Inspiring Living with Mark Candelaria

This podcast features a conversation on the last day of our recent personal trip to Scotland we took May 30th - June 10th. Our group included Isabel and myself, our friends and past Candelaria Design Tour travelers, Anthony and Gicela Dulcich, and Isabel’s mother, Alette Thompson who was celebrating her 75th birthday.  As for why she chose Scotland for her birthday trip, during the pandemic Alette...

Our guests today are two incredible doctors, Dr. Dan Rubin, a naturopathic oncologist and Dr. Mia Darling a naturopathic specialist. They graciously took the time to talk with us today on this podcast, but have appeared on many podcasts prior, professional medical panels and even had their own talk series called “Ad hoc with a doc” which you can find on their website listenandcare.com .   The reas...

Tyler started at Candelaria Design in 2016, his first job in Arizona, after Googling some firms and submitting his resume. He moved out to AZ from upstate NY when he was 24, sight unseen, per his Aunt & Uncle's recommendation who lived out here. No architecture degree, just a drive to learn and work hard, and he's certainly proved successful at both! From a young age Tyler loved Lego...

I am always fascinated by art and in particular, the artists behind the art. In today’s podcast we feature two very talented and prolific Scottsdale artists, first modern figurative  artist, Priscilla Nelson , and modern sculptor Ryan Schmidt . And to add even another perspective we also had Ryan Schmidt’s wife, Janice,  join us and she gave us her take on living with an artist! We had a wonderful...

On this episode, Mark & Isabel chat with Cindy Gombert, an award-winning branding executive, creative writer, designer and entrepreneur who has been creating compelling consumer brands for nearly 25 years. She is the principal/owner of Lunabrand Design Group located in Phoenix, a comprehensive brand development firm, which she explains all about in this episode. She specializes in consumer bra...

Our guest today is Robin Sewell, founder and CEO of Sewell Media Group and the creator, executive producer and host of Arizona Highways Television which showcases the people and places of Arizona,  reflecting the heart and soul of our communities.   Robin began as a struggling actress/server, but soon discovered her love for broadcast journalism and started as an intern at Channel 10 in Phoenix! S...

Our first guest of 2023 is Julie Skrei, Director of Sales for the prestigious travel company Abercrombie & Kent where she has worked for over a decade. Julie is a highly regarded travel industry professional, with an extensive background in sales within the luxury hospitality market. Julie tells us how she got her start with Hilton Hotels, The Sanctuary and then helped open a billion dollar re...

Happy 2023! In this first podcast episode in the new year Mark and his oldest daughter Tiffany talk about their incredible Christmas and New Year spent in Europe! Mark treated his three daughters on an incredible holiday trip where they spent 4 nights in Paris (scouting for our CDA France Tour this September), 3 nights in Zurich, Switzerland (to go someplace none of them had ever been), 4 nights i...

Every year our company takes the time to nominate individuals our team for MVP of the year and then we each cast our vote for MVP, well this year there was a tie, we had both Team Director and Project Architect Rebecca Roe and our Director of Lasting Impressions, Janice Rantanen take the top votes for 2021’s MVP, so they are each featured in their own podcast episode! Rebecca was born and raised i...

Every year our company takes the time to nominate individuals our team for MVP of the year and then we each cast our vote for MVP and they receive a weekend staycation package at the resort of their choosing. It’s a great way, in addition to quarterly bonuses and our other incentives, to reward our staff for work well done. Well this year there was a tie, we had both Team Director and Project Arch...

Our guest today is Page Knudsen and her and her brothers are second-generation owners and operators of Knudsen Vineyards, in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. In this episode she shares the rich history of their vineyard and the region that has grown to receive worldwide recognition for outstanding Pinot Noir grapes. We were fortunate enough to meet Page last summer on a guided Pinot Wine Walking t...

Today, March 4th, Mark celebrates his 40th anniversary of his first day working as an architect and has two special podcast episodes!  "March 4, 1982 was my first day on the job in an architect’s office - that office being the offices and studio of my mentor and good friend, George W. Christiansen! Some 2000+ homes later and over 20 tours, it’s rewarding to look back and remember where this a...

Today, March 4th, Mark celebrates his 40th anniversary of his first day working as an architect and has two special podcast episodes!  March 4, 1982 was my first day on the job in an architect’s office - that office being the offices and studio of my mentor and good friend, George W. Christiansen! Some 2000+ homes later and over 20 tours, it’s rewarding to look back and remember where this all sta...

This episode features three very special Phoenix Home & Garden Master's of the Southwest, Walter Spitz, of Creative Designs in Lighting , Donna Vallone of Vallone Design , and Jeff Berghoff of Berghoff Design .  We all share how each of us got started in the design industry and then a revisit some of our earliest collaborations from the 1980's and 90s' to some of our current wor...

In this episode my “rival” Erik Peterson of PHX Architecture and I spend a weekend together with our daughters during the Xavier Father-Daughter Ski Trip in Durango, CO. Despite what some might think, Erik and I have a lot of mutual respect for each other and shared interests, so naturally we decided it would be fun and interesting for our listeners to hear us podcast together! We talk about archi...

This episode features Dr. Gerd Wuestemann, President & CEO of Scottsdale Arts . I joined the Board for Scottsdale Arts about 6 months ago and that's when I first met Gerd and experienced his passion and vision for the arts firsthand. After getting to know him better through prepping for this podcast, I cannot wait to learn more about his fascinating life story, starting in Germany as a Cl...

Our featured guest on this episode is Laura Madden: artist, influencer, and sustainable fashion advocate specializing in abstract up-cycled art. Everything she creates has the purpose of creating “More Style. Less Waste”. Her passion for creating beautiful things and doing good for the environment led her to start ReFashioned Art   in 2019,  a certified Gold Level Green business.  Her advocacy for...

Our guest today is Giangi Townsend, creator of Giangi’s Kitchen, a top-rated food and recipe blog. Back in the 1980s, Giangi’s desire as a working mom to provide healthy and delicious food for her family has since grown into a full-blown business featuring tons of recipes, an online shop, virtual cooking classes and her favorite cookbooks, including one of her own, Back to Basics – Cooking 101 . ...

Today's guest is a fabulous chef from Italy my daughter Tiffany found while researching restaurants for our Candelaria Design Willamette Valley Wine Tour set for May of 2022. Chef Dario Pisoni is the Owner and Head Chef of the amazing restaurant Rosemarino Osteria Italiana in Newberg, Oregon. It has been rated one of the best restaurants in Oregon and the country just four years after opening...

Today's inspiring episode features Contemporary Figurative Artist and fellow Scottsdale Arts Board Member, Priscilla Nelson. Together we talk about art, creativity, family, passion, motivation and upcoming art events. Priscilla’s art career spans over 40 years and the majority of her work falls under two categories, Figurative, which explores the figure, clothing, and water to capture "a...

For today's podcast episode we are recording from the Alfonso Marina Showroom in Greensboro, NC during the annual High Point Furniture Market. It was so much fun to see all these showrooms and mingle with others in the design field from all over the country! Our guest today is Jamilyn Fournier, Founder and Curator for The Collector’s House, a beautiful design studio and store in Scottsdale, A...

Our guest on today’s podcast episode is the dynamic Dorie Morales, Publisher and CEO of Green Living Magazine . This monthly magazine has been around for 11 years now and is an eco-conscious lifestyle publication based in Phoenix that aims to educate, inspire and empower readers to make eco-conscious choices for a healthier lifestyle and planet. In this episode we talk about eco-conscious living,...

This week's podcast features a quick visit with my wife Isabel as we wish her a Happy 50th Birthday and talk about our trip to New Mexico and then we visit with our good friend in Umbria, Italy, Elizabeth Wholey who is the host of the Alta Bella Villas we stay in while in Umbria. Normally we would be just wrapping up our Candelaria Design Tour Italy but not this year so it was nice to visit w...

We are back podcasting again after a summer break! Its been a busy summer especially with the resignation of my dear friend and former Candelaria Design Principal, Vivian Ayala. Our podcast addresses that along with everything happening now and over the course of the summer at Candelaria Design. It's a short one to get us all back into the flow! Next week we will have my good friend Elizabeth...

Our featured guest on this episode is Frank DeBlasi, Founder of The Baller Dream Foundation , a non-profit organization that lifts the spirits of children and young adults affected by cancer. In our Podcast's First Season Frank shared how his battle with cancer led him to create this incredible nonprofit to raise the spirits of kids with cancer through amazing personalized gifts, such as coll...