Upside Down LA

On this episode, Isaac reminisces about Jewish summer camp with Leia and Ilana, the directors of Camp Gilgal -- the Summer camp affiliated with Upside Down. If you attended summer camp, you'll probably get most of the inside jokes. It's nostalgia central! Check out  https://campgilgal.com  for more info!

Isaac and Jeanne interview artist Aldo Schwartz about his upcoming exhibition at Upside Down, Inner Sea: Crossing Borders Through Tea. The discussion touches on the way that the ancient Japanese tea ceremony served as an inspiration and a catalyst for Aldo's life and art. Aldo is a multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker, and a graduate from UCLA. This exhibition at Upside Down is his Los Angeles d...

In this interview, we chat with Rachel Friedlander, editor of Inherit Magazine.   Inherit Magazine is produced by Jews for Jesus. It is a safe space for diverse voices to explore the ways our Jewish heritage intersects with modern life. Subscribe to Inherit here!   Articles mentioned: A Hatred Immune to Education by Nadya Williams Born Broken: A Look at Inherited Trauma by Michelle Van Loon   Emai...

Abby Tang joins us to chat about her experience with antisemitism on her campus at Brandeis University, and how that led to her writing an article during her internship at Upside Down.   Link to article:  https://inheritmag.com/articles/antisemitism-on-campus-affected-my-identity  

Eilon Presman is an undergrad UCLA student, and one of the artists for the "Origins" Art Exhibition at Upside Down. He shares about his family story that inspired the short film currently on display at Upside Down. He also opens up about his experience of recent events on campus as an Israeli student and his spiritual journey. 

In this episode, Isaac sits down with Jeanne Rosen to talk about the upcoming art workshop featuring an artist from the "Origins" exhibition, Zoë Solís, and how we can use art as a way to engage with our origin stories and transformation. 

Isaac chats with the Upside Down staff, Alisa and Amanda, about their favorite memories of Upside Down as well as how Upside Down is celebrating 5 years of coffee, art, community, and fun! 

This episode features Jake Rosen, Upside Down's artist in residence and descendant of a Holocaust survivor, as he shares his family story and previews our upcoming community hour in which we remember the Holocaust. 

Isaac and Sam talk about how we think through our origin stories, the good and the bad, and how the upcoming events at Upside Down explore topics regarding our ancestral and cultural heritage. 

This episode features two musicians, Ruth Shuali and Ari Jacob, in our art exhibition “She’elot: Israeli Artists Confront God in the Midst of Grief.” They talk about their creative processes and more about the songs that they wrote in regards to the book of Job. 

On this episode, Isaac interviews artist Dan Dan Bashi about his paintings displayed in our latest art exhibition "She'elot: Israeli Artists Confront God in the Midst of Grief."    See more of Dan Dan's work on instagram at @dandanartist or on his website: www.dandanbashi.com .   

We live in an age of anxiety – both chronic and clinical; both systemic and psychological. In 2023, it is assumed that all people must simply learn to live with low-grade anxiety. Accessing our inner worlds to address this reality can feel elusive and daunting. And yet, art holds the capacity to elucidate truth about our emotional well-being, expressing what we fail to articulate in conversation a...

Meet our resident tall barista, Ben Bergen! Hear him and Kyle geek out about Star Wars as well as learn about his favorite Trader Joe's items. He shares about his love for stories, the meaning of his tattoo, and more...    Come say hi to him behind the bar, share your life with him, and order his favorite drink: the honey cinnamon cortado! 

Introducing one of our coolest baristas, Leia!  Hear about how her passion for baking started as well as her favorite music artists. She shares about how making playlists is one of her love languages, and find out which starch Leia would choose between flour or potatoes to eat for the rest of her life!  Come say hi to her the next time you're in the cafe! 

Peace, Mental Health, & the College Experience Part 2 Upside Down hosted a panel of mental health professionals to talk about how to live peace-filled, meaningful lives during one of the most challenging seasons of life. Part 2 of this two part podcast includes a Q&A about strategies for daily mindfulness, what stability in our lives should look like, and how to talk about anxiety to people in dif...

Peace, Mental Health, & the College Experience Part 1  Upside Down hosted a panel of mental health professionals to talk about how to live peace-filled, meaningful lives during one of the most challenging seasons of life. Part 1 of this two part podcast includes an introduction to our panelists, tips and strategies for anxiety, and a mindfulness exercise to try wherever you are!   Panelists:  Miri...

Next up on our podcast is our barista trainer extraordinaire guru, Alisa Jeffus! Hear about her secret to reading more than 50 books a year, her many sourdough recipes, and her love for Harry Potter. Come by to talk about her favorite coffee, what she's currently reading, or ask her for some sourdough starter~ 

Next on our Meet the Team series is one of our coolest baristas, Justin! Learn more about Justin's cycling stories, his coffee journey, and all the musical instruments that he can play. 

On this episode, Isaac and Kyle interview Lizzy Cohen about her paintings displayed in our latest art show called "Home". 

Meet one of our most enthusiastic baristas, Grace! Hear about her favorite drink (it's one of our fall seasonals!) as well as her love for dogs and her favorite hiking spot. She'd love to hear about what's going on in your life too, so say hi to her when you see her in the cafe~ 

Next on our “Meet the Team” series is one of our baristas, Jaci! Learn about her favorite drink at Upside Down, her journey in becoming a doctor, and her love for literature, history, and Target. It's her birthday week, so come by to say hi, and chat about any of those things when you see her behind the bar! 

Meet Natalie, one of our most fashionable barista's on our team and hear her talk on this episode about her love for coffee, movies, and more. Natalie is moving out of state after this week so make sure to show her some love behind the bar this week!

Ever wonder who our podcast host is? Well, now is your chance to get to learn a bit more about Kyle!  Hear him talk about his love for Lord of the Rings, various gadgets, and the Dodgers. And hopefully, you can relate and chat with him about any of these things when you see him in the cafe! 

Upside Down Director Isaac Brickner interviews Amy Martin, at her exhibition: FLOW.

On this episode we celebrate and say farewell to Sarah Wang. One of our rockstar baristas who transitioned out of Upside Down earlier this year to focus on her studies at UCLA.