Épisodes

  • Screenwriting, Songwriting, and Screaming | Mina Tobias

    Screenwriting, Songwriting, and Screaming | Mina Tobias
    Oct 14 2026
    Actress, musician, and writer Mina Tobias grew up in her dad’s recording studio and on her mom’s film sets — but it took leaving athletics, starting therapy, and a pandemic full of insomnia before she found a creative voice that was her own. This conversation explores how screenwriting, picked up purely for fun with no intention of anyone ever reading it, became the thing that unlocked everything else — and why Mina believes a song and a scene are the same craft in different structures. She unpacks what the athlete’s mindset gave her, and what she had to unlearn from it, starting with the belief that discipline means sacrifice. Mina also takes us inside the rock EP she wrote in the bath, leading the indie horror film The Vanishing Tour on a set that caught fire on day two, and co-founding Don’t Mind Me, the mental health organization she built with her family. Mina proves that your Sparkle isn’t one craft. It’s the curiosity running underneath it all. Listen to Mina’s new song! https://open.spotify.com/album/7GPbsKlxO81uQPgQBquEZw?si=m8340plJSx6qV9lBG6MPFw Follow Mina Tobias: https://www.instagram.com/minatobias_/?hl=en Learn more about Don't Mind Me: https://www.dontmindme.org/ Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:02:17 Growing Up in the Studio: The Creative Foundation 00:02:45 The Athletic Mindset: From Competition to Creativity 00:03:49 Therapy as the Turning Point: Finding Your Voice 00:05:30 Pandemic Screenwriting: When Insomnia Becomes Inspiration 00:06:49 Screenwriting and Songwriting: Two Sides of the Same Scene 00:13:15 Discipline vs. Sacrifice: Redefining What It Means to Show Up 00:18:09 The Divorce Dad Rock Playlist: Finding Your Sound 00:20:28 The Rocky EP: Writing in the Bath and Letting Flow Happen 00:26:24 The Vanishing Tour: Fire, Screaming, and Finding Your Edge 00:34:43 Horror as Metaphor: When Genre Becomes the Vehicle 00:38:55 Mental Health on Set: Routines, Fuel, and Preparation 00:40:21 Don't Mind Me: Born from Anger and a Brother's Crisis 00:43:18 Direct Impact: Scholarships and Building a Treatment Center 00:44:23 Artists and Mental Health: The Network That Saves Lives 00:44:43 The Language of Crisis: Learning to Navigate the System 00:47:48 Creating from Anger to Joy: Transmuting Pain into Purpose 00:51:13 Community Over Isolation: The Artist's Greatest Tool 00:54:42 Letting Go of Gatekeepers: Learning the Business to Throw It Away 00:57:41 Building the Catalog: The New Artist's Blueprint
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    1 h
  • The Three-Month Limerence Crash Out That Became an Album | Eva Rose

    The Three-Month Limerence Crash Out That Became an Album | Eva Rose
    Oct 7 2026
    Singer-songwriter Eva Rose joins Sparkle On to unpack her debut album The Last Laugh, a project born from a three-month limerence crash-out that turned into 11 tracks of raw, guitar-driven storytelling. This conversation explores the psychology of limerence, the mental state of involuntary obsession that inspired one of her lead singles, If You Want to Be Adored. We dive into her muses, how she approaches her breakup anthems, and how the complexities of relationships find their light through her music. Eva proves that your Sparkle isn't just surviving the crash out; it's turning it into something you're proud of. Listen to The Last Laugh: Available September 25th on all streaming platforms Follow Eva Rose: https://www.instagram.com/evahrose/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@evarosemusic https://open.spotify.com/artist/22cqM1VQJSdXQ04OYTAQ5z https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-uXz3xB3NSQ_4EOqxXLKQQ/featured Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:01:47 The Seed of The Last Laugh: From Breakup to Album 00:08:47 The Writing Process: Sessions, Spontaneity, and Voice Memos 00:15:57 Getting Over a Two-Year Relationship in Two Weeks 00:20:06 Give Me a Good Reason: The Song That Predicted Her Future 00:22:38 Writing Without Intention: The Best Way to Be Honest 00:24:01 Career vs. Creativity: Writing for Yourself First 00:27:18 The Three-Month Limerence Crash Out: When Ghosting Becomes Obsession 00:33:03 If You Want to Be Adored: The Psychology of Ignoring Someone 00:37:55 What Is Limerence? The Involuntary Obsession No One Talks About 00:38:34 Breaking the Limerence Curse: Getting Busy and Shadow Work Journals 00:41:48 The Muse vs. Limerence: Distance, Projection, and Fictional Characters 00:43:14 Digesting the Deeds: The Author-Narrator-Character Split 00:46:13 Musical Influences: From Avril Lavigne to Alex G 00:49:01 Nashville Sessions and the Art of Storytelling 00:51:43 Finding Your Voice: When a Song Is Distinctly Yours 00:56:09 Favorite Songs on The Last Laugh: If You Want to Be Adored and Look Back and Laugh 00:58:45 What 2016 Eva Would Think: From Shy Songwriter to Confident Artist
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    1 h et 1 min
  • Student Journalists Exposed What Cornell University Tried to Hide

    Student Journalists Exposed What Cornell University Tried to Hide
    Sep 30 2026
    I cannot talk about spreading light, love, and creativity with the darkness that led me and the Sparkle On mission here. In this week’s news, student journalists from The Cornell Daily Sun exposed the heinous gang rape of a 20-year-old woman by seven fraternity members of Chi Pi. Over 50 men did nothing to report the Snapchat evidence. Cornell University expelled two of the seven men. The DA closed the criminal case because of insufficient evidence. Now, two years later, a public outcry prompted them to reopen the case. The fabric of Sparkle On is ingrained with my experience of campus sexual violence, and the hundreds of my peers harmed during my time at school. In the wake of my violence, I became a writer. I wrote for healing; I wrote for survival; I wrote to make a change. I don’t have the answers. I don’t even have the solution. What I do know is that silence about the crimes that are actively silencing students, women, and artists is unacceptable. This episode is dedicated to fearless student journalists, survivors, and, more importantly, Jane Doe. We see you, we believe you, and I hope you know that nothing can ever take away your Sparkle💖✨
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    13 min
  • The Prodigy Cellist Who Stopped Playing Other People's Music with Suuvi

    The Prodigy Cellist Who Stopped Playing Other People's Music with Suuvi
    Sep 25 2026
    Suuvi is a Cuban-Chinese multidisciplinary artist who was accepted into Juilliard at 10 years old, launching a 15+ year career performing on world-renowned stages. But by her early twenties, she was miserable. Despite achieving every milestone she was supposed to want, Suuvi realized she had spent her entire life playing other people's music, driven by the need to please her parents and meet elite classical institutions' expectations. She shares how she reclaimed her relationship with the cello by writing her own music, how she learned to give herself permission to sing, and why her album Dark Therapy guides listeners through shadow work without keeping them stuck in the past. Suuvi proves your darkness doesn't have to define your future. Follow Suuvi: https://www.instagram.com/callmesuuvi/?hl=en This episode is a rerun from Season 2, July 2025. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:01:22 The Artist's Way and Morning Pages: Finding Creative Clarity 00:07:28 The Multidisciplinary Artist: Breaking Free from Labels 00:09:37 Sneaking Out of Juilliard: The Rebellious Artist at 15 00:11:04 The Pandemic Pivot: From Stage to Screen 00:12:09 I'm Not a Classical Musician Anymore: Redefining Identity 00:14:21 The Timeline: Graduating High School at 15 and Racing Through Paris 00:22:12 Reclaiming the Cello: Writing Your Own Music After Playing Everyone Else's 00:26:47 Permission and Mental Blocks: When You Don't Allow Yourself to Create 00:27:47 The Compounding Effects of Suppressed Creativity 00:32:48 The Breaking Point 00:38:22 Three Years of Numbness: The Stranger Who Changed Everything 00:39:54 The Transformation: Sobriety, Meditation, and Choosing Happiness 00:56:03 The Only Way Out Is In: Finding Light After Darkness 00:56:32 Dark Therapy: The Album About Shadow Work and Facing Your Past
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    1 h et 1 min
  • I Was Ready to Quit. He Didn't Let Me.

    I Was Ready to Quit. He Didn't Let Me.
    Sep 16 2026
    Devi and Tom talk about burnout, creative depression, and what it means to be a partner when someone wants to quit the thing they love most. Fresh off a transformative trip to Paris, Devi found herself in a depressive spiral so deep she was ready to shut down the podcast entirely. Together, Devi and Tom explore the myth that artists need to suffer to create great work, pulling from Tom's background in mental health and rehabilitation to ask: do creatives inherently struggle with mental health, or is it something we can actively work on? This episode is for anyone who's ever wanted to quit something they care about, who's felt too depressed to create, or who's wondered if their partner truly understands what it means to hold space without fixing. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:00:14 The Breaking Point: When Burnout Hits the Creative 00:00:46 Mental Health Toolkits Change Over Time 00:01:45 When You Can't Pull Yourself Out: The Role of Partnership 00:02:11 Tom's Perspective: Recognizing Depression vs. Quitting 00:05:30 The Big Question: Do Artists Need Mental Illness to Create? 00:07:45 The Road Less Traveled: Mental Health as a Practice 00:22:30 Missing the Forest for the Trees: The Practice Over the Product 00:23:03 Dreams, Connection, and Lucid Dreaming 00:33:30 When Your Partner Says the Right Thing: Holding Space 00:37:44 The Function vs. The Outcome: Why We Create 00:40:08 Straddling Both Sides: Creating for Fun and for Money 00:46:05 Relinquishing Control: When Projects Take Their Own Shape 00:48:18 The Podcast as Filter: Repetition and Accountability 00:49:16 The Real Takeaway: Was This Episode Useful?
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    51 min
  • The Mother-Daughter Jewelry Brand Worn at the Met Gala | Tanya Myers Shah

    The Mother-Daughter Jewelry Brand Worn at the Met Gala | Tanya Myers Shah
    Sep 9 2026
    Tanya Myers Shah is the visionary behind the South Asian jewelry brand MAABAE. MAABAE celebrates dual heritage, where Indian and Western wardrobes coexist. That’s where Tanya’s mission lives: bridging two cultures through jewelry intentionally crafted in the heart of Rajasthan. Doechii, SZA, and Lilly Singh have worn MaaBae at the Met Gala, red carpets, & more, proving that your roots aren't something to hide but something to wear proudly. This is another story about how heritage and place can help our creativity flourish when artists like Tanya find that spark again. Shop MAABAE: Available at https://www.maabae.com Follow Tanya Myers Shah: https://www.instagram.com/tanyamyersshah/?hl=en Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:01:37 The Origin Story: From Mom's Fashion Workshops to MAABAE 00:03:55 The Two Wardrobes Meeting: When East Meets West 00:05:29 The Pivot: Leaving Skincare to Follow the Signs 00:11:06 The Difference Between Fighting and Flow 00:15:46 Going to the Source: The Jaipur Jewelry Journey 00:18:48 Becoming a Designer: Just Draw It 00:23:46 Oxidized Silver and Archival Inspiration 00:30:14 The Met Gala Moment: Doechii Wears MAABAE 00:36:32 Culture Club: Designing Jewelry That Transcends Cultures 00:38:04 The Korean Customer and the Chai Cup 00:40:07 The Haitian Tiffin Box and the Samosa Challenge 00:43:35 You Don't Have to Choose: Blending All Your Cultures 00:51:35 Curiosity, Problem Solving, and Living a Colorful Life 00:54:52 The Red Era: Signals, Chakras, and Shopping Addiction
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    1 h
  • Margot Robbie's Company Is Adapting Her Novel | Olivia Gatwood

    Margot Robbie's Company Is Adapting Her Novel | Olivia Gatwood
    Sep 2 2026
    Poet and novelist Olivia Gatwood joins Sparkle On to trace her journey from writing spy stories as a kid to becoming an internationally recognized voice on girlhood, queerness, and the complexities of women friendships. Olivia reveals how she transformed rage into advocacy, and eventually into stories that center joy, vulnerability, and the messy humanity of women's relationships with each other. She unpacks the creation of her debut novel, Whoever You Are, Honey, a fembot story set in Santa Cruz that interrogates internalized misogyny, the fear of intimacy between women, and what it means to be created from the male gaze. Olivia walks us through her writing process, the danger of trauma bonding, and why she believes resilience isn't about staying in pain but about returning to difficult subjects from a place of strength. Stay on the lookout for the upcoming film adaptation of Olivia’s novel with Margot Robbie's Lucky Chap, and be sure to order a copy of her book! Read Whoever You Are, Honey: Available now wherever books are sold Follow Olivia Gatwood: https://www.instagram.com/oliviagatwood Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:01:30 The Writer Origin Story: From Journals to Performance Poetry 00:05:42 Speak Like a Girl: The Performance That Changed Everything 00:08:41 From Athlete to Advocate: Choosing Poetry Over Soccer 00:11:31 The First Poem: Catcalling, Rage, and Riling Up the Boys 00:14:23 Navigating Perception: Self-Care as a Young Woman on Stage 00:17:00 The Doxxing Incident: When Rage Shifted to Love 00:18:28 Life of the Party and New American Best Friend: Poetry Collections on Girlhood 00:19:46 Writing as Processing: You Don't Need Pain to Create 00:21:45 Prompts for Processing: Letters, Odes, and Writing to Shame 00:23:52 Breaking Out of the Box: Exploring Different Writing Mediums 00:27:52 The Birth of Whoever You Are, Honey: Fembots and Female Friendships 00:29:41 Santa Cruz as Character: Tech, Gentrification, and Playing God 00:32:42 The Pick Me Girl: Understanding Fear and Intimacy Between Women 00:36:17 Developing Complex Characters: The Lifeguard Analogy 00:38:08 Writing Into Fear and Obsession: What Are You Not Saying? 00:44:40 Title IX Education: Trauma Bonding and Campus Culture 00:46:09 Creative Education Under Restriction: Teaching Consent Without Talking About Sex 00:48:32 The Army Base Workshop: Teaching Empathy to Those Trained to Kill 00:50:28 Writing From Joy: Celebrating Survival and Self-Compassion 00:52:26 Reading From the Novel: Lena and Sebastian's First Meeting 00:57:41 The Movie Adaptation: Working With Lucky Chap and Margot Robbie 00:58:56 Small Wins: Making Friends in Adulthood
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    1 h et 1 min
  • He Wrote the All American Pitch Between NFL Practices | Spencer Paysinger

    He Wrote the All American Pitch Between NFL Practices | Spencer Paysinger
    Aug 27 2026
    From winning Super Bowl 46 with the New York Giants to co-producing the CW's hit series All American, Spencer Paysinger shares how community, identity, and storytelling became the foundation of everything he's built. This conversation explores how Spencer discovered screenwriting as therapy during his NFL career, spending every Tuesday off-day in movie theaters studying story structure before he even knew what it was called. He unpacks the creation of All American, and how he's had to reconcile watching a fictionalized version of his own life rewrite his personal history. Spencer reveals the universal truth that sold the show: the importance of teaching the next generation that ownership, creativity, and self-definition are acts of power. Spencer proves that your Sparkle isn't just one thing; it's everything you choose to pour yourself into. Watch All American on Netflix and the CW Watch BS High on HBO Max Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:00:55 The 2011 NFL Draft: Overcoming Rejection and Making the Giants Roster 00:05:16 The Transition Period: Depression, Uncertainty, and Finding Community 00:06:52 Discovering Screenwriting: Movies as Therapy During NFL Career 00:11:57 The Artist Identity: Football Was Never Everything 00:18:29 The Power of Pitching Yourself: From Special Teams to Hollywood 00:23:24 The Birth of All-American: Pitching the Universal Truth of Being an Outsider 00:30:35 When Fiction Rewrites Your History: Spencer James vs Spencer Paysinger 00:33:25 Finding Joy in the Global Impact: All-American's Reach and Legacy 00:35:45 BS High Documentary: Exposing the Youth Sports Coaching Crisis 00:39:57 Raising Black Kids in America: Community, Identity, and Education 00:44:50 Hilltop Coffee and Kitchen: Creating Ownership in the Neighborhood 00:48:26 What's Next: Writing, Directing, and Redefining Systems at 36 00:50:25 Parenting with Presence: Real Conversations and Breaking Generational Cycles
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    54 min