Cozy with Calinnah

Does it ever feel like life gets busier every year? In your 30s, you're often balancing a career, relationships, personal goals, and responsibilities—all while trying to make time for yourself. In this episode, Calinnah sits down with Fatima to talk about what it actually takes to stay organized without striving for perfection. Together, they discuss practical ways to prioritize what matters m...

How do you balance a full-time career, creative passions, and still have a life? It's a question I get asked all the time, and honestly, I'm still figuring it out. In this solo episode of Cozy with Calinnah , I share what's been helping me stay organized while balancing nursing, music, content creation, and podcasting. From learning to set realistic expectations to finding an organizat...

What if the reason you feel behind isn't because you're failing—but because you're constantly measuring your life against someone else's timeline? In this episode of Cozy with Calinnah, I sit down with leadership strategist and TEDx speaker Mazá Zimmerman to explore his powerful philosophy: Attend to Your Garden. We talk about comparison, patience, leadership, growth, and the press...

Have you ever felt like everyone else is moving faster than you? Lately, I've been thinking about how easy it is to spend our time watching other people's gardens grow while neglecting our own. We compare careers, relationships, businesses, followers, milestones, and timelines. Before we know it, we're measuring our lives against people whose circumstances are completely different from...

Have you ever felt like you missed your chance? In this episode of Cozy with Calinnah, I sit down with career coach and founder of Dayz & Co., Daisy De Anda, to talk about overcoming life's unexpected detours and building a career on your own terms. As a first-generation college student and teen mom, Daisy shares how she navigated challenges, found her confidence, and built the career she...

Have you ever looked around and felt like everyone else started earlier? In this solo episode of Cozy with Calinnah, I talk about the fear of starting late, comparing yourself to people who seem ahead, and what it feels like to pursue a creative dream after you've already built a different life. As a nurse by day and artist by night, I've spent years wondering whether I missed my chance. T...

You did everything right. Built the career. Stayed responsible. Kept it together. So why does it still feel heavy? In this episode of Cozy with Calinnah , we talk about burnout in your 30s — especially for high-functioning adults who look “fine” on paper but feel creatively disconnected inside. We explore: When work quietly becomes your identity The difference between surviving and actually living...

At some point, work stops being what you do — and starts becoming who you are. In this episode of Cozy with Calinnah , I sit down with a circulating nurse to talk about overworking, losing touch with creativity, and the quiet realization that your identity can slowly shrink down to a job title. We explore what happens when discipline outpaces selfhood, why creative parts of us go dormant, and how...

Burnout doesn’t always mean quitting — sometimes it means outgrowing what once worked. In this episode of Cozy with Calinnah (CWC) , Calinnah sits down with artist and former beauty creator Sarah Novio to talk about taking a full year off to heal and grieve, and why she warned her audience she wouldn’t come back the same. They unpack creative burnout, identity shifts, disappointing expectations, a...

What happens when you do everything “right” — achieve the goals, build the career, and still feel unfulfilled? In this episode of Cozy with Calinnah , Calinnah sits down with Dr. Kat Besas to talk about the hidden cost of achievement, the immigrant pressure to succeed, and why accomplishments alone don’t always lead to purpose. They explore Filipino cultural expectations, burnout, belonging, and h...

This episode explores how something small can turn into something meaningful. In this conversation, Calinnah sits down with FERG.JP , founder of White Durag , to talk about culture-building, identity, sustainability, and what it really takes to protect the soul of an idea as it grows. What began as an invite-only house party evolved into a global movement rooted in community, self-expression, and...

It’s still the beginning of January — and not everything needs to be fixed right away. In this solo episode, Calinnah reflects on self-sabotage, perfectionism, and the pressure we put on ourselves to have a perfect start to the year. Inspired by The Mountain Is You , this conversation is about learning how to step out of your own way, give yourself grace, and start from a place of awareness instea...

One year ago, I set a simple goal: post one video a week for an entire year. In this episode, I reflect on what it really took to stay consistent — the late-night edits, editing on lunch breaks, getting sick, going through a breakup, and still choosing to show up. I also want to thank every guest who trusted me with their stories and shared their life experiences so others could learn from them. C...

Christmas looks different for me these days. My family is still loving and close — they just live in another country — and over time, the holidays have taken on a quieter, more reflective meaning. In this solo episode of Cozy with Calinnah , I talk about distance, chosen family, shifting traditions, and learning that being alone doesn’t always mean being lonely. This is a conversation about how fa...

In this episode of Cozy with Calinnah , I sit down with Kimberly, aka Dandy Eats , to talk about food, healing, nostalgia, and how her journey as a food blogger evolved alongside social media itself. Dandy opens up about surviving childhood leukemia, chemotherapy cravings, and a small but unforgettable moment — eating Doritos while watching the Super Bowl just before finding out she was cancer-fre...

Gigi Torres spent years navigating an industry with impossible standards — from body image expectations to pressure to fit a specific mold. Instead of shrinking herself, she chose to build her own lane. In this episode, Gigi shares how she turned rejection into purpose, why she created her own dance company and mentorship programs, and how understanding your core values can protect your creativity...

In this episode, multidisciplinary artist Kiyomi Fukui Nannery opens up about her printmaking process, the natural pigments she creates from plants, and how growing up in Japan shaped her relationship with identity and belonging. She also shares how the passing of her mom transformed her art, her healing, and her purpose as a creator. A conversation on memory, culture, loss, and the power of creat...

This special episode was filmed at the Butterfly Effect event — a gathering focused on how tiny actions can create massive transformation. I interviewed 7 attendees and artists, each with their own intention for being there: some came to observe, some to learn, some to step out of their comfort zone, and some were ready to take their next big step. At the end, the tables turned and they asked me w...

Dr. Arnel Calvario Ripkens has been a cornerstone of the dance community for over 30 years. From founding Kaba Modern to leading Culture Shock, managing iconic crews, and bridging artistry with occupational therapy, his impact spans generations. In this episode, we talk about the evolution of dance, the rise of social media, Filipino representation, valuing yourself as an artist, and why great lea...

In this episode, Calinnah sits down with professional skateboarder @kwamiadzitso — a Ghanaian American creative using his platform to represent his roots, inspire the next generation, and give back through skateboarding. They talk about how COVID changed their mindsets, the business values that drive them, and the importance of representation in creative spaces. Kwami shares his story growing up i...

In this episode, I sit with Dr. Deen Anbar to talk about what it means to show up — both in music and in life. We get into the art of being a supportive bandmate, knowing when to lead vs. when to step back, and how to create without trying to prove anything. We also discuss his path through academia as a musician, the importance of choosing what genuinely brings joy, building better habits, and hi...

She made 90s nostalgia cool again 💿 From viral skits to music lessons with her son, Maria Bone built a career out of pure personality — blending humor, motherhood, and culture into something completely her own. In this episode, we talk about: 🎶 Meeting her favorite 90s and 2000s idols (like Xscape and Bone Thugz) 💡 How posting “just for fun” turned into millions of followers 💬 Why you should a...

What does it really take to look like an artist? 👀 In this episode of Cozy with Calinnah , I sit down with my stylist and creative collaborator Suzi Romero (@susyjromero) — the woman behind almost every look, show, and visual concept I’ve done since the beginning. Beyond styling, Suzi is a denim designer, photographer, and creative explorer , and together we talk about how style, design, and iden...

How do you make a film under $1,000 and get it screened at AMC? 🎥 In this episode of Cozy with Calinnah , I sit down with Kyle Waters Geller (aka @elprimobrand ), a Long Beach filmmaker redefining what it means to create outside Hollywood. From shooting on iPhones to premiering his film Sorry World Premiere at AMC Marina, Kyle shares how grit, creativity, and building your own style can take you...

What does it really mean to start over — to rebuild your life, heal from trauma, and find your creative spark again? In this episode of Cozy with Calinnah , designer and entrepreneur Liz Garibaldi opens up about the night a car crashed into Open Gallery — her home and place of business — and how she and her family had to rebuild everything from scratch. Liz also shares her journey through therapy,...