 2022, he was recognized for his exceptional work and awarded the Project of the Year award.

Matthieu has also been a studio manager for four years, working at Atmosfera in New York City. He brings his passion and professionalism to every project, and his clients appreciate his attention to detail and ability to create beautiful, unique images.

Sienna Marie is a Majikal Artist and Healer living in San Diego, CA. With the belief that Art creates healing and expansion, Sienna’s paintings transform and anchor desired energies into physical space. Alongside her artistic practice, Sienna offers healing work in form of Art healing, bodywork, and plant medicine facilitation.

Instagram: @portalpaintress

For the second time the force that is Bryony Shearmur hops onto the podcast to talk about life and art. Having gotten the opportunity to now share additional time with this wonderful human being I can say my life is significantly better having Bryony in it. We got deep in this episode about happiness, art, peace, and everything in between. Make sure to check out her artwork and more in the links below.

Born in London and currently living in Los angeles, Bryony Shearmur is a multi-disciplinary visual artist.  Her work includes, photography, textiles, fiber art , and writing. After school she attended St Martin's School of art for a brief time but her practice has mostly been self taught.  Her work has been shown in solo and group shows internationally.  Now she has joined the world of NFTs.  "For an artist like me, who is constantly  reimagining and remixing pieces of work, this is the perfect environment. I think this is the moment, and the collective that I have been waiting for".

Chef Chris Morrison is singlehandedly reinvigorating the catering industry in the country's hottest food hub, Atlanta, Georgia - one locally-sourced creation at a time. He is fearless in his menu conceptualization and isn't afraid to push the envelope to create an experiential culinary journey for his guests. His daring menus and bespoke planning process make him an outlier in a sea of "more-of-the same" in the food industry, and this is just beginning! He brings his Le Cordon Bleu education and over 20+ years of culinary and special event experience to each occasion, melding New American, Southern and French cuisines. He was recently named "Next Chef To Watch" by the Atlanta Journal Constitution and is a Great Awards nominee. He is a proud member of Georgia Organics, and is a fierce advocate for giving back to his community through volunteer farming, local product sourcing, and mentoring students of the culinary arts.

Chef Morrison is the Owner/Executive Chef of his Atlanta-based catering company, Little Farmhouse Catering, as well as the popular brunch spot, The Little Farmhouse Café - a hub for creative events and pop-ups where Atlanta's influencers and most fabulous individuals come together.

Joe Cardamone found his passion for photography after receiving his first DSLR years ago as a present. Since that time he has continuously gown and worked on his craft through workshops, working with other professional photographers, and real world experience, which has allowed him the opportunity to deliver professional photographs to numerous clients and grow within his own creative projects. Joe loves concerts, portraiture, set, and candid/documentary photography and finds each avenue extremely fulfilling and exciting.

Ciara Gaglio @moonlightmedia is an accomplished graphic designer with over 11 years of experience in the field. Her passion for creating visually striking designs led her to found her own freelance company, Moonlight Media, in 2016. Ciara's expertise in graphic design and her unique perspective have made her a sought-after talent in a variety of industries.

In 2021, Ciara entered the NFT space and discovered new outlets for her artistic expression, including underwater photography and surreal digital art. She has been able to bring her technical skills and artistic vision to this new medium, quickly becoming a respected figure in the NFT community. With a keen eye for detail and a boundless imagination, Ciara’s work continues to push the boundaries of what's possible with NFTs and digital art, inspiring and captivating audiences around the world.

Make sure to check out Ciara's work at her website & over at her instagram:

My love hate relationship with the internet blows my mind sometimes. Strangers from across the world can become friends, you can find new communities with people who relate to your passions, and you can share your art, views, opinions etc. It can also be a place of serious toxicity. I've followed @SmallYetTall for a decent while and it really struck me how much random hate she would get on Twitter. Me knowing her as the funny, outgoing, sports loving Twitter person I was really hoping to get to the bottom of just wtf is wrong with people, and why she attracts so many insane comments. I really enjoyed my convo with Court because we touched upon so much of her life in less than an hour. I tried to figure out how a normal person just living their life can become a randomly polarizing figure on a social media app attracting both admiration and hate. It's both awesome and alarming at the power we place in these institutions that too often can lead to serious mental health consequences for the users. Luckily Court does not give a fuck and roasts the shit out of her haters and it easily makes her one of my favorite follows. Make sure to check her out over on Twitter and show some love. 

For 30 years Dustin Rabin has been documenting some of the most influential artists in music, chronicling their performances throughout their careers.

Starting out in the early nineties, he has documented some of the most influential artists of that decade, chronicling their performances throughout their careers. Dustin has had rare access to musicians who have helped shape rock music, including Paul McCartney, Foo Fighters, Billy Talent, Beastie Boys, Faith No More, Queens of the Stone Age, and Refused.

Dustin was personally selected by Paul McCartney to photograph him on a leg of his 2011 tour, and during private rehearsals in 2017. He has worked regularly with Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters since 1995, and had the honour of being the only photographer with Nirvana during rehearsals for a one-night-only performance celebrating their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.

In addition to his concert photography, Dustin is a sought after portrait photographer. His photography has appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone and in the pages of countless CD and DVD packages, magazines, and books worldwide. Not to mention the personal collections of many of the people he’s photographed.

Born and raised in Victoria, BC and currently based in Toronto, Canada, Dustin Rabin has achieved many of his life-long dreams in photography. He continues to photograph artists, direct music videos and travel the world shooting concerts, and is looking ahead to new artistic challenges.

CC is a digital media performance artist. CC experiments with surreal self portrait photography in a way that has totally blown me away in her ability to make boundary pushing art. We had a tremendous conversation about her process and all that goes into a creative life. Make sure to check CC out on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.

Dean is an artist currently living in the Midwest. Beyond somewhat-daily posts to Instagram, and doing project management full time, Dean is walking the balancing act many of us do between the creative parts of our lives and the portions that aren’t. His energy right now is going into the tangible sides of photography and writing. Such as how to prep for a gallery show, perfecting the sequence recipe for his first photo book, and working to understand what the future looks like for people with cameras. Dean is a huge inspiration for me as a photographer and a friend. He's constantly pushing himself, his art, and is always there for you when you need someone to talk with. It's easy to root for a guy like Dean because his intentions are pure and his heart is constantly in the right place. Make sure to check Dean out on Instagram and give him a follow.

Lex Loiseau aka Camera Divine is an artist. She has always been in love with art and how art tells a story and its beauty. As a young girl CD would watch her grandmother paint outside on her canvases for hours and how beautiful her paintings would come out. CD has been a photographer for 6-years and a poet since she was little and could read and write. Art has taught her the meaning of life and a voice that allows her to spark magic inside of her when she sees something for the first time. Make sure to check out CD's NFTs and give her a follow on Instagram & Twitter. 

YoureTerrific is Evan. He’s best known for his YouTube channel and Instagram account where he discusses and reviews watches. That’s right, wristwatches. He’s a self-taught videographer and photographer who’s found an audience by using his own irreverent and authentic style, often by poking fun at the irrational world of watch collecting. This was such an awesome moment for me getting Evan on the podcast because of how big a fan I am of his content. Our mutual admiration for the watch world lead to a truly fun and entertaining episode. Make sure to check out Evan on Instagram and Youtube! 

Gary Lashmar is a London based photographer who shoots across a multitude of genres including portraits, musicians, fashion , editorial and street photography. He has created features for British Vogue, Pro Photography Magazine and the NME and has worked on campaigns for alternative brands such as Brooklyn Brewery and James Clay in the UK and Germany., the Netherlands and Belgium. He recently worked as both photographer and advisor on the British Short Film Mudlarks, directed by Dom Gilday. This film trumped in several categories at the British Short film awards.

Gary has also facilitated creative workshops in the UK, Italy and California.

Johnny Liu aka Johnny Homemovies is an LA based photographer. For about 5-years now Johnny has been documenting his life mostly on film. Getting an opportunity to have one of my OG Instagram inspirations on the pod was a dream come true. Johnny and I got deep on what it's like to have a mega-viral photo on social media and what makes him want to create work. The conversation runs the gamut from his beginnings to where he's at now in his career and it's one of my favorite chats to date. You can check out Johnny's Instagram below and make sure to give him a follow! 

Venus Celia Ra is an empowering visionary leader who has the tools to heal and activate your powers. Energy recalibration for creative biz, wealth frequency and womb care are just a few of Venus's many skills. We had a wonderful conversation about life and all that goes into creating the path that works best for your soul. The many ups and downs that inevitably land you in the place where you're supposed to be. 

Calina Hiriza, was born in Cluj, Romania

Before moving her home studio to Millburn, NJ in 2020, Calina has spent 20 years in New York City, 2 in Italy, and 17 in her native Romania.

Driven by an innate inquisitive nature, Calina’s work has evolved over the years into the abstract. Where the figurative could not answer, raw materials began to speak for themselves, asking for a life lived by a different set of rules.

In her latest work, she pushes the limits of the medium beyond the intended use, as creation is the only way to overcome the mundane and to generate anew. The series embodies her artistic transformation over the years and speaks to her desire of first confronting the undesirable, subsequently revealing its beauty. The usually discarded, dried medium is encased in resin, layer by layer. The result is an aesthetically striking and perfectly still moment of calculated discord. This portal to a new beginning proves that higher than actuality, stands possibility.

Traditionally-trained in the fine arts from a young age, Calina holds a BFA and AA from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

Artist Statement

The shaping and expression of substance that is otherwise inert is most interesting to me. The paint as a medium, in its fluid, paste or dried form comes alive when we touch and transform it. Without figurative representation, the attention can be focused on the physical aspect, elevating it to its artistic value through intentional or impulse-guided gestures.

My work begins with a dialogue between self and matter, and leads to the abstract, where the corpus is deciphered through the texture, chromatic intensity, and kinesics. The pieces tell intricate stories in a clandestine language for which there is no physical referent.

Candice Cooper is an entrepreneur of the Arts with extensive experience in the beauty and modeling world. Always expanding and growing in unique ways, she is a business owner and strives to make a positive difference in the world. Candice and I had a great discussion about her experience as a young model and how that shaped her life. We had a really great conversation about her work on OnlyFans and I think it fostered a great discussion about sex work and what it means. I walked away incredibly impressed with Candice and her entrepreneurial spirit. 

For episode #100 of the podcast I chat with neighbor and friend Ben Rizzo for the second time. We got into the ins and outs of what to do as an artist and entrepreneur navigating the business space as best you can. It was a really honest and frank discussion about what it means to be on your own in an artistic career. We talked all things money, commissions, jobs we hate, and everything in between.

100 episodes later and I am incredibly proud to have reached this milestone. Crazy what started almost 2 years ago has been built into. I'm so excited for the next 100 episodes and all the conversations to come. 

Lluvia de Milagros is the Founder/CEO of Bruja PR (In English translates to “Witch PR”). As a published poet her roots are planted in always advocating for authentic expression and spaces that champion self reclamation. As a visionary and multicultural storyteller, her passion lies in diversifying and injecting purposeful storytelling opportunities that amplify voices of artists and musicians pioneering in their fields. Always being of service for breakthrough creatives that are underrepresented, independent, and emerging. Believing that everyone’s story is simply — their magic. 

Episode 98 brings my dear friend and mentor Taylor Ballantyne onto the pod for the 3rd time. On today's episode we discuss what happens to creatives and solo entrepreneurs when they get sick, or are injured and unable to work. I was just getting over being sick with covid and Taylor had just broken her leg and what came out of those circumstances were an honest discussion about life, work, money, and perspective. 

Mark Cersosimo is a writer, director, cinematographer, editor and sometimes photographer living and breathing in New York City. He can't really figure out what to do with his arms when he's walking down stairs. He'll write extra sentences like this one to fill out his biography because he's really bad at describing himself and finds it too self indulgent.

After surviving a Thirty-Five foot fall with his close friend August 16th, 2016. Four surgeries and a year of rehab later; Mansa Obi has emerged from the ashes to finish his life's work. Known for his creation of Authentic Bounce (not to be confused with "Classic" Bounce) seductive melodies, blunt--commentary and creation of the bass-less genre. Mansa hopes to continue to push the cultures forward sonically with his four volume album "Anthology".  As a DJ & Producer Mansa showcases an incredible attention to detail,: with cuts like “Liberation,” alternating his rap flow with an incredibly soulful hook; while bravely placing the production in the background, to let the vocals function as rhythm and bass. Only to surprise us with rare 3 am New Orleans Bounce releases. Not many artist can do this, correction not many artist can think like this and to create such a compelling sound. Mansa Obi strikes for an organic and direct sound, no tricks, just honesty and talent, as it also appears from the reflective and personal lyrics. Hands down, some of the most original and daring hip hop I have heard period; somewhere in between the old school (samples, soul influences…) and the new (tight analog beats, fat low end).

Brooke, is a 22 year old who's about to graduate with a Bachelors in Art with an emphasis in photography this December. Brooke and I became friends over the last year and watching her grow as an artist has been a real treat. She's a wonderful human who deserves all the good things coming to her in life! 

Jaclyn Paris is someone I've known since I was a little kid! Jaclyn has held various Senior Producer roles in Los Angeles including at Lost Planet, Rabbit Content, Liquid VFX in addition to working as a Line Producer with brands such as Nestle, Intuit, Absolut, Target, Jaguar and Bose Audio. In addition she served as Executive Producer of Deluxe Entertainment Services at their tr-branded Atlanta facility: Company3 | Beast Editorial | Method Studios. During her decade in New York, she worked for feature documentary outfit IsotopeFilms at the Tribeca Film Center and worked with Voyeur Films creating 16mm content for Salon94 and The New Museum in addition to freelance commercial work. Paris is a graduate of NYU and currently serves as Head of Development of Cosmo Street Editorial where earlier she served as Head of Production. In collaboration with Green the Bid, Jaclyn is tapped as an advocate on greening the media management process. Most proudly she is: the mother of two boys, zine-obsessed, trying to not get injured.

Castro Frank is a Los Angeles based visual artist who has translated his personal experiences of growing up in the San Fernando Valley into a signature journalistic and candid approach to photography. Through captured moments that reveal the overlooked details of everyday life, to double exposures that force a viewer to question their perceptions, and now diving into the realm of abstraction to evoke deep seeded emotions, Castro’s work defies the limitations of the photographic medium. Even his portraiture takes on a new life by not only capturing the raw essence of his subjects but the vitality of the city they inhabit. As a growing multidisciplinary artist, incorporating painting and other mediums into his work, Castro continually discovers new ways to envelope the viewer in the experiences encapsulated within his work.