Wise and Wine Podcast

“I Totally Forgot that I Wanted to be a Scientist” with Alan Valera Alan grew up in The Cornhusker State, which must’ve been quite a cultural shift for his parents who immigrated from Mexico.  Like most people who pack up and leave their home country, Alan’s parents wanted a better life for their family.  They worked hard on a hog farm while their kids enjoyed the calm of living in wide open space...

The One Where We Debate Everything:  Siblings Take on MAFS Season 17 , Episode 3 “Siblings Take On…” where siblings tackle sports, race, current events, pop culture and whatever else pops into their little heads to see how their gender, martial status, and the generation each were raised in generation impact their perspectives.  Join hosts Jennifer (the GenX, digital nomad traveling with world wit...

This special cross-over episode of the Wise & Wine and the Siblings Take On… features Lindsey Georgoulis from Season 14 (Boston) of the reality show, “Married at First Sight”.  Driven by caring for others as long as she can remember, Lindsey walks us down a career path in the medical industry from nursing to hospice to policy development during the pandemic. She shares her bottomless desire for kn...

“Siblings Take On…” where siblings tackle sports, race, current events, pop culture and whatever else pops into their little heads to see how their gender, martial status, and the generation each were raised in generation impact their perspectives.  Join hosts Jennifer (the GenX, digital nomad traveling with world with her second husband)and Jarred (the married, Millennial, first-time dad, little...

Alejandra Ospina grew up in a poor neighborhood marked by gangs and violence.  At a young age, she heard someone speak English and that sparked her curiosity about languages and people that spoken them. She leaned on her Colombian culture of perseverance to teach herself English from her sister’s Cher CD.  A degree in Sociology and an insatiable curiosity about the world led her to pursue careers...

Laura felt like the dumb one (which she is not) in her very intelligent family. An intelligent family with boundless support for both her and her brother.  When she plunged into Fundamentalist Christianity? Support. When she changed her degree plan in college? Support?  When she left her hotel-based event planner/PR position to become a school counselor?  Support.  When she took a leave of absence...

Michael G. Neece has been a leader in five industries, always with focus on kindness in the workplace. At Gilead Sciences, he directs the Gilead Programming Academy, teaching new waves of pharma programmers how to illuminate scientific discoveries embedded in clinical trials data. In his spare time, he writes. Look for his new book “In Kind: Creating Authentic Work Culture with Kindness as Your Gu...

As a lover of facts, natural communicator, and purveyor of pop culture; Taria S. Faison has been on a career path that is as windy at Porsha's explanation of her engagement to Simon.  With her husband by her side, Taria has been able to adjust her career in order to support her children's growing careers in the entertainment industry. The pandemic gave her the vision to launch a podcast that...

Alyssa McDonald II was severely burned a child over a significant portion of her face and neck and is legally blind in one eye.  But you can't tell her she's not sexy. (It's not her fault - she simply can't turn it off!).  She lives with a confidence that she has built and wants to share through her social media campaign,  "I Wear My Scars - Flaws Like Diamonds".  From being kicked out of a ratche...

If you asked the toddler version of Coonoor Behal what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would NOT have said "I want to write a book that seeks to help readers rethink and reframe quitting by sharing stories from everyday people who summoned the courage to quit things in their lives".  Yet, here she is.  The author of "I Quit! The Life-Affirming Joy of Giving Up".  Growing up a...

Carlee Jackson Bohannon knew she wanted to work with sharks when she was 5 or 6 years old. The fearless little girl who jumped into a pool before she could swim, grew up to become a shark and sea turtle scientist. Interested in researching the impact of human activities and urban development on sharks and their habitats, Carlee earned a master of science degree in marine biology and worked with th...

Tisha Starks had the kind of dad who was driven to create businesses and generate income on his own terms - terms that often didn’t include a W-2.   But no one in her small Virginia town seemed wired the same way and her dad didn’t have a business plan for her to follow.  When she asked the question, “Why can’t I start 50 businesses?”, no one has a good answer for her.  No one guided her towards b...

With a 20+ year retail career, Khalika Abrams has worked for brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Club Monaco, and Burberry. In her most recent retail position as Creative Director, for A’gaci, she worked side by side with the company owners to spearhead an aggressive country-wide expansion and solidify the brand’s identity.  Overseeing visual merchandising and construction, she was hyper-collaborative...

Born in Awka, Nigeria, Nwanneka always knew two things;  1. She would always do things outside the box and, 2. she would hustle.  She is a multi-hyphenate. A flesh and blood version of ‘AND’.  She earned degrees in Education and Business Management with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship.   She worked in the financial industry and managed side businesses in hairstyling, competitive dancing and writin...

“Siblings Take On…” where a divorced, GenX middle sister and her her married, Millennial, little brother discuss current events and pop culture to see how their gender, martial status, and generation impact their perspectives.  In this episode we take on: Perfect couples of “Married at First Sight”  Love is Blind Contestant Lawsuit Atlanta sports venue double-booking Janet Jackson and basketball N...

Laree Thomas is motivation and inertia personified.  Growing up in New York where her family spent weekends in The Village exploring different foods and cultures, she was bitten by the travel bug early.  Planning international trips with her girlfriends changed how she spent her disposable income. Instead of luxury shoes, she booked trips. Instead of luxury meals, she booked trips. Each trip expos...

"Most of the Sunrise's Audience Sleeps" SIBLINGS TAKE ON... College Basketball, Infidelity, and Not-So-Live Netflix “Siblings Take On…” where a divorced, GenX middle sister and her her married, Millennial, little brother discuss current events and pop culture to see how their gender, martial status, and generation impact their perspectives.  In this episode we take on: Disparity betw...

Thijs (pronounced like "nice" with a T) Peekstok is an energetic leader with a broad experience in international Agroindustrial, Biotechnology, Manufacturing, R&D and Life Science projects implementation. To put it simply, he is passionate about creating things that end up on your plate, safely. As the middle child of 3 boys growing up in The Netherlands, his passion for healthy foods came from be...

Yep, I got scammed. Twice. In less than 2 weeks. Photo by Sander Sammy on Unsplash

Sam grew up in rural Alabama, the first person in her family to graduate from both high school and college. Her passion for employing education as a tool for empowerment lead her to living in Thailand for 4 years.  Mariya was raised by entrepreneurial parents in Southern California with the drive to excel in marketing, publicity and high-end sales. Without completing her college degree, she parlay...

“Siblings Take on MAFS” where a divorced, GenX, veteran viewer of the “Married at First Sight” reality TV show discusses the week’s episode with her married, Millennial, little brother. In this episode we take on: Surprising your partner  Privilege and real estate lingo Kirsten hiding her dad from Shaquille Why Nicole and Chris work  Understanding Jasmine and Airris  The line between employees and...

“Siblings Take on MAFS” where a divorced, GenX, veteran viewer of the “Married at First Sight” reality TV show discusses the week’s episode with her married, Millennial, little brother. In this episode we take on: Definition of the word “crust” Gina should meet Clint’s mom  Value of learned conflict  Airris is a Liar Liarpants  Not calling your in-laws mom/dad Oh, and brother shared who MAFS UK is...

Erin Hattamer grew up in a small town with a Roman Catholic upbringing.  Couple that with the opportunity to perform in theater since 4th grade and you have all the ingredients of a successful comedian/writer/actor, right? Sort of. Erin is funny, but Erin is practical. And comedy is an unstable career. She attempted to find stability in other areas until an academic route to comedy presented itsel...

“Siblings Take on MAFS” where a divorced, GenX, veteran viewer of the “Married at First Sight” reality TV show discusses the week’s episode with her married, Millennial, little brother. In this episode we take on: Nicole’s dad is the MVP  Airris is showing his work Efficient relationship sex People who build empires aren’t boring  Gina bonding with Clint over a haircut  Decision Day predictions  O...

Samantha Sacchi’s family tree is rooted in entrepreneurship. Roots that stretch to Venezuela, Spain, Italy and Lebanon have given her a global perspective on how people determine their priorities. Procuring 2 bachelors degrees and a masters degrees in different countries helped her set a gauge for difficulty in pursuit of a goal. It showed her that earning hard things requires hard word. Submittin...