Story + Rain Talks

Raised in the Bronx, Nigeria, and Louisiana, chef Kwame Onwuachi grew up surrounded by cooking. During episode 101, Kwame talks about how that exposure changed the course of his life, and ultimately saved him. Many people know Kwame as one-time contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef , season 13 California, and as a current judge on the award-winning cooking competition show that’s inspired many copycats,...

We’re marking our 100th episode with award-winning jewelry designer Alexis Bittar, whose incredible and inspiring story flies fabulously in the face of old-school fashion standards. A favorite of everyone from celebrities to fashion editors and many, many in between, it’s fitting that our milestone launch pairs with Bittar, whose career and collection longevity are undeniable. During the episode,...

In the words of Laverne Cox and during this part two episode of Story + Rain Talks, more tea was spilled than she thought she’d ever share in public. The conversation continues with more candid conversation and our Story + Rain cover star “being herself all over this podcast”. Laverne has done a lot of work on herself, and you’ll hear all about it and feel it here, too. Get ready to get inspired,...

In this two-part cover story podcast, actor, producer, and advocate Laverne Cox opens up big time about all aspects of her life and work, in this very special interview. Here you'll get the depths and scope of Laverne’s story, because Laverne does not hold back. You’ll learn that being entirely herself is important to the multi-talented star who sang, danced, and performed for as long as she...

This week we sat down with Harry Josh, one of the very top hairdressers and hair professionals in the industry today. Working in both runway fashion and hair since the early 90’s, Harry’s career shifted straight into the spotlight after an editor discovered he was responsible for the enviable locks of multiple models’ hair, and Harry’s particularly famous for Giselle’s sun-kissed waves. Off duty,...

Widely known for her fashion illustrations, Dallas Shaw has been a leading creative in the design and lifestyle industry for over fifteen years. A busy, working artist, Dallas works on projects that range from illustration work and abstract art, to creative direction and branding, to pop-up venues and interiors. Her list of clients is enviable, and many are long standing: a testament to the relati...

Netflix’s  Inventing Anna ,  Scandal ,  The West Wing  and  ER , to name a few: costume designer Lyn Paolo has been instrumental in creating the kind of fashion in pop culture that resonates with the masses. On episode 95 we dissect Lyn’s diverse and fashion-forward costumes for  Inventing Anna . A real-life story with an incredibly recent timeline, we discuss Lyn’s first time ever, media based re...

The Art of Tea company, founded by Steve Schwartz, is perfectly named. Integrity, purpose, and deep care are steeped into everything they create and do. Visit the world of Art of Tea on the brand’s website, and there it is---art in all the products, art in all the storytelling, art in all the details: art is all around you. Steve’s educational journey in Ayurveda led to travel, and travel led to t...

If you want to know anything there is to know about watches, turn to Adam Craniotes, Founder and President of RedBar Group. A one-time advertising executive + Macys copywriter, Adam’s lifelong passion---sparked at age 6 because of a Casio, his grandfather, and a local mall in upstate New York---led him to make a later-in-life career change. The result? The world’s, yes, world’s largest horological...

In the works for a while, this week with excitement we launch our debut men’s issue, and with the perfect cover subject, Justin Hartley. Millions of viewers have fallen in love with the actor and the character he’s played since 2016 on NBC’s This Is Us , in its final season. A season much anticipated---and at the same time, dreaded---by fans far and wide, simply because of its imminent end; fans w...

We open 2022 with such a good one. Episode 91 of Story + Rain Talks brings you Danielle LaPorte, a member of Oprah’s Super Soul 100, creator of The Heart Centered Membership---discussed here on the podcast---and she’s of course the author of The Desire Map, The Fire Starter Sessions, and White Hot Truth. Her own podcast, With Love, Danielle ranks in iTunes’ Top 10 for wellness with over 1 million...

Our final podcast of 2021 is the perfect treat. We caught up with actor, singer, and Story + Rain wellness contributor Lea Michele, to cover it all during the end of what she calls “her intense year of growth, reflection, and softening”. We discuss how she’s recently relocated back to the east coast, and how being in the New York City area is helping her in motherhood---a topic she is deeply passi...

The story of healer Deborah Hanekamp is both inspiring and miraculous. Profoundly affected by the experiences of two powerful water rituals in her life---her baptism, and during a moment while studying plant healing---have led her to what she calls her artistic medium, her beautiful and unique healing modality: ritual baths. Another source of inspiration is travel, and it’s part of what's con...

Story + Rain cover star Chloe Fineman is gifted. Achieving viral popularity and success in both comedy and drama, the Saturday Night Live Breakout star is the whole package. With memorable roles on Search Party, Apple TV+'s Dickinson, and Zoë Kravitz’s series adaptation of the film High Fidelity, up ahead for Fineman are roles in the film version of the book White Noise adapted by critically...

Patricia Field is a visionary in fashion with legendary status. The entrepreneur, stylist, costume designer, consultant, and Art Fashion gallerist has made an indelible mark on style. Between 1966 and 2016, the style-conscious flocked to her one-of-a-kind fashion and beauty retail store that was something of a New York City landmark. And then there’s Sex And The City. Fashion was changed forever w...

Celebrity Stylist Wouri Vice has twenty years of fashion experience, creating memorable looks for memorable performers and creators like Andra Day, H.E.R., Alicia Keys, and Kerry Washington. The Harlem native is a New Yorker through and through. He became interested in fashion early on, and has sharp memories of his own signature look over the decades: down to the exact way he likes his clothing t...

Born and raised in Los Angeles, makeup artist Denika Bedrossian grew up painting. She's worked with photographers like Patrick Demarchelier and Ellen Von Unwerth; her work has been featured in publications like Vogue and Rolling Stone. Denika developed an interest and love for paint textures early on, refining her blending expertise via her medium of choice at the time: oil paint. She’d also...

Tracy Romulus is a fashion, lifestyle, and entertainment executive who started her career at age 20. She’s worked with brands from Vivienne Westwood to McDonalds, and talent from Lil Kim to Ice Cube. Today, over twenty years later, she combines it all in her role as Chief Marketing Officer for KKW Brands. Tracy oversees global marketing and communications for KKW Beauty, Fragrance, and also for un...

Beauty founder, entrepreneur, and makeup artist Trish McEvoy has always been forward-thinking. And she absorbed that spirit early on, watching and being inspired by her grandmother’s perfume and restaurant businesses. She eats, sleeps, and breathes the transformative nature of beauty. In the mid 1970’s, she had the foresight to revolutionize makeup brushes; she saw an inviting gap in the market fo...

When we first interviewed Sydney Sweeney for Story + Rain in 2019 we quickly learned that the rising star is one serious actress. Season one of HBO’s most streamed show to date, Euphoria, had just begun, and in our offices we sat down to talk about how she’s able work with such heavy material in her role as Cassie Howard. That’s when we learned that Sydney creates intricate and elaborate books for...

Los Angeles based hairstylists Riawna Capri and Nikki Lee met and bonded as assistants, “ripping foils” and doing the dirty work. Years later, the two run one of LA’s most successful salons, and certainly the coolest (they were the originators of the Braid Bar, after all, and trademarked it). The pair share not a large celebrity clientele---they share an enormous celebrity clientele. Celebrity cli...

In 2004 Thakoon Panichgul produced his first ready to wear collection. Tamara met Thakoon prior to that time, when he was working at Harper’s Bazaar and for the designer Yeohlee, and she remembers his always-strong creative point of view. On this podcast we go back to that time, and the designer recalls what was inspiring him creatively at that point in his life. Based in New York City, today Thak...

There’s no other way to say it. We absolutely fell in love with Andra Day, our June cover star, and you should too if you haven’t already. We've been following Andra for a while and watched her in The United States Vs Billie Holiday, but it was an interview she did recently that had us completely compelled. There is so much depth to the multi hyphenate talent that is Andra Day. And so Tamara...

On this podcast we’re talking about the art of intuition and more with someone our founder and Editor in Chief Tamara Rappa has known for a while. Deganit Nuur is a world renowned spiritual teacher, clairvoyant intuitive, acupuncturist, writer and speaker. Since they first met, Deganit has been named one of the Top 15 Intuitives Worldwide by Goop, and has been featured on the Today Show, Good Morn...

Connecting The Dots Between Art And Culture. Story + Rain founder Tamara Rappa first met Nikki Reed just after she’d done her first film, when she first began working as a stylist. She styled her for a magazine feature that showcased Young, Hot Hollywood. Years and years later, it’s been incredible to see just how much she’s expanded as a human being and as a creative. Sitting down for this refres...