Small Talk With Syd - The Podcast

It's been an absolute pleasure making small talk with you all the last 5 1/2 years. Here's my goodbye letter to the fans of the podcast. I love you all! - Syd xoxo LET'S MAKE SMALL TALK: ⁠Small Talk With Syd⁠ ⁠STWS Media⁠ ⁠WWW.SMALLTALKWITHSYD.COM

This week I am chatting with an incredible human being (& overall just cool girl), Liv Stone, who is a Surfer, Model & Disability Advocate. In just a few short years she has earned the title of 6x Gold Medalist & 3x Para Surf World Champion. Growing up Liv loved the water but it wasn’t until later where she felt the call to pursue surfing. After attending a faith based retreat, hosted by Bethany Hamilton for women with disabilities, Liv’s passion for surfing really took off.   In this episode we get into all of the surfing details, how she navigated the difficulties when she first started out & what this process has taught her. We also talk about the importance of changing perspectives & shifting conversations in culture around disabled people. Be sure to tune in! GUEST INFO: Liv Stone IG Liv Stone TikTok LET'S MAKE SMALL TALK: ⁠⁠⁠Small Talk With Syd⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠STWS Media⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠WWW.SMALLTALKWITHSYD.COM

In this week’s episode I am chatting with a true girls girl - Lauren Hubert who is both a Registered Dietician & the founder of The Sorority Nutritionist. What is so great about Lauren is that she gets it because she's lived it.  Determined to lose the 20 pounds she gained freshman year at Florida State University, Lauren began over-exercising and restricting her food to 1000 calories because of what she found on the internet. When Lauren finally began studying nutrition, she realized her approach to dieting was all wrong and was actually hurting her metabolism!  Now her mission is to help women find the fun in food & feel HOT while doing it. In this episode we chat about what to do when you’ve gone in a downward spiral, weight loss v. fat loss, why changing the way you eat can be more impactful than exercise, diet culture & much more. In addition, Lauren’s private practice offers supportive coaching and online Membership programs featuring hands-on support from Registered Dietitians which you

In this week's episode I am chatting with the bold, beautiful & and pure badass Denise Lee who is the Founder of the athleisure brand, Alala. Alala’s mission is to bring joy to women through sophisticated, high quality clothing, but also seek to advance dialogue around body positivity and diversity. Recently Alala has undergone a major rebrand & in many ways it is reflective of the journey Denise has gone through. At just 18 years old Denise left Singapore & moved to New York to pursue her dreams. Her early career started off working for retail legend, Chris Burch to eventually starting a SELF-FUNDED multi-million dollar brand. As I chatted with Denise I learned that having a voice & being the face of a brand has come with its challenges. Growing up in Asian culture it was uncomfortable for her to have a voice & put herself out there. What made it more difficult was that when athleisure brands were on the rise, Denise looked around & saw that most of the other women in the space

In today’s episode I am chatting with my first Miami guest, the lovely & beautiful, Mimi Ghandour who is the Founder of Mimi Yoga where she thrives on creating community and holding space for personal transformation. Mimi’s journey is as raw & real as its gets. She shares the story of how she got married at 17 in Saudi Arabia, getting pregnant at 21 with a child who was born with a muscle condition, moving to the United States & eventually leaving a toxic marriage. However, every obstacle of Mimi’s journey allowed her to grow in a whole new way & she began to share her struggles with her social media followers. People gravitated towards her honesty & her candidness. Then in 2015 she began practicing yoga & the rest is history. Today Mimi has a global online community in over 64 countries, a Yoga Academy & a recently opened studio in Wynwood, Miami. Mimi was an absolute pleasure to talk to & you can feel her love for her community radiate through this episode. Be sure to tune in

In this episode I am chatting with the Founder & Creative Director of Siegelman Stable along with Forbes 30 Under 30 nominee, Max Siegelman. We all should know by now that every great brand tells a story & that’s exactly what he does. Max was always inspired by his father’s horse training career & farm that helped aid in equine therapy programs for veterans, nurses, doctors, & inner-city youth.  One day he came across some of his father's merch & decided to recreate it for close friends and family. Eventually, the designs caught attention from others & Max decided to create the brand, Siegelman Stable in 2020.In just a few short years he has been able to make a name for himself in the world of streetwear. Celebrities like Kendall Kenner, Future, Kygo, Aaron Judge (just to name a few) have been seen wearing his apparel. During this conversion, Max & I discuss the thought process he had while building the brand, the reality of being entrepreneur in fashion, how his past & cu

For my first episode of 2023 I am chatting with a friend & also a guest we have had on this show before – the lovely, Neda Varbanova (check out Episode 7)!  She is the is the creator of the lifestyle brand Healthy with Nedi, a recipe developer, health coach & now author! Let’s just say that she is an expert at what she does. I have been a fan of her recipes for years now because its REAL food that makes you FEEL GOOD! Today we are talking with Neda about the creation of her new cookbook -The Mediterranean Meal Plan Cookbook: Simple, Nutritious Recipes to Eat Well, Feel Great and Look Fabulous. We also talk about American v. Mediterranean cuisine, how she transformed her gut health, what to look for when food shopping, how cooking has helped her family heal & more! If you want to learn about a new cuisine & eat food that makes you feel good than be sure to tune in! A great way to kick off the new year! SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and

For my last episode of 2022 I am chatting with my good friend, Alexa Rae Ibarra who is a yoga instructor & podcast host of, The Vibe. One thing I love about Alexa is that she is unapologetic about who she is & she’s not afraid of taking the road less traveled. Before discovering her love of yoga, Alexa took on multiple jobs in LA like assisting Madison Beer in the early days of her career, working as Tori Spelling’s stylist & more. However, at 23 she knew that something wasn’t right so she trusted her gut & started a new chapter. She later on went to become of the faces of yoga for Adidas where she was featured in campaigns all over the world. With that said, this episode is really just two friends catching up as we go into so many different topics including relationships, social media, mental health & much more. Tune in! SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: NED: Use code SMALL TALK at checkout for 15% off  GUEST INFO: Alexa Podcast Alexa IG Alexa Website LET'S MAKE SMALL TALK: Small Talk With Syd S

In this episode I chat with fellow podcaster Alyssa Amoroso. Alyssa is best known for being the host of Tea with Publyssity but some of you may know her from her funny TikTok content on all things lifestyle & pop culture. We first go into her journey towards creating a podcast, why she decided to leave Barstool to become independent  and what she learned from hosting in the last few years. I even share with her some advice from what I learned from my own hosting experience. We then hit on some topics that I feel so many people are currently dealing with right now like how FOMO is a thing of the past, what to do when you are feeling uninspired, the desperate need for new energy, dating culture & much more! Alyssa & I also get into a conversation about why we both are making decisions to move to new cities & leave NYC. Something I’ve been sneakily hinting at in the last few episodes... SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: NED: Use code SMALL TALK at checkout for 15% off  GUEST INFO: Alyssa Podcast Al

This week I am chatting with wealth strategy & business mentor, Hannah Koenig. Today she is a multiple six-figure entrepreneur and Forbes Coaches Council member but her success most certainly comes with a story. Hannah shares with us how her family grew up on food stamps, below the poverty line. As a kid the only thing she understood about money was that her family didn't have it. Her fear of finances carried on into her twenties where she found herself facing eviction, mountains of debt, and the consequences of just about every financial mistake a person can make. After becoming an entrepreneur she realized that earning more was only a fraction of the equation. It was then that she committed to fully transforming her relationship with money. In a few short years Hannah went from a negative net worth to becoming an investor, owning multiple properties, and building tangible wealth. Her own journey of financial liberation catalyzed the work she does today. In this episode we dive into the how to escape the

This week I am chatting with the stunning model & actress, Emelina Adams. Emelina is truly a force to be reckoned with from winning Miss Nevada in 2016, to becoming the face of GUESS to even landing a role in the 2022 film, Bullet Train, alongside stars like Brad Pitt & Sandra Bullock. After learning about Emelina’s journey I discovered that this is a woman who goes after what she wants & there are multiple examples throughout the episode. It was a great reminder that patience & persistence really do pay off. I think what I was most impressed by was Emelina’s character. She is so grateful for every opportunity that has been presented to her no matter how big or small.. I believe her humility & gratitude have been contributing factors in her success so far. Now if you want to get to know Emelina just a bit better & hear some really fun behind the scene stories be sure to tune in! SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: NED: Use code SMALL TALK at checkout for 15% off  GUEST INFO: Emelina IG Emelina

In the last episode I chatted with Meditation & Breathwork Coach, Dominique Perkowski. In this bonus episode Dom walks us through a 20 minute meditation session that gives us a sneak peak into her program, The Shift. The meditation starts around the 5 min mark if you want to fast forward.  ENJOY! SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: NED: Use code SMALL TALK at checkout for 15% off  GUEST INFO: Dom's IG Join The Shift All Her Links! LET'S MAKE SMALL TALK: Small Talk With Syd STWS Media WWW.SMALLTALKWITHSYD.COM

This week I am chatting with Meditation & Breathwork Coach, Dominique Perkowski. After my first phone call with Dom I knew that I wanted to learn more about her journey. In this episode we talk about how to find your identity when you feel lost & how to show up exactly as you are. Dom’s journey began when she had an identity crisis after discovering that the fashion industry, an industry she always dreamed about, no longer aligned with what she was truly seeking. Then after listening to her intuition & picking up her first book on meditation, she finally began to feel validated in everything she had been feeling.  We also get into what meditation is, how it has healed her, advice on how to start meditating & so much more. She even shares a crazy experience she had preparing for a 10 day silent meditation retreat! Be sure to tune in! SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: NED: Use code SMALL TALK at checkout for 15% off  GUEST INFO: Dom's IG Join The Shift All Her Links! LET'S MAKE SMALL TALK: Small T

This week I am chatting the beautiful & talented, Kelsey Floyd who is best known for her unique take on pottery & the calming way she showcases her work on social. In fact, her chainmail work has gone viral on TikTok with some videos having over 10 Million views. She says her work is “inspired by the natural and ancient elements of our world.” With that said, Kelsey’s pottery journey began to take root during the pandemic & right after the birth of her son where she experienced postpartum depression. Her husband decided to sweetly purchase her a wheel & that’s where the magic took place.  In this episode we talk about how she learned her skills, what she was doing before pottery, growing a business as a creative person, how art allows you to escape & how we all are capable of learning something new.  I also loved this episode because it once again was a reminder to trust the process & that our deepest struggles can actually be opportunities for us to get to know ourselves jus

This week I’m chatting with Courtney Somer, the Founder of Lake & Skye. Lake & Skye is an award winning, modern and conscious beauty brand. Focused on fragrance, home and body their products are unisex, vegan and PETA certified. L&S has won 4 beauty awards include Allure's Best of Beauty and most recently been nominated for Brand of the Year. Courtney’s journey from working at Vogue to become a fragrance founder is a pretty remarkable one.  After a health scare in her 20s & consulting multiple doctors she began to explore alternative healing which led her to studying Kundalini yoga, reiki, meditation & eventually aromatherapy.  Working in the corporate world herself, & knowing the power scent can have on the brain, she began the journey to develop an essential oils line however she hit a few bumps along the way which you'll have to tune in to find out!  Today the brand has branched out into fragrance and all products are used as gifts to give yourself to use throughout t

This week I am chatting with the lovely 25 year-old, Best-Selling Author, Grace Valentine, who wrote three books with her newest one being “Am I Enough? Embracing the Truth About Who You Are”. Talking to Grace is truly like a breath of fresh air & we get into so much like the internal struggles she faced growing up, overcoming difficulties with body image & how she is currently navigating adult life. Through the lens of faith, Grace is also here to help redefine what it means to be a Christian by showing others that Christianity is not lame! It’s the difference between religion & relationship. One of Grace’s missions is to help others, especially young women, understand how the church has failed women by highlighting a new narrative that women are respected in the Bible. I believe regardless of your beliefs or your upbringing there is something that everyone can take away from this episode. Be sure to tune in! SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: NED: Use code SMALL TALK at checkout for 15% off  GUEST INFO:

This week im chatting with the real life mad hatter & creative genius, Teressa Foglia. With her brand being well-known in the hat world and worn amongst celebs like John Mayer & Miranda Lambert I wanted to hear the story of this cool chick that I met in Malibu came to be. In 2011, after feeling major burnout from running a freelance social media company, along with a devastating breakup, Teressa decided to leave it all behind & head to Europe to just focus on herself. Shortly after she stumbled upon a small hat making course in France & the rest is history. After hearing her story it reminded me of how to really trust where life is leading you & that there is purpose in all things. Also, that maybe Paris isn’t called the city of love for just lovers alone but also for those who are looking to find a new passion in their life. In this episode we get into how Teressa grew her brand. which is now composed of 5 stores across the country, her new definition of sustainability after the pandemic,

This week I am chatting digital creator & storyteller, Hunter Prosper. If you’re an avid TikTok user like myself then there’s a high chance you scrolled past one of his videos before. Hunter’s story started as an ICU nurse where he began to take in interest in the stories of his patients; however, after the pandemic he began to feel major burnout, so he decided to take his passion for sharing other people’s stories to the streets. In just a little over a year Hunter has amassed 4.7MM TikTok followers with some of his videos having just about 50MM views. These videos include his most popular series “Stories From A Stranger” which give an inside peek into the lives of average people by asking them questions like “Who was your first love?” or “What’s the most pain you ever felt that wasn't physical?” In this episode we get into so much like how to deal with social anxiety, why it’s cool to have emotions & how to approach every day situations with a different perspective. One of my favorite episodes to da

This week I am chatting with the Kim Johnson who is the Head of Community at, Geneva a new all-in-one group chat app for communities, clubs, and social groups. Kim is one of the pioneering thought leaders behind digital community. She started her career at Glossier and built their community from the ground up for 5 years. However, it took her some time & wearing few different hats to discover her true passion. This episode is great for people who are interested in building communities online & how it can play an important factor in the success of your brand. It’s also great if your still finding your career path! Tune in :) SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: NED: Use code SMALL TALK at checkout for 15% off  GUEST INFO: Geneva App  Kim Johnson IG LET'S MAKE SMALL TALK: Small Talk With Syd STWS Media WWW.SMALLTALKWITHSYD.COM

This week I am chatting with the amazing female founders of Culina Health, Vanessa Rissetto & Tamar Samuels. These two registered dietitians decided to bring their powers together just 18 months ago to create the most amazing company that is all about the facts on none of the BS. Culina Health is a personalized nutrition platform powered by registered dietitians, that you can actually trust, to help you prioritize the way you want to live. They are also in-network with most major insurances! They provide virtual nutrition care for all people regardless of their background, body size, or health condition.  We hit on so many topics in this episode like the importance of individualized health care, the truth about trendy diets, why there is so much confusion about what’s good for you v. whats not & how to gain autonomy over your health. Be sure to tune in! GUEST INFO: Culina Health Website Culina Snack List Vanessa IG Tamar IG LET'S MAKE SMALL TALK: Small Talk With Syd STWS Media WWW.SMALLTALKWITHSY