Ignite your heart and soul with Sara Troy and her guest Amy Dempster, on air from February 23rd
Amy Dempster helps in understanding the healing power of the earth. What began as openly sharing her spiritual journey on her popular blog Following Hawks, has become a resource for others wanting to learn how to communicate with nature and share their own unique healing gifts with the earth.
Together with the Spirits of the Land in the mountains of northwest Montana, she tends seven portals on the land where she lives, along with any grid keeping work she is assigned. She also leads the Earth Tenders Academy, an immersive online journey to help others re-establish their connection with their ancient ancestors, learn to communicate with the seen and unseen forces in their environment and respectfully offer their healing energy to places in need.
Choose Positive Living with Sara Troy and her guest Danny Winn, on air from February 16th
Just as Danny Winn’s whirlwind acting career was starting to explode in 2015, he met veteran director Rich Sickler on the set of WGN America’s “Manhattan” series, in which he appeared in five episodes, four as “Scientist Brock,” one as a state trooper. Sickler offered some sage advice about the prospects of success daring to enter the film industry at a more mature age than many of his peers: “So many are striving to get in at a young age, but as they mature, they start dropping out and pursuing other paths. So as a mature actor, there’s less competition aside from the small percentage of those young actors who made it.”
The El Paso, TX born actor – who attributes his passion for diverse roles partly to growing up a military brat raised in three tropical regions, including Hawaii, Key West and the atoll of Kwajalein in the Pacific – didn’t name his film production company Dare to Dream by chance. Over the past few years, the former general contractor, who wound down his successful construction company to pursue his cinematic goals full-time, has been the living embodiment of his friend’s words, with close to 30 credits and films on his ever-bustling schedule through 2022.
A true inspiration for anyone who has ever wondered if it’s too late to pursue their creative dreams, Danny’s doing so well that he’s already in a position to help others pursue opportunities and achieve success in the film industry. In 2019, the year he had the privilege of playing the much-revered American WWII General Douglas MacArthur in the Japanese historical TV miniseries “Idaten: Tokyo Olympics Story,” he launched the Danny Winn Master Class: Acting From A to Z, helping aspiring and working actors of all ages in the region develop their natural gifts, and learn the “do’s and don’ts” and use their passion to take their game to the next level.
“I also teach the intangibles that all actors hoping to work in film need to know, like keeping a positive attitude and mastering the art of self-promotion,” says Danny, who considers himself an “instinctual method actor” who prefers letting the moment flow creatively to over-rehearsing. “Another key that surprises some people is ‘Don’t rely totally on agents.’ I’ve only acquired a small percentage of my roles via my agents. The rest has been the eat, sleep, and breathe manner with which I treat this profession, continuing to get my name and reel out there and searching for gigs myself. To be successful, you need raw talent and that cannot be taught. But the rest is all about perseverance, the effort you put forth and that optimistic outlook.”
Driven by that upbeat attitude and the inspiring work ethic which made him thrive in his previous professional lives, Danny’s been an unstoppable creative force since “catching the acting bug” on the set of the NBC medical drama “The Night Shift” despite wearing fire gear for 16 hours for his one-line role and stunt as “Fireman #27.” He has worked alongside the likes of Denzel Washington, Chris Pratte, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Matthew McConaughey, C. Thomas Howell, Luke Arnold, Viva Blanca, Richard Riehle, MC Gainey and many others.
Among Danny’s favorite roles are his turns as a campaign contributor on the Epix comedy series “Graves,” with Nick Nolte and Sela Ward (2016); his lead role as Priest Paul in the supernatural thriller “The Crossbreed”; the key character of “Happy Jim” in the true-life Western “Deadman Standing”; and Skippy Brewster in the film “Lapham Rising,” which stars Bobby Cannavale, Stockard Channing and the iconic Frank Langella, whom Winn shared his dialogue with.
Not even COVID-19 can slow Danny’s output and the ongoing desire to expand his scope of deep, challenging and impactful roles. He has been cast as career military man Tom Harris in the futuristic sci fi drama “The Enemy Is Coming,” which is slated to film in Sydney in March 2021; the producer is Tony Lynch of Legend Studios in Australia, and the writer/creator is Mark Eder. The actor is also attached as lead to three upcoming Westerns, including “10 Gunfights,” “Back to Billy” and “30 Seconds in Hell.” He was also recently cast in the lead role of Kenny Lyle, a hitman in a dark comedy film tentatively titled “The Bleeding Edge,” described as “Pulp Fiction meets Mayhem.” It is slated to film in the late summer and fall of 2021 for release in Spring 2022.
One of the more notable links on Danny’s multi-media website is the page for his production company Dare To Dream Films, which he launched out of a desire to control his own creative destiny and, on any individual project, the important processes of casting, filming, distribution and festival submission as well as keeping the story true to its original integrity and form. Its past productions have included “The Crossbreed” and “Deadman Standing,” and its upcoming projects are listed as “My Dearest Jane, “Oneida Flats, “Barren” and “Tree Secrets.” A separate web page is dedicated to “Tree Secrets,” a magical fantasy adventure that explores the bonds of family and the magic that can touch lives generations apart. It is slated to film in Spring 2021 with plans for submission to Sundance and theatrical release.
Danny stars in and serves as executive producer on “My Dearest Jane,” “Oneida Flats,”, “Barren” and “Tree Secrets,” which are written and co-produced by Maria Harrison. Impressed with his previous work, Harrison contacted Danny several months ago with the choice of lead role picks in the films. After Danny spoke with Maria, she and her group asked if he would executive-produce the films, harbor the stories to completion and bring talented actors he knew into the mix. This quickly evolved into his desire to create his own production company, many of whose projects will feature a close-knit group of actors (including Danny’s friend Jamie Bernadette) and behind-the-scenes talent and crew.
“One of the reasons behind the name Dare to Dream is that it applies to the organic, unstudied way I have approached and found success in every previous endeavor in my life,” Danny says. “Throughout my life, every time someone would say I couldn’t do something, I would prove them wrong. In my early 20s, I had a business in Dallas refinishing bathtubs, sinks and tile and Motel 6 offered me a $350,000 contract to finish all their fiberglass shower stalls. People thought I couldn’t do it, or even get the loan for it, but I did. Later, as a builder, despite the naysayers, I evolved from doing smaller projects to larger homes, remodels, boutique hotels and commercial developments. I was even one of the first builders to construct straw bale construction in New Mexico.
“There are some parallels to my acting,” he adds. “When I was designing a remodel, I would draw up the plans based on the vision I create in my mind, following it from my subconscious mind to fruition. Likewise, when I’m on set, I am so focused on executing the way I’ve developed the scene in my mind that I sometimes don’t even see or hear the 75 crew members working around me before and between takes. I simply become so immersed in the role and scene. As glamorous as people think it is at times, success only happens through dedication and hard work. I’ve always said, life is a constant struggle. Once you realize that it’s a rat race and full of hardships, it becomes a heck of a lot more enjoyable and keeps getting better.”
Ignite your heart and soul with Sara Troy and her guest Leslie Marsh, on air from February 16th
Whose Talk Are You Walking? Is it yours? We can inherit stories that push our own out of reach. We are then weaving a cloth of limitations with the threads of the expectations and fears of others. What about our own stories? What if we became the authors of our own story. What if we wove the design of our lives?
Through a rebellious act in Secretarial class, Leslie began a career with animals at age 11, that went on to see her become a Veterinary Nurse working in Monaco and France and back to London where she became Head Nurse of a busy small animal practice in Pinner, Middx. After 35 years she hung up her stethoscope and became a Master Practitioner of NLP, Erickson Hypnosis & Storytelling. She has many healing modalities that can be used to bring balance and harmony back into view.
Formal training in Shamanic practice began in 2003 in Glastonbury with Howard & Elsa Malpas of the Warrior In The Heart Foundation. Since then she has worked with Shamans in Europe, Canada & Nepal.
Your health is your choice with Sara Troy and her guest Nicki Steinberger, Ph.D. on air from February 16th
“The new wave in health care is here. Intuitive-Driven Health Care invites you to take the leap beyond industry-driven BS, exhaustion from information overload, and seeking permission to heal yourself.”
Nicki Steinberger, Ph.D. is a health psychology coach, author, and speaker. She eats, lives, and breathes everything “holistic health,” and loves teaching, speaking, and writing. She’s the author of Wave Goodbye to Type 2 Diabetes: 16 Holistic Practices to Prevent & Reverse Diabetes & Reclaim Joy, Vitality, & Plenty, endorsed by Dr. Christiane Northrup. Dr. Nicki helps The Uncontrolled Carboholic end the madness with food and sugar addiction and develop healthy lifestyle habits using The Shadow & Light Framework. Dr. Nicki is the creator of Ditch the Sugar! Academy, an interactive membership, and blogs.
Choose Positive Living with Sara Troy and her guest THORN CASTILLO, on air from February 16th
In 2019, just as his multi-faceted career was taking off, Thorn Castillo heard Robert Downey Jr. offer a sage bit of advice during an interview on photographer/director Sam Jones’ acclaimed multi-platform series “Off Camera.” The two-time Oscar nominee said something to the effect of “any type of work you can put on your resume is good.”
This perfectly aligns with Thorn’s growing list of credits over the past year and a half plus, as the Northern Virginia based actor became a featured background performer as a mischievous ice throwing teen in Patty Jenkins’ upcoming film Wonder Woman 1984 (pretty cool stuff for a guy in his mid-20s!) and became SAG-eligible with his first regional commercial for Toyota.
These appearances coincide with Thorn’s major breakthrough as the face of a new international brand campaign for Schick Stylist, an all-in-one grooming tool by the famous razor company that allows users to shave, trim and edge facial hair to customize their look. Thorn’s youthful, hipster look was perfect for a campaign featuring numerous photo advertisements and videos showing how to use the product. In addition to continuing to pursue his television and film ambitions, his success in this role primes him for more high level, GQ level modeling work in the future.
He launched his career with a busy slate of projects in 2018 – including featured extra parts on the TV series “Bride Killa” and “Copycat Killers,” advertisement projects for Georgetown University Hospital and the local watch brand Eone Watches and a live casino photo shoot in Maryland.
Thorn attributes his comfort and confidence in front of a camera and his developing skills as an actor to his ongoing studies under the guidance of master on-camera acting coach John Palotta in NYC and Philadelphia. Connecting with Palotta on the professional networking community DragonukConnects, Thorn audited two classes in Philly in December 2018 and signed up to be a full-time student shortly thereafter, taking classes in Philadelphia and Baltimore. Palotta helped Thorn create a professional reel and a website for his acting and modeling endeavors. Thorn considers his ongoing mentor-student relationship with Palotta essential.
Prior to his work with Palotta, Thorn took several acting classes at Northern Virginia Community College and studied improvisation, intermediate acting and acting for the camera with veteran actor, author and teacher Brenna McDonough Wolfe at Theatre Lab in Washington DC and the Shakespeare Theatre Company.
Born in Upstate New York (Mt. Kisco), Thorn grew up the only child of parents who owned horses and traveled for horse shows throughout the U.S. and Mexico. He turned a year old in Mexico and also lived in Florida, Tennessee and other parts of New York State before the family settled in Northern Virginia. Living most of his life there with a single mom after his dad left, Thorn has fond memories of being a little kid at a store in Middleburg, goofing off in front of the security camera and pretending he was the star of an action movie. He was a shy loner type, immersing in comic books and video games while always wishing he could be more social and part of the crowd.
While he admired comic actors like Kevin Hart and Jim Parsons and identified with his favorite superheroes Batman and Spiderman, one of his top role models was singer/songwriter Taylor Swift, who overcame being a bullied loner to become an international superstar. To try to fit in, Thorn went through a goth punk, metal and rock phase in his mid-teens before embracing his truer self later on, moving from a mohawk and spike bracelets to dressing more preppy.
“I started acting because I was fascinated with TV and film, and always liked playing roles and pretending to make different worlds come to life since I was a little kid,” he says. “But for years I never thought I was good enough, so I drifted away frompursuing that career. But later, I learned to have more confidence in myself. It helped that family and friends told me I do have talent, especially my mom, who has always encouraged me.
“So finally, I went for what I really love doing and now my goals as an actor and model are making a living out of what I always really liked doing, including creating and bringing fictional characters to life,” Thorn adds. “I really enjoy those experiences where I get up at 5:00 am to be on set and get ready to go film all day, then get home at 9:30 have dinner and go to bed by 10:30 and do it all over again for 3 weeks. It’s also been a blast traveling to places I had never been for shoots. I know it’s often a difficult industry to make it in, and I’m grateful for any success I have achieved so far and am able to in the future. The work I’ve done so far has given me some of the most fulfilling moments of my life.”
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