Jumping Right In...

 Click the title There’s nothing quite like the clean slate of a new blog’s inaugural post. New, fresh, and everywhere to go from here. I know a thing or two about blogging. I launched Newport Stylephile a dozen years ago. No literally, it was TWELVE years ago, and it’s brought me some pretty amazing opportunities. Save for some articles I’ve written for national or regional publications related to lifestyle topics, Newport Stylephile has been mostly independent of my work. I launched it when I was a magazine editor and I learned about cool things and cooler people and interesting places that maybe didn’t land a space between the pages of a pub, but had an extraordinary story to tell nonetheless. I continue to post lifestyle content on NS, but this space is dedicated to tips, trends, insights and innovations for marketers, communicators, content creators and media mavens — in a nutshell: practical advice — all from an insider’s point of view. Click the title to link directly to the podcast. 
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So, let’s jump right in. I’m highlighting not just podcasts I’ve devoured over the past year of the ‘ol pandy, but specific episodes I took nuggets of advice from, dished out by thought leaders, trailblazers and  risk-takers. Sometimes you just need to hear the right thing at the right time and the magic happens.

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1.) Skimm’d From the Couch: Diane Von Furstenberg (April 7, 2021)

The first pod out of the gate is a trilogy of business, finance and ... fashion? Hear me out. Diane Von Furstenberg founded her company in 1972 and five years later, appeared on the cover of Newsweek as the portrait of the successful businesswoman (it was the 70s and it was radical). She’s had epic successes and admitted failures. She is the daughter of a Holocuast survivor, a mother and a grandmother, a women’s lib warrior, and she’s seemingly unstoppable. On this episode of Skimm’d, Von Furstenberg talks about being a child and not knowing exactly what she wanted to be when she grew up, but knew she wanted to be “a woman in charge,” and how today, being in charge means keeping a commitment to ourselves. Seventy-four years young, Von Furstenberg says to own our imperfections and make them our assets, to show our vulnerability so it becomes our strength, and to deal with the obstacles placed in front of us. She concedes that despite her success, she still experiences self-doubt. “Many days I wake up ... and I feel like a loser. Only losers don’t feel like losers (sometimes),” she says -- but those feelings let you reinvent yourself every day." Spend 25 minutes listening to this inspirational  titan. 

2.) Just B with Bethenny Frankel: Jonathan Adler  (March 2, 2021)

Famed Housewife and self-made serial entrepreneur Bethenny Frankel has a big personality, and on her Just B with Bethenny Frankel podcast, she only wants big guests. Just half a year in and she’s hosted Hillary Clinton, Mark Cuban, John Paul DeJoria, Maria Shriver, Chelsea Handler and other luminaries. Frankel’s format is a short opener with her take on a hot topic or mundane observation followed by a 25 minute interview with her guest, so fast forward to about the 10-minute mark if you want to just jump right into this funny, self-deprecating interview. What I loved about Jonathan Adler was his candor. So often, the uber successful talk about their journey with rose colored glasses, leaving out the struggles, the moments of doubt, or the bankruptcy filing; painting their career trajectory as nothing short of meteoric. Adler talks about being somewhat aimless after college and how his affinity for making pottery unexpectedly turned into a career (he was surprised the first time someone called him an “artist”). His rise to the top was organic; less cost–benefit analysis, more trusting your gut. And he’s just so darn charming. 

3.) Skimm’d From the Couch: Kristen Welker (Feb. 28, 2021)

Since she’s living one of my dream jobs, I was all ears when Chief White House Correspondent for NBC News (and co-anchor of Weekend TODAY) Kristen Welker was the guest on this episode. In it, Welker talks about the tireless work she put in at the very start of her career, covering small town city hall meetings -- not quite “bright lights, big city” news. But the lesson she learned was to say what you want out loud and be willing to work your ass off for it. People notice passion, she noted. Welker also talks about how she still gets nervous doing her job from time to time, including when she moderated the final presidential debate of 2020. “It’s okay to be nervous. It means you're challenging yourself. It means you're doing something important and it means you're doing something that you really care about.” 

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