Townrootz

#055 - Today we talk to Jennifer Hammock, The Confidence Coach. Jennifer was a stay-at-home mom who was terrified to speak in front of crowds. After overcoming that fear, she discovered her inner confidence, and began coaching other women, just like her, to do the same. Her annual DreamChasHer Conference brings women to Oakland from all around the country - last year’s hybrid event was even intern...

#054 - Today we talk to Renee Cage.  Renee is a coach, a licensed mental health clinician, and a lifestyle strategist.  She helps ambitious women get ahead in their careers while achieving their ideal work-life balance.  In simple terms, she helps women design the life they want. In her mental health practice, she works with particularly women leaders in a variety of leadership positions, but they...

#053 - Today we talk to Gisele Bonds, a life-long photographer - she took a box camera on her 4th grade field trip. She started her business in 1989 in Richmond, then moved to Bay Fair Mall, ultimately moving to Oakland, the last 20 years on Grand Avenue. Gisele started as a portrait photographer - anything with a person in it like graduation portraits, weddings, couples, cotillions, etc… “ I prob...

#052 - Today we talk to Madelyn Mackie, The Career Activator.  Madelyn is a Certified Career Management Coach and Trainer.  She shares her inside knowledge to help clients set themselves apart and highlight their strengths, abilities and special talents in today’s competitive job environment. It took Madelyn 40 years and 3 prior careers to finally find her calling.  She started her career as a bio...

#051 - Today we talk to Tyiesha Jones, Founder and Owner of Pulse Check 101, a mobile CPR, first aid, and fit testing company.  The mobile part is a BIG differentiator - they come to you and provide Cal OSHA compliance certification courses to a number of industries including healthcare, hospitality, construction, plus community members.   A lot of people are drawn to the convenience of them comin...

#050 - Today we visit with Rita Forte, Founder and Owner of The Olive Street Agency, a boutique B2B Marketing Organization founded in East Oakland in 2012.  Rita decided to take her learnings from marketing her DJ business over 10 years and help other entrepreneurs to grow their businesses.  The agency assists clients in several Marketing services that will help them tell their story and communica...

#049 - Today we visit with Earl Faust, Founder and President of Cirius Engineering, LLC., an electrical and lighting design firm started in Hayward.  Earl fell into this line of work by accident - he got an internship in college at a construction firm as a mechanical engineer but found electrical engineering.  Later, a former employer inspired him to be an entrepreneur. “What got me to start my ow...

#048 - Today we visit with Maurice Brewster, Founder and CEO of Mosaic Global Transportation, a B2B limousine and ground transportation company that provides services for corporate clients.  Mosaic has 137 employees, 114 vehicles, and provides ground transportation services in over 440 cities worldwide. Maurice started out in 2002 with one vintage Rolls Royce.  He was the driver, the car cleaner,...

#047 - Today we are talking to Aaron Stewart, the owner and Head Chef of MexiQ, an Oakland Mexican BBQ establishment that blends the flavors of his East Oakland Black and Hispanic childhood neighborhood.  Chef Aaron’s career went somewhat in reverse.  He just happened to get a job at a restaurant working for a fine dining chef where he got trained on see and repeat - 1) show you how to do somethin...

#046 - Today we are talking to Lori Watkins, the Founder and CEO of The Lord’s Helper Boutique.  Lori did not grow up a religious person - she found it as an adult.  Impressed with her fellow worshipers’ fashion, Lori researched how she could secure similar garments for herself.  She was shocked when she learned the price.  After discovering how much worshipers were being overcharged, she decided...

#045 - Today we visit with Randolph Belle from RBA Creative.  RBA Creative is a storefront in the Laurel District that Randolph opened with his wife Erica in 2017.  It serves several purposes - a gallery, a photography studio, and a co-working space for creative businesses.  This is not their first rodeo - Randolph has had several spaces around Oakland going back to the early 90s when he first bro...

#044 - Today we are talking with Nelson German who runs two beautiful establishments here in Oakland - alaMar Kitchen & Bar and Sobre Mesa.  Nelson also starred on Season 18 of Top Chef on Bravo - we even got into what that experience was like. Nelson calls alaMar Kitchen & Bar, located at 100 Grand Ave, his “1st baby”.  It is a family friendly seafood restaurant where the 90s hip hop beat...

#043 - Today we are talking with Mario Benjamin & Chaz Hubbard of  Hella Coastal, Oakland’s only Black-owned brewery - and 1 of ONLY 60 Black-owned breweries in the entire country. They started brewing in the backyard as part of the dad's club at their kids’ elementary school.  The dads would come together and that sparked Mario’s and Chaz’s competitive nature.  Everyone liked their brews...

#042 - Today we are talking to Matt Day, the owner and operator of Planter Day, a mission-driven plant shop located in Rockridge that is dedicated to destigmatizing mental health and promoting mental health resources.  Matt decided to pick some weeds one day after visiting his mom in the hospital while she battled cancer. The pain and grief from her passing in October 2018 left Matt unable to work...

#041 - Today we visit with Chef Tirzah Love, a food entrepreneur who created Soul Box, which is a membership offering one-of-a-kind cooking experiences.  Members receive a monthly curated box with a recipe and minimally perishable goods from local Black owned, minority-owned, LGBTQ, and Woman owned food companies that are needed to make that recipe.  The box also includes access to a video of Tirz...

#040 - Today we visit with Chef Daphani Hightower, the owner and operator of The Cake & Sugar Company.  Chef Daphani has an incredible story and continues to persevere in the face of adversity.  She lost her son’s father to COVID and was diagnosed with stage 3 stomach cancer in 2022.  The cancer diagnosis has inspired her to forge ahead to create a legacy for her children. She started cooking...

#039 - Today, David Benton joins us.  David is an Oakland Baker and the owner and operator of Sugar Sweet Bakery.  David started cooking as a child.  As an adult, he hosted dinner parties where friends came over - they really liked the food.  At the constant urging of one of those friends he decided to give culinary school a chance.  He went in thinking he would be chef, but he fell in love with t...

#038 - Today we visit with Charles Farrier, the owner and operator of Crumble & Whisk, an Oakland Patisserie, specializing in cheesecakes.  Charles’ love for baking was inspired by his father.  As a young boy he was drawn to the kitchen to watch his father work. Though he went to culinary school he was working in an office job in 2013.  There, a co-worker challenged him to a cheesecake bake-of...

#037 - Today we visit with Melissa Myers, the owner and operator of The Good Hop, a craft beer and bottle shop.  The Good Hop features 16 California focused beers on draft and more than 450 beers from independent breweries.  Melissa was a professional brewmaster in Philadelphia when she decided to move west. “I wanted to get out here. California was the innovative area, was creating these styles,...

#036 - Today we speak with Liam O’Donoghue, the host and producer of the East Bay Yesterday Podcast.  Liam explores the stories of culture, politics and nature from Oakland, Berkeley and other towns throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties.  It was named the “The Best Podcast about the East Bay” in 2017 by the East Bay Express.  Liam says he started the podcast to share the great untold storie...

#035 - Today we are speaking with Natalie Brown from Natty Cakes - a locally sourced bakery.  Natalie specializes in buttercream cakes perfect for all milestone events.  Weddings are her entry point, but then she becomes entrenched in her clients' lives. “So it's amazing. I get to be a part of people's lives, usually starting at the wedding, which is so cool and so grand.  And typic...

#033- Today we are speaking with Erin Coburn from Minimo Wine Bar and Shop in Jack London.  Minimo focuses on small production, natural wines and ciders. You may have the same questions we had - what is natural wine? “And natural wine for us means that the farming side has to be organic or biodynamically farmed, so no chemicals in the vineyards at all. And then on the winemaking side, no unnecessa...

#033- Today we speak with Thomas Lee from First Place For Youth.  First Place For Youth, headquartered in downtown Oakland, serves transition age foster youth - ages 16-25 in five Bay Area Counties, plus Los Angeles County.  First Place for Youth provides vocational and life skills so these youth can problem solve and live through the seasons of life.  The organization’s goal is to…. “change the c...

#032- Today we speak with Ari Takata-Vasquez with Viscera Studio.  Viscera Studio is an Oakland based full service design and photography studio.  Ari works with entrepreneurs to create all the visual things they might need - branding and identity to website and strategy to product photography to videography. Viscera Studio started by accident - it sprung out of Ari’s brick and mortar shop (Viscer...

#031- Today we speak with Kathryn Tomajan and Robin Sloan from Fat Gold Olive Oil.  Launched in 2017, Fat Gold is an Oakland based small batch producer of California Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  They source really interesting olives from all over the state, turning them into unique special olive oils. “We like to think of it as an urban olive oil company, tying agriculture to the cities was a really i...