Rookie Mistakes

On today's episode, I spoke with Liza Shtromberg, a jewelry designer who has had a successful jewelry brand in Los Angeles for almost 40 years. Some things we discussed: - Starting her jewelry brand at 16 hustling on the streets of LA - Overcoming the 2008 financial crash and finding out her employees were stealing from her - The mechanics and aesthetics of jewelry design - Balancing being a d...

On today's episode, I spoke with Jamie McShane, an actor who has had recurring roles on hit shows like Wednesday, Bloodline, Sons Of Anarchy, and Southland. Jamie has an incredible story that is a testament to the importance of perseverance and never giving up on achieving your dream. His first series regular role was on Netflix hit show, Bloodline, after being an actor for 25 years. Some thin...

Welcome to episode 4 of Rookie Mistakes! Today's guest is Tommy 'Chooch' Chuchvara, a professional drummer with over 40 years of experience. Tommy has an incredible story. My biggest takeaway was the importance of continuing to move forward despite the setbacks you may face in life. In this conversation, we discuss: - How Tommy got into drumming - Finding out he had type 1 diabetes at 19 / learnin...

Welcome to episode 3 of Rookie Mistakes. Today's guest is Virydiana Aranda, a tattoo artist from Mexico. This was a really interesting conversation with someone in a career I didn't know much about, so I enjoyed learning about it. Virydiana is truly an incredible tattoo artist. Check out her Instagram, the colors are insane! On this episode, we discussed: - How she got started tattooing -...

Welcome to episode 2 of Rookie Mistakes. Today's guest is Jennifer Landon, a real estate broker in Los Angeles. This conversation is one that really represents everything I hope for with this podcast. I've listened to it a few times now and each time I have left motivated to go after what I want.  We discussed: - Realizing her initial career path wasn't for her after graduating from USC - How...

Welcome to episode 1, season 2 of Rookie Mistakes. After a 3.5-year hiatus, I'm back! My intention for this podcast was always to have conversations with other people, so I am finally doing it.  My first guest Jana Collins. Jana has lived an interesting life and has had an incredibly successful career in politics, public relations, and real estate. On top of all that, she's easily the most ge...

On episode 42 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about his tips and recommendations for visiting Bangkok after living there for a month and a half in his most detailed travel guide yet.  Some topics he covers are: - The best areas in the city - What to do  - Where to eat  - The best street markets to check out  - His case for skipping out on street food - How to avoid getting foo...

On episode 41 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor breaks down his guide for visiting Seoul after living there for a month and a half.  Topics included are:  - The best time of the year to visit  - The areas of the city you must visit - What sites are worth seeing (N Seoul Tower, Korean Demilitarized Zone) - The best restaurants to eat at  - Korean Coffee Culture  - Nightlife ...

On episode 40 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about his tips and recommendations for visiting the most popular cities in Romania. He covers topics like visiting Dracula's Castle, riding a ferris wheel in the bottom of a salt mine, and getting lost in a supposedly haunted forest.

On episode 39 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor starts if off talking about the college admissions scandal with Lori Loughlin and other celebrities. He then goes in to talking about the people he met during his ten months traveling that made the experience so great and left a lasting impression. He touches on day trips with strangers, motorcycling through Seoul, the Irish stereotype, and much more. 

On episode 38 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor starts it off talking about the documentary, Free Solo, which follows Alex Honnold's life or death journey to becoming the first person ever to free solo climb El Capitan in Yosemite. He then talks about his tips and recommendations for visiting Venice, Italy (13:11). He covers what to see, where to eat, how to get around the city, and gives you some inside...

On episode 37 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about his tips and recommendations for visiting Warsaw, Poland. He covers everything from the best places to see, the must try restaurants, and what he liked/didn't like about the city. 

On episode 36 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor starts it off with a rough estimate of the cost for a week trip to London. He then goes in to his tips and recommendations for places to see and restaurants to eat at. He covers transportation, SIM cards, London style, and gives a sample itinerary of what to see each day. 

On episode 35 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about his top 10 favorite restaurants from his travels in cities like Rome, London, Tokyo, and Bangkok. These are restaurants that you are not going to want to miss out on if you are visiting the cities mentioned in the episode. Stayed tuned for part 2 in the future!

On episode 34 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor starts it off talking about Tom Brady and the Patriot's Super Bowl win. He then gets in to talking about the biggest mistakes he made with growing an Instagram following. He covers methods for growing a following and the ideal engagement percentages for content. He ends the episode talking about what he would do differently and his plan for Instagram going...

On episode 33 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about mistakes he made traveling and what he would have done differently. He covers packing and preparing for the trip, mistakes made that cost him money along the way, and warns against the one mistake you do not want to make. He also touches on the different types of cameras good for traveling, the best shoes in his experience, and gives you advice...

On episode 32 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about the advantages and disadvantages of traveling by yourself for an extended period of time. He goes over what to expect, the good and the bad, and discusses how travel will change you and help you grow as a person. If you are unsure on whether or not you want to travel, this is the episode for you!

On episode 31 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about the events that led him to the decision to travel and pursue a career in content creation. He covers his doubts and fears, quitting his job, and the personal insecurities he had to overcome to be able to make the decision. 

On episode 30 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about his first week back adjusting to being home in Los Angeles now that his travels are officially over. 

On episode 29 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor looks back on traveling to 11 countries and 20 cities over 10 months in 2018. He gives his honest initial reactions and thoughts from every single city he visited, the good and the bad. He ends the episode talking a little about some of the episodes to look forward to in 2019, as there is still a lot to break down from this whole travel experience. 

On episode 28 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about his experience eating sushi for the first time ever at Sushi Dai  in the Toyosu Fish Market, where he had the weirdest thing he has ever eaten. He then talks about going to Disneyland the following day, as well as which he thinks is better between Disneyland and Disney Sea in Tokyo. He ends the episode talking about some of his frustrations...

On episode 27 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about his tips and recommendations for your trip to Budapest, the hidden gem of Europe, and one of his favorite cities he has visited. He covers the best places to eat, things to see, a day to day itinerary, and tells the story of the only time he has had something stolen from him while traveling. Other topics covered include the two most popular ther...

On episode 26 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor begins the episode talking about his experience at the Robot Restaurant in Tokyo, one of the most unique entertainment shows in the world, which was featured on Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown. He then talks about the pros and cons of traveling with a DSLR camera vs. a smartphone and gives tips for becoming more comfortable with vlogging. Finally, Connor t...

On episode 25 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor starts off the episode talking about the Fury vs. Wilder boxing title match and a new fantasy book series he is reading, which is a great resource on leadership. He then talks about his experience in Kyoto including the sites he saw, Instagram worthy photo opportunities, and the places he ate.

On episode 24 of Rookie Mistakes, Connor talks about a guide for your trip to Florence. He recommends places to eat and sights to see, including one of his favorite restaurants he has ever been to, which he claims is the best budget meal in the world. Florence ended up being one of his favorite cities he has visited and he ends the episode talking about general tips and what he liked.