Second Chances

Veteran filmmaker Julia Verdin is a multi hyphenate – she is known as accomplished producer, award-winning Director and has written a number of screenplays. She is also the founder of Artists for Change, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to create high impact film, television, and multimedia projects to inspire individuals, organizations, and communities to bring about positive social change. Having been in the film business for 30 years, Julia has established herself as one of Hollywood's leading independent producers, with over 33 critically acclaimed feature films produced to date.  She founded and has been running Rough Diamond Productions since 1995. Currently in post-production is THE UNWILLING starring Dina Meyer, Lance Henriksen and Jake Thomas, and 7 SECONDS directed By Jeffrey Obrow, starring Dwight Yoakam and Christopher Lloyd. Julia's films have been selected for many major film festivals including Sundance, Toronto, Venice, AFI, Raindance, Vancouver International and London. Julia is also known as a leading educator in film: her book SUCCESS IN FILMS, a guide to developing, funding, producing, and marketing indie films is on many college syllabuses around the world and has helped many filmmakers.  Julia is passionate about raising awareness on key social issues through the powerful medium of film and encourages filmmakers to think about making content that contributes to a better world.

Vernon Davis is a former American football tight end. The 15-year NFL veteran played for the San Francisco 49ers, the Denver Broncos, and the Washington Football Team. Even during his playing days, Vernon had his eyes on an acting career. He has already appeared in blockbuster movies such as Baywatch, as well as Hell on the Border. Davis was a celebrity contestant on Dancing with the Stars and serves regularly as a TV Host. Vernon exercises his producing skills by founding not one but two production companies, Reel 85 and Between the Lines Productions. Off the field, Davis navigates through the worlds of entrepreneurship and philanthropy. He created the Vernon Davis Foundation, which services at-risk youth of all interests and demographics.

Cara Lunsford began her nurse career in pediatric oncology at Children's Hospital Los Angeles in 2008. She first discovered an interest in oncology when she worked as a sign language interpreter at Cal State Northridge, interpreting the Biology of Cancer class two semesters in a row. It was that class that put her on her path to become a nurse. As a nurse she witnessed, and experienced first hand, the level of burnout that was happening in the profession. She worked with her co-workers to create the first Supportive Care Committee aimed at providing a safe and supportive place for caregivers to cope with the stress of their job. Life eventually took Cara into a variety of other nurse professions, including home health, infusion nursing, hospice, private duty and a Director of Nursing role at a concierge home health in Los Angeles. With a wide variety of experience under her belt, she noticed that there were many pain points in the industry; nurses were in need of a supportive community and companies needed help with retention and recruiting. As Cara was driving to see one of her many home health patients, an idea came to her: a piece of technology that would not only improve retention and recruiting efforts for healthcare companies but would also create a supportive community for nurses. On this day, HOLLIBLU was born. A company that is dedicated to building a vibrant community where nurses THRIVE, because when nurses thrive, so does the industry in which they serve.

Christine Peake is a model, writer, publicist, comedian and single mother. She  was born in the North of England and moved to London at the age of 19 and pursued a successful career in modeling for 10 years and also wrote for the top two newspapers in England.  She moved to Los Angeles and founded peakPRgroup, representing celebrities, brands and producing events. In 2020 she entered the world of comedy and had been performing with some of the country's best  comedians. She resides in Santa Monica and is the mother to her 22 year old son Oliver. 

Asher Gottesman is a spiritual entrepreneur, human connection coach and Rabbi in Southern California. Asher was 33 when he lost his multi-million-dollar business, with the resulting bankruptcy destroying what little self-worth he had as a provider to his family – he had hit rock-bottom. Asher found his road to recovery through the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous. The experience marked the debut of an odyssey of self-discovery, trading ego for vulnerability, and leaving the pursuit of pleasure for the pursuit of meaning. Asher decidedly dedicated the rest of his career to helping others help themselves “restore wholeness” in their lives.

A tireless advocate for long-term recovery, Tim Ryan is no stranger to addiction. Despite a successful business career, Tim found himself in the grips of heroin and, ultimately, was sentenced to seven years in prison for drug-related convictions. Tim got clean and sober behind bars. 

Christine is the Producer and Host of the weekly storytelling podcast Story Worthy… celebrating 11 years in July. And she is also creator and host of the game show, Story Smash the Storytelling Game Show, now played WEEKLY streaming on Facebook and YouTube at 7pm PST Friday nights. She also produces a monthly storytelling show, The Story Worthy Hour of Power, at Flappers Comedy Club, the third Sunday of every month. Find out more at StoryWorthyPodcast.com

Considered one of LA’s finest vocal coaches, Katie Riggs has been teaching voice for over twenty-one years. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Katie grew up at the knee of arguably the most distinguished and successful voice teacher in the business, her father Seth Riggs. His voice training has worked for many of the world’s best singers. It’s been studied by over 200 Grammy winners, including Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Cher, Tina Turner, Josh Groban, Barbara Streisand, Ray Charles, Diana Ross, Julio Iglesias, Michael Bolton, Luther Vandross, and Madonna. Working side-by-side with her father has earned Katie a lifetime of training. It’s given her extraordinary vocal insight, extensive knowledge and instincts second to none.  Katie's clients include Ozzy Osbourne, Brian Wilson (Beach Boys), Dua Lipa, Tobey Maguire, Tiffany Haddish, Bert Kreischer, Bobby Lee, and countless others.

Paul Costabile is a host, comedian, writer, producer and entertainment reporter. He is the newest face on Universal Kids as the host of the iconic revival of Beat The Clock. He also appears on daily segments on NBC's New York Live and is the host of Doodle Wars on NBC’s digital network Bluprint. Most recently, Paul interviewed the band One Republic for The Netflix/NBCU series Once in a Lifetime Sessions and is a brand ambassador and face for Universal Kids. 

“From Life in a Maze, to an Amazing Life” best describes De’Juan “DJ” Verrett. On February 6, 1990 DJ Verrett was arrested on drug charges at the age of 19, and was sentenced to 19 ½ years of imprisonment.  After serving 16 years 10 months and 3 days in some of America’s most notorious federal prisons DJ Verrett was released on November 1, 2006. The day he was released DJ Verrett made the decision to change everything about him. 

JF Harris is a former NY now LA based stand up comic and writer.  You may have seen his stand up on the Late Late Show with James Corden or Bill Burr presents The Ringers on Comedy Central.  JF has written for big stars like Will Smith and shows like Netflix's Magic For Humans.  He tours regularly in arenas with his good friends The Impractical Jokers.  JF also headlines clubs around the world from Hong Kong to Australia, the US and Canada.  He's been part of the NY Comedy Fest, the Kennedy Centers District of Laughs, Just For Laughs Road Shows, Wild West Comedy Festival, Guild's Laugh Fest and many more. If you are in NY you can probably catch him at the Comedy Cellar or NY Comedy Club and if you are visiting Los Angeles hosting Workshop, a new material show at the World Famous Comedy Store the last Tuesday of every month.  JF is also regularly at the Comedy & Magic Club, The Laugh Factory, and the Hollywood Improv.

Kyle Joachim is a third-generation Presbyterian pastor, a recovering alcoholic, and a compulsive people-pleasing do-gooder.   After working with Middle Eastern refugee youth in Berlin, Kyle moved to Los Angeles to study theology at Fuller Seminary.  He served at churches in Hollywood and The Valley, but then took a break from church work to get some sobriety and perspective.  Kyle helped run his father-in-law’s construction business before pivoting back to Christian ministry.   He has now served as the pastor at Silverlake Community Church since 2018.  His church is dedicated to bringing healing to the hurt in their community by meeting the needs of the local unhoused, supporting recovery and social wellness groups, and helping people find hope through God’s promises and the teachings of Jesus. 

Gregg Adams’s life was forever changed in 2015 with the death of his wife, Leslie, from a long-time battle with Lupus. He became a single parent to his teenage son Tyler, who during this same time was also diagnosed with Type I Diabetes.  How he successfully dealt with these hardships and challenges eventually led to Gregg becoming an empowering and inspirational speaker to colleges, police departments, and businesses. In his talks, he shares his incredible story and describes the step-by-step process he used for persevering and overcoming adversity when faced with life’s crossroads.

Jennifer Gimenez is an American model, actress, reality television personality, and addiction recovery advocate. She has appeared in music videos for Tupac Shakur, Babyface and Mick Jagger, in films such as Blow, Vanilla Sky, and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, and on TV shows such as The Bold and the Beautiful and Karen Sisco. She ranked 77 on Maxim magazine's 2001 Hot 100 list. She has appeared as the sober living House Manager for the VH1 reality television series, Sober House, a spinoff of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, on which she has appeared as a rehab technician at the Pasadena Recovery Center. She has also been featured on Bravo’s Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as a “friend” of full-time cast member Brandi Granville from seasons 2–5. 

Tamer began his comedy career in Los Angeles and New York, but very quickly began to tour internationally. His over-seas experiences include tours for the troops in Afghanistan, performing at the American University in Cairo (during the Egyptian revolution) and the Edinburgh fringe in Scotland, where he received three 4 star reviews from international press. He was most recently featured on Seth Rogen’s Hilarity for Charity event with Todd Glass and Hannibal Buress, won the 2015 World Series of Comedy, in 2017 won his episode of Comedy Knockout on truTV, 2019 won “Best of Fest” at Big Pine Comedy Festival & 3 weeks later won The Portland Comedy Festival. He has TV & Radio credits on BBC and SkyTV in the UK as well as in the U.S. on Fox, HULU, Netflix, Amazon & truTV.

Jeff Greenstein is a television writer, producer, and director known for his work on Friends, Will and Grace, Desperate Housewives, and countless others. Jeff was one of the writers on the Charmings. After that, he worked on Dream On for five seasons, before becoming a writer on the show Friends. He was the co-creator and co-showrunner of Partners  and also created, produced, wrote for, and was the showrunner on Getting Personal. He was the head writer and showrunner for Will and Grace and also wrote, executive produced and directed for Desperate Housewives.  Jeff is a member of the Writers Guild of America and Directors Guild of America.  He grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and graduated from Tufts University with a major in film and dance.

Megan Holiday has been obsessed with music for as long as she can remember and her record collection varies from Motown and The Beatles to Nirvana and Post Malone. Megan always had a love affair with listening to radio and it was when she first attended a local radio summer concert in college that she realized she could harness that passion into a career.

This episode is different from the past ones. Instead of focusing on our guests' life stories, we focused on one particular event in their lives: Near Death Experiences. Tom Wells and Ken Cross tell their stories of seeing the other side.

Matt Gallagher (comedian, actor, storyteller) has performed thousands of shows in comedy clubs all over New York and Los Angeles and is currently a regular on the Sunset Strip, at the world famous Comedy Store and at The Dojo of Comedy. A Stumble in the Woods, his "sober stand-up special you have to see" (Genius Recovery), is available on Amazon Prime.

Dawn Ritz is an international costume designer, stylist and conceptual artist who interweaves seamlessly between the worlds of music, film, television, commercials, fashion and art. She creates an alchemy of textures, fabrics and emotion across her characters elevating the power of their transformative journeys across multiple mediums be it, live performance, conceptual editorial or abstract experimental landscapes.

Greg Roque is a screenwriter and accomplished stand-up comedian residing in the Los Angeles area. He’s been featured on Comedy Central’s Roast Battle II and is the 2017 winner of the Uncle Clyde’s Comedy Contest at Flapper’s Comedy Club as well as a finalist in The US Comedy Contest.

Uzette Salazar is radio personality, producer and TV host. She was the producer and on air personality of the popular radio show Sara & Vinnie on Alice 97.3, co host with Don Bleu on Star 101.3, and worked for numerous other radio stations. She Currently, does segments for KOFY TV-20 and voicetracks for Hall of Fame Music Radio.

Danny Boy O'Connor is a rapper, hip hop artist, founding member of the rap group House of Pain, current member of the hip hop supergroup La Coka Nostra, creator of the Delta Bravo Urban Exploration Team, and owner of The Outsiders House Museum.

Abby Roberge, born Abbyram Roberge is an extremely talented and popular comedian who has been making everyone laugh. He has built a name for himself in the L.A. scene, regularly performing at The Comedy Store and Laugh Factory. In 2016, videos of his stand-up and sketches were viewed over 100 million times. He has performed at Just For Laughs Northwest, toured with Bill Burr, Bob Saget, Steve-O, and many more. As an actor, Abby has played in a major NBC pilot and just wrapped a guest-starring role on MODERN FAMILY.

You probably know Rosalee Mayeux from the cult classic The Lawnmower Man with Pierce Brosnan. A high-fashion Ford model in New York and Paris the 80’s, Rosalee moved to Los Angeles and played the quintessential mom in over 300 movies, commercials, and TV shows on ABC, NBC, CBS, Nickelodeon. Rosalee won The Columbine Writers Award for non-violent conflict resolution at the Moondance International Film Festival 2005 for not killing her sons’ drug dealer in the short, Coyote Nights. Catch her standup comedy at clubs all around Los Angeles, and watch her in the new YouTube series: Comedy Girls Road Trip with Jessica Wellington.

Matt Pinfield is an American music personality, TV host and radio DJ best known as a video deejay on MTV and VH1. Pinfield also worked as a Vice President of A&R and Artist Development for Columbia Records.

Joe Manganiello is an actor, director, producer, and Emmy Award-winning narrator. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and during high school, he was captain of the football, basketball and volleyball teams. He went on to play varsity level in all three. It was during school that he enjoyed making films with his friends and, as a result, became interested in acting. He went on to study acting at Carnegie Mellon, after which he moved to Los Angeles. He landed a great first job as 'Flash Thompson' in Spider-Man (2002). He is also known for his roles as the werewolf Alcide Herveaux on the HBO series True Blood, and as Big Dick Richie in the Magic Mike films, as well as countless others. Joe is married to actress Sofia Vergara.

Alexandra Rose shares her journey of how she went from being a junkie to being an entertainment lawyer. After battling a heroin addiction, she got sober at the age of 19 and has been unstoppable ever since. She dropped out of high school at 16, got her GED, moved away from Massachusetts, got sober in Orange County, attended UCLA, graduated law school, and passed the bar exam just recently on her first attempt. Alexandra is also an open lesbian and talks about her scary and surprising coming-out story. Today, with 11 years of sobriety, she works for one of the top music law firms in the country. Alex considers her life’s purpose is to inspire people to achieve their goals and to never give up. How that new purpose manifests is anyone’s guess, but we know it will be as inspirational as she is.

Gerry Pass is a Producer and President of Chrome Entertainment in Los Angeles, established in 2013. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts, he began his career at Paramount Pictures in NYC then moved to Walt Disney working for studio icons Gordon Weaver, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Dick Cook, Michael Eisner and Arlene Ludwig on many movies including TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS, A CHORUS LINE and KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN.

The beautiful and talented Bobbie Brown was spotted in a mall in 1987 and said yes to entering the Miss Louisiana Teen USA Competition. After winning the pageant, Bobbie went on to star in 9 music videos, the most famous being “Cherry Pie” by Warrant. Chasing the Hollywood Dream, the actress and model won the spokesperson competition on Star Search 13 consecutive times and has 16 filmography credits. Most recently, Bobbie has authored two books, Dirty Rocker Boys and Cherry on Top, and has a podcast called “The Bobbie N’ Sharise Sweet and Sour Hour”. She has her own memorabilia website and you can catch her live on stage doing stand up comedy in Los Angeles, usually at The Dojo. She is very funny and has recently headlined The Shindig Show.

Jason's uniquely Yankee American upbringing as an adopted Korean kid in Mr. Roger's white picket fence neighborhood of New Boston, New Hampshire gave him a distinctive "slant" on life, now put to hilarious use in his stand-up routines. The self-proclaimed "Caucasian Asian" put it this way in his "Go pahk yah cah" wicked-thick New England accent, "I created the show to incorporate all kinds of comedians. I wanted to stay away from an all Asian-, white-, black-, purple-, blue-themed show." American Me Comedy, is an evening of the best standup comedy featuring today's hottest working comics from all walks of life—race, color, religion, sexual orientation—sharing their unique and hilarious perspectives on life experiences. Catch the show monthly at the Hollywood Improv and San Jose Improv and periodically at the Punch Line San Francisco.

Actor/comedian Darrell Hammond fondly recalls his first taste of show business at age five practicing the impressions of his family members on the porch of their home in Melbourne Florida. It wasn’t many years later when Darrell realized he wanted to submerse himself in the pursuit of bringing his comedy and impressions to a much bigger stage. For years now, Hammond has brought to life a cavalcade of politicians, media figures, celebrities and newsmakers on television. Darrell is known for being one of the most prolific comedians of his time. He holds the title for being the longest-running cast member on SNL. He frequently tours comedy clubs and theaters boasting a number of brilliant impressions in his act that keep people laughing nationwide.

ANT, Former co-host of Second Chances Podcast returns to the show to catch us up on what’s going on in his life and career. Since leaving the cast, he continues to slay on stage, help others in comedy and recovery, and work for a better world battling addiction by starting a company, Continued Compliance.

Mark Brazill is an American stand-up comic, television creator and executive producer. He is most well known as being the co-creator of the FOX situation comedy That '70s Show which aired for eight seasons, and continues to be a large part of the American pop-culture zeitgeist. Mark was also a consulting producer and later a producer of NBC's 3rd Rock from the Sun. Early in his career, he was an uncredited writer for the video game film adaptation Double Dragon, mainly for the comedy.

A regular panel member on NPR's Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me, Alonzo Bodden has been making audiences around the country laugh for more than 20 years. In his stand-up special, Heavy Lightweight, which streams on Amazon Prime Video, he presents a range of topics from slavery, cell phones, and the #MeToo movement, to millennials, Kanye West and Taco Bell. As he says, "he likes to mix it up and hopes that audiences will join him for a laugh and a think, or two."  Last year, Alonzo released his fifth comedy CD titled Man Overboard, and currently hosts the podcast Who's Paying Attention? where he gives his unique take on what's going on in the world.

Jimmy Shin joins Greg Baldwin as the co-host of Second Chances Podcast! Jimmy has been Mixing his musical and comedic talents all of his life. After graduating from California Western School of Law, Jimmy decided to take a more humorous path. While in Seattle, Jimmy won the honor of "Rookie Comedian of the Year" in the Seattle International Comedy Competition in 2005 and was advised by Ron Reid (The Producer of the competition) to move to Los Angeles. Although urged by his parents to become a lawyer, Jimmy decided to take a leap of faith and pursue his dreams of becoming a comic in LA. After moving to Los Angeles, Jimmy has been performing all around the country and producing shows at The World Famous Comedy Store. He has performed regularly at the Improv, Laugh Factory and The Comedy Store. His break came when he performed three times on The Tonight Show. His parents finally acknowledged that he was a real Comedian when they saw him perform on The Tonight Show and began supporting his decision to pursue a career in Entertainment. He has also appeared on the HBO Series "LUCK", The Carson Daly New Year's Special 2015, the Netflix movie Silencer and most recently has released his One Hour comedy Special "Wok of Shame " out now on Amazon Prime Video! Come take a Wok on the Wild Side with Jimmy Shin.

Greg Baldwin, Cecilie Korst, and Charlene Goto get together in the studio and talk about the podcast, what it takes, and a little about Cecilie (which she finds totally unnerving because she prefers working behind the scenes). Second Chances is celebrating 90 episodes and is moving on to a slightly different format with a new co-host and more comedians. All three of us have loved the guests, co-hosts, and subjects, and we hope all of our listeners continue to enjoy the show!

Charlene Goto is a San Francisco native and has been working in market 4 since 2002 and is the owner of Go-To Productions, a creative services production company, specializing in producing quality audio content and entertainment through radio shows, podcasts & live broadcast events. A Television & Radio graduate of San Francisco State University, she got her start in broadcasting as a Production Assistant for the cable channel G4 TV, while also working on the award-nominated programs  CyberCrime & Tech Live. She began her venture into radio with an internship on “The Sarah & Vinnie Morning Show”, a top-rated morning show on CBS Radio in San Francisco. She parlayed her internship into becoming the San Francisco Affiliate Producer for “The Howard Stern Show” on Live105 FM, and then became the co-producer of “The Sarah & No Name Show”, as well as Programming Coordinator for Alice@97.3. In 2008, she moved on to work with Westwood One & Metro Networks (Now iHeartMedia’s Total Traffic Network) as a news & traffic producer for morning drive, covering the Northern California Region. In 2012, she worked with The RadioSlot Media Network, serving as Executive Producer of Programming & Co-Network Director. She helped to launch RadioSlot Productions, developing new programming, talent and events. She is currently the Executive Producer for the nationally syndicated radio program “The Straight Male Friend Show with Marcus Osborne & Friends”. In 2013 she Co-Founded the digital media company Breathe Entertainment. There she served as VP of Programming, managing hosts and developing new content and talent for the digital station known as Breathe Radio.

In the fourth grade, Olivia used to stare out the window of her second-story classroom and daydream. Her teacher declared that she would be a writer. He was right. Born in Quebec City, educated in Montreal and brought to maturity in Los Angeles, Olivia has worked as a freelance writer, translator, art gallery curator, and retail manager. In 2014 she quit a good corporate job and moved to Thailand to finish her novel. Today she works as a French-speaking tour guide and lives the globetrotting life of a digital nomad. In her downtime, she can be found in remote parts of the world working on new manuscripts and the occasional short story.

Doug and Christine Fekete have an encouraging story of reconciliation.  They were married for almost 20 years, divorced for eight, and have recently reconciled.  Their journey begins when they met in college and continued in Nashville, TN, London, England, and includes four birth children AND four adopted children. Christine is a writer, actor, abstract artist and comic in the LA area.  She is also the founder of THINK HAPPY STUFF- a gift company with a logo that reminds us that even the little things can make a big difference.  Doug is the business director of THINK HAPPY STUFF and is helping to grow the company here in L.A. Throughout the divorce and time apart, Doug and Christine were able to remain friends and partners in raising their large and colorful family.  Their story reminds us that grace runs deep and there are indeed, many second chances to be found.

Joumana Kidd is an actress and journalist and former wife of retired NBA basketball star Jason Kidd. She has hosted shows for NBA television, E Television’s Extra, and has covered various Red carpet events including The Grammys and Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame ceremonies.  After a very public divorce, Joumana was invited as a guest analyst on a variety of news programs and morning shows. Joumana co-stars in the VH1 Reality Series “Let's Talk About Pep.” She also appeared multiple times on Bethenny as a guest commentator and had her own show on NET TV (Catholic Cable TV Network) called Women on Women (WOW). She currently lives in Southern California with her children. Joumana is known in social circles as “the husband whisperer,” helping other women and couples in their relationships, offering spiritual and practical advice.

As a satirical comedic innovator, Jeff Hilliard’s provocative point of view on the dark, twisted reality of modern-day society proves his creativity knows no bounds. His controversial music videos have garnered millions of views and recently been promoted by the likes of Charlie Sheen, Russell Brand, and Tommy Lee. Hilliard's film credits include opening Paul Schrader's Dog Eat Dog film starring Nicolas Cage and Willem Defoe.  He also played the main antagonist officer Banks in Bernard Rose's award-winning film Frankenstein starring Danny Huston, Carrie-Anne Moss, Xavier Samuel, and Tony Todd.

Jacob Kilborn is a stand-up comic and musician originally from Perris California. He's inspired by George Carlin, Bill Hicks, and Richard Pryor. He has performed at The Comedy Store can be found often at The Dojo at Sycamore Tavern. 

Natalie Fikes, joined on the podcast by her friend Tina Strange, is a highly sought after speaker, coach, #1 Bestselling Author, and The World’s Greatest Emcee™. As a speaker, she has been trained by New York Times Bestselling Author and Inc 500/5000 five-time honoree- Suzanne Evans, Larry Winget- six-time New York Times Bestselling Author and the Pitbull of Personal Development™, as well as leadership guru John Maxwell and Motivational Speaker Lisa Nichols. In December 2017, Natalie won first place in the Gusty Speaker Live Speak Off, hosted by Vernice Armour – the first African American female naval aviator where she was acquired by Keppler Speakers. In 2018, she was named Orator of the Year by ACHI Magazine.  In 2013, Natalie founded Code Next Generation- a community organization that transitions youth to adulthood by maximizing their potential to walk in their purpose. In 2015, she was recognized as one of John Maxwell’s Top 100 Leaders for youth and families.  Natalie served the International Association of Women (IAW) formally known as the National Association of Women (NAPW) alongside Star Jones, as the Central Regional Manager and Atlanta Chapter President for 5 years. She was responsible for the leadership development and chapter engagement for over 20 Chapter Presidents and over 10,000 members.  Natalie volunteers every Monday at the City of Refuge where she teaches homeless women and those rescued from sex-trafficking that "homelessness does not mean hopelessness". Natalie is currently the CEO of The Total Package Consulting Group LLC- a personal and professional development company that helps leaders find, develop and use their voice to make a difference. She believes that we all have something to say that can significantly change our relationships, community and the world. 

Matty Staudt is a 27 year broadcasting vet. ​Having worked as a producer, consultant, and mentor throughout his career, Matty is now serving as VP of Podcast Programming for iHeartMedia. He talks about his journey with long-time friend and the host of Second Chances, Greg Baldwin.

Julie Kertes connects great brands with great people through celebrity and influencer events, editorial placement, focus groups and a consumer product awards program, the Hot Diggity Awards. She has extensive experience in marketing and communications, PR, non-profits, event planning and execution, and strategic partnerships.

Cory Reeder is a writer, director, producer and founder of Renaissance Man Productions. Since moving his company to Los Angeles in 2011, he has been creating music videos for Hayley Kiyoko, Seether, Martin Solveig, Of Mice & Men, Five Finger Death Punch, and more. In between music video productions, Cory is devoted to directing narrative stories. In 2014, while directing the award-winning short film Unlikely Temptations starring Nic Novicki, Reeder was educated on the lack of representation people with disabilities have in media. Since then he has focused his efforts on all forms of inclusion behind and in front of the camera. In 2016, his film Boxed Out won actress Diana Elizabeth Jordan the Best Actor Award from the Easter Seals Disability Film Challenge. In 2017, his entry: Best Friend, was nominated in all categories taking home two awards for Best Film and Audience Awareness Award. Cory is currently writing Best Friend into a feature-length screenplay and looking to have it produced this fall. Additional works in development are the indie feature Amboy and the sitcom Shenanigans.

Kerry Mondragon is an award-winning writer, director, and producer known for Da Sweet Blood of Jesus and Meet Me at a Funeral,  He was born in Arizona and raised in the Bay Area. He got his start in advertising, working on commercials for Fortune 100 tech companies until moving to Los Angeles, California,  in 2013.  He recently wrapped the feature film Tyger Tyger which he wrote, directed, and produced.

Greg tells the story of his life, addiction, sobriety, and being of service to others. Greg Baldwin is a comedian, actor and VO guy.  As an actor, Greg began his performance career in the 3rd grade with a hit rendition of Greased Lightning in the school talent show.  He has been hooked ever since.   A natural comedian, Greg performs in comedy clubs throughout Los Angeles and was a member of The Actors Theater of San Francisco. He has been the lead in 5 theatrical productions, acted in over 15 short films, and has voiced commercials for PlayStation, Van’s, Kenneth Cole, Volkswagen, CBS Radio, and iHeartMedia, Inc.  

Willie Macc has quickly come a long way as a member of young black Hollywood since first becoming known to a national television audience as the funny man on BET's extremely popular “College Hill Virgin Islands” in 2007. He has become one of the few Reality TV stars to make the transition from Reality TV to that of a working actor in Hollywood. He has been quite busy since his "graduation" from College Hill. Once he relocated back to Los Angeles from the Virgin Islands, he continued his small-screen run by appearing on multiple episodes of CSI, as well as Journeyman, 106th and Park and Take the Cake. He has also appeared in several national and regional commercials including Subway, Honda, Taco Bell, Pump Water in New Zealand and most recently, Olive Garden. Willie Macc's big-screen break came with his appearance in the 2008 comedy spoof "Meet the Spartans" where he played a "Yo Mama" joke cracking opponent of the Spartan army. In his second film, "House Arrest", Willie Macc co-stars as the Chris Tucker-like side-kick in the “Friday"-like direct to home entertainment comedy. Cited as a "modern-day Eddie Murphy”, Willie Macc continues his destiny to stardom with two additional roles, one being in the action/comedy, "Chicago Pulaski Jones", and the other being "The Greatest Song”. He can also soon be seen on the small screen in a recurring role in the upcoming television show, "Friends and Lovers: Ski Trip 2". Both an actor and comedian, Willie Macc made his first professional stand-up comedy debut at the famous BB King’s at Universal Walk in Los Angeles on July 31, 2007. He continues to hone his comic skills by performing stand-up comedy routines in and around Los Angeles for both teen and adult audiences. A lover of sketch comedy in particular, he has developed a sketch comedy TV pilot with Barry Floyd and Jonathan Kite. Willie Macc cites Bernie Mac, Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy as his role models. He spells his name with two c's, so it would not be too confusing with Bernie Mac. But like Bernie Mac, Willie Macc aspires to one day have his own TV show.

Noel has over 25 years of experience in sales, media, marketing, and partner development. Before founding GroundSwell Group, Noel held senior leadership positions at CBS Radio, KNBR radio, and World Cup Soccer. Dedicated to philanthropic causes, he was awarded Man of the Year by Hope and Heroes Children’s Cancer Hospital, and founded Noel’s Heroes, a non-profit that inspires high school and college cancer survivors. Noel grew up Los Angeles and earned a B.A in Business & Economics from U.C Santa Barbara.