This weeks guest: Rachel Lamont (Winner of SURVIVOR 47)

What does it take to chase a dream for seven years, get sent to Fiji as an alternate, come home without playing, and still return to win it all? We sit down with Survivor 47 champion and Detroit designer Rachel Lamont for a candid, energizing conversation about grit, design thinking, and how to turn fear into fuel when everything is on the line.

Rachel traces her path from art school and agency work to corporate UX at General Motors, where progress felt flat and curiosity kept tugging. Survivor changed the trajectory, but not the way you might expect. She talks about the strange limbo of being an on-site alternate, the pressure-cooker clarity of living without a phone for five weeks, and how therapy and presence gave her a steadier mind under fire. When it mattered most—at final five—she reframed nerves into intention, locked in, and won the challenge that kept her torch alive.

We also dig into the power and limits of manifestation. Rachel’s take is refreshingly grounded: set a specific intention, then let it shape your behavior. That shift carried her from a million-dollar win to launching Puzzle Hungry Umami Rush, a competitive puzzle game that exploded on Kickstarter and is now in manufacturing. She unpacks product design choices, community support, and why creative reinvention works best when you treat it like a series of solvable problems.

There’s a rich behind-the-scenes look at Jeff Probst’s craft, the edit-versus-reality gap, and how gendered expectations show up at Final Tribal. Rachel shares how to argue without overreaching, why adaptability beats a perfect plan, and how to hold “refined indifference to the result”—pour your best into the work, accept what you can’t control, and keep moving. If you care about resilience, high-pressure performance, and building something you wish existed, this one will land.

Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a spark, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show. Then tell us: what bold risk are you taking this week?

If you want to be considered as a guest, please contact us: michael@silverheartproductions.com

Jan 21, 2026

This weeks Guest - Jacques Paisner

What if a regional film festival could be the most practical break you get all year? We sit down with Jacques Paisner, artistic director and founding member of the Santa Fe International Film Festival, to unpack how smart curation, real funding, and a thriving local scene can move a filmmaker from first short to sustained momentum. From early U.S. premieres to Academy-qualifying shorts, we dig into the mechanics that place great films in the right rooms and create conversations that stick long after the credits roll.

Jacques shares how his team scouts Sundance and Berlin, balances associate programmers, and champions Indigenous films curated by Gary Farmer. We talk about the power of panels and mixers that actually connect people, plus the Santa Fe Film Institute’s grants—up to $10,000 for New Mexico creators—that close the gap between an ambitious script and a finished cut. We also explore the wider ecosystem: the Santa Fe Railyard’s cultural hub, direct flights to LA, 300 days of sun, and the grounded lifestyle that lets artists focus, collaborate, and ship work.

We dive into recent standouts across narrative and documentary, the logic behind selecting lifetime achievement honorees like Edward James Olmos and Bryan Cranston, and what’s next on the calendar: March’s Oscar-nominated foreign film series and October’s festival dates. Jacques is also producing Heat Waves and Numbskull Revolution and co-hosts Film Talk Weekly, offering more ways to learn and plug into the community.

If you’re chasing your first festival slot, building a slate, or looking for a place where film culture feels alive and welcoming, this conversation maps the path and the people who can help you walk it.

Enjoyed the conversation? Follow, rate, and share the show with a filmmaker friend—and subscribe so you never miss a new story.

If you want to be considered as a guest, please contact us: michael@silverheartproductions.com

We sit down with Cardum Sage to explore how a pandemic pivot, Ghanaian partnerships, and a wellness practice turned sketches into a runway-bound, gender-fluid fashion brand.

Joy, craft, and community drive the journey from Oakland pop-ups to Dubai and New York Fashion Week.

• reclaiming the artist name and creative flow

• crafting masks that sparked a design path

• opening a home atelier and reading community demand

• partnering with Ghanaian tailors and adopting the Nkyinkyim symbol

• decolonizing sizing with Femme, Diva, Queen, Goddess

• designing boleros and cargos for gender fluidity

• sourcing Ankara and mud cloth with cultural intention

• manifesting a New York Fashion Week invitation

• launching Sacred Threads and Afro lux streetwear

• wellness roots and Sacred Naps for nervous system reset

• VIP in-atelier presentation and how to connect on Instagram

Don’t miss out on the next episode subscribe now on all streaming platforms in your area join us as we celebrate the extraordinary moments that shape our lives and I’m looking forward to hearing your story and your success.

Link to Cardum's fashion line:

https://da-af.com/media

If you want to be considered as a guest, please contact us: michael@silverheartproductions.com

Two TV veterans reconnect over a shared credit on Unsolved Mysteries and open a door into Prince’s studio life most fans never get to see. We sit down with editor and author Duane Tudahl to map how a PA-turned-editor found his way to Sunset Sound’s work orders, transformed them into day-by-day chronicles of the Purple Rain and Parade eras, and eventually became the Prince Estate’s lead researcher and archivist. If you’ve ever wondered how a myth becomes a method, this is your tour of the vault—equal parts tape formats, climate control, liner notes, and goosebumps.

Duane walks us through the discipline behind discovery: cataloging two-inch reels and cassettes, cross-referencing engineers and rooms, and shaping box sets that actually deepen the listening experience. We talk Welcome 2 America’s unlikely release, the extended takes that turn 30 seconds into revelation, and why editing Prince means not cutting on the beat because he’s already doing something on it. The stories hit the stage too—$25 Forum tickets, five encores, and a blackout opening that blooms into Stevie Wonder rising for a 20-minute “Superstition.” It’s a reminder that live music can still feel like a secret you get to keep.

We also get practical. Duane shares how to earn trust without chasing gossip, why picking your “mountain” early matters for careers, and how learning the tools others ignore creates resilience. He reveals the next book’s arc—from Lovesexy to Batman—and a passion project worth backing: a documentary on Crack the Sky, the Baltimore band that never stopped showing up. Come for the Prince deep cuts and stay for the blueprint on creative longevity, stewardship, and community. If this conversation moves you, subscribe, share it with a fellow music nerd, and leave a review telling us your favorite Prince era.

If you want to be considered as a guest, please contact us: michael@silverheartproductions.com

What if the most important tools for a creative career weren’t luck or followers, but systems that anyone can learn? We sit down with television producer-director-writer Jeannie O’Neill to explore how she turned hustle, relationships, and smart money habits into a sustainable, joyful life in and beyond Hollywood. From early days on Unsolved Mysteries to helming multi-camera shows and ultimately writing Produce Your Life, Jeannie shares candid stories that make the path feel clear, doable, and exciting.

We dive into the myths that stall creative people—like needing a perfect plan at 22 or choosing between art and income—and replace them with practical moves. Jeannie breaks down her “Big Board,” a visual tool adapted from production offices that turns big dreams into daily actions you can actually ship. We talk about treating off-days like workdays, building momentum with micro-wins, and keeping your energy high so you naturally attract the right people and projects. The networking advice is refreshingly human: talk to people without agenda, stay curious, and nurture relationships long before you need a favor. That’s how the best jobs show up.

Money matters too, and Jeannie doesn’t dodge it. She explains the financial systems that flatten the freelance rollercoaster: automate savings, avoid lifestyle creep, and buy freedom with buffers so you can say no to toxic gigs and yes to life experiences, from a month in Africa to taking the time to write a book. Along the way we cover mindset, serendipity, finding your tribe, and the quality-of-life choices that make a creative path sustainable. If you’re pivoting, starting out, or restarting after a pause, this conversation offers a playbook you can use today.

If the episode resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs a push, and leave a quick review—it helps more creatives find the tools to build a life they love.

https://jeannie-oneill.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Produce-Your-Life-Creative-Financial/dp/B0FYD2937V/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.vsJad8lHkXCcOkPqMUIlCmEM_DxHE7Ei2DAxQwTU8QZrGgW-aZuP9advFxtAeB1Y3Wg7_j93JyrNNZYX3W0zeZ7_a3Fb5KNV4ZXC_nL6-3PYkc-0cmUDKnNFVZxLu-Jj-C0wXmRQTxV0jkgG_RtlXhcc_nKN-T0nLh62rUNUuyrD2ZjK0ZbvM3BsBFOcQYWrTU9rMFSPC9jL9FkWoeBwC8WkcS2UpL2Q6yR-6urhgoI.YcABt4W52xeUqyY6qWtLLIYifjlFR4Y8T8s6daq3Qjk&qid=1764880583&sr=8-1

If you want to be considered as a guest, please contact us: michael@silverheartproductions.com

www.silverheartproductions.com

If you want to be considered as a guest, please contact us: michael@silverheartproductions.com

This weeks guest: Christina Reese, a Former firefighter turned Life Coach & Healer whose mission is to make inner work accessible, affordable, and attainable for everyone.

Links: https://www.christinareese.com/about

https://www.instagram.com/christinareese7/

If you want to be considered as a guest, please contact us: michael@silverheartproductions.com

This weeks guest: Lisa Smedley-Calderon

Lisa Smedley-Calderon, Costume Designer and Fashion Stylist, has built an impressive reputation from styling, creating images for legendary celebrities, to creating characters for commercials, TV series and movies. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, it was her move to California that propelled a whirlwind of working with some of the greatest artists in the entertainment industry. Lisa became known for cultivating styles unique to each clients’ personality while adding a hint of her own quirks. Her acute attention to detail marks her signature touch.

While completing her studies in Fashion Merchandising, Lisa became a fashion consultant for Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. While at Saks Fifth, she was referred to the Crystal Agency and began assistant styling and later styling independently as one of the most sought after fashion stylists and is presently working in movies and TV series. Lisa has styled for artists such as Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Bobby Brown, Boyz II Men, and Color Me Badd, as well as award shows such as the Grammy’s, American Music Awards, Billboard and MTV Awards. Lisa has evolved in her career as a costume designer on movies and TV series with A-List celebrities.

Now with over 20 years of experience in the film and TV industry, Lisa continues to have the same drive and passion she did 20 years ago. When not on a project, Lisa likes to read, travel, and spend time with family.

Current works:

The Ice Cream Man - https://theicecreamman.movie/

Cinnamon - https://youtu.be/VZURYBlvdFc?si=_KHUvsquwdQ53fGq

If you want to be considered as a guest, please contact us: michael@silverheartproductions.com

This weeks guest: Cara Reinard (Novelist/Screenwriter)

"The publishing deal doesn't come to the best writer in the room, it comes from those who didn't give up!" - Cara

Cara Reinard is a screenwriter and best-selling author of psychological thrillers. Her novels Sweet Water and Into the Sound were Amazon best-sellers and have been sold in multiple countries. Cara's forthcoming book deal with Bookouture (Hachette, UK) will include three more thrillers, one releasing in June of this year and another releasing in November. Cara lives in the Pittsburgh area with her family and two Bernese mountain dogs. For more info: www.carareinard.com

Also here is a link to order her books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B01BEG0AK8/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=3138402e-da2c-4e07-bcd0-abbe0d6d67a2&ref_=ap_rdr

If you want to be considered as a guest, please contact us: michael@silverheartproductions.com