Thoughtful Intentions

No Shortcuts for Soulmates

Kameron Villavicencio is a different kind of triple threat. She's an actor, writer, and producer. She's also proudly pigeon-toed. She graduated from Penn State in 2018 and moved to Chicago on a whim, before ending up with the love of her life, New York City. Currently, she tries to find the balance between working and pursuing her dreams of being a creative in the theater and film world. She's passionate about pilates, bagels, and taking the ego out of acting, and everything for that matter.

A Tribute to the Artists' Anxiety

I'm your host, Fiona Winch, and welcome to the first solo episode! As someone who asks people to share their stories, I thought it was about time to share mine.

The Magic of Self Commitment

Sammi Sadicario, aka The Creative Storyworker, guides people-pleasing artists to unconditional self-love with her Creativity Ignition Method. Before her obsession with all things nutrition, storywork, mindset, and self-care, she was on track to a career in the entertainment industry. She spent her days auditioning for Broadway, writing shows, and producing short films. After years of seeking external validation in work and relationships, high stress, low immunity, and constant injury, she found her true passion for healthy mindset and life coaching. Now when she’s not coaching her fabulous clients to stronger health and creativity, she can be found rock climbing and camping outside of her home in Seattle, WA.

Rolling With The Punches

In 2018 JeNaye Alston graduated from Elon University with a degree in Strategic Communications & Business. Upon graduating she headed straight to NYC to pursue a career in Public Relations. Shortly after JeNaye transitioned out of the PR agency life and into the world of fashion. She now works in the operations division for a major department store, and moonlights as a freelance digital designer. As a 20 something just starting out in NYC JeNaye has had many formative and eye opening experiences that have shaped who she is today, and she's excited to share her newfound perspective.

When Education Meets Empathy

Francesca grew up in an Irish-Catholic family in a small town in Northern New Jersey, about 20 miles west of New York City. Her childhood and youth were defined by her Catholic school education and by formidable nuns who encouraged their students to strive to make the world a better place.
 
Her college years led her to her mother's alma mater, Trinity College in Washington DC, where she earned a BA in English. She spent her junior year abroad at The University of East Anglia in England, a truly life-changing experience. The time she spent backpacking all over Europe broadened her understanding of the world around her and deepened her resolve to immerse herself in it. 
 
After graduation, Francesca worked for The US National Park Service at Arlington House in Arlington Cemetery, Virginia, the Robert E Lee Memorial. She gave tours in period costume hoop skirts, using sign language she learned at Gallaudet University for specialized tours for the deaf. This experience sparked her interest in teaching and motivated her to earn her MA in Secondary Education from The College of William and Mary. She began teaching English at Yorktown High School in Virginia.
 
At Yorktown, she created a popular elective course in World Literature which examined the texts of the major religions and the literature associated with the rise of these various belief systems. Guided field trips to a mosque, synagogue, and the National Cathedral were part of this program; she worked with students in developing a peer-facilitation program and was Chair of the English Department. She retired in July of 2020, after 36 years in the classroom, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. 
 
Francesca is the founder and President of the Board of Directors of Teen Angel Project, an ensemble of middle and high school students who sing and dance in nursing homes, rehab centers, and veterans' facilities, free of charge, and the founder and CEO of Eire-Go Tours, designing and leading culturally educational tours to Ireland. In 2020, she co-directed the virtual Kids' Camp for the annual Irish cultural immersion program, Musical Arts and Dance Week for the O’Neill Malcom Branch of the Dublin, Ireland-based Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.  
 
Now in retirement, she satisfies her need to teach and discuss literature and writing with teens and young people through her tutoring business, WriteAwayMoCo. (www.writeawaymoco.com.)

Finding Your Frequency

Lauren Echausse has been working on strengthening her gift as a lightworker for the past 6 years, and really just wants to bring more light into people's lives. In a time where there is so much darkness, she feels lucky that she was given this gift to help relieve people of some of the darkness they may feel is stuck inside them, and replace it with fresh, new light from the earth. Sound crazy?? She promises it isn’t. All of this work is rooted in ancient Hindu meditation. As a lightworker, Lauren goes through the chakras in the body to basically fine-tune and realign them so that they are at the right frequency to have the energy flow evenly. An easy meditation for you, and fun freeing work for her.

A Covid Carpe Diem

Aden Fikru graduated with a BS in public health science and will continue her education to become a PA. She currently works at Georgetown hospital in the IMC unit (with COVID patients) and founded her own mask company - Safe AF. During the beginning of the COVID pandemic, her goal and mission was to make, and give away as many masks as humanly possible to everyone, and anyone. Thanks to generous donations, she's made 1300 masks so far, and has shipped them nation wide. 
 

Cultivating An Agile Mindset

Rikki Postal graduated from UMD & launched her career in elementary education. She then moved into recruiting & HR for technology start-up companies where she developed a passion for inspiring & guiding others with their careers. Rikki continues to immerse herself in collaborative training, & conducting research in cognitive & behavioral therapies. Founder of Higher Ground; she now brings her knowledge, & experience to mentor others.

Feeding Body & Soul

Melanie Guerrero is a Silver Spring Latina native, whose parents immigrated from Paraguay. She's a lover of food; food justice, gardening, and baby carrots! She loves working out and doesn't mind being bruised, like a banana. Mel recently got into climbing & is not good at it, but she's excited to get better. You can find her taking naps at Brookside Garden, watching a scary movie, or getting excited about new Trader Joe's products.

Shot Out of a Cannon

Noah Kieserman is an actor, composer, lyricist, playwright. Born in Maryland, he studied musical theater at the University of Michigan, joined DEAR EVAN HANSEN as an understudy for Evan/Jared/Connor after college, & now plays Connor Murphy on tour. He's also working on a musical called SHEL about the life and times of children's poet Shel Silverstein & hosts a YouTube improv series. Loves crosswords & yellowtail rolls.