Authors Kiss with Sara Troy and her guest Leon Conrad, on air from September 20th
We’ve been telling stories for thousands of years now. What can we learn about story and how it works that we don’t already know? In his book Story and Structure, Leon sheds new light on story, sounding new depths, diving deeper into the sea of story than anyone has ever gone before – and he’s here to tell the story of what he’s discovered in those unexplored depths. Most importantly, what he uncovers is a pearl of great price from the depths of that sea of story that can help us shape the way we live our life more flowingly and more harmoniously.
Leon was born in London, UK to a Polish father and Coptic Egyptian mother. He spent his formative years between the ages of 6 and 18 in Egypt in a multi-lingual environment among souks, bazaars, catacombs, markets, and a living tradition of oral storytelling straight out of the Arabian Nights.
A traditionally published author and storyteller, Leon has published extensively in journals and magazines, written theatre shows, and contributed to radio programmes. He’s an avid reader and a keen researcher who loves to find satisfactory answers to questions we don’t yet have satisfactory answers to.
As a story structure consultant, Leon works with both fiction and non-fiction writers to help people’s thoughts shine more brightly, so they communicate more clearly and their voice resonates with presence.
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Mental Health Awareness with Sara Troy and her guests Dr Kara Larson & Joaquin Holurbeigt, on air from September 19th
Dr. Kara Larson is the CEO of CozyMind and leverages her doctoral knowledge of the human mind and body to empower entrepreneurs struggling with work exhaustion and motivation. She designed a system that optimizes your productivity, through mental wellness tools and hacks, and leaves you feeling 50% less stressed at the end of the day. A quirky adventurer, Kara can be found eating spicy miso ramen in Japan or white water rafting in India.
Dr. Kara is a Doctor of Biomedical Engineering as well as a PMP® certified project manager. She holds additional certifications in yoga instruction, health yoga life coaching, and functional diagnostic nutrition.
Joaquin Holurbeigt has combined his BBA degree with 20 years of meditation and mindfulness expertise to co-found CozyMind. Passionate about changing people’s mental wellbeing, he has spent the past five years transforming burned-out professionals from all over the globe. He has designed practical tools to shift the way they work and reduce their stress levels for optimal performance and productivity.
All of our shows/interviews are done by donation, if you enjoyed this show please support us here with either a one-time donation or subscribe and support onPatreon.
“for the LOVE of Music” with Sara Troy and her guests Natalia Tsvi and tenor Gilad Paz, on air from September 19th
In a perfect world, soprano Natalia Tsvi and tenor Gilad Paz – the unique classical crossover vocal duo collectively known as VOCE NOVA – would have taken the “America’s Got Talent” stage and performed their fascinating hybrid twist on Verdi’s “Libiamo” before all four judges and a live audience of 3000. But their audition date, March 14, 2020, was the day Hollywood began shutting down because of the pandemic, and Tsvi and Paz had to wait it out seven hours as the show’s production was scaled down around them. Brief but thrilling and magnetic, the duo gave it their all, shifting quickly from a traditional operatic duet into a high energy number complete with a Moroccan dance beat and a party atmosphere.
Testament to their unique stylistically eclectic approach as what they call a “gateway drug to classical music,” VOCE NOVA may not have won the hearts of the AGT judging panel, but it’s likely that had there been a full crowd behind them, they all would have been on their feet dancing, their hearts pounding and mouths agape at the duo’s infectious energy, risk-taking arrangements and overall sense of joyful fun.
Before they auditioned, Natalia and Gilad honed their act performing before diverse audiences everywhere they could, even holding court at open mics and karaoke clubs in the NYC area during the duo’s early stages. When they sang this same version of “Libiamo” at a dive bar in Brooklyn, the crowd – full of rappers and spoken word artists – lost their minds. As it turned out, the feedback was prophetic of what they would continue to hear after officially debuting VOCE NOVA in 2019. Folks who had never heard opera before were suddenly excited about it, surprised how much they loved it, in awe of the duo’s chemistry and stage presence. AsNatalia says, “They can’t always explain why, but their body just moves. They find themselves shaking their butts and clapping to opera!”
Since making their debut at a high profile fundraising event for a new artist group collective in NYC, VOCE NOVA has honed its craft, perfected its style and expanded its repertoire entertaining at boat shows, wedding expos, event planning conventions – and performances at weddings, including one high profile affair where they led an opera flash mob. Their reputation is earning them renown beyond New York, and they were recently contracted to do corporate events in the greater Washington, DC area.
VOCE NOVA brings their bold array of musical dynamics to their latest single, a dramatic and daring yet wildly irresistible mashup of Schubert’s timeless “Ave Maria” and Hozier’s 2013 hit debut single “Take Me To Church,” its title stylized (like many of their other recordings) “Ave Maria vs. Take Me To Church.” The track begins with Natalia in fine operatic form, singing Latin over a prominent church organ. Just when they’ve got us in Mass mode, Gilad in his pop voice sings “Amen” and dives into Hozier’s impactful, instantly recognizable hook. Then she returns with more “Ave Maria” over a rock guitar groove, leading to the song’s climactic segment where the two sing their individual songs at the same time creating a fascinating point/counterpoint. The piece closes with her singing a towering “Amen” and the two joining forces singing soaring high notes in harmony for the triumphant final chorus.
“At first it struck me as being a bit risky, because we were mixing the sacred with the profane and that could offend some people,” Gilad says. “Not every idea for a mashup strikes us as immediately opening itself to our brand of musical fusion, but this is one that made sense as soon as the words came out of Natalia’s mouth. Because we are veteran business people, we immediately honed in not only on the creative but commercial potential as well. It developed into a brilliant and intuitive mashup.”
“The proof was in the pudding, as they say, when we performed it recently at a non-profit in Soho for an audience that included several women from a gospel church,” says Natalia. “They freaked out about it, and we thought, ‘If the Christians love it, we’re good!’ Of course we know some may not take it as well or interpret it their own way, just as some traditional opera and classical folks won’talways like what we do. The way Gilad and I see it, we’re not hurting the quality of opera music, we’re bringing a fresh audience to it. VOCE NOVA, by its very definition as a fresh voice in crossover music, is all about breaking the rules and singing arrangements outside the box. This is 2022. It’s time transcend boundaries, create bridges and make this our own musical truth.”
Though VOCE NOVA creates its mashups with the energy of live performances in mind, the duo has recorded and released a batch of well-received singles over the past year, starting with straightforward duets of “O Holy Night” and “Time to Say Goodbye” and more recently including their most streamed song “I Will Always Love You vs. Come What May,” “Libiamo Remixed” and the supercool “Habanera vs. Smooth,” which blends the familiar piece from Carmen with the Santana Latin rock classic. All songs in the VOCE NOVA catalog are original arrangements created especially for the duo by top music producer Assaf Averbuch.
Natalia and Gilad met in February 2018 when both were invited to sing at a house concert on the Upper East Side showcasing opera hits. Getting together before the show to discuss repertoire, they quickly realized they had extremely similar life stories and paths in the music world. She was born in Belarus, was raised in Israel from the age of three and came to the U.S. to study opera after her mandatory Israeli Army service. Gilad was born to Israeli parents in the U.S., moved to Israel at age three, came back to the U.S. during his high school years and returned to Israel for five years, including service in the Israeli army. Gilad then returned to the States to study classical singing.
Both grew up singing in youth groups in Israel. She earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Music Performance and Voice and Music Education from Brooklyn College Conservatory and he earned a Bachelor’s of Music in Voice Performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. When they met, she had recently recorded a classical crossover album and he had created a classical crossover concert concept.
During that first concert, they performed together, they sang a traditional duet of “Libiamo,” never realizing that just a few years later, they would be using their twist on it for VOCE NOVA’s AGT audition piece. “We knew we were destined to work together,” Gilad says. “From the start, I felt that we both towed that line as classical singers who can also expertly perform other genres, which allows us to switch back and forth naturally. We knew we could create something special in the crossover realm. We started our repertoire going for a broad appeal, combining our voices on ‘Time to Say Goodbye,’ ‘Phantom of the Opera’ and ‘Hallelujah.’ Then one day, Natalia came up with the idea for a mashup of ‘Havana’ and ‘Besame Mucho,’ which was followed by my idea for combining ‘Nessun Dorma’ and ‘We are the Champions’. It was the first time we pursued this musical direction, and it evolved into our musical identity when we worked on the new repertoire that we added to our catalog in 2021.”
“Now,” the duo adds, “we will always be aiming to push boundaries with something that is different but that is truly who we are. One of our dreams is to do a VOCE NOVA performance with a full symphony orchestra. ‘Ave Maria vs Take Me To Church’ is a means towards that goal, a song that synthesizes the essence of what we do and the realization of what we first envisioned for ourselves back in 2018.”
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Your Health is Your Choice with Sara Troy and her guest Greg Hammer ,MD, on air from September 20th
Greg Hammer, MD, Stanford School of Medicine professor, physician, best-selling author, and mindfulness expert, shares tips to become more nonjudgmental and explains the benefits.
Most people admirably strive to be “nonjudgmental” towards others. Coming from a place of nonjudgment allows us to see the best in others without letting our own biases get in the way. However, in order to become less judgmental, we need to change how we think about ourselves and the world around us.
We make quick judgments every day about everything we see and put these things into categories, such as healthy/ unhealthy, affordable/ expensive, and good/ bad. And how much more often do we make judgments about ourselves??
Mindfulness, or living in the present moment, gives us the space to practice nonjudgment. First, we acknowledge how often we judge and that it is not necessary to judge. Then we can practice living in the present and accepting the world, ourselves, and others as they are.
What is nonjudgment? Nonjudgment is observation without bias. It’s understanding that reality is not necessarily good or bad— it just is. Nonjudgment is a natural extension of “living in the moment.”
What are the benefits of nonjudgment?
Nonjudgment allows you to see the best in yourself and others.
You’re freeing yourself from your own criticism.
You’re more open to positive experiences and opportunities.
What problems does judgment create?
Judgment prevents us from seeing what is really in front of us! We risk missing out on making new friends, having great conversations, and learning something new.
Judgment stokes our own fears, anxieties, and insecurities which keep us stuck.
Our compulsive need to make judgments is tiring and takes our energy away from important tasks.
How does mindfulness inhibit judgment?
When we are focused on the present moment, we accept things as they are, which prevents judgment.
When practiced consistently, nonjudgment will become more natural, but it will most likely never be automatic. Remaining nonjudgmental is a continual effort.
Any tips on practicing judgment?
Take a moment to be present (practice mindfulness) every morning before you start your day. Set an intention to greet the first person you see with nonjudgment.
When you notice a judgment, release it. You may not be able to stop all immediate judgments, but you can notice and capture them before they influence your behavior.
Remember that becoming aware of bias and judgment is an important first step.
If you notice that your self-talk is critical, try adjusting your tone to sound like you are talking to a dear friend.
About Greg Hammer, MD:
Greg Hammer, MD is a Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, pediatric intensive care physician, pediatric anesthesiologist, mindfulness expert, and the author of GAIN without Pain: The Happiness Handbook for Health Care Professionals.
A member of the Stanford WellMD initiative, Dr. Hammer is currently the Chair of the Physician Wellness Task Force for the California Society of Anesthesiologists. He has been a visiting professor and lecturer on wellness at institutions worldwide and teaches GAIN to medical students, residents, and fellows at Stanford.
Dr. Hammer’s clinical focus is in pediatric cardiac anesthesia and pediatric critical care medicine. His research is in developmental pharmacology and immunology, and he has an active laboratory with multiple ongoing studies in these areas. He has published widely on topics related to pharmacology and perioperative care of children undergoing cardiac and thoracic procedures as well as organ transplantation. Dr. Hammer is a health enthusiast and meditator, utilizing a non-duality and mindfulness-based approach, including the GAIN method.
GREG’S NEW SHOW ON RESOLUTIONS COMING FEBRUARY 7TH
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Your Health is Your Choice, with Sara Troy and her guest Matt McBride, on air from September 20th
At Mend, we believe that innovation is the key to better health outcomes. We exist to provide high-tech, high-touch digital patient engagement solutions that streamline operations and improve patient outcomes throughout the continuum of care.
Matt McBride is the CEO and Co-Founder of Mend — an enterprise-grade patient engagement and telehealth platform designed to help healthcare organizations scale their practice and care for more patients. An experienced entrepreneur, he co-founded Mend in 2015 with his three best friends to revolutionize healthcare delivery.
From a young age Matt developed an interest in technology, and throughout his career has combined this passion with his expertise in business and leading teams to improve the patient experience. Having seen digitalization transform industries, he recognized the need for healthcare organizations to harness software to increase access to care – transitioning away from a heavy reliance on phones and paper. At Mend, Matt is focused on using the power of telemedicine, A.I. reminders, digital forms and more to make it easier for patients and providers to communicate. With deep experience in healthcare tech companies – including OneOncology and Varian Medical Systems – Matt understands how medical offices work and how providers can leverage technology to reduce administrative burden, spend more quality time with patients and operate more efficiently. Driven by a commitment to excellence, Matt works relentlessly to curate solutions that help healthcare organizations care for more patients. A hands-on chief executive who works closely with customers, his goal is to deliver the best possible products and services to help as many patients as possible.
Originally from Michigan, Matt is a graduate of the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where he double majored in business administration and management information systems and earned a Master’s in Business Administration. Now based in Orlando, when Matt is not at work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters.
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