Neighbors and Friends Podcast

In this episode of The Neighbors and Friends Podcast, Kaiy sits down with Teo Hunter, founder of Crowns and Hops. Together they discuss the importance of self care in business, and the responsibility they hold to break racial stereotypes. They share craft beer, cheese, tears, and laughs. ABOUT THE SHOWNeighbors & Friends is a podcast and digital series hosted by Kaiy Smith-Biesman, founder of...

In this episode of the Neighbors and Friends podcast, Kaiy has an unhinged, vulnerable conversation with Julia Tokarz, the co-owner of East side Cheesecake. They cover it all from family businesses in previous generations to how relationships play a role in running a business. This charcuterie episode is just as tempting as it is insightful. ABOUT THE SHOWNeighbors & Friends is a podcast and d...

Kaiy sits down with Samona Caldwell, the Director of Business Connect, to discuss how opportunity is offered and how systems work. The truth that no one talks about is that access is only one part of the story. Energy, resources, time, and capacity shape who actually benefits from life-changing business opportunities. ABOUT THE SHOW Neighbors & Friends is a podcast and digital series hosted by...

In this episode, Kaiy sits down with Lidia Garcia, founder of the Pasadena Run Club . They discuss the importance of community when taking on any new challenge like running, building a business, or tackling a big goal. They explore how to build a profitable business while serving a community and how to create inclusive spaces without judgement. ABOUT THE SHOWNeighbors & Friends is a podcast an...

Visibility looks glamorous from the outside, but anyone who has ever tried to show up online knows the truth: it’s complicated. In this episode of Neighbors & Friends, Kaiy sits down with poet, writer, actress, and creative force Arielle Estoria for a conversation about what it really means to be seen. The two dive into the tension between influence and entrepreneurship, the pressure to consta...

As business owners, we often hold space for others, our teams, our customers, our community...but who holds us? In this episode, Kaiy talks with Jeff Mendoza of Dept of Skin. When Neighbors & Friends Café first opened, Jeff was one of the first to show up. When hard times hit, he showed up again, offering care to Kaiy’s team. Their relationship is built on a shared belief: that inclusivity and...

In this episode of Neighbors & Friends, I sit down with Ariell, who once ran Carla’s Market in Highland Park. Ariell and I first connected through LISC, as two entrepreneurs navigating the challenges of running a business. Earlier this year, she made the bold decision to close Carla’s and pivot toward a new chapter - one aligned with her purpose. We talk about what it means to reinvent yoursel...

There’s the business version of you, and then there’s you. In this episode, Kaiy sits down with Lizzy Okoro, a longtime advisor, advocate, and now Director of the Women’s Business Center. This conversation is about what it really means to navigate and reshape business spaces as a woman. ABOUT THE SHOW Neighbors & Friends is a podcast and digital series hosted by Kaiy Smith-Biesman, founder of...

Entrepreneurship is often framed as inspiration, resilience, and grit...but for most founders, the emotional cost is much more complex. In this episode of Neighbors & Friends, Kaiy sits down with Tami, a somatic therapist whose work blends soul therapy, bodywork, tarot, regulation practices, and deep emotional processing. Together, they have an honest, grounded conversation about the parts of...

Some leaders are easy to spot, but very few people ever ask who they lean on. In this episode of Neighbors & Friends , Kaiy sits down with Nikki High, the owner of Octavia’s Bookshelf, and a woman who has unintentionally become a pillar in Pasadena’s cultural landscape. It’s a conversation about what leadership really feels like behind closed doors: the expectations, the emotional labor, the p...

In this episode, Kaiy sits down with Carola Secada, co-founder of Revolve Impact and Tepito Coffee, creator of Dena Heals, and a mother raising kids while supporting a community. Together, they unpack the myth of “doing it all” and the invisible weight carried by women building businesses, nurturing families, and showing up for their neighborhoods again and again. They talk about what it really lo...

Some stories don’t begin at the beginning, they begin in the aftermath. In this episode of Neighbors & Friends, Kaiy sits down with her friend and neighbor, Marike, founder of Altadena Candle Co., for a conversation about surviving the unimaginable: losing a husband, losing a home, losing the version of life you once knew… and somehow finding a way to begin again. Before they ever knew they li...

Some conversations don’t just remain conversations - they change you. In this episode of Neighbors & Friends, I sit down with someone who has been a quiet architect in the background of my personal and entrepreneurial evolution: L’lia “Tizzle” Thomas. She’s an astrologer, a grant writer, a healer, and a guide. She's a true alchemist in every sense of the word. Tizzle is the person who taug...

In this episode of Neighbors & Friends, Kaiy sits down with her friend and storytelling mentor, the founder of Die Free Studios, Asia David. Asia helped Kaiy unlock a bio, a brand story, and a sense of clarity after five years of searching for the right words. Together, they talk about the stories we inherit, the ones we hide behind, the ones we outgrow, and the ones we’re brave enough to rewr...

In this episode of Neighbors & Friends, Kaiy sits down with filmmaker and creative powerhouse, Felicia of Feee Films for a conversation about the long game - legacy, impact, motherhood, and the kind of community you don’t just live in, but pour yourself into. This isn’t a story about loss or rebuilding in a literal sense. It’s a conversation about what it means to carry vision through chaos, t...