Real Talks on the Rocks

On this episode of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Greg Grogan. Greg is a current law enforcement officer and co-founder of The Overwatch Collective: a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing attention to mental health for military and first responders. Greg talks about his organization and how they work to provide first responders with free therapy.  Greg also talks about the curre...

On this episode of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Jabari Issa, who was a former defensive tackle for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans. Jabari talks about learning football in High School, learning the college game and what it took to get himself ready for the NFL draft. Jabari spends a lot of time dissecting the inner workings of life as an NFL player and why some players j...

On this episode of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Allison Tibbs. Allison is a wellness coach/personal trainer with clients in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Allison gets real about her experience in college, working in New York for a major media company and how the path that she was "supposed" to take actually did not bring her joy. Allison also talks about the transition she made from c...

On this episode of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Jin Kim, who is a Bay Area professional dancer, K-pop dance instructor and has been a performer on professional broadway-style shows that have been put on in San Francisco. Jin's experience ranges from being a team dancer for the Golden State Warriors, to his most recent stint as the "sexy Han Solo" in the burlesque parody of Star Wars ca...

On this episode of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Coach Paul Casey, who runs a successful personal training business in Hayward, Ca.   Paul talks about the difficult life he had growing up around drugs and violence, hitting rock bottom, and the many times he got sent to prison. Paul also tells you how he was able to get himself out of the cycle he was in, get his education and learn how...

Have you ever wondered how people can become an entrepreneur at a young age and how some of them succeed?  On this episode of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Simon Katz, who is the founder of multiple Silicon Valley businesses and is part of some of the most exclusive social networks in the world. Hear Simon talk about his early life in the Soviet Union and how that drive carried over to...

On this episode of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Kris and Kelsey, who are the founders of K+K Training in San Francisco. Kris and Kelsey are the iconic couple that shares the same passion for fitness and coaching their clients to get in the best shape of their lives. Their journey has not been easy, but Kris and Kelsey are changing lives all over San Francisco and beyond.  You can reach...

In this episode of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Steven Pifer. Pifer is a fellow at Stanford University and is an expert on Ukrainian-Russo relations. He was one of the people who negotiated with the Ukrainian government about the terms in which the United States would intervene in the event that Russia invaded the country. Steven had a chance to speak...

On this episode of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Scott Campbell, who is an internationally traveled Disc Jockey (DJ). Scott has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Kaskade. Scott provides great insight into the world of a DJ, from small parties to large Ibiza-style environments. Scott also provides great advice to newer DJ’s who are anxious to get into the g...

In this episode, I sit down with John Steven Morgan, who is a freelance pianist that specializes in playing his upright piano at various public locations in San Francisco and Oakland. John talks about starting his adult life at UC Berkeley pursing a civil engineering and later a chemical engineering degree before leaving that path to pursue his passion. Hear how John deals with the pressures of so...

In this episode, I sit down with Christeen Rico, who is the C.E.O. of her own company- Dream Bigger Ventures. In this episode, Christeen tells her story of attending NY University, pursuing the status quo of NY City life and how she transitioned back to Silicon Valley to work for Big Tech.  Christeen also shares why she left Big Tech to start her own company and how she was motivated to bring more...

In this episode of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Amanda Renteria, who is currently the C.E.O. of Code for America (a non-profit tech company designed to help government agencies). As as Stanford and Harvard graduate, she was the first Latina Chief of Staff in the history of the US Senate and is married with two children. In this conversation, Amanda focuses her story and her experiences...

In this episode of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Stephen Zunes, who is a professor of International Politics at the University of San Francisco. Topics that we discuss include the current war in Ukraine between Ukraine and Russia, the real motivations behind NATO and how NATO had re-established itself in the region and how the little-known annexation of Western Sahara by the country of...

Joel Engardio studied journalism at Michigan State University and also has his masters degree from Harvard's school of government. Joel has written for the Boston Globe, NY Times, San Francisco Chronicle and Christian Science Monitoring. Joel also spent time working for the ACLU and was the first "story finder" for the organization. He recently took the dive into politics in San Francisco and call...

Vali Hashemian is an Iranian-born real estate agent with over 30 years of selling homes in Silicon Valley. In this episode, Vali talks about growing up in Iran and fleeing the country prior to the Iranian Revolution of 1978. He talks about his recent experience in Iran, where his US passport was confiscated and how he was able to get out of the country. Vali also humanizes everyday life in Iran to...

Zuberi Issa is a civil rights survivor from McComb Mississippi who is also a proud advocate for positive change in underprivileged communities. In this episode, Zuberi talks about life growing up under Jim Crow segregation in Mississippi, how african-american athletes voice their concerns for equality, and how his life choices allowed him to become the best version of himself, which includes ownin...

On this episode of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Joseph G. Ilustrisimo, who is a personal trainer that focuses on the entire spectrum of wellness (from mindset to movement to medicine). Joseph spends time talking about his experience on an Australian game show, how he motivates his clients to achieve their health goals and his motivation to raise money for the typhoon disaster that rece...

On this episode of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Sebaztian Pardo, who is a content creator supporter for Twitch and who specializes in helping creators find the tools they need to become successful on Twitch. Sebaztian also spends time talking about his native Peru, playing Final Fantasy 14 and Chrono Trigger and the future of Twitch in the metaverse. I have 30 + minutes of additional c...

In episode 14 of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Andrew Mew, who is a San Francisco-based stuntman and martial arts expert that has worked on films such as Shang-Chi, Matrix Resurrections and Transformers.  This ended up being an upbeat and exciting conversation and I was excited to learn about the work it takes to perform the crazy stunts we can take for granted in major motion pictures....

In this episode of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Tom Wolf. A native San Franciscan who was recently featured in the best-selling book San Fransicko by Michael Shellenberger. Tom goes deeper into his story of how and why he ended up homeless on the streets of San Francisco, how he got out of that lifestyle, and what conversations need to be had by both politicians and by members of the S...

In this episode of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Mike Roth, a suitability and fiduciary risk officer with First Republic Bank. In this episode, Mike discusses his take on cryptocurrency, the skyrocketing housing market and the reality of what America really sells on the international market.  You can reach out to mike @michael.ce.roth2@gmail.com  You can watch the full episode on my You...

In this Episode of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Alister Lee, a video Game creator (more specifically a creator for SIMS 4) who works for Electronic Arts. Alister talks about his role in creating the game, what some of the challenges in the industry are and how the culture of career video game players is mis-understood by most people. Alister is also a mentor for future video game indus...

In episode #10 of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Todd Yates, who is Vice President of Compliance for a major mortgage company. Todd is also an avid sneaker collector and expert on how the game of sneaker collecting is played.    You can reach out to Todd on Instagram @teeyeezy   You can watch the full video on YouTube here: If you enjoy this type of content, please feel free to support t...

In this episode of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Mclaren Supercar professional David Holly. David and I discuss, among other things, the details of owning a Mclaren, the demographics and interest of Mclaren owners as well as the work of art the is created by the Mclaren company!. We also tackle other issues such as climate change, the draw of the the city of Paris and just how important...

In this episode of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Paul Xayarath (ZAH-YAH-RATH). Paul is a survivor of hairy-cell leukemia and goes into depth on what caused him to get tested for this disease, how the treatment impacted his life and the importance of a support network in his recovery. Paul also takes time to discuss his relationship with his father and how hip-hop dancing has given him p...