In The Mood For California

Jordan Ladd is an American actress born in Los Angeles, into a family woven into Hollywood history. The daughter of Cheryl Ladd and granddaughter of classic film star Alan Ladd, she grew up surrounded by storytelling, yet chose to shape her own artistic path. She began acting at a young age and gained recognition in films such as Never Been Kissed, Cabin Fever, and Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof. Her collaboration with director Eli Roth on Cabin Fever became a defining moment, establishing her as a memorable presence in modern horror. She has also worked with visionary filmmakers like David Ly...

Jeff Hull is an Oakland-based American artist and producer known for creating large-scale participatory experiences that blend storytelling, performance, and real-world environments. He is the founder and director of Nonchalance, a studio focused on immersive experiences and “pervasive play,” developing projects such as The Jejune Institute (2008–2011) and Latitude Society. The Jejune Institute was later documented in the film The Institute (2013). Hull is also the creator of Oaklandish, a cultural street art and apparel project through which he produced over 100 public events, led community initiatives, and founded the Oakland Innovators Awards. In film and television, he has worked as a writer and pr...

Andrew Miliukoff was born and raised in Los Angeles in a musical household, studying classical piano with his mother and rock guitar with his older brother. His parents were part of the White Russian community — émigrés who fled post-revolutionary Russia, loyal to the Tsar and devoted to preserving their traditions in exile. After graduating from Cal State LA, Andrew toured with Ray Charles before becoming a studio musician and later a film editor, working on projects for Budweiser, Mattel, and Ford. He founded Fireball Films, specializing in commercial editing and music scoring for clients such as McDonald’s, In-N-Out, Gwen S...

Kim Krizan is an American writer, actress, and educator best known for originating the story and characters in the Before trilogy with her writing on Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2004), the latter earning her Academy Award and Writers Guild nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay. She first emerged from the independent film scene in Austin, appearing in Slacker, Dazed and Confused, and Waking Life. Beyond film, Krizan is the author of Original Sins and Spy in the House of Anaïs Nin, where she explores identity, creativity, and the inner lives of women through both writing and archival research. Based in L...

Shelley Callahan is a strategic marketing executive and growth-focused brand builder with over 20 years of experience transforming B2B brands across life sciences, healthcare, technology, and financial services. As Senior Director of Marketing Operations at Maravai, she leads the digital and technology roadmap that powers scalable growth across multiple brands. Previously, she drove major marketing transformations at Enlyte and Advanced Particle Therapy, helping launch multimillion-dollar solutions and global initiatives in collaboration with leading healthcare institutions. With an MBA and a passion for building high-performing teams, Shelley combines data-driven strategy, creative storytelling, and empathetic leadership to inspire trust, accelerate growth, and...

Barry Shimelfarb is Founder of Carmel Retreats and Steward of Cuddle Doon. In 2019, as a single father raising twin boys, Barry was diagnosed with advanced cancer. Multiple surgeries and radiation left him weak, unable to swallow, and facing a grim prognosis. During this time, the family’s historic Carmel cottage became his refuge. Planting lavender, walking the shoreline, and resting beneath the ancient oak trees became rituals of hope. Supported by his community, Barry found strength not only to endure but to heal. Two years later, his doctors declared him cancer-free. Out of gratitude, Barry transformed the cottage into a sa...

Hamlet Ayvazian is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, NLP Practitioner, Guided Imagery Facilitator, Life Coach, and Teacher, specializing in fears, phobias, anxiety, pain management, ADD/ADHD, PTSD, tinnitus, habits, and addictions. A Certified Handwriting Analyst and Honors graduate of the Nationally Accredited Hypnosis Motivation Institute, Hamlet combines Western psychology with Eastern wisdom to help people transform their lives. His lifelong fascination with human behavior drives his work, guiding others toward clarity, healing, and personal empowerment. Today, Hamlet will take us on a journey through his life in Valencia and the experiences that shape his life and work. ----- www.inthemoodforcalifornia.com ...

Katharine “Kat” Kramer is an award-winning actress, producer, and founder of Kat Kramer’s Films That Change The World—a film series that spotlights movies and documentaries raising awareness of vital social issues. The daughter of legendary filmmaker Stanley Kramer and actress Karen Sharpe-Kramer, and godchild of Katharine Hepburn, Kat has built her own legacy on stage and screen. She’s starred in acclaimed one-woman shows and won awards for her performances as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker and Anne Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank. As an activist and artist, Kat uses her voice to champion human rights, an...

Meet Claire Strofield, founder of End of Life Concierge Beverly Hills and a compassionate guide for life's most profound transition. With a Bachelor of Science in Pre-Med and five years as a cytotechnologist at the Southern Hemisphere's largest private pathology laboratory, Claire brings both scientific understanding and deep humanity to end-of-life care. Her journey has been beautifully varied—from teaching elementary school in London to executive search in biotech (earning top consultant honors at every firm), recruiting exceptional talent across EMEA and the US. But it's her personal story that illuminates her calling: this year, she released a memoir about th...

Ashley Archer Tindall is a film Director, Producer and Writer. She connects individuals’ stories with contemporary public conflicts and policy debates through documentary filmmaking and fiction scriptwriting. In addition to her independent feature documentary “27 Months: Journeys in the Peace Corps,” she has produced documentaries for National Geographic Television, HBO and PBS. She runs Film Archer, an educational production company that produces content for major universities and non-profits. She has a Masters in Public Policy from the Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA and a Masters in Documentary Film from Stanford University. She received her bachelor’s degree from the Universi...

Adrian Grand is a Los Angeles–based photographer who captures both people and pets with warmth and authenticity. Born in Ukraine to a Ukrainian mother and a Cuban father, Adrian brings a unique cultural perspective to his work, blending sensitivity, curiosity, and an eye for connection. Now living in Chatsworth, he draws daily inspiration from the Valley’s rugged landscapes and the creative spirit of LA. Adrian’s photography is about more than images—it’s about presence and memory. Whether photographing families, individuals, or beloved animals, he aims to reveal not only what is seen, but what is felt. His work p...

Jennifer Herrera is a Los Angeles–born writer, speaker, and educator devoted to emotional mastery, conscious leadership, and the healing of inherited patterns. She hosts the podcast Heal Your Part, a space for honest conversation, self-inquiry, and the kind of personal healing that ripples outward into collective change. With over two decades of experience studying human behavior and supporting leaders across industries, she now guides high-achieving women in reclaiming their self-awareness, creative power, and capacity for meaningful wealth. Her work is rooted in the belief that healing is the gateway to deeper purpose, and that everyone deserves to live in al...

Song Yi Jeon, a South Korean singer and composer, weaves modern jazz harmony and odd meters with lyrical, memorable melodies. Trained in classical composition in Graz and jazz vocals in Basel and at Berklee, she became the inaugural Quincy Jones CJ&E Fellow and a Billboard Endowed Award recipient. She has performed at major venues and festivals worldwide—Blue Note NY, Bimhuis Amsterdam, Moods Zürich, Jarasum Jazz Festival—collaborating with artists like Guillermo Klein, Jeff Ballard, and George Garzone. Her releases include Movement of Lives (2018) with her quintet and HOME (2022) with guitarist Vinicius Gomes, praised with 4.5 stars by Downbeat Magaz...

Billy Riback (born in Montreal, Canada) is a veteran comedian, writer, and producer whose career spans stand-up, hit sitcoms, and family television. After moving from Montreal to Los Angeles, he built a reputation as both a sharp comedy writer and a trusted producer. He was a consulting producer on Home Improvement for over 120 episodes and wrote for shows including Murphy Brown, Thunder Alley with Ed Asner, and Buddies, Dave Chappelle’s first series. For Disney Channel, he worked on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, The Suite Life on Deck, Hannah Montana, and Wizards of Waverly Place, shaping the humor of...

Aengus James is an award-winning television and film producer, director, and cinematographer whose work blends powerful storytelling with a passion for community. He has created and led acclaimed documentaries and features including After The Murder of Albert Lima, Scandalous: The Untold Story of the National Enquirer, Inheritance, Crestone, and American Harmony. His projects have premiered at major festivals and earned critical praise for their emotional depth and authenticity. Beyond filmmaking, Aengus is the co-founder of Little City Farm, a 7,500-square-foot regenerative urban farm in Los Angeles that serves as both a source of fresh food and a creative gathering space...

Dr. Nils W. Lambrecht, MD, PhD is a distinguished Clinician-Scientist, Professor of Pathology, and accomplished medical educator with over 25 years of experience in clinical practice, teaching, and translational research. Based in Southern California, he serves as a surgical pathologist at the VA Hospital in Long Beach and is the Associate Dean of Curricular Affairs at the American University of Health Sciences. Dr. Lambrecht’s expertise spans endocrinology, gastroenterology, and molecular biology, with a research portfolio that includes 45+ peer-reviewed publications and international presentations. Deeply committed to advancing medicine in underserved communities, he is leading the development of an accelerated, community-oriented medical cu...

Ashley Anne is a passionate curator of all things vintage. With a thriving Instagram community of 27K followers, she shares her love for vintage fashion, beauty, dancing, and lifestyle — bringing the glamour of bygone eras into the modern day. She also leads Ashley Anne and The Carnations, a dynamite swing jazz band that channels the golden age of Hollywood with a repertoire spanning 1920s–1960s Jazz, Swing, Bossa Nova, Latin, and Rock 'n' Roll. Known for their authentic vintage look, feel, and sound, the band is the resident act aboard The Queen Mary and performs regularly at iconic venues across Sout...

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Dion Ramos found his voice early—singing in his church choir by fourth grade. Music became his passion through high school and college, where he spent most of his time in the music building and student government. It was during this time, as a standout vocal student helping others, that he discovered his love for teaching and coaching. Though classically trained, Dion expanded into musical theatre, performing across Southern California for over 15 years. One of his most iconic roles was portraying the King at Medieval Times. He has also graced major stages, including a pe...

Originally from Tasmania, Australia, Catherine Joy is a composer, music producer, community leader and educator. She's received multiple awards and nominations including best score for the doc Gold Balls, an ASCAP Composers Choice Award nomination for Naughty Books and the David Raksin SCL Emerging Talent award for Home Is A Hotel. She has scored a number of Romantic Comedies for Reel One Entertainment including Love Gala, Luckless in Love and Romantic Rewrite, two thrillers for Lifetime, and composed additional music for the recent Dalai Lama documentary Wisdom of Happiness, and projects from Disney, Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Sony, Discovery and History...

Christine Dickson is an international speaker, mentor, and transformational guide who has spent over a decade helping people break free from toxic relationships and reclaim their power. With over two decades of lived and professional experience, Christine has guided hundreds of individuals out of cycles of addiction, abuse, and generational trauma. She’s known for walking beside her clients through life-changing transitions, offering fierce compassion and 24/7 support when needed. Her clients describe her as an anchor—helping them break patterns, set boundaries, and reconnect with their children, their calling, and their confidence. Through her signature Path to Freedom Method, Christine empo...

Born on Halloween with two different colored eyes and the last name Bible, Karie always stood out. Raised in suburban Fort Worth, Texas, she knew early on she was destined for something different—and classic Hollywood films lit the path. Karie made the move to Los Angeles in 2000 and have worked behind the scenes at HBO, Miramax, and for an agent, eventually finding a long-term home at a box office reporting firm since 2009. Karie's love of film history runs deep. In 2002, she launched monthly tours at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where she shares stories, debunks myths, and helps people see classic st...

Keith Bush is a gifted pianist and lifelong musician whose music speaks directly to the soul. With over 25 years of experience, he has performed at fine resorts, art shows, music festivals, and with orchestras across the country. Raised in Montecito, California, Keith’s connection to the piano began at age two. Described as a genius savant, he blends masterful technique with deep emotion, creating performances that are both powerful and intimate. He leads his own orchestra, teaches, and cultivates meaningful musical relationships. Guided by his philosophy “Love Always Wins,” Keith’s life and music are rooted in his love for God, peo...

Experienced and respected in theater from coast to coast, Robert Yacko is known as a remarkably versatile actor & singer, equally at home in Repertory, on Broadway and in front of a camera. An admitted character actor from his early years, and blessed with a rich, lyric baritone of effortless range, he has garnered epithets for his work that lean from "raucous" and "hilariously deadpan" all the way to "emotionally intense" and "broodingly dark". Robert starred in the Los Angeles Premieres of Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George and Chess, the West Coast Premieres of Legacy of Light and Romance...

Stephen McGhee’s experience includes a career in financial services, advanced degrees in consciousness, health and healing, and more than thirty years advising leaders on personal, professional and planetary change. Stephen has done just about everything one can in the leadership space—keynote speaking, strategic planning, running board meetings, creating culture change and more. He is an entrepreneur, author and film maker, and he has led experiential leadership cohorts like climbing Mt. Aconcagua and class five white water excursions on Rio Futaleufú in Chile. Stephen’s personal journey has revealed a universal truth: leadership isn’t just about achievement—it’s about perso...

Linda Santiman is a fiber artist, as well as a licensed Marriage and Family therapist who has lived in Los Angeles for almost 25 years and calls it home. Linda works with felt and embroidery and specializes in mid-century modern miniature house sculptures that make up the Linda Felt Village. She has had her work shown in galleries in Los Angeles and Palm Springs. She is currently working on sculptures that honor the architecture of Los Angeles. Today, Linda will share how she brings mid-century modern homes to life using the simplest materials, showing us how entire communities can be crafted...

Heather Eastwood and Ruslan Abaev are recent Altadena residents and first-time homebuyers. They both grew up in Los Angeles, in the San Fernando Valley—Heather as an LA native with childhood roots in Hawaii, and Ruslan as an immigrant from post-Soviet Russia. Having lived in LA for the past 32 years, Ruslan now considers it home. Both work in STEM—Heather as a scientist and Ruslan in IT (Information Technology). After years of searching for a special place to call home, they finally found it in Altadena. They were drawn to its natural beauty, community spirit, and unique character. Heather’s love f...

Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Martin Turnbull has always been drawn to history, storytelling, and the golden age of Hollywood. After moving to Los Angeles in the mid-1990s, he worked as a private tour guide, sharing the city’s storied past, and deepened his expertise through historical guiding with the Los Angeles Conservancy and time on the Warner Bros. movie lot. Inspired by his love for classic cinema, Martin turned to writing, bringing Hollywood’s past to life through Hollywood’s Garden of Allah series—a nine-novel saga set between 1927 and 1959 at the legendary Garden of Allah Hotel. He continues to write...

Robert DeLaurentis, the “Zen Pilot,” is an aviation speaker, author, and pilot with over 2,400 flight hours. He holds multiple flight ratings, a Commercial Pilot Certificate, and has flown to 53 countries across all seven continents, including solo crossings of the North and South Poles. A seasoned real estate investor, Robert built a portfolio of 300+ San Diego rental units over 28 years, starting with a single condo in 1990. His journey inspired Flying Thru Life, a book on business, aviation, and personal success. He owns Innorev Enterprises, Inc., managing residential and commercial properties. He holds an Accounting degree from USC and a graduate degree in S...

Diana von Welanetz Wentworth’s life is woven with threads of love, curiosity, and a relentless pursuit of connecting people. Born in Beverly Hills, she became a New York Times bestselling author, television personality, and influential community leader, guided by passion, perseverance and an unwavering belief in the power of community and joy. The author of ten award-winning books, including Send Me Someone: A True Story of Love Here and Hereafter, Diana co-authored Chicken Soup for the Soul Cookbook, part of a series that has sold over 500 million copies. She and her late husband, Paul von Welanetz, hosted The New Wa...

Frank Roller is the visionary Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Placesofhealing.com, an innovative online resource dedicated to transformative travel and wellness. His platform serves as a gateway for travelers and wellness seekers to discover unique destinations centered around holistic healing practices, connecting them with practitioners, wellness experts, and their inspiring stories. Driven by his passion for exploration and an insatiable curiosity for the unknown, Frank established Places of Healing to empower others on their journey to well-being, making it effortless to locate destinations that offer not just relaxation but personal growth and profound transformation. Frank’s journey to launching Places of Hea...

Alexey Steele is an award-winning visual artist with a background of the Russian representational school. Born in Kiev, Ukraine, he began art training at an early age in the studio of his father Leonid Steele, a renowned Soviet Union artist. Alexey attended the prestigious Surikov Art Institute of the Soviet Academy of Arts in Moscow. He moved to Los Angeles in 1990. Mr. Steele is best known for his large-scale figurative works in oil and on paper, portraiture, and plein-air landscapes. His works have been commissioned, exhibited and recognized throughout California, Europe, and Asia. He is also the founder of the...

John Mullican is a Los Angeles native, born and raised in Santa Monica Canyon, a graduate of Emerson College, Boston, and for the past 30 years has worked as a true Los Angeles hyphenate as a WGA writer, an actor, an agency Art Director, and a studio advertising Creative Director for the Walt Disney Company, 20th Century Fox, Viacom and Paramount Pictures. His feature film documentary about his artist father’s life, “Finding Lee Mullican," can be found on Vimeo and for the past 4 years has been managing and directing his mother’s posthumous career, artist Luchita Hurtado. This year, John’s autobi...

Ramin Mortazavi has worked in film and television for nearly three decades. The son of a media mogul who founded the Sepas Film Awards in Iran, Ramin was destined for a career in entertainment. After earning a B.A. in Broadcasting from Arizona State University in 1997, he interned on shows like Entertainment Tonight and The Leeza Gibbons Show and worked on the film Freeway. This led to producing commercials, including for The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. In 2000, he associate produced the indie film 21, which won Kodak's Best Picture at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. His brother...

Elise Mallove’s connection to natural and plant-based healing began in early childhood, despite it being neither accepted nor practiced in her family. She was drawn to flowers, often picking them, hugging them in the privacy of her room, and even eating them. In her early twenties, Elise moved to Los Angeles and soon found a small shop specializing in natural skin and body care. Stepping into that shop felt like a profound awakening for her, and she spent every spare moment there until she was eventually hired. This led her to become a licensed aesthetician focused on natural skincare. It...

Leslie Stevens, of Scots-Irish and Norwegian descent, grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her mother, an English teacher passionate about women’s rights, and her father, a left- handed baseball pitcher and businessman, instilled in her a love for learning and tenacity. An athlete from an early age, Leslie competed in Junior Olympic gymnastics until age 11, when her family moved and she shifted her focus to dance, acting, and choir. Leslie made her Broadway debut at 17 as the ingénue lead in La Cage Aux Folles and soon after joined NBC’s Search For Tomorrow as a contract player. She has since...

Meet Kateryna Mykytiuk, a creative force who started her journey at 12 with her first published article. By 15, she released a poetry collection and by 16, was working in television, becoming the youngest journalist to interview Ukraine’s Minister of Youth and Sports. Her career highlights include managing PR for Eurovision winner Jamala, creating projects for Edinstvennaya magazine’s charity foundation, and co-producing the award-winning show Vse Bude Dobre, which ran for 12 seasons. At 19, Kate earned international press credentials, interviewing top talent for high-profile TV projects. She later became an editor for The Cube alongside Maksim Chmerkovskiy and led STB’s Internet Projec...

Today, we’ll experience Los Angeles featuring an interview with incredible Ryan Dusick! Ryan Dusick is a registered therapist, coach, speaker, founding drummer of Maroon 5, author of the book “Harder to Breathe: A Memoir of Making Maroon 5, Losing It All, and Finding Recovery,” and host of The Harder to Breathe Podcast. His life has been a winding road from aspiring pop star with anxiety, to heartbroken alcoholic, to thriving mental health survivor and messenger of hope in recovery. Founding the group Kara’s Flowers in 1994 with best friends Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael, and Mickey Madden, Ryan and his bandmates worked tireless...

Today, we’ll experience Vroman’s Bookstore featuring an interview with indomitable Joel Sheldon! Joel Vroman Sheldon III is the owner and president of Vroman’s Bookstore, one of California’s largest and oldest independent bookstores, located in Pasadena. A graduate of Occidental College with a degree in psychology, Joel was a standout football player, earning Small College All-American honors. Joel met his wife, Jil, at Occidental, and they have two children who also graduated from the college. While still an avid supporter of Oxy football, Joel has dedicated his career to property development and running Vroman’s. As Joel is prepari...

Today, we’ll experience Simi Valley followed by an interview with remarkable and inspiring Steve Strope! Steve Strope’s journey to owning Pure Vision Design, a renowned hot rod and muscle car fabrication shop in Simi Valley, California, is a story of passion, perseverance, and creativity. Raised in Apalachin, New York, Strope’s path to success had many twists and turns, including playing in his band, Twist of Fate, for eight years in the Triple Cities area. His love for music played a pivotal role in shaping his creative approach to car building. After moving to California over two decades ago to...

Today, we’ll experience Nat King Cole’s life in Los Angeles featuring by an interview with incredibly talented Eddie Wakes! From Walt Disney Theatrical to “La La Land”, Eddie has turned heads when he sings. Eddie’s life as a singer is the stuff movies are made of: from performing at the Super Bowl as a youngster, to being discovered years later singing on the street in Los Angeles by Hollywood A-listers, to performing for and with legends. That’s because when Eddie sings, he turns heads. As Academy Award winning director Damien Chazelle says, “You don’t hear many voices like...