More of That

In this episode, we welcome Sophia Bentaher, a French-Moroccan gem of a human and 'Third Culture Kid' - growing up in a different environment then where your parents were raised (she grew up mostly in St Louis). She has turned navigating a multicultural upbringing into her superpower, leading to the creation of rich and vibrant communities around the world. Sophia explains how embracing...

Join us in this episode as we dive in with one of our close friends, Maddie Ireland, a community-builder, swim lover, and health coach, who founded the Venice Swim Club. Maddie shares her personal story of transitioning from a drinking culture in Sydney to embracing a healthier lifestyle in Los Angeles as well the magic she's felt while hosting a weekly swim club. Through her commitment to th...

In this episode, we sit down with Cassandra Michler, a purpose-driven entrepreneur who has founded seven businesses, starting with MoonLab Productions nearly a decade ago. Cass takes us through her impressive career trajectory, from helping her grandfather with nonprofit events in her early years to managing multimillion-dollar events for brands such as Uber, Instacart, Disney, and Fujifilm by her...

If you've just moved to a new town or are just looking to cultivate your *dream* community but aren't sure how, we've got you! More of That co-founders Meredith and Eric share their tips and easy actionable items to finding your tribe and becoming the community you're ready to attract, as well as deeper advice on cultivating meaningful friendships from the ground up! 

If you live in a bigger city, chances are, there is a Sofar Sounds near you! Sofar Sounds is a pop-up music experience that brings presence and intimacy back to live music. It's now in over 300 cities globally! Today, we sit down with Rafe Offer, the founder of Sofar Sounds, to hear about how one fateful evening of wanting to hear the live music at a noisy bar was the catalyst for starting So...

In this episode, we explore the artful world of intimate gatherings and deep connections with Susan McTavish Best, the mastermind behind POSTHOC salons.  With a background as a silicon-valley PR maestro and city guide writer she has woven together communities from the ground up, one meal and conversation at a time. This episode explores and celebrates the salon , an age-old tradition reimagined by...

In this episode, we talk with the founder of Don't Tell Comedy, Kyle Kazanjian-Amory, about how a desire to perform more in the stand-up circuit in LA led him to hosting backyard comedy shows with friends. This ended up scaling into what is now known as Don't Tell Comedy,  a global network of secret pop-up comedy shows. Kyle gives us the low-down on how it scaled, growing pains, and valu...

Justine, also known as the Queen of Venice Beach and a real life Mermaid, is a maritime archeologist turned community builder. She has started over half a dozen whatsapp groups with over 500 people per group and is currently putting her IRL expertise of community building to use in the digital world as head of community for two apps currently in stealth mode.  We've done More of That experien...

At More of That, we love the phrase "be the catalyst." It's the idea of being the agent of change rather than waiting for something to come to you and finding ways to spread that change for others who need it.  We love it so much that we've hosted 2 events called just that.  One of the things we mean by being the catalyst is becoming what you're ready to attract. Whether y...

This year, we hosted a consistent series, Best Morning Ever, born out of Meredith's desire to share her Monday morning routine with the community. Every week for 36 weeks, we started our Monday with the More of That community at Best Morning Ever where we'd connect, do yoga, breathwork, meditation, journaling, and have delicious matcha- all before 8:30 AM. We had over 1,000 attendees and...

Oliver Evans is the founder of The KINN, a co-working space, community space, and incubation space in the heart of Venice (also where we've hosted many More of That events). Oliver talks about his early entrepreneurial pursuits - from working in nightlife and events in NY, to pivoting his purpose, getting into endurance events, and eventually ending up in LA.  We discuss The KINN's missi...

With the holiday season upon us, which can be both beautiful and triggering, we wanted to provide you with tools to navigate social activities, release social anxiety, and show up as your best self. Through a guided meditation and questions for reflection, you'll feel reset, empowered, and ready to own your energy in any social interaction. We hope you enjoy!

Leah Zaccaria is founder of shefayoga studio here in Venice (where we've hosted many More of That events!), Shefayoga studio and Hauteyoga in Seattle, and author of Seen: A memoir. Leah is an absolute force in the Venice wellness scene and shares her inspirational story of going from being a burnt out CPA to finding her true passion in yoga and wellness to how she persevered and thrived amids...

In this mini solo episode, we talk about their tactics within and beyond More of That (especially recounting Meredith's recent festival wedding in the desert) to help friends and family from different worlds feel comfortable enough to expand outside of their comfort zone. Expect interesting tales and tactical takeaways of how you can host unforgettable experiences that leave all your guests f...

Aaron Suarez is a powerful force in More of That, helping us create magic for all of our events and vision of the movement for the last year and a half. In this episode, we sit down with Aaron and hear about his journey into community building - from organizing crazy adventures around the globe working for Remote Year to how the love of music has given him his community roots here in LA. We touch...

Blake Rose and Brian Price of OLA Beach Tennis join us in this episode to talk about building community through flow state and how they brought beach tennis from Brazil to West LA. They started their brand OLA last summer and they have already introduced thousands of people to this fast-growing beach sport via their weekly Open Play nights, tournaments, and corporate events. In addition to highlig...

During this episode, we sit down with our good friends Alper Nakri and Deniz Hotamisligil, founders of the Turkish Breakfast Club. Turkish Breakfast Club started out as a fun gift both wanted to share on the playa at Burning Man, where they suprised many Burners with an elaborate Turkish breakfast spread at sunrise. This soon became a HUGE hit when Alper and Denis took this concept to LA, and they...

In this episode, we are joined by the eternally inspirational Mary "Mandie" Davis who started Worthy of Love a decade ago in 2013 to provide birthday parties for children experiencing homelessness. Since then, Worthy of Love has thrown monthly birthday parties for over 10,000 children experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles and Houston, TX. Mary talks about how Worthy of Love was born,...

In this episode, we sit down with our friend Zach Poll, who founded Mental Health is Hott, an apparel company that sparks positive conversations around mental health and whose proceeds provide therapy for those who can't afford it.  We sit down with Zach to talk about how mental health and vulnerability can bring us closer to others while also improving our relationship to ourselves.  Topics...

In this episode, we talk with a community builder who has led thousands through dance and other forms of expression to combat loneliness and foster connection, Julia Grace. Julia is founder of The Wave Silent Disco, a "movement" movement that has led thousands of people through silent disco musical journeys to connect more deeply with themselves and each other and Alma Cares, an organiza...

In this episode, we have our good friend Doug Cartwright on the pod. Doug founded Alchemy Sales Coaching, a powerful mastermind for people in door-to-door sales to receive mentorship, community, sales techniques, and holistic mindset and wellness tips. Doug used to be the "Brad Pitt" of door-to-door sales, raking in over $1 million at his peak in the industry. While at the top of his gam...

On this pod, we have one of our besties, Ashlyn Showalter, who is a force of nature in the Venice community. Ashlyn is co-founder of Mycelium Festival, an intimate festival of 250 people where entrepreneurs and creatives connect on a deeper level, and is a business coach for women. In this episode, we cover: How Ashlyn moved to LA knowing no one and began to create her own community How to set hea...

We met Muita Muthee last year when he took photographs for one of our very first More of That experiences. Since then, he has become a staple in the More of That family and hasn't just given us iconic photos of our community, but has also become the heartbeat of our community. Muita is an extremely talented director, writer, and photographer and on this week's episode, he tells us about...

In this episode, we speak with Jesse Israel, leadership coach, speaker, and founder of The Big Quiet, a mass meditation movement that has brought thousands of people together for conscious connection in places like Madison Square Garden, Central Park, SXSW and even in stadiums with Oprah. Jesse had been cultivating community long before The Big Quiet, and he talks with us about how as a burnt-out...

In this episode we are joined by coach, motivational speaker, community-builder, experience curator, and podcast host of "You're Not Going to Like This," Imari Tuakli.  Imari's purpose and passion is helping everyone get out of their own way and awaken to their potential.   Topics we cover: -How to start taking steps toward your best life -Imari's breaking point and how he...