On today's episode, I spoke with Liza Shtromberg, a jewelry designer who has had a successful jewelry brand in Los Angeles for almost 40 years. Some things we discussed: - Starting her jewelry brand at 16 hustling on the streets of LA - Overcoming the 2008 financial crash and finding out her employees were stealing from her - The mechanics and aesthetics of jewelry design - Balancing being a designer and business owner - The ups and downs in her career - Advice for aspiring jewelry designers or ...
May 09, 2024•2 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 6
On today's episode, I spoke with Jamie McShane, an actor who has had recurring roles on hit shows like Wednesday, Bloodline, Sons Of Anarchy, and Southland. Jamie has an incredible story that is a testament to the importance of perseverance and never giving up on achieving your dream. His first series regular role was on Netflix hit show, Bloodline, after being an actor for 25 years. Some things we discussed: - His acting career & how he got different roles - Landing his first series regular...
Jan 26, 2024•2 hr 51 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Welcome to episode 4 of Rookie Mistakes! Today's guest is Tommy 'Chooch' Chuchvara, a professional drummer with over 40 years of experience. Tommy has an incredible story. My biggest takeaway was the importance of continuing to move forward despite the setbacks you may face in life. In this conversation, we discuss: - How Tommy got into drumming - Finding out he had type 1 diabetes at 19 / learning to manage it throughout his life - His career as a professional drummer - Running 4 marathons - Ov...
Aug 16, 2023•3 hr 55 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Welcome to episode 3 of Rookie Mistakes. Today's guest is Virydiana Aranda, a tattoo artist from Mexico. This was a really interesting conversation with someone in a career I didn't know much about, so I enjoyed learning about it. Virydiana is truly an incredible tattoo artist. Check out her Instagram, the colors are insane! On this episode, we discussed: - How she got started tattooing - Being able to travel the world as a tattoo artist - The importance of surrounding yourself with more talente...
Jul 12, 2023•2 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Welcome to episode 2 of Rookie Mistakes. Today's guest is Jennifer Landon, a real estate broker in Los Angeles. This conversation is one that really represents everything I hope for with this podcast. I've listened to it a few times now and each time I have left motivated to go after what I want. We discussed: - Realizing her initial career path wasn't for her after graduating from USC - How she got into real estate - Why she transitioned to the appraisal business - The 07-08 financial crisis (r...
Mar 08, 2023•1 hr 38 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Welcome to episode 1, season 2 of Rookie Mistakes. After a 3.5-year hiatus, I'm back! My intention for this podcast was always to have conversations with other people, so I am finally doing it. My first guest Jana Collins. Jana has lived an interesting life and has had an incredibly successful career in politics, public relations, and real estate. On top of all that, she's easily the most generous person I know. Some topics our conversation covers: - Business ventures gone wrong (selling silk pa...
Dec 24, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 1
On episode 42 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about his tips and recommendations for visiting Bangkok after living there for a month and a half in his most detailed travel guide yet. Some topics he covers are: - The best areas in the city - What to do - Where to eat - The best street markets to check out - His case for skipping out on street food - How to avoid getting food poisoning - Things to bring in case of food poisoning and how to deal with it - Using public transportation and getting ar...
Apr 09, 2019•2 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 42
On episode 41 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor breaks down his guide for visiting Seoul after living there for a month and a half. Topics included are: - The best time of the year to visit - The areas of the city you must visit - What sites are worth seeing (N Seoul Tower, Korean Demilitarized Zone) - The best restaurants to eat at - Korean Coffee Culture - Nightlife - Foods/Snacks you should try - Buying a SIM card - Using public transportation...
Apr 03, 2019•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 41
On episode 40 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about his tips and recommendations for visiting the most popular cities in Romania. He covers topics like visiting Dracula's Castle, riding a ferris wheel in the bottom of a salt mine, and getting lost in a supposedly haunted forest.
Mar 28, 2019•59 min•Season 1Ep. 40
On episode 39 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor starts if off talking about the college admissions scandal with Lori Loughlin and other celebrities. He then goes in to talking about the people he met during his ten months traveling that made the experience so great and left a lasting impression. He touches on day trips with strangers, motorcycling through Seoul, the Irish stereotype, and much more.
Mar 19, 2019•49 min•Season 1Ep. 39
On episode 38 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor starts it off talking about the documentary, Free Solo, which follows Alex Honnold's life or death journey to becoming the first person ever to free solo climb El Capitan in Yosemite. He then talks about his tips and recommendations for visiting Venice, Italy (13:11). He covers what to see, where to eat, how to get around the city, and gives you some insider information so you are able to have the best experience possible in Venice.
Mar 12, 2019•53 min•Season 1Ep. 38
On episode 37 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about his tips and recommendations for visiting Warsaw, Poland. He covers everything from the best places to see, the must try restaurants, and what he liked/didn't like about the city.
Feb 26, 2019•31 min•Season 1Ep. 37
On episode 36 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor starts it off with a rough estimate of the cost for a week trip to London. He then goes in to his tips and recommendations for places to see and restaurants to eat at. He covers transportation, SIM cards, London style, and gives a sample itinerary of what to see each day.
Feb 19, 2019•50 min•Season 1Ep. 36
On episode 35 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about his top 10 favorite restaurants from his travels in cities like Rome, London, Tokyo, and Bangkok. These are restaurants that you are not going to want to miss out on if you are visiting the cities mentioned in the episode. Stayed tuned for part 2 in the future!
Feb 12, 2019•26 min•Season 1Ep. 35
On episode 34 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor starts it off talking about Tom Brady and the Patriot's Super Bowl win. He then gets in to talking about the biggest mistakes he made with growing an Instagram following. He covers methods for growing a following and the ideal engagement percentages for content. He ends the episode talking about what he would do differently and his plan for Instagram going forward.
Feb 05, 2019•39 min•Season 1Ep. 34
On episode 33 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about mistakes he made traveling and what he would have done differently. He covers packing and preparing for the trip, mistakes made that cost him money along the way, and warns against the one mistake you do not want to make. He also touches on the different types of cameras good for traveling, the best shoes in his experience, and gives you advice on how to approach travel so you are saving the most money.
Jan 29, 2019•51 min•Season 1Ep. 33
On episode 32 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about the advantages and disadvantages of traveling by yourself for an extended period of time. He goes over what to expect, the good and the bad, and discusses how travel will change you and help you grow as a person. If you are unsure on whether or not you want to travel, this is the episode for you!
Jan 23, 2019•45 min•Season 1Ep. 32
On episode 31 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about the events that led him to the decision to travel and pursue a career in content creation. He covers his doubts and fears, quitting his job, and the personal insecurities he had to overcome to be able to make the decision.
Jan 15, 2019•47 min•Season 1Ep. 31
On episode 30 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about his first week back adjusting to being home in Los Angeles now that his travels are officially over.
Jan 08, 2019•29 min•Season 1Ep. 30
On episode 29 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor looks back on traveling to 11 countries and 20 cities over 10 months in 2018. He gives his honest initial reactions and thoughts from every single city he visited, the good and the bad. He ends the episode talking a little about some of the episodes to look forward to in 2019, as there is still a lot to break down from this whole travel experience.
Jan 01, 2019•57 min•Season 1Ep. 29
On episode 28 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about his experience eating sushi for the first time ever at Sushi Dai in the Toyosu Fish Market, where he had the weirdest thing he has ever eaten. He then talks about going to Disneyland the following day, as well as which he thinks is better between Disneyland and Disney Sea in Tokyo. He ends the episode talking about some of his frustrations and struggles with Instagram, while also reflecting on if he is taking the right approach in trying to bu...
Dec 25, 2018•50 min•Season 1Ep. 28
On episode 27 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about his tips and recommendations for your trip to Budapest, the hidden gem of Europe, and one of his favorite cities he has visited. He covers the best places to eat, things to see, a day to day itinerary, and tells the story of the only time he has had something stolen from him while traveling. Other topics covered include the two most popular thermal baths and how to choose which one to visit, as well as different nightlife options during your s...
Dec 17, 2018•52 min•Season 1Ep. 27
On episode 26 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor begins the episode talking about his experience at the Robot Restaurant in Tokyo, one of the most unique entertainment shows in the world, which was featured on Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown. He then talks about the pros and cons of traveling with a DSLR camera vs. a smartphone and gives tips for becoming more comfortable with vlogging. Finally, Connor talks about what he thought of the new Fantastic Beasts movie and ends the episode with a rant on how...
Dec 10, 2018•42 min•Season 1Ep. 26
On episode 25 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor starts off the episode talking about the Fury vs. Wilder boxing title match and a new fantasy book series he is reading, which is a great resource on leadership. He then talks about his experience in Kyoto including the sites he saw, Instagram worthy photo opportunities, and the places he ate.
Dec 03, 2018•37 min•Season 1Ep. 25
On episode 24 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about a guide for your trip to Florence. He recommends places to eat and sights to see, including one of his favorite restaurants he has ever been to, which he claims is the best budget meal in the world. Florence ended up being one of his favorite cities he has visited and he ends the episode talking about general tips and what he liked.
Nov 26, 2018•37 min•Season 1Ep. 24
On episode 23 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor begins the episode talking about the Grand Chess Tour finals and the resulting late nights of the past week due to his newfound obsession. He then talks about his experience at DisneySea (13:36) and gives you his tips and recommendations for what rides you should go on and the places you should eat if you get the chance to visit.
Nov 20, 2018•41 min•Season 1Ep. 23
On episode 22 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor compares his experience staying in countries for short periods of time vs longer periods of time. He then talks about the mistakes he has made in his travel plans for Asia, as well as the difficulties that he has experienced from being in Asia the past five months and how they have affected him.
Nov 12, 2018•31 min•Season 1Ep. 22
On episode 21 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor discusses his travel guide for visiting Prague. He talks about his recommendations for restaurants and sights to visit, methods of transportation, and buying a prepaid SIM card. He finishes the episode giving general tips to make your trip as easy and memorable as possible and talks about what he liked and didn't like about Prague.
Nov 05, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 21
On episode 20 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about food in Tokyo and his discovery of a Mexican chain restaurant that is the Japanese version of Chipotle. He then talks about photo booths in arcades where you can do your hair and makeup before taking highly edited photos. He finishes the podcast talking about running out of money and how it has changed the way he approaches travel and living.
Oct 29, 2018•38 min•Season 1Ep. 20
On episode 19 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor starts it off talking about getting sick again, food in Tokyo, and why there are women only train cars in the metro during weekday mornings, which you would think wouldn't be necessary. He finishes the episode drawing a comparison between the Shane Dawson documentary on Jake Paul and the controversy surrounding Conor McGregor and the promotion leading up to UFC 229.
Oct 22, 2018•35 min•Season 1Ep. 19
