Full Transcript for Living Fully Through Creativity, Healing, and Resilience | Susanna Peredo Swap

00:04:51.160 behind me, and so I hardly ever pay attention to it. 69 00:04:51.639 --> 00:04:55.639 Yet there's been something that has driven me. I think 70 00:04:55.720 --> 00:04:59.360 because I almost died. I think because I almost didn't 71 00:04:59.399 --> 00:05:02.519 walk from ever and all of those things that happened. 72 00:05:03.360 --> 00:05:05.839 I've always had this drive in me too where I 73 00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:08.800 like live the most that I could and do the 74 00:05:08.839 --> 00:05:13.000 most things that I possibly could. And even even with 75 00:05:13.480 --> 00:05:17.759 you know, growing up in a single parent household, you know, 76 00:05:17.959 --> 00:05:24.120 young very very young immigrant mother, I never I always 77 00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:26.560 somehow had this idea that I was going to see 78 00:05:26.600 --> 00:05:29.560 the world and do big things. And you know, I 79 00:05:29.879 --> 00:05:32.759 never thought, oh, I'm just going to have whatever job 80 00:05:32.839 --> 00:05:35.120 comes to me. You know, I just had this vision 81 00:05:35.759 --> 00:05:42.199 of living to my absolute maximum. So that has driven 82 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:46.920 me and I cut and the part that connects to 83 00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:50.560 the arts. Which is interesting is that a few years ago, 84 00:05:51.399 --> 00:05:55.399 I want to say, about five years ago, this friend 85 00:05:55.439 --> 00:05:59.279 of mine artist who was doing this series. She's a 86 00:05:59.319 --> 00:06:02.680 textile art and she started doing this series where she 87 00:06:02.759 --> 00:06:06.959 would highlight women who had dealt with some sort of 88 00:06:07.079 --> 00:06:11.680 traumatic event in their life, some sort of physical injury, 89 00:06:11.839 --> 00:06:15.920 but she would create like a really beautiful moment of 90 00:06:16.319 --> 00:06:21.639 textile beauty at the juncture, at the point where it happened. 91 00:06:22.519 --> 00:06:25.279 And she started asking me, She asked me if I 92 00:06:25.279 --> 00:06:25.639 could be. 93 00:06:25.600 --> 00:06:25.959 Part of it. 94 00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:29.800 I said yes, of course, and then she started asking 95 00:06:29.879 --> 00:06:32.399 me questions, oh, like which vertebrae were was it? And 96 00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:36.000 exactly where like all these things, And I realized I 97 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:40.120 didn't have these answers because this happened in nineteen eighty two, 98 00:06:40.360 --> 00:06:42.920 you know, and all the documents are in Mexico City, 99 00:06:42.959 --> 00:06:46.399 who knows where, and you know, getting a hold of 100 00:06:46.439 --> 00:06:48.920 the doctor. I mean, like, good luck, you know, finding 101 00:06:48.959 --> 00:06:52.800 all this out. And because it is, thankfully I recovered 102 00:06:52.839 --> 00:06:55.600 and I'm fine. I never went down that rabbit hole. 103 00:06:55.639 --> 00:06:57.759 So I realized I didn't have any answers to all 104 00:06:57.839 --> 00:07:02.040 of these questions that she was asking me. So I 105 00:07:02.040 --> 00:07:05.040 started going down that rabbit hole and interviewing everybody and 106 00:07:05.079 --> 00:07:08.600 my family just out of curiosity, and it took me 107 00:07:08.639 --> 00:07:12.360 down the most beautiful route and it was just so inspirational. 108 00:07:12.439 --> 00:07:15.920 And the crazy part is that my dad has kept 109 00:07:15.920 --> 00:07:20.120 in touch with the surgeon all these years and you 110 00:07:20.160 --> 00:07:23.519 didn't know, and I just never thought to ask. Wow. 111 00:07:23.560 --> 00:07:26.000 So I actually had an opportunity to go to Mexico 112 00:07:26.079 --> 00:07:31.839 City and meet him and thank him. And that was beautiful. 113 00:07:31.959 --> 00:07:34.160 That was beautiful. So now I'm writing a book and 114 00:07:34.199 --> 00:07:38.480 it's a sort of a short fiction. It's nonfiction. It's 115 00:07:38.519 --> 00:07:42.879 based off of my story, but it's fictionalized. And through 116 00:07:42.920 --> 00:07:46.560 that journey, I've gotten a chance to interview an actual 117 00:07:46.600 --> 00:07:51.399 spinal surgeon thanks to my husband's introduction of that person. 118 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:51.279 And. 119 00:07:53.480 --> 00:07:56.920 Getting to create worlds, world making, and this journey has 120 00:07:56.959 --> 00:08:01.240 been Wow. I feel like I just walking around looking 121 00:08:01.279 --> 00:08:03.680 for content, you know, looking for Oh, that could be 122 00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:05.519 a good story, that could be a good story. 123 00:08:05.759 --> 00:08:08.399 Yeah, you know. I think there's something about being first 124 00:08:08.439 --> 00:08:13.920 of all, being first generation that just by virtue of 125 00:08:13.959 --> 00:08:16.519 the fact that you're navigating the world in a different 126 00:08:16.560 --> 00:08:23.399 way or through a different perspective, and then a having 127 00:08:23.560 --> 00:08:30.120 navigated something happening, a traumatic event happening to your physical 128 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:34.480 body at such a young age. There's something about that 129 00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:38.120 that really helps to set the stage for the way 130 00:08:38.120 --> 00:08:42.440 that you encounter the rest of your life, because it's different. 131 00:08:42.960 --> 00:08:45.840 You know, you were a little girl sitting and watching 132 00:08:45.879 --> 00:08:50.919 other children play and swim and jump around, and there's 133 00:08:50.960 --> 00:08:54.399 something to that, not bad or good, but there's something 134 00:08:54.480 --> 00:08:59.200 to that that I would imagine really helped to shape 135 00:08:59.679 --> 00:09:04.159 the way that you see the world and yourself in it. 136 00:09:05.279 --> 00:09:09.879 Absolutely. I mean, that moment in time became the turning 137 00:09:09.960 --> 00:09:13.840 point for a lot of things. Right. So that was 138 00:09:13.879

--> 00:09:18.159 when I came to the United States, not knowing any 139 00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:23.600 how to speak English. I was learning English through music, 140 00:09:24.399 --> 00:09:30.000 memorizing songs, you know, TV shows things like that. And 141 00:09:30.360 --> 00:09:33.720 my mom was a very young mom. She had me 142 00:09:33.799 --> 00:09:36.759 when she was seventeen, so we kind of grew up together, 143 00:09:36.960 --> 00:09:40.960 and her making her choices and figuring out how to also, 144 00:09:41.320 --> 00:09:46.360 in her limited English, maneuver through this country. But so 145 00:09:46.440 --> 00:09:50.799 much grit, you know, I mean, just just like amazing 146 00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:53.960 that she pulled that off and raised a I think 147 00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:55.000 a good human. 148 00:09:54.919 --> 00:09:56.200 You know, not bad. 149 00:09:58.200 --> 00:10:00.000 I mean, now that I'm a mom, I can appreciate 150 00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:02.440 what it took, you know, to do all of that, 151 00:10:02.559 --> 00:10:05.879 of course, and I took it for granted growing up, 152 00:10:05.960 --> 00:10:09.559 but absolutely, I mean, being an immigrant is one hundred 153 00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:14.080 percent a huge part of my journey, and I take 154 00:10:14.120 --> 00:10:17.240 it seriously, and I take I take that responsibility very 155 00:10:17.279 --> 00:10:21.080 seriously in terms of reaching back behind me and pulling 156 00:10:21.120 --> 00:10:24.919 others up and not not just sort of it's interesting, 157 00:10:25.039 --> 00:10:29.240 this new generation. I think about it a lot, you know, 158 00:10:29.559 --> 00:10:35.159 the we've we've been through some very interesting few years, right, 159 00:10:35.399 --> 00:10:41.600 you know, through uh, you know, the cultural reckoning that happened, 160 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:47.720 over the pandemic, the pandemic itself, the Me Too movement, 161 00:10:47.879 --> 00:10:52.399 all of these things that have happened. And I and 162 00:10:52.480 --> 00:10:57.120 I think about like our our immigrant journey and the 163 00:10:57.159 --> 00:11:00.559 community that had to come together. But I also think 164 00:11:00.600 --> 00:11:05.039 about my generation. So I'm almost fifty, and my generation. 165 00:11:05.720 --> 00:11:08.240 Sometimes I was the only woman in the room. Sometimes 166 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:10.240 I was the only Latin Latina in the room. And 167 00:11:10.240 --> 00:11:13.639 it wasn't it wasn't like here's our token Latina. No, 168 00:11:13.720 --> 00:11:17.679 it was literally like somehow I forced and maneuvered my 169 00:11:17.759 --> 00:11:18.399 way in there. 170 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:21.799 Yeah, you got yourself into that room, Yeah, and happened 171 00:11:21.799 --> 00:11:22.919 to just be the only one. 172 00:11:23.000 --> 00:11:25.720 Yeah, yeah, but it wasn't performative. It wasn't like, oh, 173 00:11:25.720 --> 00:11:27.759 we have to have one black person and one Latina. 174 00:11:27.799 --> 00:11:30.919 It wasn't anything like that. Now, or at least the 175 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:33.559 last few years possibly has been some of that, right, 176 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:35.919 just performative like oh, we need a person on our 177 00:11:35.919 --> 00:11:38.720 board that's of color rights things like that, But that 178 00:11:38.840 --> 00:11:41.399 wasn't happening before. There was no expectation of that, And 179 00:11:41.440 --> 00:11:46.279 so I can appreciate, you know, sometimes this generation calling 180 00:11:46.279 --> 00:11:48.639 people out for that and saying, oh, that's so performative 181 00:11:48.720 --> 00:11:51.559 and that's this, But sometimes you just have to be 182 00:11:51.559 --> 00:11:54.159 grateful to be in the room and speak and while 183 00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:57.279 you're there, speak your mind and have a voice, and 184 00:11:57.320 --> 00:12:00.960 you're there for a reason. You know, there's maybe they 185 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:03.519 don't want you there, but you're there, so do something 186 00:12:03.559 --> 00:12:07.960 with that, you know, and open doors brothers. So yeah, 187 00:12:08.519 --> 00:12:09.879 I do take that very seriously. 188 00:12:10.240 --> 00:12:13.600 Yeah, And I think part of it is also, you know, 189 00:12:14.120 --> 00:12:17.679 in my corporate career, I often found myself as the 190 00:12:17.720 --> 00:12:24.159 only woman and the only black person in technology, which 191 00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:26.559 is kind of the early part of my career. And 192 00:12:27.320 --> 00:12:29.679 I think there are people who believed or who would 193 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:33.559 believe that it had to do with anything other than 194 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:36.039 what it had to do with, which was that I 195 00:12:36.200 --> 00:12:39.039 was really good at what I did and had been 196 00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:41.159 asked to come and do you know the work that 197 00:12:41.240 --> 00:12:44.519 I was doing. But I think that I'm bringing that 198 00:12:44.639 --> 00:12:48.240 up because I think it's so important to own what 199 00:12:48.320 --> 00:12:50.759 you want to get done. And I think that's one 200 00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:53.240 of the things I don't think that is one of 201 00:12:53.279 --> 00:12:58.159 the things that I really admire about you is. And 202 00:12:58.200 --> 00:13:00.679 it's even the way that we began to develop a 203 00:13:00.679 --> 00:13:05.320 friendship because we got introduced by a mutual friend, Greg Snare, 204 00:13:06.120 --> 00:13:11.159 and it was at the early stages of Van Guard Culture, 205 00:13:11.279 --> 00:13:14.200 the nonprofit that you founded that I'd love to hear 206 00:13:14.240 --> 00:13:17.879 more about in a moment, and you just had this 207 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:22.879 incredible grit. You are not accepting a no, You were 208 00:13:22.919 --> 00:13:25.080 not you know, you were just like, I really want 209

00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:26.840 to talk to you about this thing. I really want 210 00:13:26.879 --> 00:13:31.519 to talk I'm really passionately connected to and committed to 211 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:36.440 bringing the creative community together here in San Diego where 212 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:41.600 we are. And I think that that is the thing, right, 213 00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:45.519 that's the way that you have carved out a space 214 00:13:46.039 --> 00:13:50.039 for yourself in whichever room you're choosing to be in. 215 00:13:50.519 --> 00:13:53.840 And I think it's inspirational, and it's an important lesson 216 00:13:54.200 --> 00:13:56.519 for those folks who are listening. You know, if there's 217 00:13:56.559 --> 00:14:01.840 something that you're passionate about, do it. Do it, and 218 00:14:01.879 --> 00:14:04.519 don't worry about what people think. Don't worry about the 219 00:14:04.600 --> 00:14:07.919 assumptions that people make or any of that, because that 220 00:14:08.039 --> 00:14:11.759 says more about them than it does about you. You know, 221 00:14:12.360 --> 00:14:16.720 do what you can to make it happen, and you 222 00:14:16.759 --> 00:14:19.720 live that. You're a testament to that. 223 00:14:20.440 --> 00:14:24.639 Yeah, I'm definitely I can own that. Can we curse 224 00:14:24.679 --> 00:14:25.000 on this? 225 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:31.240 You can curse? Yes, you can curse. There's no regulation here, right. 226 00:14:31.399 --> 00:14:35.000 I always so far, I always call myself a get 227 00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:37.759 shit donner because that's like the thing I do. It's like, 228 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:41.399 I am so there's so I've been to you know, 229 00:14:41.639 --> 00:14:45.360 I've had his twenty five year career in or you know, 230 00:14:45.480 --> 00:14:49.919 more beyond that in my performance years. But sometimes people 231 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:52.799 just want to sit and create documents and have another 232 00:14:52.840 --> 00:14:55.080 beating about the meeting and the thing, and I'm like, 233 00:14:55.159 --> 00:14:58.120 can we just do the thing? Can we just do 234 00:14:58.600 --> 00:15:04.000 the thing? It's not complicated. So I really lean into like, Okay, 235 00:15:04.480 --> 00:15:06.519 who do I need to bring in the room into 236 00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:09.639 the room in order for the thing to get accomplished, right, 237 00:15:09.720 --> 00:15:12.720 who are the doers, the shakers, the people who actually 238 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:17.440 accomplish things in San Diego? And I just I mean 239 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:21.360 speaking about when we met, I just I'm very determined 240 00:15:21.360 --> 00:15:24.039 about that. Like when I find somebody that I just like, 241 00:15:24.200 --> 00:15:27.759 admire and am inspired in awe of I feel like, okay, 242 00:15:27.759 --> 00:15:28.759 you're gonna be in my life. 243 00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:34.879 Oh yeah, that's how it was. Yeah, I mean, and 244

00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:36.639 I was like, I think I'm going to be in 245 00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:37.120 her life. 246 00:15:37.480 --> 00:15:40.039 Okay, this is happening. 247 00:15:40.600 --> 00:15:42.279 That's happening. Okay, that's good. 248 00:15:42.440 --> 00:15:45.559 Yeah, but if you notice, I'm surrounded by people like that, 249 00:15:45.639 --> 00:15:48.240 like that's where I stay im myself with Like everybody 250 00:15:48.519 --> 00:15:53.240 in our world for vanguard culture are all like these powerhouse, interesting, 251 00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:57.960 worldly like dynamic humans that get shit done. And it's 252 00:15:58.519 --> 00:16:00.919 and so I just gravitate towards those kinds of people, 253 00:16:01.039 --> 00:16:06.639 especially women, especially women, right because and women of color 254 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:09.360 especially too, because we have a whole other layer that 255 00:16:09.399 --> 00:16:14.279 we navigate and there are so few spaces like that 256 00:16:14.320 --> 00:16:18.799 of mentorship, a friendship, of like lifting each other up. 257 00:16:20.480 --> 00:16:25.279 So yeah, we I mean, and when you met me, 258 00:16:25.399 --> 00:16:28.399 I love that, or when we met I love that 259 00:16:28.440 --> 00:16:30.919 you called me out and I tell this story because 260 00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:32.799 I just I. 261 00:16:32.679 --> 00:16:34.919 Was like, oh, what did I call you out? I 262 00:16:34.960 --> 00:16:35.759 don't even remember. 263 00:16:35.879 --> 00:16:38.360 Here's the thing, like, I lived in New York for 264 00:16:38.399 --> 00:16:40.679 a little while, so I and I and I you know, 265 00:16:40.879 --> 00:16:44.080 was raised between here and Mexico City. You know, I 266 00:16:44.080 --> 00:16:46.399 went back and forth with my divorce parents, and so 267 00:16:46.440 --> 00:16:48.000 I spent a lot of time in Mexico City and 268 00:16:48.039 --> 00:16:51.080 we you know there, when you when you have lived 269 00:16:51.080 --> 00:16:53.840 in these big cities, you can appreciate people who just 270 00:16:53.879 --> 00:16:57.200 say the thing right. Sometimes you're here in California and 271 00:16:57.240 --> 00:16:59.720 people are like so nice and you they kind of 272 00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:02.159 likes around the thing they want to say and all that, 273 00:17:02.240 --> 00:17:05.440 and I'm like, and then they turn around, and I 274 00:17:05.480 --> 00:17:07.680 mean not everybody's this way, but sometimes they'll turn around 275 00:17:07.720 --> 00:17:11.279 and do something else. Yeah, And I really just appreciate, like, 276 00:17:11.759 --> 00:17:14.119 give it to me, tell me the thing, you know, Like, 277 00:17:14.200 --> 00:17:18.559 I'm not afraid of good criticism, you know, especially if 278 00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:21.799 it's meant to serve you right, to support you. And 279 00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:23.960 at the time, you know, we had been an all 280 00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:28.880 volunteer organization for many years and one of the things 281 00:17:28.920 --> 00:17:32.799 that we do and have done for years, is professional 282 00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:36.000 development for creatives. So we teach people. You know how 283 00:17:36.039 --> 00:17:38.599 to do your taxes and marketing and branding and finance 284 00:17:38.680 --> 00:17:40.519 management and all these things that you don't learn in 285 00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:43.880 any art school, no matter what your degree is. And 286 00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:48.440 so I said that, you know, as part of we 287 00:17:48.519 --> 00:17:51.200 do our arts journalism, we do professional development, we do events, 288 00:17:51.880 --> 00:17:54.839 and you know, we help teach artists how to make 289 00:17:54.839 --> 00:17:57.000 a living doing the thing that they love. And you said, well, 290 00:17:57.039 --> 00:17:59.920 you can't do that if you're not paying yourself a sout. 291 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:03.680 You can't. Oh, I'm telling other people how to make. 292 00:18:05.319 --> 00:18:09.200 And I was like, oh, I forgot. 293 00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:15.039 I feel oh. But it changed the trajectory of the 294 00:18:15.160 --> 00:18:17.640 organization because I think I might have met you, I 295 00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:20.160 don't know, maybe the summer or spring of whatever year 296 00:18:20.200 --> 00:18:22.799 that was. And then by the end of and I 297 00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:25.599 told myself, Okay, by the end of this year, I 298 00:18:25.880 --> 00:18:27.920 like starting next year, So I'm going to give myself 299 00:18:27.920 --> 00:18:29.839 the rest of this year to find a way to 300 00:18:29.880 --> 00:18:36.880 give myself a salary. And I did, and by February 301 00:18:36.960 --> 00:18:39.119 of that next year, I had a salary. Was the 302 00:18:39.119 --> 00:18:40.839 first time we had ever had an employee. And we 303 00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:43.960 went down the HR rabbit hole all the things you know, 304 00:18:44.079 --> 00:18:48.000 to make it official, and now we have two employees 305 00:18:48.160 --> 00:18:50.680 and we're growing. I mean, we're in a beautiful new 306 00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:54.519 office space in downtown and it's like you just changed 307 00:18:54.519 --> 00:18:57.799 the whole trajectory. And I and I and I really 308 00:18:57.880 --> 00:19:00.720 obviously appreciate you for calling me out. 309 00:19:02.079 --> 00:19:06.640 Wow, I don't even remember saying that, And I'm glad 310 00:19:06.720 --> 00:19:10.559 I did. Yeah, I'm really glad that I did. 311 00:19:11.400 --> 00:19:14.400 Wow. Look that you were very honest about it. 312 00:19:14.920 --> 00:19:17.960 Sometimes I drop to I'm putting this in air quotes, 313 00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:21.920 direct statements and keep it moving, and sometimes they come 314 00:19:21.960 --> 00:19:24.720 back to me and folks are like, do you remember 315 00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:27.240 when you said this thing? And I'm like I don't.

316 00:19:28.920 --> 00:19:30.480 Was it good or that? Did it work or not? 317 00:19:30.680 --> 00:19:32.319 Like which way did it go? Wow? 318 00:19:33.119 --> 00:19:42.680 Well it worked. 319 00:19:47.119 --> 00:19:50.200 Let's talk about vanguard culture. What is it? What are 320 00:19:50.200 --> 00:19:54.000 you looking to accomplish through this nonprofit? What's the work? 321 00:19:54.559 --> 00:20:02.119 So the organization started actually thirteen years ago. I've lived many, 322 00:20:02.799 --> 00:20:05.960 many worlds. I've had many careers. I started in the 323 00:20:05.960 --> 00:20:11.039 theater and I studied at the Royal National Theater in London. 324 00:20:11.079 --> 00:20:13.079 I taught at the Old Globe here in San Diego. 325 00:20:14.160 --> 00:20:16.599 I'm also a jazz vocalist. I had a band and 326 00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:18.720 I was gigging around all over. So I made a 327 00:20:18.720 --> 00:20:22.720 whole career for about ten years just being a creative professional, 328 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:25.480 paying rent, doing all of that. It was my livelihood. 329 00:20:26.200 --> 00:20:31.880 And then somehow I landed as a series of happy accidents, 330 00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:35.480 i'll call them, I ended up working as a curator, 331 00:20:35.920 --> 00:20:40.000 and so I worked in various arts administration kind of roles. 332 00:20:40.039 --> 00:20:42.279 One of them was the Airport Authority, where I curated 333 00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:45.200 eighty exhibitions that you mentioned, and we had a very 334 00:20:45.279 --> 00:20:47.839 robust performing arts series as well. So I started getting 335 00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:50.240 connected to the rest of the performing arts community in 336 00:20:50.279 --> 00:20:54.079 San Diego, and like, I'd bump into artists all the time. 337 00:20:54.079 --> 00:20:57.599 Now I was connected to all these industries, right, and 338 00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:01.599 I would need somebody like a film festival director that says, hey, 339 00:21:01.640 --> 00:21:03.599 do you know any like a dancer who can do 340 00:21:03.640 --> 00:21:06.599 this one specific thing? And then I'd meet a dancer 341 00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:08.720 that's like, do you know anyone with a projector? And 342 00:21:08.759 --> 00:21:11.799 I'm like, oh, yeah, here, you know you. You talked 343 00:21:11.839 --> 00:21:14.440 to each other, and it kept happening over and over 344 00:21:14.480 --> 00:21:16.880 and over again, and I'm like, y'all just need to meet, 345 00:21:17.039 --> 00:21:18.720 Like how do I get you in the same room 346 00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:21.799 at the same time. So I started this little series 347 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:26.359 called the Foody Stores, and it was just very basically 348 00:21:26.359 --> 00:21:30.440 a pot luck, right, but it was a potluck that 349 00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:34.319 also encouraged So everybody brought a dish to share with 350 00:21:34.519 --> 00:21:38.279 fifty people, little mini bites, you know, in that kind 351 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:41.440 of format. And of course artists are artists, so the 352 00:21:41.480 --> 00:21:44.319 food ended up being also beautiful and creative and delicious 353 00:21:44.359 --> 00:21:45.680 and all the things. So I was like, oh, this 354 00:21:45.799 --> 00:21:48.799 is a like this is great. But also we would 355 00:21:48.839 --> 00:21:52.319 encourage people to share their talent. So if you're spoken 356 00:21:52.359 --> 00:21:56.799 word artists, bring that, if your dancer shows something whatever, 357 00:21:56.839 --> 00:22:01.240 it was monologues, and so it started very cash just 358 00:22:01.279 --> 00:22:03.920 getting everybody together. We limited it to the first fifty 359 00:22:03.960 --> 00:22:07.000 people that would RSVPs. But my list was in the fact, 360 00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:09.359 like it's now in the thousands, at that time, it 361 00:22:09.400 --> 00:22:12.240 was about a thousand people that I was sending these 362 00:22:12.279 --> 00:22:15.039 invites to first come, first serve. You never knew who 363 00:22:15.160 --> 00:22:16.480 was going to be in the room. Sometimes it was 364 00:22:16.519 --> 00:22:18.720 a lot of dance community or a theater community or 365 00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:22.880 visual arts community, and then slowly because of who was 366 00:22:22.920 --> 00:22:25.920 in the room. Right, these are now like executive directors 367 00:22:25.920 --> 00:22:30.440 of big arts institutions and all that. The level the 368 00:22:30.559 --> 00:22:34.759 quality started getting elevated. So for example, I mean, we've 369 00:22:34.799 --> 00:22:39.920 had huge art installations in people's backyards. We've had opera 370 00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:42.359 singers that have performed at Carnegie Hall in the Sydney 371 00:22:42.400 --> 00:22:45.559 Opera House, and people's living rooms. I held one in 372 00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:48.640 my home once, and I had the California Ballet performing 373 00:22:48.680 --> 00:22:51.160 in my living room with the director of a museum 374 00:22:51.240 --> 00:22:53.839 on the floor, sitting on a pillow, you know, watching 375 00:22:53.880 --> 00:22:56.880 the show. And so even though it's very casual, it's 376 00:22:56.920 --> 00:23:00.480 also very like high level, and we've continued the tradition 377 00:23:00.599 --> 00:23:04.519 so that that series continues. If we just have always 378 00:23:04.519 --> 00:23:06.759 have to find someone who can host fifty people in 379 00:23:06.799 --> 00:23:10.640 their home. So that's where the idea started, and that's 380 00:23:10.680 --> 00:23:13.000 the essence of us. It's like, how can we just 381 00:23:13.039 --> 00:23:17.559 come together and create community and know each other and 382 00:23:18.079 --> 00:23:20.960 feel comfortable picking up the phone and saying, hey, I 383 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:23.440 know a filmmaker who maybe they can help us, you 384 00:23:23.480 --> 00:23:27.640

know that kind of vibe. And then it slowly started 385 00:23:27.680 --> 00:23:30.240 turning into art journalism, like, hey, you know I'm a writer, 386 00:23:30.359 --> 00:23:32.440 would it be okay? I know you have a website, 387 00:23:32.599 --> 00:23:34.720 So we started creating that. We created this website with 388 00:23:34.759 --> 00:23:40.319 the intention of highlighting those quirky, underground, funky, interesting things 389 00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:43.359 happening in San Diego that are super unique that don't 390 00:23:43.400 --> 00:23:48.960 get much visibility because usually the folks that get the visibilities, 391 00:23:49.039 --> 00:23:52.920 like the zoo and SeaWorld and like the big attractions 392 00:23:52.960 --> 00:23:56.720 and those the big institutions, tend to get more coverage. 393 00:23:57.039 --> 00:23:58.759 So I was like, okay, well, let's focus on the 394 00:23:58.799 --> 00:24:02.480 vanguard culture, the quirky, funky things going on. 395 00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:06.640 Oh wow, I guess the first time I'm hearing this story. 396 00:24:07.119 --> 00:24:09.599 Yeah. And so one of our writers, you know, one 397 00:24:09.599 --> 00:24:12.480 of the gals, started writing and doing coverage and then 398 00:24:12.640 --> 00:24:15.559 we submitted it to some awards. We won an award. 399 00:24:15.599 --> 00:24:18.440 We're like, oh, that's interesting, we could win awards for 400 00:24:18.519 --> 00:24:22.400 this thing, Okay, you know, and then more writers were like, hey, 401 00:24:22.440 --> 00:24:24.720 I saw you. Ever. So now we have like thirteen 402 00:24:24.759 --> 00:24:28.279 writers that review shows and interview artists. As you mentioned, 403 00:24:28.279 --> 00:24:31.599 we've won a bunch of awards for excellence in journalism. 404 00:24:31.759 --> 00:24:36.039 We open up the floor. We give opportunities to emerging writers, 405 00:24:36.799 --> 00:24:39.839 but we also have brought in a lot of seasoned 406 00:24:39.920 --> 00:24:42.720 journalists that are touching arts coverage for the first time 407 00:24:43.400 --> 00:24:45.759 and giving them a platform to cover something that they love, 408 00:24:45.880 --> 00:24:49.759 not just their jobby job and we do professional development 409 00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:51.799 for creatives. So we've done that for years, all of 410 00:24:51.839 --> 00:24:55.839 our contents on YouTube for free. And then the last 411 00:24:55.839 --> 00:24:57.480 thing we do is our events, and that's kind of 412 00:24:57.519 --> 00:25:00.880 what we're known for. We're really very intense about bringing 413 00:25:00.960 --> 00:25:04.920 together film, theater, fashion, dance, visual arts, music all to 414 00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:08.039 one place at the same time and encouraging creative collaboration 415 00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:11.839 will give them like a theme or something to work from. 416 00:25:12.160 --> 00:25:15.960 So we've had some really wild, interesting events where from 417 00:25:16.039 --> 00:25:18.839 a small scale to huge festivals where we bring the 418 00:25:18.880 --> 00:25:22.839 community together and kind of showcase little nuggets of everything 419 00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:25.400 that they do, and that builds community because they're bringing 420 00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:28.839 their audiences and audiences and rubbing elbows, like the spoken 421 00:25:28.839 --> 00:25:32.000 word audience is rubbing elbows with the San Diego Symphony audience, 422 00:25:32.039 --> 00:25:34.720 and they're rubbing elbows, you know, with the culinary community, 423 00:25:34.720 --> 00:25:38.079 and all of a sudden, it's been just a beautiful 424 00:25:38.160 --> 00:25:42.440 journey and I love the creation part of what I do. 425 00:25:42.480 --> 00:25:48.079 You put on incredible events, incredible and they are everything 426 00:25:48.119 --> 00:25:51.880 that you describe. Where for those folks who want to 427 00:25:51.960 --> 00:25:56.839 be in within the diversity of creatives, I'll say that 428 00:25:57.440 --> 00:26:04.000 right your events provide such medicine for that because you 429 00:26:04.039 --> 00:26:06.480 get to go. And there was an event that I 430 00:26:06.519 --> 00:26:09.759 went to I don't know, a few months ago of 431 00:26:09.799 --> 00:26:12.240 yours where it was like there were there was a 432 00:26:12.319 --> 00:26:15.920 choir singing, and there were like people dancing, and there 433 00:26:15.960 --> 00:26:19.319 was like something happening in every corner of the space. 434 00:26:19.480 --> 00:26:25.119 Really really beautiful. You have one coming up, yeah. 435 00:26:24.480 --> 00:26:27.920 So every two years we host a big conference called 436 00:26:27.960 --> 00:26:33.559 the Mashup. This is a creative industry symposium where we 437 00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:37.680 really focus on bringing the best of the best of 438 00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:44.519 arts leadership, business leadership for panels, workshops, everything from you 439 00:26:44.559 --> 00:26:51.359 know business business mindset type things to mental wellness to AI, 440 00:26:51.960 --> 00:26:56.480 you know, having difficult conversations about what the future rings 441 00:26:56.599 --> 00:26:59.359 and how and the disruptions that are happening in the world, 442 00:27:00.680 --> 00:27:03.720 how we come together as a community and tackle those 443 00:27:03.759 --> 00:27:06.880 and so as a two day conference taking place October 444 00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:09.640 fourth and fifth. It's at the Soap Factory and Logan 445 00:27:09.720 --> 00:27:13.200 Heights in person but virtual the second day and all 446 00:27:13.240 --> 00:27:15.799 of the in person sessions will be recorded and available 447 00:27:16.200 --> 00:27:18.400 for future viewing, so you can still register no matter 448 00:27:18.440 --> 00:27:22.039 where you are in the world and get two entire 449 00:27:22.119 --> 00:27:26.799 days of incredible speakers and conversations

and workshops that are 450 00:27:26.799 --> 00:27:30.839 going to help you take your arts hobby and turn 451 00:27:30.880 --> 00:27:34.200 it into an actual career, like take it seriously, which 452 00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:37.079 is what we're always encouraging people to do. And I'll 453 00:27:37.119 --> 00:27:41.160 just share I come from a long line of creatives, 454 00:27:41.200 --> 00:27:46.839 creative professionals, which has been an interesting backwards journey because 455 00:27:46.839 --> 00:27:49.960 I always hear the opposites. So everyone in my life, 456 00:27:50.920 --> 00:27:58.279 in my family, almost everyone are all like musicians, actors, models, hosts, 457 00:27:58.480 --> 00:28:00.799 you know, person TV person. Now, these those types of 458 00:28:00.799 --> 00:28:05.880 people the only group that has kind of a real job, 459 00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:08.680 or the architects. We have some architics in a real job, 460 00:28:09.039 --> 00:28:11.839 you have a real job. But you know what a 461 00:28:11.920 --> 00:28:13.920 traditional job, right. 462 00:28:14.720 --> 00:28:17.039 I want creativity to be the tradition. 463 00:28:17.559 --> 00:28:21.839 Which but even so, you know, even but of course 464 00:28:21.839 --> 00:28:24.519 that's also a creative job, right, I mean, that's that's 465 00:28:24.519 --> 00:28:30.160 still a creative job. So when I got my first no, 466 00:28:30.240 --> 00:28:31.920 I don't know what to call it, not a real job. 467 00:28:31.920 --> 00:28:34.119 But when I got my first government I worked for 468 00:28:34.160 --> 00:28:36.480 the city of National City was my first government job. 469 00:28:37.240 --> 00:28:41.240 And you know it, as an immigrant young lad, I 470 00:28:41.240 --> 00:28:43.079 thought I was like I made it, like I have 471 00:28:43.119 --> 00:28:47.119 a job that has a salary, and you know, benefits 472 00:28:47.200 --> 00:28:50.319 and you know, a retirement plan, which I didn't even 473 00:28:50.359 --> 00:28:52.240 know anything what that meant. You know, I have no 474 00:28:52.279 --> 00:28:54.880 idea what all that meant. And so I went to 475 00:28:54.880 --> 00:28:56.960 my family, I like, I got this job, you know, 476 00:28:57.119 --> 00:29:01.720 gret I just graduated, and they're like, oh, no, oh, 477 00:29:04.079 --> 00:29:07.480 you're not going to sing anymore? What about your theater? Oh? 478 00:29:08.200 --> 00:29:11.480 They were so worried about me, And I just thought, 479 00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:17.880 this is the most backwards ass totally, totally, it's so funny. 480 00:29:19.240 --> 00:29:20.759 But it was still in the arts, Like, it was 481 00:29:20.799 --> 00:29:24.359 still an arts administrative job. But I somehow had created 482 00:29:24.400 --> 00:29:27.000 this narrative in my mind that that's what they wanted 483 00:29:27.039 --> 00:29:28.880 from me, that that's what they hoped for me and 484 00:29:28.960 --> 00:29:32.519 expected from me, you know, to go

and get a 485 00:29:32.559 --> 00:29:36.559 good job that's settled, you know, a good, I don't know, 486 00:29:36.720 --> 00:29:40.680 solid foundation type of job instead of the gigging thing. 487 00:29:40.759 --> 00:29:42.480 But it was the total opposite. They were like, no, 488 00:29:42.559 --> 00:29:45.559 we love gigging. This is amazing. I love my life. 489 00:29:46.119 --> 00:29:47.400 Why would you want anything else? 490 00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:49.039 Wow? 491 00:29:49.480 --> 00:29:51.240 Yeah, it's been a journey. 492 00:29:51.599 --> 00:29:56.359 That's interesting. You once said, I heard that. You once said, 493 00:29:56.400 --> 00:29:59.799 you can dispute it that arts are more than entertainment. 494 00:30:00.079 --> 00:30:03.720 They're an engine for community transformation. What did you mean 495 00:30:03.720 --> 00:30:04.039 by that? 496 00:30:04.960 --> 00:30:07.839 Yeah, arts is an engine. Arts is an economic engine, 497 00:30:08.000 --> 00:30:12.359 and I thank you for asking that question. I think 498 00:30:12.400 --> 00:30:17.319 that the journey of being an arts advocate has also 499 00:30:17.400 --> 00:30:24.440 been something that I've stepped into unexpectedly. But it's important 500 00:30:24.480 --> 00:30:28.599 to realize the impact that your work has on not 501 00:30:28.759 --> 00:30:33.920 just individual lives, but the entire region. So I'm on 502 00:30:33.920 --> 00:30:37.599 the board of Women in Tourism and Hospitality International, and 503 00:30:38.200 --> 00:30:41.039 one of the things that I get passionate about is 504 00:30:41.039 --> 00:30:46.079 cultural tourism. So cultural tourists. It's been shown again and 505 00:30:46.079 --> 00:30:49.960 again and again. Cultural tourists stay longer and spend more 506 00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:52.200 money in the cities that they visit than the traditional 507 00:30:52.279 --> 00:30:53.039 leisure tourist. 508 00:30:53.640 --> 00:30:55.400 And what is a cultural tourist. 509 00:30:55.480 --> 00:30:57.839 Right, So, a cultural tourist is someone who is there 510 00:30:57.920 --> 00:31:02.759 for an operaper form, a specific event, a specific cultural event. 511 00:31:02.839 --> 00:31:05.279 Like they flew to your city because they want to 512 00:31:05.319 --> 00:31:09.200 go see the opera, the symphony, the ballet, a big 513 00:31:09.319 --> 00:31:11.880 art show, a big exhibition. Right. They flew there to 514 00:31:11.920 --> 00:31:14.720 see it. And while they're there, they will tend to 515 00:31:15.119 --> 00:31:18.119 go to a nice restaurant. That weekend, they will go 516 00:31:18.160 --> 00:31:20.640 to a museum. The next day, they'll make a whole 517 00:31:20.640 --> 00:31:22.720 thing of it. They'll stay a couple extra days and 518 00:31:22.759 --> 00:31:25.119 make a whole weekend of it, like a three day weekend, 519 00:31:25.559 --> 00:31:29.359 versus someone who's here for the weather. We have amazing 520 00:31:29.400 --> 00:31:33.759 weather in San Diego. If you're here for surfing, you're 521 00:31:33.799 --> 00:31:35.960 probably going to stay at an airbnb. This is a 522 00:31:35.960 --> 00:31:39.119 big assumption but or big generalization. But of course you're 523 00:31:39.160 --> 00:31:42.519 probably going to stay at an airbnb, which brings no toot 524 00:31:42.680 --> 00:31:45.799 dollars to the region. You're probably going to have a 525 00:31:45.839 --> 00:31:48.240 couple of tacos and beers by the beach, call it 526 00:31:48.279 --> 00:31:50.000 a weekend, and go home and have and say you 527 00:31:50.079 --> 00:31:52.359 had a fabulous time in San Diego. But if you're 528 00:31:52.440 --> 00:31:55.799 for the opera, you're here to spend money in restaurants 529 00:31:55.839 --> 00:32:00.039 and hotels, in all the auxiliary spaces. You're going to 530 00:32:00.119 --> 00:32:01.559 try to get as money. If you're an arts and 531 00:32:01.599 --> 00:32:03.559 culture person, you're going to try and gather as much 532 00:32:03.559 --> 00:32:05.799 of arts and culture as you can. And I think 533 00:32:05.839 --> 00:32:09.319 about this because I've had incredible you know, the blessing 534 00:32:09.359 --> 00:32:12.880 of having lived in Paris, London, New York, Mexico City, 535 00:32:12.960 --> 00:32:16.440 like these big cultural meccas of the world. So if 536 00:32:16.480 --> 00:32:19.920 you go to Paris. Even if you are not an 537 00:32:20.039 --> 00:32:23.559 arts person necessarily, you know your visual arts is not 538 00:32:23.599 --> 00:32:25.319 your thing, You're going to go to them to see 539 00:32:25.319 --> 00:32:31.240 them on Lisa. You're going right, no matter because why 540 00:32:31.319 --> 00:32:35.039 because the city told you that if you come to 541 00:32:35.079 --> 00:32:36.839 Paris and you didn't see them on Lisa, you didn't 542 00:32:36.839 --> 00:32:39.680 come to Paris, right. And so that's what I mean 543 00:32:40.160 --> 00:32:42.960 is the impact of cultural tourism is that people like 544 00:32:43.119 --> 00:32:47.359 that money that the TOT dollars, the transient occupancy tax 545 00:32:47.440 --> 00:32:51.160 that is collected from hotel stays in San Diego. It 546 00:32:51.359 --> 00:32:57.559 funds infrastructure projects, programs, homelessness issue, you know, resources, all 547 00:32:57.599 --> 00:33:01.480 sorts of things, and the city, the way that the 548 00:33:01.519 --> 00:33:04.799 city here in San Diego is structured, we get almost 549 00:33:04.880 --> 00:33:07.799 one penny out of every dollar that comes through the 550 00:33:07.799 --> 00:33:11.000 TOT to TOT tax. And we've been fighting for penny 551 00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:12.880 for the arts this phrase for like ten years, and 552 00:33:12.920 --> 00:33:15.400 we still haven't gotten our penny for the arts. But 553 00:33:15.440 --> 00:33:17.599 we're trying. We're still fighting it and we're still working 554 00:33:17.599 --> 00:33:21.200 on it. So call your legislators. But that money is

555 00:33:21.240 --> 00:33:26.240 the money that goes to the department that it's now rebranded, 556 00:33:26.359 --> 00:33:28.079 used to be called the Commission for Arts and Culture 557 00:33:28.160 --> 00:33:31.480 the city's Department of Cultural Affairs, and that's the money 558 00:33:31.480 --> 00:33:34.440 that gets just redistributed to all of the arts institutions 559 00:33:34.440 --> 00:33:38.279 in San Diego. So your cultural tourism literally funds the 560 00:33:38.400 --> 00:33:43.559 arts in our region. But it's an economic engine to 561 00:33:43.680 --> 00:33:46.119 the tune of ten billion dollars that we've brought to 562 00:33:46.160 --> 00:33:50.160 our region here alone, just in cultural tourism. 563 00:33:50.640 --> 00:33:56.039 Wow, So how can people help to get Maybe let's 564 00:33:56.039 --> 00:33:59.119 start with the penny on the dollar. How can people 565 00:33:59.160 --> 00:34:00.240 help and support that. 566 00:34:00.680 --> 00:34:03.440 I don't think a penny's enough. I'm being honest, you know, 567 00:34:03.599 --> 00:34:07.000 I think it should double or triple. I don't think 568 00:34:07.039 --> 00:34:12.119 that that's that's the argument that you can That's the 569 00:34:12.159 --> 00:34:14.920 speaking point that you're welcome to borrow and share when 570 00:34:14.920 --> 00:34:18.639 you're talking to a business person that doesn't believe in 571 00:34:18.800 --> 00:34:21.480 the impact of the arts in the in why we 572 00:34:21.519 --> 00:34:24.440 should why should we support the arts? We have all 573 00:34:24.480 --> 00:34:28.039 these issues we have, you know, potholes and homelessness and 574 00:34:28.039 --> 00:34:30.199 all these things like let me tell you why. Let 575 00:34:30.199 --> 00:34:33.159 me tell you why, because we're we If you invest 576 00:34:33.199 --> 00:34:35.920 in cultural tourism, you're going to attract tot dollars to 577 00:34:36.000 --> 00:34:38.559 the region, which then reverberates and gives you the bottom 578 00:34:38.599 --> 00:34:42.079 line funding that you need to tackle those issues. That's 579 00:34:42.119 --> 00:34:45.880 your speaking point right there. That's right, So share that widely. 580 00:34:46.920 --> 00:34:49.639 That's a good one. That's really good. How do you 581 00:34:49.679 --> 00:34:53.599 see San Diego's creative ecosystem evolving and where do you 582 00:34:53.639 --> 00:34:56.480 think it needs the most investment or support? So, I 583 00:34:56.480 --> 00:35:02.280 know we're talking about the dollars from t but where 584 00:35:02.280 --> 00:35:08.000 else where else does the creative ecosystem need help? 585 00:35:08.920 --> 00:35:13.000 Well, the City of San Diego recently had this year 586 00:35:13.039 --> 00:35:17.400 long study. They went to I don't remember how many communities, 587 00:35:17.400 --> 00:35:19.960 I want to say it was over fifty communities in 588 00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:25.079 the region had these workshop sessions asking them

about their needs, 589 00:35:25.119 --> 00:35:28.559 and they identified the top two needs in San Diego 590 00:35:28.639 --> 00:35:34.280 were affordable artist housing and affordable events baces. Those are 591 00:35:34.280 --> 00:35:39.039 the top two needs based off of our region here. 592 00:35:39.840 --> 00:35:43.159 I see, I've seen the evolution, right. I've been an 593 00:35:43.239 --> 00:35:46.559 arts advocate and I've been programming here for over twenty years, 594 00:35:47.320 --> 00:35:52.000 and I think that the culture of competition is where 595 00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:55.880 we started. I'm starting to see that evolve and I'd 596 00:35:55.920 --> 00:35:59.039 like to say that we had something to do with that, right, 597 00:35:59.039 --> 00:36:01.920 and just the bringing of communities together over and over 598 00:36:01.960 --> 00:36:06.400 for over a decade, we've slowly I'm so happy to 599 00:36:06.840 --> 00:36:09.519 have introduced so many people to one another and they've 600 00:36:09.519 --> 00:36:12.239 done project taken off and done projects together. And I 601 00:36:12.280 --> 00:36:18.440 think that there's a lot of mutual support to our 602 00:36:18.559 --> 00:36:21.440 organization because of that, because we've been givers for ten 603 00:36:21.519 --> 00:36:23.239 years and connectors for ten years. 604 00:36:23.760 --> 00:36:25.840 Did you say the culture you said the culture of 605 00:36:26.119 --> 00:36:27.960 You meant to say the culture of collaboration. 606 00:36:28.800 --> 00:36:32.559 Well that's where it started. The culture of competition is 607 00:36:32.559 --> 00:36:36.559 where it started. So now I definitely see that it's 608 00:36:36.599 --> 00:36:43.159 evolved to this culture of collaboration. And interestingly, during the pandemic, 609 00:36:44.519 --> 00:36:48.199 that was one of the that was a wild ride, right, 610 00:36:48.320 --> 00:36:51.880 I mean we were all seeking convinced. 611 00:36:52.000 --> 00:36:54.480 I'm not convinced that we're not off of it quite frankly. 612 00:36:54.920 --> 00:36:57.239 Sure, Yeah, it feels like. 613 00:36:57.519 --> 00:36:59.960 It still feels like the pandemic in any way. 614 00:37:00.280 --> 00:37:03.760 Yeah, or maybe a second wave of like a second pandemic. 615 00:37:04.239 --> 00:37:09.239 You know. But when we were deep in it and 616 00:37:09.280 --> 00:37:12.639 nobody knew, there was this moment in time right where 617 00:37:12.800 --> 00:37:15.519 for the first like three months that nobody knew anything. 618 00:37:15.800 --> 00:37:18.239 And my husband's an r doctor, so he was like 619 00:37:18.360 --> 00:37:21.800 front and center. We were all terrified, you know that 620 00:37:21.840 --> 00:37:24.400 he was going to bring something home, whatever this thing 621 00:37:24.559 --> 00:37:26.960 was that nobody knew anything about, you know, to our 622 00:37:27.000 --> 00:37:32.320 young children, and it was a wild rinde. But people 623 00:37:32.360 --> 00:37:39.800 were seeking, you know, the film studios shut down, museums closed, 624 00:37:40.119 --> 00:37:43.840 all these things, and people were they realized. It was 625 00:37:43.880 --> 00:37:46.880 a moment when we realized that we were the second responders, 626 00:37:47.519 --> 00:37:52.199 that creatives were the ones that people were seeking for beauty, 627 00:37:52.320 --> 00:37:58.039 for joy, for delight, for inspiration. And we watched everything 628 00:37:58.159 --> 00:38:02.360 on Netflix, every little thing because nothing else was being made. 629 00:38:02.440 --> 00:38:05.320 We were watching everything. We were watching Octopus Teacher, you know, 630 00:38:05.440 --> 00:38:09.679 and like these crazy tiger shows or whatever that was. 631 00:38:09.960 --> 00:38:12.800 You know, even I watched it because I'm like, well 632 00:38:12.840 --> 00:38:15.119 the internet ran out. I guess we're this. 633 00:38:17.679 --> 00:38:19.920 I think I watched more tea. I think I watched 634 00:38:20.000 --> 00:38:24.800 more screen more movies and shows during the pandemic than 635 00:38:24.840 --> 00:38:27.639 I had in all my year, all my previous year, 636 00:38:27.760 --> 00:38:28.880 prior years put together. 637 00:38:29.440 --> 00:38:32.119 It was right same. I'm not even a TV watcher, 638 00:38:32.119 --> 00:38:34.960 but I was like, well, yeah, there's literally nothing else. Yeah, 639 00:38:35.320 --> 00:38:39.440 well but there was. But there was this moment that 640 00:38:40.039 --> 00:38:42.360 so what we did is we leaned in harder, Like 641 00:38:42.400 --> 00:38:45.440 we instead of pulling back, we stepped up because it's 642 00:38:45.480 --> 00:38:48.159 exactly when the community needed to come together. So we 643 00:38:48.159 --> 00:38:51.480 were hosting these creative industry round table similar to what 644 00:38:52.039 --> 00:38:54.199 was happening what happened at your space, where we got 645 00:38:54.239 --> 00:38:56.599 to meet all these creative leaders, but we were hosting 646 00:38:56.599 --> 00:39:02.440 those virtually monthly throughout the endemic to bring the community together, 647 00:39:02.719 --> 00:39:05.440 just to have these conversations about, Okay, how are you 648 00:39:05.639 --> 00:39:08.639 moving bodies through spaces? Like what are you going to 649 00:39:08.719 --> 00:39:11.079 do with the anti maskers? How do you where did 650 00:39:11.079 --> 00:39:12.840 you get you know, did you get that COVID grant? 651 00:39:12.960 --> 00:39:15.519 Like how are we support? Can we come together? Can 652 00:39:15.559 --> 00:39:18.480 we support? And in other spaces, and the most amazing 653 00:39:18.559 --> 00:39:21.840 things started happening. It's like you'd have museum directors that 654 00:39:21.880 --> 00:39:24.679 are like, I have this museum that I can't open 655 00:39:24.719 --> 00:39:28.280 the doors to, like does anybody need a building? And 656 00:39:28.360 --> 00:39:31.000 then you'd have the

dance community like, yo, over here, 657 00:39:31.159 --> 00:39:33.039 we could use it, you know, And then you'd have 658 00:39:33.079 --> 00:39:35.880 the filmmaker that's like I'll record it, and then we 659 00:39:35.920 --> 00:39:38.719 can all create content and everybody wins and and so 660 00:39:38.840 --> 00:39:42.280 then you know, the museum got their beautiful virtual content, 661 00:39:42.400 --> 00:39:45.280 the dance company got it, the filmmaker got credit, like 662 00:39:45.360 --> 00:39:49.360 everybody was happening. So these connections were started happening, and 663 00:39:49.400 --> 00:39:53.360 then in the theater community now was fascinating. There there 664 00:39:53.440 --> 00:39:57.920 was this there was this treaties that happened, this this 665 00:39:58.639 --> 00:40:01.000 uh I think that's what it's called. But it was 666 00:40:01.079 --> 00:40:04.840 like this statement that came out after the murder of 667 00:40:04.840 --> 00:40:09.159 George Floyd. There was this statement that came out. It 668 00:40:09.199 --> 00:40:14.199 was something like, I see you white American theater something 669 00:40:14.280 --> 00:40:20.599 like that. But that started this whole movement of having 670 00:40:20.679 --> 00:40:25.199 the deep, hard conversations about casting in theater, about who 671 00:40:25.280 --> 00:40:29.280 is in leadership positions in theater, just practices that had 672 00:40:29.320 --> 00:40:33.719 been very antiquated and not inclusive and all of these things. 673 00:40:34.039 --> 00:40:38.320 But what happened is that because of that, they started 674 00:40:38.400 --> 00:40:43.639 this series that was all for theater, just theater community, 675 00:40:43.639 --> 00:40:48.039 theater companies, and for the first time you had major 676 00:40:48.119 --> 00:40:51.480 institutions like this was led by the La Jolla Playhouse, 677 00:40:51.960 --> 00:40:55.599 the San Diego Repertory Theater, and the Old Globe Theater, 678 00:40:55.880 --> 00:40:58.440 like our top three theaters at the time. The Lyceum 679 00:40:58.480 --> 00:41:01.960 was now defunct because of construcuction and other things. But 680 00:41:02.000 --> 00:41:04.519 these are Tony Award winning theaters that had come together 681 00:41:05.440 --> 00:41:07.559 and they led these conversations, and all of a sudden, 682 00:41:07.719 --> 00:41:11.119 in the virtual room, you had the teeniest, tiny little 683 00:41:11.159 --> 00:41:13.400 theater companies that had never been in the same room 684 00:41:13.400 --> 00:41:16.440 together with these leaders that they looked up to, having 685 00:41:16.719 --> 00:41:21.079 monthly conversations about how to open up their spaces, how 686 00:41:21.119 --> 00:41:25.840 to share resources, how they could collaborate. New arts residencies 687 00:41:25.880 --> 00:41:28.840 started taking place in people each other's venues. It was 688 00:41:29.000 --> 00:41:32.960 wild and it was beautiful. There were tears, there was joy. 689 00:41:33.199 --> 00:41:35.440 It was and so I was just sort of listening 690 00:41:35.440 --> 00:41:37.480 in because I'm not you know, I don't have like 691 00:41:37.519 --> 00:41:40.119 my theater career going right now at this moment, so 692 00:41:40.159 --> 00:41:42.239 I was I was just sort of like, I just 693 00:41:42.280 --> 00:41:44.519 want to hear what everybody's talking about, you know. So 694 00:41:44.559 --> 00:41:46.800 I was just in there. But it was it was 695 00:41:46.920 --> 00:41:49.280 hard stuff. Like some of the conversations they were having 696 00:41:49.280 --> 00:41:53.920 were really powerful, and I took that as inspiration for like, Okay, 697 00:41:53.960 --> 00:41:56.559 we need to have the hard conversations to overhear but 698 00:41:57.239 --> 00:41:59.599 across all industries, like how do we lead that? And 699 00:41:59.639 --> 00:42:03.719 that was It's like one of the coolest things we've 700 00:42:03.719 --> 00:42:05.119 ever done, for sure. 701 00:42:05.360 --> 00:42:08.000 And I think that's a beautiful thing, a beautiful thing 702 00:42:08.039 --> 00:42:10.920 to come out of a challenging experience, which is the 703 00:42:10.960 --> 00:42:15.239 opportunity to get together and have this conversation around this 704 00:42:15.440 --> 00:42:20.719 common goal of art and culture, the arts and culture 705 00:42:20.880 --> 00:42:23.039 and being able to talk about what some of the 706 00:42:23.119 --> 00:42:26.840 challenges are, which I would imagine led at the smaller 707 00:42:27.199 --> 00:42:30.800 companies to see that the issues are all the same. 708 00:42:31.480 --> 00:42:34.559 It was just a matter of scale, and that's an assumption, 709 00:42:35.239 --> 00:42:36.760 you know. So I think that that's one of the 710 00:42:36.800 --> 00:42:41.719 beautiful things that it came out of that experience, because 711 00:42:41.880 --> 00:42:48.159 why when else would you have been prompted to encourage 712 00:42:48.159 --> 00:42:52.280 those conversations. It didn't matter before, you know. 713 00:42:53.000 --> 00:42:57.280 Yeah, And I think that's similar to this series that 714 00:42:57.320 --> 00:43:00.239 we kicked off in your Space of bringing to other 715 00:43:00.280 --> 00:43:05.360 executive directors from all these different industries and they realized, 716 00:43:05.559 --> 00:43:09.199 weren't there just some incredible aha moments where it's like, oh, 717 00:43:09.559 --> 00:43:11.880 you're you're you're dealing with that to me too, but 718 00:43:12.000 --> 00:43:16.320 totally different industries, right, And that's been the that's been 719 00:43:16.360 --> 00:43:20.320 the coolest part of what we've Our organization is sort 720 00:43:20.360 --> 00:43:26.000 of morphed into this, uh sometimes people call us like 721 00:43:26.039 --> 00:43:28.280 the Chamber of Commerce of arts and culture, you know, 722 00:43:28.360 --> 00:43:28.960 for seeing. 723 00:43:28.920 --> 00:43:31.400 Which is

what you see, what you are that's what 724 00:43:31.440 --> 00:43:31.880 you're doing. 725 00:43:32.880 --> 00:43:36.119 Yeah, I mean, I'll loan that because it's it's been 726 00:43:36.239 --> 00:43:40.760 this okay, just coming together across industries, but at that 727 00:43:41.199 --> 00:43:43.360 but I hear that all the time where people think 728 00:43:43.400 --> 00:43:47.199 they're alone in this bubble suffering, you know, and they are, 729 00:43:47.280 --> 00:43:50.000 you know, they're they're but they're not the only ones. 730 00:43:50.599 --> 00:43:54.760 And if you were to come together, you can solve, 731 00:43:54.880 --> 00:43:57.360 you can help deal, you know, deal with it together 732 00:43:57.440 --> 00:43:59.400 and come out of it together. And so that that 733 00:43:59.440 --> 00:44:02.559 collaborations or that that event that we held in your 734 00:44:02.559 --> 00:44:06.239 space where we brought together all these executive directors. Thankfully 735 00:44:06.280 --> 00:44:08.760 they had a moment of mindfulness with you. They had 736 00:44:08.760 --> 00:44:11.760 an opportunity to just sort of center themselves and be present. 737 00:44:11.840 --> 00:44:14.840 I didn't see anyone on their cell phones for two hours, 738 00:44:14.920 --> 00:44:17.320 which like never happens, right. 739 00:44:17.079 --> 00:44:19.719 And we didn't even mention that, yeah, yeah, yeah we didn't. 740 00:44:19.800 --> 00:44:22.719 We didn't mention that, you're right. We didn't even say 741 00:44:22.800 --> 00:44:25.119 put your phones down. Whatever. We just said, let's be present. 742 00:44:25.239 --> 00:44:28.679 And they were present because the conversation was good and 743 00:44:28.760 --> 00:44:33.639 it was important, and I'm excited about what came out 744 00:44:33.679 --> 00:44:35.519 of there. I know that those are going to happen 745 00:44:35.519 --> 00:44:39.480 again and again and I have big ideas about how 746 00:44:39.480 --> 00:44:43.159 we're going to implement some of those for another time. 747 00:44:56.880 --> 00:44:58.159 I want to kind of bring it back to you 748 00:44:58.199 --> 00:45:02.119 for a moment. You are a mother, a producer, an 749 00:45:02.119 --> 00:45:07.880 incredible producer, a business woman, a singer and actor, you know, 750 00:45:08.920 --> 00:45:15.199 doing all the curator. How do you merge or integrate 751 00:45:15.280 --> 00:45:19.519 all of these different identities that you have in all 752 00:45:19.559 --> 00:45:23.159 these different roles? How do you do that? Because you're 753 00:45:23.239 --> 00:45:26.039 up to a lot of things, a lot of beautiful things, 754 00:45:26.760 --> 00:45:30.760 and you manage a lot of beautiful roles. 755 00:45:31.159 --> 00:45:39.639 Yeah, I always have this vision of having a busy, creative, 756 00:45:40.199 --> 00:45:45.199 loud home with lots of stuff going on, lots of kids. 757 00:45:45.480 --> 00:45:47.239 I sort of always thought that it would just like 758

00:45:47.440 --> 00:45:51.360 have you cool married to somebody, you know that that 759 00:45:51.480 --> 00:45:54.559 was like my I imagined what it would be like, 760 00:45:54.679 --> 00:45:58.480 and I think I got exactly what I wanted. So 761 00:45:58.760 --> 00:46:03.639 in this house when I met my husband, uh so 762 00:46:03.760 --> 00:46:06.360 he's an er doctor, but he's also an incredible pianist. 763 00:46:08.119 --> 00:46:11.679 And where we where we connected was the hiking. We 764 00:46:11.719 --> 00:46:15.679 love like hiking mountains and nature and all these things. 765 00:46:16.079 --> 00:46:19.320 So that's sort of how we met. And then and 766 00:46:19.360 --> 00:46:22.400 then I go I went to his house for the 767 00:46:22.400 --> 00:46:25.079 first time he had this beautiful piano. I'm like, oh, 768 00:46:25.119 --> 00:46:27.880 you play piano? Like you never mentioned it. I'm super 769 00:46:27.920 --> 00:46:31.599 shy type guy. And he sits there and he's like sure, 770 00:46:31.599 --> 00:46:35.320 he I'll play for you. And he was amazing. It 771 00:46:35.400 --> 00:46:42.159 was just wow, and I thought, oh my god, I 772 00:46:42.239 --> 00:46:48.440 have to marry this man. That was like I thought, 773 00:46:48.719 --> 00:46:52.639 I this is like to have music in your life 774 00:46:52.679 --> 00:46:56.559 every day, Like how amazing? Right, So that opened my 775 00:46:56.639 --> 00:46:58.960 heart for sure. I was like, okay this. I didn't 776 00:46:58.960 --> 00:47:01.199 know this about you at all, Like he never mentioned it, 777 00:47:02.360 --> 00:47:04.880 and he would never perform in public or anything. Like 778 00:47:04.920 --> 00:47:07.920 he's definitely not He's very shy, but he's so good. 779 00:47:09.280 --> 00:47:12.039 I'm not exaggerating like I know good musicians. He's great. 780 00:47:12.400 --> 00:47:16.239 I believe you. So you know, we have a ten 781 00:47:16.280 --> 00:47:19.239 and an eleven year old and they're all creative. My 782 00:47:19.519 --> 00:47:23.800 son is a is a composer, a piano composer. He's 783 00:47:23.840 --> 00:47:28.840 been composing since he was four, these big dramatic soundtrack 784 00:47:29.039 --> 00:47:32.599 they sound like movie like film soundtracks, these big dramatic things. 785 00:47:32.639 --> 00:47:34.239 Since he was four, he's been doing these things. And 786 00:47:34.280 --> 00:47:36.679 I'm like, oh my god, like this is where I 787 00:47:36.719 --> 00:47:40.760 start to believe in you. Know, this is your second 788 00:47:40.840 --> 00:47:42.800 or third life, or like he's an old soul or 789 00:47:42.800 --> 00:47:46.400 whatever those ideas are, because he hasn't he hadn't lived 790 00:47:46.400 --> 00:47:49.679 that much to experience anything like this. But the feelings 791 00:47:49.679 --> 00:47:51.920 that were coming out of him were just like you 792 00:47:51.960 --> 00:47:54.239 know how you know creatives, right, It's like you don't 793 00:47:54.239 --> 00:47:56.400 do it because you want to, It's like you have to, 794 00:47:56.679 --> 00:48:00.639 like it comes out of you. Yeah, And so he's 795 00:48:00.639 --> 00:48:04.360 always been that way. And he's composed seven original pieces 796 00:48:05.239 --> 00:48:09.760 that are we're sending it to the Library of Congress. 797 00:48:09.800 --> 00:48:13.280 We're gonna package it up, have a little CD release party, 798 00:48:13.280 --> 00:48:14.880 We're gonna do the whole thing, and I don't know 799 00:48:14.880 --> 00:48:17.760 what happens after that. But he recently got a commission 800 00:48:17.840 --> 00:48:21.199 to do the soundtrack for an original independent film, and 801 00:48:21.280 --> 00:48:23.679 so he's done that and we're now pitching it there. 802 00:48:23.800 --> 00:48:26.280 They are pitching it to film festivals and we're waiting 803 00:48:26.280 --> 00:48:29.639 on that. And he's eleven, right. And then I have 804 00:48:29.719 --> 00:48:32.599 this ten year old daughter who from day one has 805 00:48:32.639 --> 00:48:36.519 been dancing and singing, dance like everything is like hi, mommy, 806 00:48:36.719 --> 00:48:40.880 how's it going? Just everything is in this movement form, 807 00:48:40.960 --> 00:48:43.199 you know, and I've always you know, watched her she's 808 00:48:43.239 --> 00:48:46.239 been in contemporary dance now for many years. And then 809 00:48:46.280 --> 00:48:50.400 she's a singer, but she's she's shy like her father sometimes, 810 00:48:51.199 --> 00:48:54.920 but when she thinks no one's listening, oh it's good. 811 00:48:55.280 --> 00:48:58.840 She's got a voice. So I'm excited. I'm excited to 812 00:48:58.880 --> 00:49:02.079 be surrounded by that create activity, not only at work 813 00:49:02.119 --> 00:49:06.280 but also at home. So that piano is always an 814 00:49:06.320 --> 00:49:11.920 action except for right now, as I told him, But 815 00:49:12.159 --> 00:49:14.920 really it's always an action. If it's not me singing 816 00:49:14.960 --> 00:49:17.960 and accompanying myself, it's my daughter, or it's my son, 817 00:49:18.119 --> 00:49:21.039 or it's my husband, and so that it's just a 818 00:49:21.079 --> 00:49:23.039 source of a lot of joy. And how do I 819 00:49:23.199 --> 00:49:27.920 merge all, merge it all? I don't know. I'd never 820 00:49:28.639 --> 00:49:32.320 Nobody teaches you how to be a mother. No book 821 00:49:32.480 --> 00:49:37.199 could ever prepare. Yeah, yeah, I mean to zero, Like 822 00:49:38.079 --> 00:49:41.199 we come in having all these expectations of ourselves and 823 00:49:41.239 --> 00:49:44.679 I'm gonna be I'm gonna bake, I'm gonna I'm gonna 824 00:49:44.679 --> 00:49:49.920 be the pta whatever, I'm gonna survive, and that is 825 00:49:50.000 --> 00:49:54.880 my goal for the day, you know, Yes, But yeah, 826 00:49:54.880 --> 00:49:57.199 I think we've done a really great job. I married, 827 00:49:57.400 --> 00:50:01.559 I married well, he's a good kind human and

that 828 00:50:01.719 --> 00:50:05.079 has been the I think that has been probably my 829 00:50:05.119 --> 00:50:09.679 biggest accomplishment is marrying like a good good man, you know, 830 00:50:09.920 --> 00:50:14.199 a good person who And that's so important because sometimes 831 00:50:14.320 --> 00:50:17.880 in our in my culture anyway, there's so much pressure 832 00:50:17.960 --> 00:50:20.320 to get married, like hurry up, you know, you're running 833 00:50:20.320 --> 00:50:22.199 out of time. You're almost thirty. Oh, now you're almost 834 00:50:22.199 --> 00:50:25.159 thirty five. Oh you know, and you feel all this pressure, 835 00:50:26.559 --> 00:50:29.199 even if you're with the wrong person, even if you're 836 00:50:29.440 --> 00:50:33.159 like you know, it's like, don't get don't do that. 837 00:50:33.480 --> 00:50:34.960 I used to be that person that's like, oh, you 838 00:50:35.000 --> 00:50:37.920 should have more kids, or oh you should get married. No, no, no, 839 00:50:37.960 --> 00:50:41.360 But once I realized what motherhood and marriage really meant, 840 00:50:41.719 --> 00:50:44.199 I was like, are you sure? Is this? Like is 841 00:50:44.199 --> 00:50:44.880 he good to you? 842 00:50:45.159 --> 00:50:49.280 It's so important, it's so important, And thank you so 843 00:50:49.400 --> 00:50:52.400 much for I didn't even expect us to dive into 844 00:50:52.440 --> 00:50:55.599 that conversation, but thank you for bringing it up. Because 845 00:50:55.599 --> 00:50:58.360 there are so many people who it's all about the 846 00:50:58.400 --> 00:51:04.199 clock and they see it as a checklist item, right 847 00:51:04.320 --> 00:51:06.880 like I'm single, I have to not be single. I 848 00:51:06.960 --> 00:51:09.199 have to get snagged, I have to be with someone. 849 00:51:09.800 --> 00:51:13.760 And I think that if you're going to I know 850 00:51:14.559 --> 00:51:17.559 that if you're going to be with someone, make sure 851 00:51:17.599 --> 00:51:22.079 your picker is working, make sure your pickers working well, 852 00:51:22.519 --> 00:51:27.559 make sure it's not dull, make sure that it's not dull, 853 00:51:27.760 --> 00:51:31.960 and make sure that it's not disillusioned. You know, it's 854 00:51:32.079 --> 00:51:39.079 better to be alone for a while, be alone so 855 00:51:39.119 --> 00:51:41.360 that you can really figure out what works for you. 856 00:51:41.480 --> 00:51:44.280 I really strongly believe that a lot of what happens 857 00:51:44.599 --> 00:51:47.679 with relationships, with divorce rates and all that, it's less 858 00:51:47.679 --> 00:51:55.000 about the institution of marriage not being necessarily not being 859 00:51:55.039 --> 00:51:59.320 a bad thing. I think it's the culture of forcing 860 00:51:59.400 --> 00:52:04.239 people into that institution as a way of being accepted. 861 00:52:04.519 --> 00:52:07.159 That's the problem. Because I believe that if more folks 862 00:52:07.159 --> 00:52:12.000 were to wait to learn yourself, to really make the 863 00:52:12.079 --> 00:52:17.000 right decision for themselves, those numbers would change. That's the problem. 864 00:52:17.079 --> 00:52:20.880 It's not the institution, it's the way we we get 865 00:52:20.960 --> 00:52:24.639 pushed into it, jump into it, you know. 866 00:52:24.920 --> 00:52:27.280 Yeah, it's it can be It can be really toxic, 867 00:52:27.559 --> 00:52:35.519 you know, to have these expectations of like you you know, 868 00:52:35.639 --> 00:52:40.519 aunties and things that like will say, dias right, And 869 00:52:40.920 --> 00:52:43.320 I'm not just saying my family, but I'm saying in general, 870 00:52:43.360 --> 00:52:44.280 like our culture. 871 00:52:44.000 --> 00:52:45.920 No, in general, this is the culture like. 872 00:52:45.840 --> 00:52:50.000 This, this this culture of like you can only be 873 00:52:50.119 --> 00:52:53.679 fully fulfilled as a woman if you bear children and 874 00:52:53.920 --> 00:52:57.079 have a husband, And that's so not true because marriage 875 00:52:57.320 --> 00:53:01.199 is not for everybody's children are not for everybody. Not 876 00:53:01.400 --> 00:53:05.440 everybody should be a parent, that's right, Yeah, I mean 877 00:53:05.480 --> 00:53:09.639 if you, yeah, I mean, it is an incredibly selfless job. 878 00:53:10.000 --> 00:53:16.039 You it's hard work. It's also often rewarding, but it's 879 00:53:16.119 --> 00:53:21.800 also often exhausting, and you and you, you know, have 880 00:53:21.880 --> 00:53:25.199 to give up some of your own needs, most of 881 00:53:25.239 --> 00:53:28.960 your own needs in order to just Yeah, I mean, 882 00:53:29.000 --> 00:53:32.000 now I'm in a different place with my children because 883 00:53:32.039 --> 00:53:34.360 they don't need me as much, and they're they're taking 884 00:53:34.400 --> 00:53:36.639 off into their own creative spaces and they're getting to 885 00:53:36.639 --> 00:53:40.119 do their own things. When you're when they're much, you know, younger, 886 00:53:40.280 --> 00:53:43.960 you just try to keep them alive mostly exactly. 887 00:53:44.280 --> 00:53:47.320 They still need you, They still need you. It just evolves, 888 00:53:47.320 --> 00:53:50.599 Oh for sure. Yeah, they're going to need you forever. 889 00:53:51.159 --> 00:53:53.360 I think. One of the things that I really appreciate 890 00:53:53.400 --> 00:53:58.000 about you as a human, Susannah, is the fact that you, 891 00:53:58.159 --> 00:54:03.599 or in my observation of you, you are heart forward, 892 00:54:04.719 --> 00:54:09.360 You're passionate, you're passionate about what you do and the 893 00:54:09.360 --> 00:54:11.679 work that you're doing. While I'm sure you know it 894 00:54:11.719 --> 00:54:15.000 can be exhausting. Being an entrepreneur is not easy, right, 895 00:54:15.159 --> 00:54:18.880 It can be exhausting, but your heart is in it. 896 00:54:20.559 --> 00:54:25.679 You know, raising children, curating a family

exhausting, but your 897 00:54:25.719 --> 00:54:28.360 heart is in it. And I think that it's such 898 00:54:28.519 --> 00:54:32.719 an example of what life can feel like, even when 899 00:54:32.760 --> 00:54:36.000 it's overwhelming, even when there's a lot going on, even 900 00:54:36.079 --> 00:54:43.119 when you know it's tiring. It's a great example of 901 00:54:43.119 --> 00:54:45.239 what life can look like when you live from your 902 00:54:45.280 --> 00:54:49.239 heart and when you do the things that you can 903 00:54:49.280 --> 00:54:51.239 passionately pour yourself into. 904 00:54:51.920 --> 00:54:55.320 Yeah, I think it's a it's intention you know, very 905 00:54:55.719 --> 00:55:04.880 I'm very intentional about outcomes, and I feel, Yeah, to 906 00:55:04.920 --> 00:55:09.079 wrap up that sort of conversation about marriage and children, 907 00:55:09.639 --> 00:55:13.639 it matters so much who your partner is. It's so 908 00:55:13.760 --> 00:55:18.679 important to you know, we have the type of relationship 909 00:55:18.760 --> 00:55:25.199 where we hardly ever, like ever argue about how we're 910 00:55:25.199 --> 00:55:28.119 going to raise our kids, Like we aligned on morals 911 00:55:28.159 --> 00:55:32.159 and values really early on, so that that's never the 912 00:55:32.440 --> 00:55:35.239 you know, that's never a question. But if you don't 913 00:55:35.280 --> 00:55:39.559 have that, oh my gosh, how stressful I think about x's, 914 00:55:40.280 --> 00:55:43.400 you know, sometimes and I'm like, oh thank god, imagine, 915 00:55:45.320 --> 00:55:51.079 oh god, I'm living in night Mary now no. 916 00:55:52.039 --> 00:55:55.360 Right, So that's how you wind up with ten of 917 00:55:55.400 --> 00:55:59.760 your energy going toward your family. What I'm observing. And 918 00:55:59.760 --> 00:56:01.559 for those of you who get to watch this on 919 00:56:01.599 --> 00:56:04.159 YouTube and you get to see the video, this is 920 00:56:04.199 --> 00:56:06.000 a woman and you can hear it in her voice. Also, 921 00:56:06.119 --> 00:56:10.360 this is a woman who is fully in her life. 922 00:56:10.400 --> 00:56:16.199 Because you're so intentional about your life. Because you're so intentional, 923 00:56:16.360 --> 00:56:21.360 you are fully in it. When we're not intentional, or 924 00:56:21.400 --> 00:56:24.480 when we're doing things because of expectations and obligations and 925 00:56:24.519 --> 00:56:28.840 all of that, that takes up a piece, a huge 926 00:56:28.960 --> 00:56:32.719 chunk sometimes of how of your ability to actually show 927 00:56:32.800 --> 00:56:33.599 up and be present. 928 00:56:34.840 --> 00:56:37.760 Yeah, that's so true. I think, you know, I think 929 00:56:37.800 --> 00:56:42.920 about my mom, who she was married, She was married, 930 00:56:43.280 --> 00:56:48.159 she likes to be married, she married five times and 931 00:56:49.840 --> 00:56:54.840 so young, and sometimes made choices that were primarily about 932

00:56:55.960 --> 00:56:59.800 let me just be married. Probably she never said these words, 933 00:56:59.840 --> 00:57:02.400 but probably for stability, for the sake of like just 934 00:57:02.440 --> 00:57:06.000 having stability of some kind. Unfortunately her picker was off, 935 00:57:06.119 --> 00:57:11.079 you know. But the intentionality part is that even if 936 00:57:11.119 --> 00:57:15.559 you have not had the example, that by creating intention 937 00:57:15.639 --> 00:57:19.440 and saying okay, but what do I really want and 938 00:57:19.480 --> 00:57:24.840 sort of like reverse engineering that, right, being super honest, 939 00:57:25.039 --> 00:57:28.079 and I think as women, for example, you know, in 940 00:57:28.159 --> 00:57:31.599 my dating life, and it happens so much. It happens 941 00:57:31.639 --> 00:57:34.199 so much where we're like, well, we're just dating and 942 00:57:35.239 --> 00:57:37.159 I don't know if he wants kids or not. I 943 00:57:37.159 --> 00:57:38.559 don't know if he wants to get married. We're just 944 00:57:38.599 --> 00:57:40.239 gonna see how it plays out. 945 00:57:40.559 --> 00:57:43.159 We'll just see what happens. Go with the flow, see 946 00:57:43.199 --> 00:57:43.639 what happens. 947 00:57:43.960 --> 00:57:46.639 Yeah, And meanwhile, you're wasting years and years of your 948 00:57:46.639 --> 00:57:49.239 life with this person that has zero intention of ever 949 00:57:49.280 --> 00:57:52.119 getting married, zero intention of ever having kids, because you're 950 00:57:52.159 --> 00:57:56.440 so worried that if you say the words, he'll run away, 951 00:57:56.880 --> 00:57:59.480 you know, or he'll fly away, or you'll scare him 952 00:57:59.519 --> 00:58:03.440 off or whatever these things are. And it's actually the opposite. 953 00:58:03.480 --> 00:58:06.280 It's like scare away the ones that you don't want. 954 00:58:06.880 --> 00:58:11.880 You're never going to change somebody's intention, like personal values, right, 955 00:58:11.880 --> 00:58:15.159 that's never going to happen. You meet a person and 956 00:58:15.199 --> 00:58:18.800 it's almost like right away saying you know. And with 957 00:58:18.880 --> 00:58:21.159 my husband, it was the first time in my life 958 00:58:22.440 --> 00:58:26.840 that I had ever had that super clear conversation. It 959 00:58:26.880 --> 00:58:29.000 took a lot of courage to say those words. You know, 960 00:58:29.039 --> 00:58:32.480 when we were first dating, I said, listen, I just 961 00:58:32.519 --> 00:58:34.920 want to like put this out there, like I know, 962 00:58:36.400 --> 00:58:38.480 I just want to know, like do you ever want 963 00:58:38.480 --> 00:58:41.719 to be married? And do you want kids? And it's 964 00:58:41.760 --> 00:58:44.480 okay if you don't, like it's fine, it's something that 965 00:58:44.559 --> 00:58:47.559 I want. And if and if we're not a good fit, 966 00:58:47.599 --> 00:58:51.400 that's cool, Like you know, it's cool, Like I'm fine, 967 00:58:51.880 --> 00:58:53.840 you know, but just be honest, like it doesn't have 968 00:58:53.880 --> 00:58:55.800 to be with me, and I'm not rushing you on anything, 969 00:58:55.800 --> 00:58:57.360 but I just want to know, like are we on 970 00:58:57.400 --> 00:58:58.079 the same path? 971 00:58:58.280 --> 00:58:59.119 Know who you are? 972 00:58:59.480 --> 00:59:02.559 Yeah, like we're walking the same path. And he was like, 973 00:59:02.559 --> 00:59:05.000 oh yeah, I definitely want those things. I was like, okay, cool, 974 00:59:05.760 --> 00:59:08.239 and then we just kept going you know it, and 975 00:59:08.280 --> 00:59:11.159 it did turn into that. But it's that fear that 976 00:59:11.239 --> 00:59:15.719 holds us back of having those hard conversations that makes 977 00:59:15.719 --> 00:59:18.039 it impossible for us to actually get the thing that 978 00:59:18.079 --> 00:59:20.719 we want. What do you what are you going to manifest? 979 00:59:20.880 --> 00:59:22.000 You have to speak it. 980 00:59:21.920 --> 00:59:28.679 That's right. I'll add to that, and ensuring for yourself 981 00:59:28.840 --> 00:59:32.000 that you're not focusing so much on getting that person 982 00:59:32.800 --> 00:59:37.440 to want you, that you lose sight of whether or 983 00:59:37.519 --> 00:59:43.280 not you actually want that person, you know, not what 984 00:59:43.360 --> 00:59:45.599 you know, Like are you going to ask me? Is 985 00:59:45.639 --> 00:59:48.199 this person going to ask me? So sometimes the person 986 00:59:48.280 --> 00:59:50.880 asks you and that's not the right person. Like what 987 00:59:50.960 --> 00:59:54.559 they want is you know what they want is one thing. 988 00:59:54.639 --> 00:59:57.639 But ensuring that you want the same thing. And it 989 00:59:57.719 --> 01:00:00.320 seems like what you've been able to do, you and 990 01:00:00.360 --> 01:00:04.639 your husband have been able to accomplish, is you've come 991 01:00:04.679 --> 01:00:10.280 together to have those challenging conversations sometimes but very necessary 992 01:00:10.840 --> 01:00:13.960 conversations about what you both want so that you can 993 01:00:14.000 --> 01:00:17.639 really determine whether or not you're on the same page 994 01:00:18.440 --> 01:00:23.320 or you know, or if there's a way to kind 995 01:00:23.320 --> 01:00:27.159 of use your time and energy elsewhere. And so I 996 01:00:27.159 --> 01:00:31.519 didn't expect us to have a little I always want 997 01:00:31.559 --> 01:00:35.519 to give a nod and some wisdom to those folks 998 01:00:35.519 --> 01:00:39.480 who are at the beginning of making these decisions, because 999 01:00:39.480 --> 01:00:43.119 I think they're so important and it's so important to 1000 01:00:43.239 --> 01:00:47.639 have to hear that wise counsel. And I'm so glad 1001 01:00:47.639 --> 01:00:48.360 that you shared that. 1002 01:00:50.159 --> 01:00:51.519 Yeah, thank you. 1003 01:00:52.920 --> 01:00:57.440 Two quick

questions for you, if you were to imagine 1004 01:00:57.960 --> 01:01:03.000 San Diego twenty years now and just in the thirteen 1005 01:01:03.079 --> 01:01:05.159 years that I've been in San Diego, it's it's going 1006 01:01:05.199 --> 01:01:07.480 through that it has gone through and is going through 1007 01:01:08.000 --> 01:01:12.840 a bit of a transformation. But if you were to 1008 01:01:12.920 --> 01:01:16.559 imagine it twenty years from now, what role would you 1009 01:01:16.639 --> 01:01:21.360 want arts to play, the arts to play in San 1010 01:01:21.400 --> 01:01:24.519 Diego as a place. 1011 01:01:26.079 --> 01:01:30.199 Yeah, I think we're at a very outside of the 1012 01:01:30.280 --> 01:01:36.159 national politics. Just our region alone is going through an 1013 01:01:36.199 --> 01:01:40.320 incredible renaissance. It's an it's a it's an interesting moment 1014 01:01:40.440 --> 01:01:44.800 for us at this point because this is the generation 1015 01:01:45.360 --> 01:01:50.960 that built the Rady Shell, San Diego Symphony, the Epstein Theater, 1016 01:01:51.400 --> 01:01:54.719 the Joan that just popped up in Point Loma, like these, 1017 01:01:54.800 --> 01:02:01.679 you know, these big cultural powerhouses in our region. And 1018 01:02:02.159 --> 01:02:06.599 also last year was our big year where we were 1019 01:02:06.639 --> 01:02:09.800 on the world stage. We were designated World design Capital 1020 01:02:09.880 --> 01:02:12.199 San Diego and Iguana and not just San Diego, but 1021 01:02:12.320 --> 01:02:19.360 San Diego, Tijuana, the region itself. This we're when the 1022 01:02:19.480 --> 01:02:22.639 judges came to San Diego the year before we were 1023 01:02:22.639 --> 01:02:25.280 designated and we were giving I was part of this 1024 01:02:25.320 --> 01:02:28.239 committee that was like helping to curate the experience that 1025 01:02:28.599 --> 01:02:31.840 these judges would have in the arts and culture space. 1026 01:02:32.599 --> 01:02:37.440 And he walked when I before he left, I had 1027 01:02:37.480 --> 01:02:39.480 this conversation with him and he's like, you know, I 1028 01:02:39.559 --> 01:02:43.880 have traveled to however many hundred countries we've you know, 1029 01:02:43.920 --> 01:02:46.519 we're always doing this. I've been to several border regions 1030 01:02:46.519 --> 01:02:50.440 and I've never seen anything like this. This doesn't exist 1031 01:02:50.480 --> 01:02:55.199 anywhere else in the world, where it's the border almost 1032 01:02:55.280 --> 01:02:58.360 doesn't mean anything, you know, the border is just this 1033 01:02:59.119 --> 01:03:01.239 happens to be this thing that you have to get through, 1034 01:03:01.639 --> 01:03:02.519 that you cross through. 1035 01:03:03.400 --> 01:03:04.400 It's the next exit. 1036 01:03:05.079 --> 01:03:07.880 Yeah, it's the next exit, exactly. Like this is truly 1037 01:03:07.960 --> 01:03:12.519 its own third space where you go down there and 1038 01:03:12.559

--> 01:03:16.000 everybody speaks English. You come to this area, most people 1039 01:03:16.039 --> 01:03:18.360 speak some level of Spanish. You know, they've got a 1040 01:03:18.360 --> 01:03:23.079 few bats. You have communities down there that come here 1041 01:03:23.119 --> 01:03:26.760 to shop, to go to school, you know, be educated. 1042 01:03:27.000 --> 01:03:30.239 You have entire retirement communities of Americans that have headed 1043 01:03:30.280 --> 01:03:36.559 down there, and this influx of conversation and creativity it 1044 01:03:36.639 --> 01:03:39.920 affects all of us. Right. You have museums that are 1045 01:03:40.320 --> 01:03:44.280 showcasing the artists from Tijuana and back and forth, and 1046 01:03:44.360 --> 01:03:47.960 so that was really exciting and really really beautiful, and 1047 01:03:48.000 --> 01:03:50.280 we were able to be on the world stage in 1048 01:03:50.320 --> 01:03:55.679 that way as World Design Capital last year. And I 1049 01:03:55.679 --> 01:03:59.000 think that what's happening with the cuts and funding nationally 1050 01:03:59.440 --> 01:04:03.199 and is almost giving us that extra push to come 1051 01:04:03.239 --> 01:04:06.199 together again, similar to what was happening in the pandemic. 1052 01:04:06.239 --> 01:04:12.199 It's an opportunity. Sometimes opportunities come from the most the 1053 01:04:12.239 --> 01:04:13.840 strangest of places, you know. 1054 01:04:13.960 --> 01:04:15.360 That's right, That's right. 1055 01:04:15.519 --> 01:04:19.239 Yeah, So I'm we're leaning into that. We're leaning into 1056 01:04:19.280 --> 01:04:22.079 that and bring the community closer together and more often. 1057 01:04:22.599 --> 01:04:25.079 What I want to see in twenty years time. I 1058 01:04:25.119 --> 01:04:26.679 don't know if you said ten or twenty, but. 1059 01:04:26.880 --> 01:04:29.760 I said twenty, but really like or ten whatever, But like, 1060 01:04:29.960 --> 01:04:35.800 how would you what is your vision for how people 1061 01:04:37.159 --> 01:04:41.559 get to come or those tourists, tourism, cultural tourists, how 1062 01:04:41.639 --> 01:04:47.159 people come to this region and experience it. 1063 01:04:47.719 --> 01:04:52.800 I would like to see a city that is known 1064 01:04:52.960 --> 01:04:56.079 for as a as a cultural destination. I would like 1065 01:04:56.159 --> 01:05:00.599 to see the city and the tourism authority and the 1066 01:05:00.639 --> 01:05:05.360 airport authority and everyone and the visit San Diego, Visa California, 1067 01:05:05.519 --> 01:05:10.880 all of these major powerhouses that promote our region to 1068 01:05:11.280 --> 01:05:15.679 lean hard, double down on San Diego as a cultural destination. 1069 01:05:16.239 --> 01:05:20.360 We have the cultural capital here in San Diego that 1070 01:05:20.519 --> 01:05:23.880 is worth visiting. We have it the I think that 1071 01:05:23.960 --> 01:05:28.760 the issue is sort of synthesizing that story and being 1072 01:05:28.800 --> 01:05:32.440 able to share it widely has been a challenge because 1073 01:05:32.719 --> 01:05:35.000 most you know, we get a lot of attention for 1074 01:05:35.079 --> 01:05:38.719 the weather and the beaches and the mountains and the sand. 1075 01:05:38.840 --> 01:05:42.079 You know, everything's here, the desert, all of it is 1076 01:05:42.119 --> 01:05:45.039 all right here within an hour's drive, you know, and 1077 01:05:45.079 --> 01:05:47.760 so it's this perfect little region for that. So we 1078 01:05:47.800 --> 01:05:49.800 do get a lot of attention as this like sleepy 1079 01:05:49.840 --> 01:05:52.960 beach town. And so that's what Vanguard culture tries to do. 1080 01:05:53.039 --> 01:05:55.199 We're trying to put it all in one place that hey, 1081 01:05:55.599 --> 01:05:58.719 it's not just the zoo and SeaWorld. We've got these 1082 01:05:58.920 --> 01:06:02.440 cool under around, funky things happening that you need to 1083 01:06:02.480 --> 01:06:05.320 know about. And it's almost like I'm giving everybody like 1084 01:06:05.920 --> 01:06:08.760 the insider, Hey, come here, let me show you something. 1085 01:06:10.000 --> 01:06:14.000 But I would like to see the city triple down 1086 01:06:14.119 --> 01:06:16.079 on their penny for the arts and give us three 1087 01:06:16.119 --> 01:06:18.800 pennies for the arts and they will see the impact 1088 01:06:19.239 --> 01:06:24.000 that it will that will reverberate financially across the board. 1089 01:06:24.440 --> 01:06:29.159 I'd like to see, uh, the you know, just having 1090 01:06:29.239 --> 01:06:32.000 us known as the cultural destination that we deserve to be, 1091 01:06:32.880 --> 01:06:34.880 and I'm going to play a role in that to 1092 01:06:34.920 --> 01:06:35.880 the extent that I can. 1093 01:06:36.840 --> 01:06:40.960 You are you are right now? I know that you 1094 01:06:41.039 --> 01:06:44.519 climbed a mountain. What mountain are you climbing right now? 1095 01:06:45.239 --> 01:06:47.440 Literally or figuratively. 1096 01:06:48.320 --> 01:06:50.960 Yeah, there was an era of my life where I 1097 01:06:51.000 --> 01:06:54.519 was climbing a lot of big, tall mountains. It caught 1098 01:06:54.599 --> 01:06:58.800 up with me and I've gotten some foot injuries and 1099 01:06:58.840 --> 01:07:01.559 things that are not going to allow me to do 1100 01:07:01.599 --> 01:07:07.000 that maybe ever. And that's something that I'm having to 1101 01:07:07.000 --> 01:07:11.960 come to terms with, Like this new phase of my life, 1102 01:07:12.000 --> 01:07:15.760 this age that I am, you know, being a woman 1103 01:07:16.039 --> 01:07:21.440 that is in this transition period of my life, and 1104 01:07:23.360 --> 01:07:26.000 it hasn't been an easy journey in that sense, you know, 1105 01:07:26.159 --> 01:07:33.440 is figuring out how to still challenge my body, how 1106 01:07:33.480 --> 01:07:37.719 to stay strong, how to still feel strong when sometimes 1107

01:07:37.760 --> 01:07:42.079 walking hurts, you know, And so I'm figuring that out. 1108 01:07:42.400 --> 01:07:47.039 I'm experimenting on, you know, other types of exercises and 1109 01:07:47.079 --> 01:07:49.679 things like that. But it also connects to my mental health, 1110 01:07:49.960 --> 01:07:53.159 right I want to make sure that I can still 1111 01:07:53.199 --> 01:07:56.639 get those endorphins that take care of my mental health 1112 01:07:56.679 --> 01:08:03.960 and keep me calm and nice. Keep me nice, keep 1113 01:08:04.000 --> 01:08:09.840 me agreeable. So I think the big mountain that I've 1114 01:08:09.840 --> 01:08:12.920 been climbing recently is like the mental health portion of it, 1115 01:08:13.039 --> 01:08:17.680 because I think when women come to our age, the 1116 01:08:17.720 --> 01:08:22.960 age that I am, sometimes we've been gas lit by 1117 01:08:23.079 --> 01:08:26.880 our physicians for so many, so many decades, right that, 1118 01:08:27.039 --> 01:08:29.920 Oh it's just this, it's just that, and they never 1119 01:08:29.960 --> 01:08:32.560 really ask you, Oh, well, maybe you're impairmentopause, or maybe 1120 01:08:32.600 --> 01:08:36.159 you're dealing with you know this, this other hormonal change, 1121 01:08:36.199 --> 01:08:38.479 and all you need is teeny little pill that's going 1122 01:08:38.520 --> 01:08:40.680 to save you, and you're like, oh my god, that's amazing. 1123 01:08:41.119 --> 01:08:44.479 So I'm so glad that I that's one of the 1124 01:08:44.479 --> 01:08:46.960 perks of being married to a physician, you know, is 1125 01:08:46.960 --> 01:08:50.600 that he believes in science and can can guide me 1126 01:08:50.640 --> 01:08:51.319 a little bit. 1127 01:08:51.279 --> 01:08:53.600 And help you out, help the sister out with some 1128 01:08:53.680 --> 01:08:53.960 of that. 1129 01:08:54.119 --> 01:08:56.960 Yeah, yeah, exactly. And so he went down that rabbit 1130 01:08:57.000 --> 01:09:00.560 hole with me, and very grateful for that because now 1131 01:09:00.600 --> 01:09:03.560 I feel like I'm on the other side of that feeling. 1132 01:09:04.319 --> 01:09:07.720 But I was dealing with a lot of uh like 1133 01:09:07.840 --> 01:09:10.520 panic attacks and things that were happening during the pandemic, 1134 01:09:10.560 --> 01:09:12.880 and of course, right, I mean, who wasn't like it 1135 01:09:13.520 --> 01:09:17.319 was just an incredible especially being married to an er 1136 01:09:17.439 --> 01:09:22.119 doctor who's seeing people die on a regular basis, way 1137 01:09:22.159 --> 01:09:24.720 more than it had ever happened before, and the fear 1138 01:09:24.760 --> 01:09:27.119 of it all. So that's kind of where it started. 1139 01:09:27.159 --> 01:09:29.520 And now I'm you know, we're five years out and 1140 01:09:29.560 --> 01:09:33.279 I finally feel like I've climbed that mountain. Maybe maybe 1141 01:09:33.319 --> 01:09:36.439 I'm not at the top, but I'm like really really close, 1142 01:09:36.880 --> 01:09:38.439 really really close. Yeah. 1143 01:09:38.680 --> 01:09:43.640 Yeah, And a lot of what is has been going 1144 01:09:43.680 --> 01:09:46.680 on in the world and in this country in particular, 1145 01:09:46.960 --> 01:09:54.880 is anxiety producing. You know, anxiety is about a fear 1146 01:09:54.920 --> 01:09:57.039 of what's happened, of what's going to happen in the future, 1147 01:09:57.840 --> 01:10:03.680 and some of that is real, and it is perfectly 1148 01:10:03.760 --> 01:10:08.439 understandable that the world that we would be feeling, we being, 1149 01:10:08.520 --> 01:10:10.199 you know, this culture, no matter what side of the 1150 01:10:10.239 --> 01:10:14.479 aisle you're on, you know, it's a stressful time. It's 1151 01:10:14.800 --> 01:10:18.840 an absolutely stressful time. And I think that what has 1152 01:10:18.880 --> 01:10:22.159 helped me on the other side of menopause and have 1153 01:10:22.279 --> 01:10:27.239 been for a bit, but what has helped me is 1154 01:10:27.279 --> 01:10:32.880 to pour in at as close a level, if not more, 1155 01:10:34.199 --> 01:10:40.199 that I'm putting out. And I'm a person who was 1156 01:10:40.319 --> 01:10:44.319 never told or taught that you know, it was go go, go, 1157 01:10:44.319 --> 01:10:46.399 go go, and there was really not a lot of 1158 01:10:46.439 --> 01:10:51.880 consideration for me, the person that was expected to go, 1159 01:10:52.800 --> 01:10:56.840 and that has helped me. It's helped me to stay 1160 01:10:56.880 --> 01:11:01.680 grounded during the more stressful time. You know, sometimes we 1161 01:11:01.760 --> 01:11:04.359 expect to just kind of walk around and our foot 1162 01:11:04.399 --> 01:11:06.640 falls off and it's like, you know, I'm just gonna 1163 01:11:06.640 --> 01:11:09.399 throw my foot in my bag and keep walking. You know, no, 1164 01:11:09.479 --> 01:11:15.359 you're limping. You're limping for a reason. You're afraid for 1165 01:11:15.520 --> 01:11:21.239 a reason. Things are happening, Things are happening, right, There's 1166 01:11:21.279 --> 01:11:26.359 nothing wrong with you. If you're you know, feeling stressed. 1167 01:11:26.479 --> 01:11:31.960 It is a stressful time. Feel it, feel it, and 1168 01:11:32.000 --> 01:11:34.359 then take more baths or do whatever it is that 1169 01:11:34.399 --> 01:11:41.359 you need to do. But this, this idea, this fallacy 1170 01:11:41.560 --> 01:11:44.960 that you know, we can be in the pit of 1171 01:11:46.319 --> 01:11:49.640 such a stressful time and just show up and smile 1172 01:11:49.760 --> 01:11:52.800 and act like everything is okay, is not good for 1173 01:11:52.840 --> 01:11:56.199 our mental health. I was teaching a session the other 1174 01:11:56.319 --> 01:12:01.239 day and it related to community. It was a communication 1175 01:12:01.399 --> 01:12:06.520 model session and I was thinking not just about like 1176 01:12:06.560 --> 01:12:08.359 the tools, so I was like going

through all of it, 1177 01:12:08.439 --> 01:12:10.159 like the different tools that you can use and blah 1178 01:12:10.199 --> 01:12:12.359 blah blah, And then I said, you know, there's no 1179 01:12:13.000 --> 01:12:15.960 we can't really talk about how to effectively talk to 1180 01:12:16.039 --> 01:12:20.960 each other or how to listen to each other without 1181 01:12:21.279 --> 01:12:26.640 some consideration for the context or the periphery within which 1182 01:12:26.640 --> 01:12:31.479 we're living. And so I started thinking about and kind 1183 01:12:31.479 --> 01:12:35.680 of added into that conversation where we are. There's an 1184 01:12:35.800 --> 01:12:39.560 annual Gallop Pole called the Happiness Survey. It comes out, 1185 01:12:39.600 --> 01:12:43.199 I think in February, and it's the Gallop Survey, folks, 1186 01:12:43.199 --> 01:12:46.319 and they do a survey around the world of how 1187 01:12:46.359 --> 01:12:52.960 happy people are and they rank that by country, and 1188 01:12:53.840 --> 01:12:59.159 our country, unfortunately, this country, the United States, has steadily 1189 01:12:59.520 --> 01:13:05.239 moved to its lowest ranking ever, which as of the 1190 01:13:05.279 --> 01:13:11.720 survey year ending two thousand what year two thousand and 1191 01:13:11.720 --> 01:13:17.680 four brought us down to twenty four, the lowest we've 1192 01:13:17.720 --> 01:13:22.960 ever been. And I looked at how steadily it's decreased 1193 01:13:23.159 --> 01:13:27.039 over the last, you know, five years, since the since 1194 01:13:27.560 --> 01:13:31.319 twenty twenty, since it started the pandemic. And that's not 1195 01:13:31.359 --> 01:13:35.119 a political statement, it's just what is. No matter what 1196 01:13:35.199 --> 01:13:37.880 side of the aisle people are on, whether you're married 1197 01:13:38.000 --> 01:13:42.039 not married, whether you're old or younger, whatever, it is 1198 01:13:42.079 --> 01:13:47.000 a very real thing that people are much less happy. 1199 01:13:47.760 --> 01:13:50.479 And then when you factor in all of the stressors 1200 01:13:50.720 --> 01:13:54.439 that are going on, like funding for the arts being 1201 01:13:54.479 --> 01:13:59.399 pulled away, all the things that are had, the terrible, 1202 01:13:59.439 --> 01:14:02.479 horrible pieces of information that we're exposed to on a 1203 01:14:02.560 --> 01:14:04.800 day to day basis, and all the things we all 1204 01:14:04.840 --> 01:14:10.720 know what those stressors are, stressors are. It is perfectly 1205 01:14:10.800 --> 01:14:16.000 understandable that people would be on edge, that we be 1206 01:14:16.079 --> 01:14:19.359 on edge. You know, we're not able to just frolic 1207 01:14:19.439 --> 01:14:23.880 through the poppy fields. You know, we're not able, no 1208 01:14:23.880 --> 01:14:28.079 matter as hard as we try. There are some things 1209 01:14:28.159 --> 01:14:31.640 going on, and I think that we fail ourselves and 1210 01:14:31.760 --> 01:14:36.960 each other when we don't factor that in. And it 1211 01:14:37.000 --> 01:14:41.960 doesn't mean to be sitting in misery or to sit 1212 01:14:42.039 --> 01:14:47.199 in negativity, but as we're interacting with each other, I 1213 01:14:47.199 --> 01:14:51.359 think understanding where we are. If you're in a loud party, 1214 01:14:52.239 --> 01:14:54.279 if you're in a very loud party where the music 1215 01:14:54.319 --> 01:14:57.680 is super loud, the two people who are speaking are 1216 01:14:57.720 --> 01:15:00.000 going to shout at each other because there's a loud 1217 01:15:00.159 --> 01:15:04.359 music playing. Right. If you're in a library, people are 1218 01:15:04.359 --> 01:15:09.319 going to whisper to each other because that's what's happening 1219 01:15:09.560 --> 01:15:13.079 around us. And I think that let's kind of carry 1220 01:15:13.359 --> 01:15:16.680 with us the understanding and the acknowledgment that there are 1221 01:15:16.760 --> 01:15:20.399 some things happening and be a little gentle, a little 1222 01:15:20.439 --> 01:15:25.600 more gentle with each other, a little more patient and 1223 01:15:25.720 --> 01:15:29.520 kind with each other, you know, and with ourselves. 1224 01:15:30.560 --> 01:15:33.439 I love that analogy. It's like we're all just shouting 1225 01:15:33.479 --> 01:15:36.479 at each other right because it's so loud right now, 1226 01:15:36.560 --> 01:15:41.079 it's just so loud. Yeah, it made me think of 1227 01:15:41.119 --> 01:15:43.520 this thing that I read about. You know, the opposite 1228 01:15:43.600 --> 01:15:47.119 of depression is expression, right, And if all we're doing 1229 01:15:47.199 --> 01:15:50.760 is consuming, consuming, consuming, concerning, of course we're going to 1230 01:15:50.760 --> 01:15:52.000 get depressed. We're not creating. 1231 01:15:52.319 --> 01:15:55.079 You have to balance it out. That's the thing. You 1232 01:15:55.119 --> 01:15:57.640 have to balance it out. We're taking all this in 1233 01:15:58.159 --> 01:16:00.479 and you can either just be in, go in it 1234 01:16:00.680 --> 01:16:09.119 and drown in it metaphorically, or find ways to counter it. 1235 01:16:09.319 --> 01:16:11.880 We're not going to change it in a second. This 1236 01:16:12.079 --> 01:16:14.720 is these are the times. This is it. 1237 01:16:14.720 --> 01:16:18.720 It's like curating your own life, curating your experience. 1238 01:16:19.159 --> 01:16:21.119 You have to And if this is what it is. 1239 01:16:22.399 --> 01:16:25.640 If you were a person who would never nap before 1240 01:16:25.680 --> 01:16:29.119 and you're feeling compelled to nap, it doesn't mean anything. 1241 01:16:29.640 --> 01:16:33.239 Nap If you're not a bath taker, but you're like, 1242 01:16:33.439 --> 01:16:37.239 I really want to take a bath. Nurture yourself. Nurture 1243 01:16:37.279 --> 01:16:40.600 yourself because we need it. We need it. It'll help 1244 01:16:40.600 --> 01:16:45.760 you to be a

better, kinder person to yourself, and 1245 01:16:45.800 --> 01:16:48.920 it will absolutely help you to be less grumpy with 1246 01:16:48.960 --> 01:16:49.800 the people around you. 1247 01:16:50.880 --> 01:16:54.239 Yeah. I think most people know now that the book, 1248 01:16:54.279 --> 01:16:57.600 you know, the Internet, all the social media apps are 1249 01:16:57.640 --> 01:17:02.880 targeting you based off of like the clicks are related 1250 01:17:02.960 --> 01:17:05.800 to the level of anger that they can that they 1251 01:17:05.800 --> 01:17:09.840 can inspire in you. So you're literally being targeted with 1252 01:17:10.720 --> 01:17:14.119 things that piss you off so that you stay on 1253 01:17:14.399 --> 01:17:16.640 longer and click and watch and do the thing. And 1254 01:17:16.960 --> 01:17:19.359 there is there is a you have to do it 1255 01:17:19.439 --> 01:17:22.079 more than once, but there is a way where you 1256 01:17:22.119 --> 01:17:27.720 can curate your experience and unfollow certain things, start following 1257 01:17:27.760 --> 01:17:30.479 things that bring you joy whatever it is, that's right, 1258 01:17:30.520 --> 01:17:34.319 baking puppies and whatever, you know, whatever it is, there 1259 01:17:34.880 --> 01:17:37.119 is a way to do that where you just start going, Okay, 1260 01:17:37.239 --> 01:17:38.560 I want to get really good at my life. 1261 01:17:38.560 --> 01:17:40.359 I want to feel good. I can go look at 1262 01:17:40.359 --> 01:17:40.800 that later. 1263 01:17:41.159 --> 01:17:44.000 Yeah. Yeah, And so I did it and it was 1264 01:17:44.199 --> 01:17:46.560 great for a while, but now it's starting to create 1265 01:17:46.560 --> 01:17:48.359 back in where I'm starting to see some of that 1266 01:17:49.199 --> 01:17:52.439 hate and anger, and so I feel like I'm due 1267 01:17:52.439 --> 01:17:56.159 for a refresh. But it's incredible that because most people, 1268 01:17:56.319 --> 01:17:58.960 maybe maybe I don't know how what percentage of the 1269 01:17:58.960 --> 01:18:02.000 population knows that this is how we're being targeted. But 1270 01:18:02.079 --> 01:18:05.039 if you don't know, then it's just sort of feels 1271 01:18:05.119 --> 01:18:07.319 like the whole world is like this. The whole world 1272 01:18:07.479 --> 01:18:10.479 is hateful. The whole world is And that's not true. 1273 01:18:10.840 --> 01:18:13.399 It's not how, that's not really what's happening. 1274 01:18:13.920 --> 01:18:15.880 Because when you leave your house here there are people. 1275 01:18:15.920 --> 01:18:18.560 You're smiling at the grocery store, people are helping each other, 1276 01:18:18.640 --> 01:18:21.119 people are helping you to your car with your groceries. 1277 01:18:22.079 --> 01:18:25.039 I think you're being targeted completely different. They think that 1278 01:18:25.079 --> 01:18:26.239 we're the hateful ones. 1279 01:18:26.319 --> 01:18:29.359 And that's right right. Get out of the internet, it's 1280 01:18:29.479 --> 01:18:31.720 really the bottom line. Just get out of the internet 1281 01:18:32.000 --> 01:18:35.359 and you clean up. You clean your kitchen every day, 1282 01:18:35.479 --> 01:18:38.279 you clean your room every day, you clean your bathroom 1283 01:18:38.319 --> 01:18:41.840 every week, clean up your You don't clean up your 1284 01:18:41.880 --> 01:18:45.960 feed once and expect it to stay clean forever. So 1285 01:18:46.359 --> 01:18:51.720 on that note, Susannah, how can we support you? 1286 01:18:55.479 --> 01:18:59.479 So? Vanguard culture is a five oh one C three 1287 01:18:59.560 --> 01:19:05.159 no profit, so of course we're always looking for volunteers, donors, sponsors, 1288 01:19:06.680 --> 01:19:10.399 come attend our events, be part of our community Vanguard 1289 01:19:10.439 --> 01:19:16.880 Culture dot org. We are very open to creative collaborations. 1290 01:19:17.000 --> 01:19:20.399 We're yes people. We like to say yes to cool, 1291 01:19:20.439 --> 01:19:24.119 interesting ideas, so always be willing to pitch that to us. 1292 01:19:25.239 --> 01:19:28.199 You can send an email to opportunities at Vanguard culture 1293 01:19:28.279 --> 01:19:33.239 dot com. And yeah, I mean, if you don't support us, 1294 01:19:33.279 --> 01:19:37.880 support the arts, like whoever's bringing you joy in your life, 1295 01:19:37.920 --> 01:19:41.079 if you love dance, if you love theater, film, fashion, 1296 01:19:41.159 --> 01:19:44.600 whatever it is, support those nonprofits. They are doing really 1297 01:19:44.640 --> 01:19:48.279 important work right now and they need your help to 1298 01:19:48.319 --> 01:19:52.119 survive and continue bringing joy and delight and beauty to 1299 01:19:52.199 --> 01:19:55.600 the world. So it sometimes you see an organization that 1300 01:19:55.600 --> 01:19:58.800 looks like they have it all together, and the reality 1301 01:19:58.920 --> 01:20:01.399 is is that even the law our institutions, the most 1302 01:20:01.520 --> 01:20:05.399 established institutions, are also struggling. So please support the arts 1303 01:20:05.399 --> 01:20:07.800 in any way that you can, and if you choose 1304 01:20:07.840 --> 01:20:11.079 to do so, please support Banguard Culture absolutely. 1305 01:20:11.279 --> 01:20:13.800 Susannah, thank you so much. I appreciate you. 1306 01:20:14.039 --> 01:20:18.319 So thank you. I'm so happy to have had this conversation. 1307 01:20:18.439 --> 01:20:20.359 But I'm just really happy to have you in my life, 1308 01:20:20.439 --> 01:20:20.800 my friend. 1309 01:20:21.000 --> 01:20:24.720 Yeah, same, same, same. So to those of you listening, 1310 01:20:24.800 --> 01:20:29.800 thank you again for listening to the podcast. I enjoyed 1311 01:20:29.800 --> 01:20:35.439 this conversation with Susannah so much and was so delighted 1312 01:20:35.800 --> 01:20:38.760 that we had the opportunity to talk not just about 1313 01:20:39.279 --> 01:20:43.800 the nonprofit and her life and arts in arts and 1314 01:20:43.800 --> 01:20:45.920 culture in San Diego, but that we also had the 1315 01:20:45.960 --> 01:20:52.039 opportunity to talk about life and motherhood and how to 1316 01:20:52.720 --> 01:20:57.680 be very intentional about curating a life that truly brings 1317 01:20:57.720 --> 01:21:00.720 you joy and pleasure and that allow you to live 1318 01:21:00.880 --> 01:21:06.640 from your place of passion. So, as always, please like 1319 01:21:06.800 --> 01:21:11.760 and subscribe to the podcast. And if there's things that 1320 01:21:11.840 --> 01:21:15.840 you're hearing on this podcast that you know of someone 1321 01:21:15.960 --> 01:21:18.960 that you know would benefit someone else, please let them 1322 01:21:18.960 --> 01:21:21.960 know about it. Thanks, as always, love and peace,