Welcome KISS FM Listeners!
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You’re here because you think Renel is awesome. Well, I do too! Read her inspiring interview below and share this site with the teens in your life who are following their passions!
Love,
Liv
I’m Going to Be… A Sports Announcer
Filed Under Broadcasting, Community Service, Sports | 1 Comment
Anybody living in the San Francisco Bay Area is bound to recognize Renel Brooks-Moon, whether it’s from her popular “Renel In The Morning Show” on 98.1 KISS FM, her news segments for CBS 5 and UPN 44, her work for breast cancer charity Friends of Faith or her job as the voice of the San Francisco Giants! Not to mention her two Northern California Emmy Awards nominations. A groundbreaking, inspiring personality, Renel is the pride and joy of the San Francisco community. A fun fact: Mayor Gavin Newsom proclaimed March 18th, 2005 “Renel Brooks-Moon Day” to honor her long career of passion, service and entertainment.
Out of the many things she does, we were most curious about Renel’s work with the Giants. She is, after all, one of the only women announcers in the history of the Major League and holds the honor of being the only woman to announce a championship game (Giants vs. Anaheim Angels, Game 3 of the World Series, 2002). She was kind enough to talk to us about how she became a sports announcer:
When you were a teen, you thought “When I grow up, I’m going to be…”
A teacher, like my mom and dad. Understand that I was a teenager in the early and mid 70’s - opportunities and possibilities were not as vast as they are today for minorities and women. I was always certain I would go to college and be successful at something though, thanks to my wonderful parents who were great role models. However, at the age of about 10, I secretly dreamt of being Gladys Knight!
I’m Going to Be… A Milliner
Filed Under Art, Design, Fashion | 3 Comments
A milliner? Huh? We could’ve called Jasmin Zorlu a hat maker or hat designer, but the traditional name for her trade has a certain old-time mystique that is in such stark contrast to her designs that we couldn’t resist. Jasmin makes hats freeform on a hat block and incorporates art deco elements with natural textures. Currently, she is obsessed with leather and fish scales. She has lived in Iceland, Turkey, Italy and Japan and currently lives in San Francisco. “It’s not what you wear,” she says, “it’s how you put it all together which makes your individual style.” Fun fact: Erykah Badu, the R&B singer, commissioned three of Jasmin’s hats!
Jasmin was kind enough to tell us all about how she became a milliner:
When you were a teen, you thought “When I grow up, I’m going to be…”
A fashion designer! I was admitted into Otis-Parsons in LA under their fashion design program, but I didn’t think I had the talent and creativity to succeed, so I went to a liberal arts college in Michigan. Now I see that I do have plenty of talent and tons of creativity.
You design fun, modern hats. How did you get involved in doing that?
My mother asked me to sew up a red chef hat for my father from a kit when I was 16, that was the first hat I ever made. When I was following an art history/ studio art program at the University of Michigan, I took a millinery (art of hatmaking) class in the theatre department during my junior year, and I was hooked. It was the only class I ever got an A+ in.
A good friend of mine connected me to his friend’s sister’s best friend, Rod Keenan, who was a milliner in New York City, while I was still in Ann Arbor. I moved to New York City with an apprenticeship already secured. He was an amazing milliner to learn from, and became a mentor for me later when I launched my own millinery business in NYC. I also took an accessory design degree at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC and was a footwear designer for Esprit in San Francisco. I found my heart lays in headwear, so that’s where I am.
Love, Liv: April Ain’t Foolin’
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I won’t freak out about it being April already. I won’t, I won’t, I won’t, I promise. Can you believe it’s April already?!?!?!
Sorry. The good thing about April is that the weather is coming around, slowly but surely. Even though everyone thinks San Francisco is fog city, it gets stone cold gorgeous on days like this. Stone cold. I can see Buena Vista Park from my window. If I walk down the street and climb to the top, I get a breathtaking view of the Golden Gate Bridge and, to the west, the Pacific ocean.
Now that it’s spring, I’m going to make a vow to myself to go outside and take a walk every single day. Or a jog. Mmmm, most likely a walk thought. I can’t wait.
Love,
Liv
I’m Going to Be… A Comedian
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Hilarious comedian Maria Bamford can be seen on Comedy Central, on stage at the Comedians of Comedy tour and starring in her own Internet show on SuperDeluxe. From growing up in Minnesota to cracking me up on many occasions, she can be found touring or snuggling with her beloved pug, Blossom, in Los Angeles. She’s got a very elaborate fun fact. Out of college at twenty-two, Maria busked on the street for money. “I was playing the violin and shaved my head and this nice homeless man gave me everything he had,” she says. “A few years later, I learned, with the help of friends, how to hold a job that paid for my living expenses and how to find a non-cockroach infested place to live. Sounds simple, but I had a hard time figuring out how to manage basic life skills.”
Maria was kind enough to tell us how she became a comedian:
When you were a teen, you thought “When I grow up, I’m going to be…”
A wreck. I didn’t know what I was going to do and was a little worried about it.
You are a freaking hilarious comedian. You tour, do voice work, star in your own show and more. How did you get involved in doing that?
I do comedy at some of the same places Patton Oswalt does and so he saw me and needed another person on the tour and asked me! Yay!
I’m Going to Be… A Gallery Owner
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After a career as an English teacher and a stint as a stay at home mom, Lori Shantzis decided to open a gallery space. That’s how a.Muse Gallery in San Francisco was born. The space hosts exhibits, dinners, dance classes, weddings, parties and more, putting Lori in the middle of a vibrant, creative community.
Lori was kind enough to tell us all about how she became a gallery owner:
When you were a teen, you thought “When I grow up, I’m going to be…”
When I was a teen, I wanted to be a journalist. I wrote for my high school newspaper, and I even had a cable TV show where I got to interview other teens.
You have a gallery, meeting, performance and gathering space called a.Muse Gallery. How did you get involved in doing that?
I was married for a long time, and I often participated in charity auctions. I had been a school teacher before adopting my daughter, and I really only had time for some volunteer work. After a while, I decided to make a lot of changes in my life: I got a divorce, decided to open an art gallery/event space, and I ended up with a whole new set of friends and activities. I got to know a lot of the artists in the area and went to a lot of art shows and performances to get a sense of the local art scene–something I didn’t know too much about because I was busy being a mom.
I’m Going to Be… A Life Coach
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Not only is Judith Cohen an accomplished, masterful life coach, she is a life coach coach! When she’s not seeing clients of her own and forming lasting, dedicated relationships with them and their successes, she helps new life coaches pass their certification exams. She teaches coaching workshops, writes, reads and listens to music in her spare time.
Judith was kind enough to tell us all about how she became a life coach:
When you were a teen, you thought “When I grow up, I’m going to be…”
From the time that I was three years old, I was reading. Reading was and still is one of my primary passions in life. I read just about anything that I can get my hands on. I remember when I was six years old, my parents and I went to my local public library and I got my first library card. I was so excited.
When I wasn’t reading, I loved to figure out how people thought, what made them do the things that they did and what everything meant. I used to drive my family crazy because I would always ask them “Why did you do this?” I’m still fascinated by human behavior. In the old days, I was very interested in people’s problems. These days rather than only focusing on obstacles, I’m most interested in what works to have people be successful in life.
You would think that with my love of books and information that I would have wanted to be a librarian. However, that profession didn’t occur to me then. In fact, I wasn’t particularly interested in professions that at that time were considered to be “women’s professions”. I wanted to play with the big guys. So, I thought that I would be a therapist since I loved finding out about people and helping them solve their problems.
There was just one little problem with becoming a therapist. I thought that I was too crazy to be one. On top of that I was really shy. So, I actually decided to follow my love for books and I got a Master’s Degree in Library Science. (You can see how old I am. These days I don’t think you can even get a degree in Library Science. It’s now called Information Science.)
Eventually, I wised up and found out that I wasn’t crazy after all. I went back to school and became a psychotherapist. Ironically, over time, I’ve realized that no matter what profession I am in, I’m always doing the same job. I always help make information accessible to people regardless of whether the information located externally or internally.
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Love, Liv: A Little Cloudy-Day Boost
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Coming up, we’ve got a great post about how to be a life coach when you’re older. Awesome, right? Well, if you’re like me and you don’t currently have a life coach, you may have a few days when you’re feeling stressed, frazzled, yucky, extremely bent under the pressure of all your very important stuff… everybody has those days, as Hannah Montana says… get up from your desk, step away from the computer and say:
“I am the (blank) diva!”
What’s in the blank? Dancing. Farting. Cooking, maybe. Talking on the phone, Twittering every five minutes, thinking about going to Europe. Whatever it is. Shout it. I just did. My neighbors think I’m a crazy woman. This is mine:
“I am the interview-slingin’, coffee-guzzlin’, pajama-wearin’ diva!”
Whew. What’s up now, stress case?
Love,
Liv
I’m Going to Be… A Music Teacher
Filed Under Music, Teaching | 1 Comment
Danielle Rosa grew up in Sebastapol, California, listening to her mother play the piano and lead choir rehearsals in the living room. In her own music, she’s been influenced by Fleetwood Mac, Joni Mitchell and Tori Amos. When she’s not working on solo projects, songwriting or playing with her band, she teaches music.
Danielle was kind enough to tell us all about how she became a music teacher:
When you were a teen, you thought “When I grow up, I’m going to be…”
A musician. I pictured myself working as a waitress to support my music career, or whatever other creative thing I was working on at the time. I wasn’t far off– for years during and after studying music in college, I worked as a nanny to support my songwriting career.
You’ve been a music teacher, songwriter and musician. How did you get involved in teaching music?
I worked as a nanny in college while studying music, and slowly began to realize that I love children. Working as a nanny in San Francisco is a fun, easy job for anyone who loves children. The parents are usually down-to-earth, kids are always (well– usually) fun, and the pay is great. However, I knew I couldn’t just take care of children forever– My mind needed some stimulation! After a few years I had to think of a new way to create income. My criteria were: It must be challenging and rewarding, I have to enjoy it, it must pay enough, and I must feel honored and respected at work.
My mom and sister are music teachers, so I had some extra resistance there. But, my mom kept urging me to try a piano education training– and before I knew it I was teaching group piano and music to all ages of children and adults, from age 2 to 80! I had no idea I would love teaching music so much– I have control over my schedule, I get to engage in an inexhaustable passion, and I get to play with children without having to take care of them! Haha!
I’m Going to Be… A Travel Writer
Filed Under Books/Magazines, Travel, Writing | Leave a Comment
Dominique Channell is a travel writer for Lonely Planet, the rock star guidebook and travel company. She covers wine, Napa, San Francisco and Europe and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her first guidebook Lonely Planet San Francisco came out in February 2008. A fun fact: Dominique rows with a women’s crew team at 5 o’clock in the morning, four days a week.
Dominique was kind enough to tell us all about how she became a travel writer:
When you were a teen, you thought “When I grow up, I’m going to be…”
I wanted to be a female astronaut, actually — NO resemblance to anything I’m doing now! It just sounded cool…
You’ve been a food, lodging and travel writer for Lonely Planet. How did you get involved in travel writing?
I’m actually a San Francisco/Northern Calif author for LP and I’ve written quite a bit about wine country, so I’ve gained a lot of knowledge about wine, and I would like to write about food at some point as I’m a bit of a foodie. I also wrote about Malbec wine in Argentina last month - it will be a feature article in the Miami Herald/Chicago Tribune/Seattle Times next month. I got involved in travel writing when I was in grad school and entered a travel writing contest.
I ended up winning, and was sent to Europe to write for a guidebook, expenses paid, as the prize. It was perfect because it introduced me to the work of being a travel writer — it’s not as glamorous as it sounds! — and helped me decide whether or not I really wanted to pursue it. It also gave me experience and “clips” — real pieces of published writing that I could show to the big guys like Lonely Planet.
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