Heart on My Sleeve: A podcast with Susie Cohen

Susie sits down with Jami Blumenstein to talk about life, love and loss. Jami grew up on Mercer Island, WA and later raised her family there. She attended various colleges ultimately landing jobs in LA in the entertainment industry. As a college student she had her first encounter with her future husband, whom she married TWICE! Jami shares the story of her relationship, running a kids' talent agency, raising her family and losing her husband to cancer. Jami's most recent passion is as a coach for the Sparkle cheer program, connecting typical kids who are cheerleaders with special needs students. Jami's bright, joyous attitude shines in this episode!

Rachel Goldsmith is an artist based in Brooklyn, NY. She is a creator through and through. Rachel talks about her creative process, her love for teaching children, how daily hula hooping is therapeutic for her and how she knows when a piece of artwork is finished. She shares a hilarious story of creating a mural that is one of her most treasured works of art. She also talks about the concept of "play" and how her new venture brings this concept to families.

Art Shop

Rachel Goldsmith - Art & Prints for Sale | Artsy

@artistrachelg

David Check is a multiple Emmy award winning producer who has had an astonishing career in storytelling. Susie and Dave, who she calls "Check", talk about his traumatic childhood that inspired his motivation for his success, his big break at NBC sports, his 9-year job at the NBA, his 17-year role as executive producer at MLB sports and now his current company called Checkpoint Productions. He shares some of his favorite interviews and sports moments, talks about having passion, being a competitive person, and how proud he is to be a father to his daughter Sofia. Please listen and "check" out the links below to some of his work. Truly inspiring!

Check Point Productions

David Check - Biography - IMDb

Watch Leavenworth Online: Stream Full Series on STARZ

Prime Video: Aces: The ATP No.1 Club - Season 01

“9/11: United We Stand - 25 Years Later” | Sept. 1 on ABC | Official Trailer

Michael Jordan - Come Fly With Me 1989

Jamie Pearl always had a creative calling. At 29, she is living out her dream as a freelance photographer in NYC. Susie and Jamie talk about Jamie finding photography after trying many artistic outlets as a child, her journey and mental health challenges in college, moving to NYC to pursue her a career in photography and the realization of how difficult the climb to success is. Jamie shares concrete advice for others looking to pursue a career in this field and expresses gratitude for the opportunities she now has.

@jamiepixx

Josh Eastern is a 29-year-old play-by-play sports broadcaster and the son of one of Susie's best friends. Susie and Josh talk about how he chose his career path and the steps he took to become successful in a very competitive field. Josh shares his personal story of coming out as gay to his family and then publicly in a career not typically dominated by gay males. Josh's passion for his career and his love for the life he is leading shines through in this conversation.

Rachel Schwartz DeVito is a therapist who specializes in anxiety disorders and is one of Susie's closest childhood friends. Susie and Rachel talk about growing up together in Plainview, NY and the different imaginary games they invented. Rachel shares her personal struggle with panic disorder that onset her senior year of high school and how she had trouble grieving her mother's death because of her mental health. Rachel goes deep on what anxiety is and how she helps her patients deal with it. She talks about being in an interfaith marriage, how her purpose in life is to help others and how gratitude is helpful in dealing with mental health.

Rachel Schwartz Psychotherapy | Anxiety Disorder Treatment

We are thrilled that Susie's 82-year-old uncle, David Landau, joined Susie for a candid conversation about his life, his philosophy and his values. David is a great storyteller who recounts growing up in simpler times, being drafted into the army during the Vietnam War, entering the job market and raising a family. He shares tips on how to be an investor and grow wealth, stories about family trips and thoughts on the state of the world today. The close relationship Susie has with her uncle shines in this episode.

Emma Willoughby Gray, a Harvard graduate and online influencer, is a self-described "sober party girl". As a teenager in high school in New York City, she began using drugs. Listen as she shares with Susie how her daily addiction began with marijuana, transitioned to other drugs and how her life became dark and depressive. She candidly talks about getting caught cheating at Harvard, going to rehab and finding joy and power in becoming her authentic self without the "armor" of addiction. Emma talks about the strong friendships and community in the world of social media influencers, her love of fashion, sports and being an inspiration for those who are recovering from addiction.

Insta: @emmawilloughbyg

Susie interviews Josh Sloan and his wife Haley to discuss loss, grief and legacy. Josh's parents, Michelle and Marc Sloan, were Susie and Stephen's dear friends. Their deaths, only 3 years apart, were devastating to their children. Listen as Josh shares memories of his mom, her illness, her generous and stubborn nature and the qualities he sees in himself. Josh and Haley talk about meeting each other, how they protect and support each other, how they are grounded in Jewish values, and how honoring the legacy of their family is top of mind each day. Josh shares how he sees a lot of himself in his dad and how his twins bring joy to him and Haley every day. Grab some tissues!

Bailey Taylor is a self-made girl boss. At 31, she has built a name and a brand for herself called "IT GIRL" through grit, determination and fearlessness. Listen as she describes her trajectory to Susie. Determined to be in the fashion industry from the time she was little, she pursued her dream after college in LA and then found her true calling with woman on the street interviews in NYC. Bailey shares insights into how to be a successful content creator, how being a helpful person in her industry has given her back tremendous opportunity and how being a brand is a 24/7 job. Be prepared to be impressed!

Insta: @baileyttaylor

Danielle Meyer's creativity was evident at an early age, but she never thought she would have her own business doing what she loves. Susie talks to this young entrepreneur about being a creative person, pursuing a career that never really felt like it fit and how she pivoted to build a jewelry brand. Danielle's company, Shop Spicy Dan, has grown because of her grit, determination and passion. Hear her advice for other entrepreneurs who are pursuing their dreams to own their own business, the challenges she's faced and what she sees for the future.

www.shopspicydan.com

Insta @shopspicydan

Susie sits down with Billy Poll, a Seattle native who works in commercial real estate. Billy shares the challenges he faced as an obese child whose parents struggled with their health and how his friends created a support system when he needed it. Billy is a tireless extrovert and athlete who enjoys competition on the pickleball court, tackling the ski slopes, biking and most other sports. He is constantly in motion, and his hard-wired positivity is contagious. Hear about how he defines success and what he values most in life.

Meet Sara Eizen, one of Susie's first friends in Seattle. Sara's life is unconventional and full of unexpected life-altering changes. She grew up in the Midwest as the youngest of 4 kids and pursued an education in design. Her life has been full of big moves-- to Seattle, through various careers and choosing motherhood. She shares stories of taking risks to get what she wants and adapting when life throws huge curve balls. Sara talks about finding out that one of her newborn twins has Downs Syndrome and how important the special needs community has been to their family. Her compassion and strength show through as she laughs and goes deep with Susie.

www.saraeizen.com

Ricky Strauss has an illustrious career in storytelling. He has marketed some of the most famous movies of all time. Listen as he and Susie go deep on his introspective processes, where he finds meaning in life and how he is grateful for the opportunities he has had, all while laughing and teasing each other. Ricky's impressions of Susie will have you laughing out loud as his charming personality shines through.

Ricky Strauss | LinkedIn

Meet Laurie Raisys, the owner of Island Books on Mercer Island, WA. Learn about Laurie's childhood growing up all over the world, the various careers she's had and why she bought the local bookstore. Hear about the challenges she faces as a local retail book seller in a town where Amazon is everywhere and why she feels she is a steward of the store on behalf of the community. Susie and Laurie relate on being a retail store owner and the importance of creating a place where customers are valued.

Home Page | Island Books

orders@islandbooks.com

Insta: @island.books

Susie is back in the studio. Jill and Susie talk about where they have been since last season wrapped and what is in store for the future. Their excitement is evident as they reunite and catch up on how they've changed, grown and what they hope for the coming year.

A note of gratitude from Susie and Jill.

For our Season 1 finale, Susie completes her family interviews with her style-influencer daughter Sophie, aka Soco. Susie and Sophie share stories of growing up with Susie as a mom, how fashion has always been a big part of Sophie's life and what it means to her now. She recounts how she grew into her style as she matured and built her confidence. Sophie gives a behind the scenes look at what the life of a fashion influencer is like, the challenges she faces and the ways she tries to find balance. She describes life in NYC, how she embraces living her best life in her 20s and how she manifested living her dream.

@stylewithsoco

@soco333

stylewithsoco@substack.com

(It took some convincing but...) Susie interviews Jill Friedman, the producer of Heart on My Sleeve podcast. Hear about Jill growing up as a middle child in her suburban Chicago home, how her childhood summers with her family at the lake became a legacy she shared with her own children, and how music is so much a part of her world from the time she was a kid. Learn why Jill became a civil rights attorney, her passion for making a difference in the world, how she and her husband met and the intentional way she lives her life and raised her children. Listen as Susie schmoozes with Jill about starting the podcast and other crazy things like carpet rakes!

Amazon.com: Johnny World Giant Carpet Fluffer Large Carpet Rake for Reviving Matted Rugs & Pile Restoration, Removing Pet Hair, Fluffing Carpet Fibers : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Susie sits down with entrepreneur and former Microsoft Executive VP Terry Myerson to learn about his childhood background, his amazing career and his current company Truveta. After losing his father at 15, graduating high school at 16 and graduating Duke University in 3 years, Terry finds his love for computers while working his first job. His interest in building websites led him begin his own company that led to other skills and career choices. He discusses his leadership at Microsoft and now Truveta, what he looks for when he hires people, how he measures success and lessons he learned from failures. He talks about how important family and friends are to him and how he's not one wear his heart on his sleeve.

EHR data and analytics | Truveta

Terry Myerson | LinkedIn