Connecting Greeks Podcast

We welcome the inspiring Leon Logothetis to the show! In today's increasingly polarized, digitized world, human connection and empathy seem to be drying up. Stress, animosity, and disillusionment are on the rise in many workplaces. Leaders face a "kindness crisis" - their people are craving more compassion, belonging, and purpose.Before becoming a renowned motivational figure, Leon Logothetis lived an unfulfilling life as a broker in London. Though seemingly successful, he felt depressed and disconnected. Seeking meaning, Leon gave up his career to travel the globe fueled only by human kindness. His profound adventures transformed his perspective, showing how compassion unites us.Today, Leon inspires leaders and organizations to strengthen bonds, elevate performance, and rehumanize work by embracing the transformative power of kindness. Join us as we chat with Leon!- Watch "The Kindness Within: A Journey To Freedom" on Amazon Prime: https://www.primevideo.com/detail/The-Kindness-Within-A-Journey-To-Freedom/0LE06T0F88HC3CTKRRGBGWNR9K- Learn more on https://www.leonlogothetis.com/More Connecting Greeks on GreekAF: https://www.greekradio.app/podcast

We welcome family man and social media superstar Jimmy "the Greek" Ntebekos to the show! Jimmy is a father of two, Georgie and Yioanna, who share the spotlight with him on his many viral videos. Let's get to know this awesome Greek!Follow Jimmy on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimmythegreek7Instagram: https://instagram.com/jimmythegreek7Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCifi6Kj9mbro0_xw_OCRhUwMore of us on GreekAF: https://www.greekradio.app/

We welcome the fantastic Christina Mavronas to the show! Christina is everyone's Greek Brooklynite friend!

We welcome the awesome Aristotelis Rigas to the show! Aris is a writer, director, actor, and standup comedian. He is also a musician, and has written music for theater and has participated as a musical actor in theatrical performances. His first solo performance entitled "musicomedy" was presented for the first time at the 1st comedy festival of the theater "Avaton". He has participated in "standup for U", is a founding member of the "Gazi Comedy Club" at theater 104, and numerous performances in Athens, all over Greece, and Europe. Join us! Ari's Linktree See more on GreekAF >

We welcome Alexandros & Christophoros to the show! They are the founders of To Kinima Tou Ethnous, a Greek Diaspora organization that seeks to leverage Greece's greatest natural resource, its people, to influence Greek politics and involve the diaspora in the political process of Greece. Alexandros is a leading voice of Greek Diaspora politics and a practicing Orthodox Christian. He studies political science and Russian language at Southern Methodist University. He has always been politically minded and excels at public speaking and Greek Diaspora outreach, regularly attending Greek heritage and church events in Dallas, TX and in his hometown of Seattle, WA. Benis founded KTE in January 2024 in response to the massive political and cultural upheaval being experienced in Greece and hopes to bring his project to willing and able Greeks living abroad to return the nation of his ancestors to its once and future glory. Christophoros is a former editor-in-chief of his college newspaper and studied Greek history and language at Loyola Marymount University before taking over all media responsibilities for KTE in the summer of 2024. Despite being Alexandros' older brother, Christophoros believes Alexandros is a greater thinker and public speaker for what KTE intends to achieve, which is a return to traditionalism and Orthodox spirituality for the betterment of Greek society. Christophoros currently runs KTE's social media channels and edits all articles and press releases seen on the website. Check out their website: https://www.kinimatouethnous.com/ See more on GreekAF!

We welcome Maria C. Miles to the show! Maria is an attorney and the founder of an entertainment law practice with offices in New York. Her practice focuses on all areas of entertainment law, including film, music, literary publishing, and new media. She is the president of the board of the Hellenic Film Society USA and previously served on the board of New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT). She is Adjunct Professor of Entertainment Law at the School of Visual Arts, the Feirstein Graduate School for Cinema and NYU Tisch School of the Arts. The annual New York Greek Film Expo, a Greek film festival for all New Yorkers, will be held October 3-13 in theaters in the New York metro area. In addition to the latest Greek films this year's program includes meet & greets and Q&As with visiting directors. This year's event is hosted by Award-winning Actor, Director, and Screenwriter Thanos Tokakis. Movies will also be shown at Village East Theater in Manhattan; the Barrymore Film Center in Fort Lee, NJ; and at the prestigious Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) in Astoria. All films in Greek with English subtitles. For tickets, schedules, and more info please visit: http://www.hellenicfilmusa.org/ Facebook Instagram Youtube Watch the Expo trailer!

We welcome Demetri Thomas to the show! Demetri Thomas grew up in beautiful sunny Los Angeles, but you won't mistake his songs for breezy summertime fare. Demetri writes from the point of view of a hard working Country Music artist, bringing a new perspective and incisive wit to his tales of relationships gone wrong as well as the joys of being in love. With an easy listening Greek voice trained on the classics, he combines vintage sound with modern country and crossover material to thrilling effect. Kick back and join us! Website: https://www.demetrithomasmusic.com/ Youtube: https://youtube.com/@demetrithomasmusic5857?si=Rjf-oYLyjvFNygrT Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7A9Y1WwT5uk6M9sEpRkxnx?si=wVMbPO1iTneU4e3Gk-W6uQ

We catch up with the incredible Evangelia to chat about all things, especially her new US tour that is kicking off this summer! Evangelia is a Greek-American artist born in the US, and raised between the island of Crete and New Jersey. Known for her effortless blend of modern pop music with Greek elements, she has captivated sold-out audiences around the world. With multi-platinum hits in Greece, a recent signing to Epic Records in the US, and a die-hard international social media following, Evangelia continues to honor her heritage through her artistry while forging her own legacy. Check out Evangelia's website: evangeliamusic.com See more on the GreekAF app.

We welcome Dimitra of Dimitra's Dishes to the show! Dimitra grew up in a traditional Greek family in New York. All of their meals were homemade and every happy gathering took place around a table full of delicious food that was shared with loved ones. Her summers were spent visiting family on the beautiful island of Crete and are filled with memories of getting together with grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles in a laid-back happy setting, again, sharing homemade food while creating memories and traditions that now she now gets to pass down to her children. These experiences filled her heart with a deep love of cooking and appreciation of sharing meals with friends and family. The more the merrier! All while keeping it simple and laid back. Check out her website - Dimitra's Dishes. See more on the GreekAF app.

We welcome Stella to the show! Stella is a proud mother of 2 boys, a wife, and a mom to her puppy Chloé! She is a banking executive, with over 30 years of experience, where her passion is to inspire the will to win & reach new heights! Leading by example & embracing a diversity of ideas is key! She's extremely passionate about the employee experience, business development, optimizing partner relations & brand presence! She's a mentor & coach both on a professional & personal front! More specifically, how to effectively network, build & strengthen your personal brand, knowing how to strategically achieve success in the corporate environment, how to reach new levels in all roles & helping to develop leadership skills - laterally and upwards. As a forward thinker, she knows how we can all achieve bigger and greater things on a larger level - both in business & in life! All while optimizing a work life balance! She takes tremendous pride in community involvement - supporting an array of causes throughout the years. Most recently, in her very own Hellenic community of Montreal. Hence, her passion behind being the founder of @stellinides_united! As founder of Stellinides United, she wants to create a Greek Female Led Empowerment Sisterhood! A sisterhood that welcomes all Greek women of all ages and walks of life - a first of its kind for the Greek Females in the Montreal community! A sisterhood that also embraces women from all ethnicities & backgrounds! Learn more at stellinidesunited.com More Connecting Greeks

We sat down with acclaimed photographer Nick Bourdo to discuss his life, his work, and what the Hellenic culture means to him. Through his amazing artistic photographic eye, Nick is one of the great promoters of Hellenism and we were happy to discuss all things Greek with him. Join us! See & hear more on the GreekAF app.

We welcome the very funny Peter Kypri to the show. Peter, also known as Cypriot Smurf, has a unique background and upbringing have had a profound influence on his perspective and creative endeavors. Born in London to a Greek Cypriot father and an Italian mother, he grew up in a multicultural household that was steeped in a rich tapestry of traditions, languages, and idiosyncrasies. However, it was at the age of 11 that his life took a significant turn as he moved to Cyprus, a move that would shape his sense of humor and artistic expression. In addition to his unique upbringing and the cultural influences from his time in Cyprus, Peter has taken his creative endeavors across the globe. He has performed his stand-up comedy in three continents, namely Australia, South Africa, United Kingdom & Cyprus. This global exposure has allowed him to further refine his comedic style and share his insights and humor with diverse audiences around the world, adding an international dimension to his already rich tapestry of experiences and inspirations. YouTube: /cypriotsmurf Facebook: /cypriotsmurf Instagram: /cypriotsmurf Twitter/X: /cypriotsmurf Website: https://cypriotsmurf.com Download our free app: https://www.greekradio.app/

We welcome the super cool Peter Nikkos to the show! Peter currently resides in Los Angeles with his lovely wife, RID Certified American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreter, Eva Tingley. Born in the small village of Karyes, near Sparta, Greece, he immigrated with family to Chicago and was educated in the Windy City's public school system attending Lane Technical High School and James Monroe Elementary School. The first in a family of five to graduate from college, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from North Park University while receiving professional consideration following an exemplary college soccer career. Strong theatre, improv and on-camera training brought him to the west coast, where significant onscreen work includes DESERT DAWN (Al Bravo Films), RUTHLESS (Premiere), FIRE BORN (Independent), BLACK WARRANT (Premiere), BLOWBACK (Premiere), ENCOUNTER (Amazon), AMERICAN CRIME STORY: VERSACE (FX), THE LAST SHIP (TNT) and TIME TRAVELING BONG (Comedy Central). Los Angeles stages have seen him inhabit roles for WOMEN OF ZALONGO, IN THE BALANCE, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, THE CHERRY ORCHARD, as well as THE REAL HOUSEKEEPERS OF STUDIO CITY (2013 Best-of-Fringe). An avid animal lover and change advocate, he lends his heart, time and support to several charities including Women's March LA, The Special Olympics, March for Our Lives, Penny Lane Centers, Star Paws Animal Rescue and Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children. The personal mantra of "Living a life so good, it can hurt!" demands that one must risk well to live truly. He is managed by BAC Talent and represented theatrically and commercially by the AQUA Talent Agency. Learn more: http://www.peternikkos.com Download the free app: https://www.greekradio.app/

Zafirios Georgilas is a writer, musician, voiceover artist, and content creator born in Vancouver, Canada, who spent part of his childhood in his father's northern Greek village. He later moved to London, England, but returned to Vancouver in between sojourns in New York and Montreal. Georgilas has a BA in English Literature (with additional studies in Classical Greek and Latin) from the University of British Columbia and an MA in Publishing from the University of the Arts London. Georgilas is also the singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the Vancouver band Zafirios. Their debut album, Summer Sand, was released in 2022 and the band regularly performs live at venues around Vancouver. Download our free app: https://www.greekradio.app

We welcome Instagram superstar Yannis Dimoulis to the podcast. Yanni was born and raised in Chicago as a first generation Greek American.He studied Mechanical Engineering and went to grad school for Product Design / Design Research. While his 54thirty profile was started as a novelty t-shirt side hustle, he started making memes as a way to advertise the novelty shirts and eventually the comedy began to overtake the merchandise. He says, "I didn't really feel like the Greek comedy scene on the internet really reflected my experience as a Greek American and so I started to try to fill that void from early on. I love 54thirty as a tool for connecting to people (both personally, and helping others connect to one another). I also love to elevate talented Greeks who don't get the shine I feel they deserve." Check out his Instagram > Download the free GreekAFRadio app >

We hung out with the wonderful & talented Arianna Papalexopoulos. A San Francisco native of Greek and Italian descent, Arianna currently resides in West Hollywood, California. Arianna trained at the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco and then made her move to Los Angeles where she graduated from UCLA's School of Theater, Film, and Television. After graduation, she studied with Groundlings, Lesly Kahn, and Tess Kirsch. She has performed at SF Sketchfest with San Francisco's comedy troupe, Killing My Lobster, and her latest voice over booking was for Uber Safety. Arianna tried her hand at stand-up comedy, taking the mic at Flappers Comedy quickly followed by a performance at The Comedy Store. She is currently developing a feature length film while her two short films that she co-produced circulate in various film festivals, including the Napa Valley Film Festival and San Francisco Greek Film Festival. Comedy is her strength and she continuously writes, acts, and produces sketches for her channel, TwinGirlPeeks. apactress.com instagram.com/ariannapapalexopoulos

Welcome Jenny and Eleonora of Grandpa J's Seasoning! Jenny Siormanolakis is long tenured in the food industry, with her family owned and operated one of the “longest running single family owned & operated establishments from 1973-2014. Her first job was standing on milk crates working in the dish pit. Working all through school and college, she always helped the family business. She is always to be relied on to come up with an extremely clever solution to difficult problems. In 2004, an opportunity arose to buy her recently deceased uncles business Grandpa J's Seasoning Inc, and with the support of her parents, her and her sister Eleonora were suddenly business partners. At that time, food manufacturing was undergoing industry changes in supply chain advancements. The small business suddenly needed things they knew nothing about i.e.: Nutritional Fact Tables and barcodes which were all mandatory to operate. It was an extremely tedious learning curve and with zero mentoring from their uncle, everything was based on trial and errors. Unfortunately, she suffered a workplace career ending traumatic brain injury in early 2018, and she embarked on a long and solo recovery, filled with self-renewal, and where she discovered her talent for sales. As she neared the end of her healing process, the start of the pandemic was commencing. Taking initiative, she took their only product and started pitching it into many small local grocers and shops around Vancouver. Their Grandpa J's seasoning went from 8 locations to 20 in just a few months, and by the summer of 2022 would be in 90 locations all by sticking to the basics of working the pavement, building relationships and helping small business be successful at selling out of their product with the use of social media and engagement. Jenny is a social maven and a connector within her community. She is extremely passionate about food security for children and seniors. Obviously, she is a strong advocate for mental health given her own journey. Her fun social media channels will always have loud cheerleading and mentoring for women businesses and show off her cooking or food experiments. Most describe her as strong, energetic, extremely empathetic and honest. Travelling to Greece, cooking or eating out and enjoying food with friends fills her spare time. Her favorite quote is “if you don't ask, you won't know”. She has a teenage daughter and a husband who eat the delicious food she is always cooking and may have had to be unofficial taste testers on a few occasions for the research and development of new seasonings and food concepts. Immersed in small business her entire life, Eleonora Iliakis is passionate, hard-working and creative. Her small business background come from decades of working for her family-owned Greek and Italian restaurant. Starting at the young age of 5, she remembers rolling and pressing dough and saucing thousands of pizzas. Most of her youth and young adult life was spent in a commercial kitchen, working alongside chefs, cooks and prepping Greek cuisine, while learning the ins and outs of the restaurant business. This experience taught her the importance of quality, consistency and the need for outstanding products. In 2004, Eleonora and her sister Jenny purchased a small business named Grandpa J's Seasonings Inc. The brand came from their late great uncle Jim's legacy, who was well known for his MSG free products across BC and Alberta. At the time of purchasing the business, the product line was a local food industry and chefs ‘best kept secret.' This was a great opportunity for Eleonora to use her skills and background in the food industry to take Grandpa J's to the next level. Eleonora's roles and experience has varied tremendously, in an ever-changing industry. Embracing all of the work along the way from admin duties, managing the inventory, production, receivables/payables, any day-to-day operations. https://www.grandpajs.com/

We welcome a titan of media, the incomparable George Veras. A former Chief Operating Officer, Chief of Staff & Executive Producer of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, among many other achievements. Prior to joining the Pro Football Hall of Fame, his production company Veras Commuications Inc produced and managed world-renown musician Yanni. He produced and directed the PBS record breaking television specials, “Yanni Live at the Acropolis” and then for the first and only time in history, “Yanni Live at the Taj Mahal” and “Yanni Live at the Forbidden City”, the first time ever a Western artist performed at both venues. He managed and promoted Yanni worldwide, including “Live at the Taj Mahal” and “Live at the Forbidden City”, which launched a 100-city, two-year tour “Tribute” grossing more than $150 million. He produced for NBC Sports 2 Winter Olympics and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, awarded two National Sports Emmys. VCI produced and marketed over 100 hours of entertainment, sports and documentary programming for seven networks. Veras is also an Adjunct Professor of Sports Business at Case Western Reserve University, a judge for play by play and studio analysts for the National Sports Emmys, an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Order of Saint Andrew (https://www.archons.org/, a member of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, Rocky River, Ohio and an Ellis Island Gold Medalist Recipient. Past associations include member of 1996 Athens Olympic Bid Committee for Broadcasting and Television, Board membership for the Cleveland Pops Orchestra and Anatolia College, Thessaloniki. He has been honored four times as Man of the Year by the Greek-American community. The Hellenic Spirit Foundation 1994 (https://hellenicspiritfoundationstl.org/) the Elios Society 1999 (https://elios.org/) , the American Hellenic Institute 2005 (https://www.ahiworld.org/) and Leadership 100 (http://www.l100.org/) 2018. We could go on and on, but instead please watch our amazing interview with this amazing human! Winning 10 Emmys to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

We welcome entrepreneur, investor, consultant, and board member Irina Kapetanakis to the show! Irina possesses a unique skill set having helped Fortune 500 businesses drive top-line sales and revenue growth. She has a keen understanding of not only the sales process but what is needed to create an environment that fosters high growth by optimizing processes to achieve results. As a fan of Simon Sinek, she believes that to be a great leader, one needs to continuously define the “why” for every single individual on the team. When people work with purpose, they feel empowered, motivated, and satisfied. Irina most recently invested in a boutique franchise fitness brand, Rumble, and is expanding their popular NYC based experience into the New Jersey area with 3 studios. The Hoboken NJ studio is opening February 2023. As an angel investor, mentor and advisor that inspires entrepreneurs, Irina launched corben & lane, a consulting business to help fashion companies scale and diversify their production needs. She also is responsible for representing many international brands looking to enter the US market. She and her team create business value by identifying and executing upon market opportunities. While Vice President of Marketing at Suuchi Inc, a venture backed, supply chain management software company, she redesigned the marketing organization to improve lead generation efforts by 360% resulting in 90% of the company's pipeline. In addition to laying the groundwork to create a sales engine, she rebranded the company from a manufacturing business to position it as a tech driven SaaS platform working with enterprise fashion brands worldwide. Within six months the team was exceeding its goals. She also hosted the company's widely viewed podcast focusing on timely supply chain issues. Prior to joining Suuchi, Irina was a Director, National Accounts at Legg Mason Global Asset Management. She was promoted several times while at the company before being appointed to the national sales role in which she managed the relationships with the companies two biggest distribution partners — Morgan Stanley and UBS. She expanded the relationship with UBS from $25 million a year in 2006 to $2 billion in under 3 years. Irina is an investor in several companies including Suuchi Inc. in which she is an angel investor. In 2020, she invested in KLEOS Mastiha Spirit, a woman-owned, luxury spirit brand and sits on their Board of Advisors. She also invested in Mammogen, a biotech company that seeks to radically improve the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of breast cancer. She continues to seek investments in women-led, female-focused companies with strong and passionate leadership that are disrupting the status quo. She is a board member at the Fashion Institute of Technology's School of International Trade and Marketing and President of the Hellenic Professional Women Organization. She is mother to her 9 year old son, Lucio, who is her wingman in all her ventures. Check out Hellenic Professional Women Inc.

Say hello to the awesome Tina Karras! It's amazing how one dream can give birth to another. Tina moved to Los Angeles with literally one guitar and two suitcases to pursue her dream of being a singer-songwriter. She paid rent by working in restaurants and eventually music venues. Little did she know that these day jobs would lead to the creation of Tina's Vodka. Tina grew up working in a family-owned restaurant in Charlotte, NC and her first job was washing dishes. Watching her parents juggle the bills, a family, and the highs and lows of owning a small business was challenging. It was also a great education that influenced her outlook on life. Tina has worked as a waitress, bartender, cook, hostess, manager, and buyer while growing up, attending UNC-Chapel Hill, and living in Los Angeles while writing music in her free time. After countless liquor & wine tastings and classes, she realized there wasn't a vodka that had all of these traits: made from organic corn, non-GMO, American made, fantastically smooth, delicious, and at a good price. Tina started Tina's Vodka with her credit cards and an SBA loan and just finished her album that was also self-funded. She spent two years recording her record in-between jobs and went to mastering in March 2020. Tina was preparing to launch both her vodka and her record during the music festival season of 2020...then the pandemic lockdowns hit! She was suddenly unemployed, going further into debt, and fighting off a billion-dollar corporation opposing her trademark. It's been a crazy, winding road and thankfully, her trademark is registered, she's blessed to have Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits as her distributor, and her record is now out on all digital platforms. We are excited to share her vodka and music with you! It's never too late to realize your dreams, they can be bigger than you ever thought. The person you become along the way is the true creation. Learn more about Tina: tinasvodka.com Buy this amazing vodka! Download the free app: greekradio.app

We chat with Modern Lusso founder Niko Kokkinos. Born in America but of Greek descent, Niko grew up in Annapolis, MD and frequently travels to Greece to visit friends and family. The Modern Lusso collections combine his love for the Greek summer lifestyle with his personal streetwear style. “Lusso” is Greek for “luxury.” Thus, Modern Lusso translates directly to “Modern Luxury” - the perfect description for the look and feel of our curated collections. shopmodernlusso.com Download the free app: greekradio.app

Join us for a great chat with Nick Livanos of the Livanos Restaurant Group. Nick grew up working in the family's restaurants during the school year and spending his summers in Greece. Coming from a family of talented cooks and a long line of commercial fishermen, it didn't take long for him to fall in love with food; the concepts of freshness and quality were the foundation of his culinary expertise. Nick graduated from Adelphi University with a bachelor's degree in management, and his life changed when, on a whim, he decided to visit the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, and later enrolled. Today, Nick oversees the business of all Livanos restaurants. livanosrestaurantgroup.com Download the free app: greekradio.app

What an amazing episode! We got to meet the absolutely awesome guys of KI Legal (not to mention Marathi Restaurant NYC) and took a deep dive into their collective story and how they got to where they are today. Join us as we hang out with Andreas Koutsoudakis & Michael Iakovou! kilegal.com marathinyc.com

We check in with up-and-coming Greek rappers out of Toronto, Dimitris Kardaris and Spiros Stathas. We get to know them and their group from New Wave Productions. Check them out!

What could be better than having a glorious chat about gyro with a beautiful lady who happens to be an expert on gyro? Join us as we get to know Aussie Kelly Roditis aka the Gyros Queen! If you have access to good gyro, grab one and join us! Follow her: https://www.instagram.com/thegyrosqueen/ Download the free app!

We had an absolute blast hanging out with the super funny and talented Peter Kelamis! Born in Sydney, Australia and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Petr is an accomplished actor, voice actor and stand-up comedian. With over 160 credits, he is a well-recognized talent in the industry and has shared the screen with many Hollywood heavy weights. Some of his iconic voice-over work includes: Dragon ball-z "GOKU". Ed, Edd and Eddy as well as "Absolute Carnage" for Marvel Motion Comics. Peter has 2 comedy albums downloadable on all the major music platforms: "Best of Peter Kelamis Volume 1 & 2" and he has two recorded television comedy specials to his name. Support Ukraine kids & families caught in the crosshairs of war with this amazing event: https://1nightstand.org/ Check out Peter's IMDb page >

We had a fantastic time hanging out with the amazing Anthony Skordi! Anthony is a British-American actor, known for his roles as Admiral Garrick Versio in Star Wars Battlefront II, and The Dealer in the Hand of Fate series of games. In addition to his voiceover work in video games, he has narrated audiobooks, and has worked on screen and stage as an actor, producer, and writer. He attended Drama Centre, London, and is a Royal Shakespeare Company member and a member of Vanessa Redgrave's 'Moving Theatre' company. Anthony is currently touring and showcasing his one-man play Onassis. See more details on this wonderful play here. You can also watch or listen on the free Connecting Greeks app!

We had the absolute pleasure of hanging out with one of the most amazing humans to walk (or should we say run?) the earth! Ultramarathon runner, author, amazing human, and awesome Greek Dean Karnazes! Just describing Dean doesn't do him justice, so watch/listen to our podcast, watch some of the multiple docuseries on him, and then read his super interesting books to get a better idea of who this "superhuman" truly is! OPA!! Website: https://ultramarathonman.com/ Road to Sparta book: https://amzn.to/32COO6O You can also watch or listen on the free Connecting Greeks app!

George Diakomichalis is a fourth-generation pastry chef in Adelaide, Australia. His deep passion and infectious energy for his Greek culture has led him to open and run his award-winning patisserie for over 25 years. George recently created his own show that can be seen on YouTube called It's All Greek To Me. Join us as we get to know more about this really great and proud Greek! youtube.com/user/ItsAllGreekToMeTV Watch & listen on the free Connecting Greeks app!

We had a truly fun and inspiring conversation with the amazing and accomplished Peter Poulos, who is currently serving as the executive director of the fantastic The Hellenic Initiative. Peter and the Hellenic Initiative are doing some amazing things for Greece, Greek people, Greek culture, and for anyone who loves Greece and Greek culture all around the world. Join us as we learn more about this incredible organization and the man leading it! thehellenicinitiative.org Download the free Connecting Greeks app!

We got to hang out with Kristina, the creator of Instagram's "Are You Even Greek?", all the way from Australia! Join us as we get to know her journey to over 33,000 followers with her awesome page! instagram.com/areyouevengreek Download the free Connecting Greeks app!

We got to hang out with the AMAZING and multi-talented Dimitra Korri. She's a champion ice skater, an accomplished filmmaker, singer, songwriter, animator, DJ, and so much more... what a truly impressive and inspiring woman! Join us as we get to know Dimitra! dimitrakorri.com instagram.com/dimitrakorri

We had an amazing time chatting with the delightful Nomiki Konst. Her knowledge and force for good truly inspired us in every way and we loved spending time getting to know her. Join us and you'll become a fan of the impressive Nomiki Konst! youtube.com/user/KonstNomiki instagram.com/nomikikonst Download the free Connecting Greeks app!

Our Angelo hiatus is over and we kick off with a fascinating chat with the founder of Greece in Disney Lee Pashalopoulos! Lee's mission is to see a Greek Pavilion at Epcot Center at Disney World and we are here to spread the word! Sign his petition here: https://www.greece.org/epcot/ Download the free Connecting Greeks app!

We got to spend some time with Evangelia, an amazing artist, talented songwriter, and beautiful singer all rolled into one! Join us as we get to know a little about her past, present, and a dash of what the future may hold for her. If you weren't already a fan, you will be now! PAME PAME! evangeliamusic.com Download the free Connecting Greeks app!

Join us for a special episode centered around a truly amazing non-profit in Greece - Ecogenia! Their mission is to promote sustainability through civic engagement, training and employment opportunities for young people in Greece. Co-founders Lia & Erika join us to teach us more about this amazing organization. Ecogenia.org Download the free Connecting Greeks app!

We had the pleasure of chatting with the wonderful Dora Papoutsakis of Agape Greek Radio. Daughter of a Greek musician, Dora was immersed in “ta laika” at a very young age because her father worked as a keyboard player in the Vancouver bouzoukia scene for over 40 years. She grew up listening to Vancouver's Greek radio program and in her late teens joined as a co-host. Her love for radio led her to complete her radio broadcasting degree at BCIT and she continued hosting “Greek Canadian Memories” with Mike Georgiopoulos for over 15 years until it went off the air. Dora's love for anything Greek began from her annual visits to Greece and led her to get fully involved in the Greek Community of Vancouver by volunteering with their youth programs and Greek School for many years. After marrying her husband, Niko she also became involved in the Cretan Association of BC which is one of the strongest associations in western Canada. In recent years Dora has taken on the role of Camp Coordinator for Camp Met BC where she is the official “Mom” of Camp. Her number one priority is to keep the Greek youth in BC involved and engaged in their communities and to spread the love for anything Greek to all. Along with her volunteering, she is a full-time mom and a Government of Canada employee. She is an open book and welcomes any questions or comments at any time! You can also listen & watch on the free Connecting Greeks app! Dora on Agape Greek Radio

We got the chance to sit down with the amazing Harry Basil and get to know the versatile actor & comedian in depth. Harry is a stand-up comedian and comedy club operator, known for his impressions of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Superman. As an actor, Basil appeared in the film Peggy Sue Got Married. His film credits include Meet Wally Sparks, which he co-wrote with Rodney Dangerfield. In May 1984, Basil made a major break as a stand-up comedian as part of show at The Comedy Store in Las Vegas, where he appeared as part of a group that included future comedy performers Louie Anderson, Jim Carrey, Andrew Dice Clay, and Paul Rodriguez making their first appearances on a stage in Las Vegas. Basil is a partner in the Laugh Factory comedy club located at Tropicana Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Listen & watch on the free Connecting Greeks app!

We interviewed the founders and artistic directors of the wonderful Chroma Musika, which is a voice camp for kids. It is an amazing project that has resulted in so much good for participants and their exposure to music and the arts. Learn more by joining us! Download the free Connecting Greeks app! https://www.chromapanarmonia.com/

We were so excited to get to chat with the amazing Jim Mirkopoulos! Jim is VP of Cinespace Film Studios, North America's largest owner and operator of film, TV and digital media production space, liaising directly with the production heads of major Hollywood studios and Canada's leading production entities. Jim and his family are wonderful individuals as well as wonderful Greeks! Join us in hearing some amazing stories from the fantastic Jim Mirkopoulos! https://cinespace.com/studios/ Download the free Connecting Greeks app!

We had the most amazing time speaking with the LEGENDARY John Kapelos! John was a major part of our pop culture upbringing and he is recognized around the world for the many, many roles he has played in iconic films and shows. There is no room to list them all but let's just say Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Sixteen Candles, Seinfeld, X Files, Home Improvement, Roxanne, and the list goes on and on and on. He is a treasure to the acting community and a treasure to our Greek community. Join us as we get to know the great John Kapelos! Download the free Connecting Greeks app!

What an amazing episode we have for you! Not only a fantastic guest but on Greek Independence Day as well! The one and only Costas Mandylor joins us for a chat on his life and career and what being Greek means to him. Two Americans, a Canadian, and an Australian come together to show how Greeks are all one! Costas is originally from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is an actor, known for Mobsters, Saw V, Virtuosity, and Picket Fences, among many others. He was chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world. He played professional soccer for Greece and Australia until he suffered stress fractures to his shins. He also boxes and trained with his brother, actor Louis Mandylor, in Thai kickboxing. Join us as we hang out with Costas Mandylor! You can watch and listen on the free Connecting Greeks app!

George Kapiniaris is one of Australia's best loved comedy, music and TV stars - having had an incredible impact on Australian popular culture over the last thirty five years. His claim to fame was his starring role in the hugely popular stage show 'Wogs Out Of Work'. Since then, the Australian public has continued to see him use his Greek heritage as inspiration for future roles and performances. George developed his popular style of ethnic comedy at Rusden College in 1985. Straight away he was labelled as a pioneer of Ethnic Humour in Australia. We all loved him as DJ in 'The Flying Doctors' and who could forget his starring role as the manic waiter Memo in TV's 'Acropolis Now' from 1989 to 1992 (a show which he co-produced & co-created). Since 1992 George has also been the front man of his 70's cover band 'The Flares'. In 2004 George was nominated for a Green Room Award for his role of Stretch in the musical 'Oh, What a Night'. other musical credits include 'The Rocky Horror Show' and 'Return to the Forbidden Planet'. His theatre credits include 'The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui' for the MTC, 'The Queen and I ', 'An Evening with Merv Hughes' and Guy Masterson's production of '12 Angry Men'. George's film credits include 'Alex and Eve', 'Big Mammas Boy', 'Thundersruck', 'Bloody Footy', 'Fat Pizza', 'Housos The Movie', 'Closer and Closer Apart' & 'Joey' - George also appeared on the TV series 'Its A Date!'. Kapiniaris was also seen in the controversial mini series 'Underbelly', playing George Defteros - the lawyer to Melbourne's underworld. In 2009 George appeared as a regular panelist on the very popular SBS show "The Squiz". In 2021 George will be touring OZ with his comedy stage show, 'Crazy Rich Ethnics'. He and his Co Stars have received two ACE awards for Best Comedy for their 'Il Dago' Shows and this year he and his team were nominated for Best Comedy for their 'Wildwogs' Production. George has recently played a Vulgarian Spy in The Australian production of 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang The Musical' and starred last year in The Production Company's Award Winning Show 'Nice Work If You Can Get It!' where he stole the show with amazing reviews. Download the Connecting Greeks app: https://connectinggreeks.com/app.html

We had a great time hanging out with author, filmmaker, director, writer, and all-around levendi Dannis Koromilas. We learned some amazing facts about our Greek history and our people's plight, but still had a few laughs along the way. Sit back with us as we get to know Dannis! https://panmessinian.ca/​ https://greeceyearzero.com/​ Download the free Connecting Greeks app!

What a pleasure to have had the amazing Leon Logothetis on our show! His inspiring and hopeful message to the world gave us such a necessary and welcome feeling and we anticipate his word spreading everywhere! Before Leon became a global adventurer, TV host, motivational speaker, and best-selling author, he was living an uninspired and disconnected life as a broker in London. On the outside, it looked like he had it all. But inside, he was chronically depressed. He decided to do something radical about it – give it all up for a life on the road. He embarked on an adventure around the globe, fueled by the receiving and giving of kindness. On his journey, he found the essence of humanity and learned about the bonds that connect people worldwide. Through kindness, he discovered that when we start to compare ourselves by our similarities instead of our differences, we start to create a brighter future. For over a decade, he has traveled to over 100 countries and to every continent. He's documented his experiences through his best-selling books and TV shows. Leon has devoted his life to inspiring the world with his message of kindness and hope. This is best shown through his Netflix series “The Kindness Diaries.” He's worked with many well-being brands and companies to ignite a spark of love, adventure, and humanity into their message and expand their global awareness. When he's not making TV shows and writing books, he's traveling around the world, speaking to schools and businesses about the power of kindness, compassion, and empathy. Leon's goal is to always make a positive impact with his work and content. Leon is also the founder of Winston Entertainment, a travel/adventure television production company that produces content that highlights the good in humanity. leonlogothetis.com You can also download the free Connecting Greeks app!

Join us as we chat with the multi-talented Anna Rezan! Anna was born in Athens, Greece, to a lawyer, who wanted to become an actress and to a federal judge who wanted to become a director. She is of Greek American Jewish (from her maternal grandparents), Spanish, Polish, and Greek from Izmir and Crete descent. Rezan grew up in Athens, Greece and began acting as a child on the stage of a Club Med while on family vacation, where she made her stage debut in the hotel's theatrical(musical) shows. She appeared in many more productions through her early teens but at the age of 8 she had already decided that she wanted to make acting, her career. She enrolled in dance studies at the age of 4.The story is that she was staging theatrical plays with friends after school and directed her first short film at the age of 9, using her father's video camera in an attempt to persuade her parents to allow her to become an actress. Her parents were supportive but didn't love the idea and they revealed their own artistic endeavors to her when she was 17. She began her career in her early teens by appearing in films and television series, most notably starring in the 2010 comedy film "ShowBitch". Her first international feature film co-starring role was in "La commedia di Amos Poe", that premiered in the 2010 Venice Film Festival.Her debut song "Let there be rain" was released internationally in 2011 and in 2016 her song "Let there be Love" was released internationally by Universal Music Group. In 2017 she co-starred in "Dance Fight Love Die - With Mikis Theodorakis on the Road" by Asteris Koutoulas which premiered in Hof International Film Festival to rave reviews. Her directorial debut, "The Greek Holocaust", is a documentary about the Jews of Greece during World War II, produced by her, Zafeiris Haitidis and Academy Award winners Mitchell Block and Kim Magnusson. instagram.com/annarezanhappy facebook.com/annarezanhappy imdb.com/title/tt8159912

Talk about a great episode! We had renaissance man Harry Sideropoulos all the way from South Africa. Harry is an award-winning stage actor, singer, voice-over artist, speaker, business man and foodie, celebrating over 20 years on stage. He started his public career many years ago on 94, 7 Highveld Stereo's Rude Awakening Breakfast Show and soon became an integral part of the show for 6 successful years, before resigning to focus solely on his career on stage. Since then, Harry's has performed and produced a multitude of shows in his home-town Johannesburg as well as frequent appearances in America and Canada. He loves comedy and loves to sing jazz and blues and is the recipient of 3 Naledi Theatre Awards with a further 2 Naledi Theatre Award nominations for his work on stage. More recently Harry has launched his brand of unique pop-up entertainment experiences around the country. He's mad about food, but never wanted to run a full time restaurant, instead he creates pop-up culinary experiences for the corporate and private market, fusing both his passion for food and his love of entertaining. Harry is also a very sought after MC with a unique approach to his entertaining. With his deep, gravelly voice, he becomes your event ring master, combining his MC duties with comedy, song, audience interaction with playful frivolity, making his guests feel as though they've spent an evening entertained by a friend. Harry can also be booked as a key-note speaker for corporate companies, using his skills as a performer and a comic to fuel thought, encourage dialogue and to bring down the house with laughter with his very unique, larger than life personality. The Sunday Times newspaper has said of Harry “Tasting his food and experiencing his entertainment in his signature raspy voice – live, should be on everyone's bucket list.” And The Star Newspaper wrote “He's hysterically funny! He sings like a raunchy angel and dances like a Broadway butterfly” facebook.com/harry.sideropoulos instagram.com/harry_sideropoulos tastymoments.life

Dena Romios is the founder of Power Muse Productions, a Los Angeles based production company bringing Greek entertainment to the west coast since its launch in 2012. Power Muse Productions continues to bring Greece's finest entertainers to the United States with their primary goal being to produce live performances spotlighting the most highly recognized performers in the Greek entertainment industry. Join us in getting to know more about Dena! powermuseproductions.com

We hung out with the amazing and inspiring Johnny Birmpilis. After arriving in Toronto about a year ago, Johnny Birmpilis (5-0-0, 2KOs) has taken the Canadian middleweight division by storm, defeating domestic rivals Larone Whyte (4-3-0, 3KOs) and Justin Blades (3-2-0, 3KOs) to solidify his place in the Canadian fight scene. Birmpilis fought as an amateur in Greece, entering the punch-for-pay game against Evangelos Chatzis (1-1-0) almost exactly three years ago in Athens. In 2018, Birmpilis turned his attention abroad, hoping to find more fights in the great white north. In Canada, he hooked up with Lee Baxter Promotions and the rest is history. The Greek prospect has boxed in Toronto and is now in Los Angeles. Keep an eye on him, you'll be hearing great things from Johnny! instagram.com/johnny_birmpilis facebook.com/Ioannis-johnny-the-greek-Birmpilis

We sat with Lazo Ioannidis, a Lyra virtuoso with a profound love of the melodic sounds of this ancient instrument, who has played with people like Glykeria, Alkaios, Pavlo, and even on Eurovision, and has gained a following throughout Europe, Asia and North America. Join us as we chat with Lazo! lazomusic.net

The amazing and supremely talented singer Stephanie Kacoyanis joins us on Connecting Greeks to chat about her life & career, and what a career she has! A quick bio: Critically-acclaimed contralto Stephanie Kacoyanis has been praised for her “majestic tone” (ArtsFuse), “vocal brilliance” and "spiritually rich performance" (Boston Musical Intelligencer). She is gaining recognition as an accomplished interpreter of opera, oratorio, and contemporary repertoire. Most recently, Stephanie appeared as Queen Mary in the world premiere of Arnold Rosner's The Chronicle of Nine (Odyssey Opera) under the baton of Gil Rose. The Boston Globe described her performance as "the standout moment of the evening", and there's so much more! Please visit her links below: stephaniekacoyanis.com loreleiensemble.com/holiday