Hold Onto Me Film: Sundance Winner Myrsini Aristidou | WECAN Interview

Hold Onto Me Film: Sundance Winner Myrsini Aristidou | WECAN Interview

Myrsini Aristidou, an award-winning filmmaker from Cyprus, whose debut feature film, Hold Onto Me, is capturing hearts worldwide. Her film recently won the Audience Award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival. Myrsini shares her beautiful journey from studying painting to discovering a fierce passion for the collaborative, magical world of filmmaking. What does it take to make a film that goes all the way to the Sundance Film Festival and walks away with the Audience Award? The Hold Onto Me Film is a tender, emotionally complex father-daughter story centred on an 11-year-old girl named Iris, exploring reconnection with her Father, forgiveness, and human connection. Myrsini is the ultimate role model for resilience. She shares her beautifully grounded approach to handling rejection, why success is about personal growth and integrity rather than shiny trophies, and why every aspiring creator needs to start small, trust their voice, and fiercely believe in their vision. "I absolutely loved listening to this deeply beautiful, human-centred visionary who dreams up stories she feels viscerally need to be told. I am so incredibly excited to watch her journey unfold, and I just know that big things will keep happening for her." — Stephanie Ferrario Learn more about the film and support Myrsini's work: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myrsiniaristidou/?hl=en #WECAN #MyrsiniAristidou #HoldOnto Me #SundanceFilmFestival #IndependentFilm #WomenInFilm #FilmmakingTips #DirectorInterview #FollowYourPassion #Mentorship ________________________________________________________________________ For any questions or inquiries regarding this video, please reach out to us @Wecan.Shecan 🔔 Don’t forget to Like, Subscribe, and hit the Notification Bell for more interviews with role models! 👉 Connect with us on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wecan.shecan/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shecan-world/ Substack: https://shecan.substack.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MAiuylxS5AhxCSQcm8cax?si=003fe73047cd465c Your Story Matters! You Matter! Role Models Matter! Lead By Example To Support Others! ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Sue Gilad: WECAN Bring the Magic of Broadway to the World

Sue brings extraordinary stories to life on the world’s greatest stages, showing us exactly how she turned her childhood love for the stage and the theatre into a phenomenal career, bringing Broadway to the world. From her early days as a passionate theatre kid to producing massive Broadway hits like Moulin Rouge!, The Outsiders, and the highly anticipated upcoming production of Prince’s Purple Rain, Sue shares the raw, inspiring truth about her journey. She breaks down the gruelling 8-to-10 year timeline required to develop a musical from initial concept to opening night and opens up about how she navigates an industry where 80% of shows face commercial failure. Beyond the box office, Sue is deeply passionate about using theatre as a transformative art form to foster empathy, creativity, and community. She discusses her incredible philanthropic work with Broadway Cares and Broadway for Arts Education, as well as the Stay Gold Project, which provides free Broadway access to New York City public school students who lack art funding. Whether you are an aspiring performer, a future producer, an entrepreneur, or a theatre lover, Sue’s lessons on mentorship, handling rejection, building complementary partnerships (like her work with Larry Rogowski), and staying true to your artistic vision will leave you inspired. Thank you, Sue, for reminding us to follow our passion, embrace collaboration, and never let a "no" stop us from creating something extraordinary. Warning: Watching this will make you want to book tickets to a Broadway show immediately! 😊 If this conversation lit a spark in you, please LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE to join the WECAN community! Tell us in the comments: What show are you booking tickets for next? Connect with Sue and see her past productions: Website: https://suegilad.com/ #WECAN #SueGilad #BroadwayProducer #TheOutsidersMusical #MoulinRouge #PurpleRain #Inspiration #ArtsEducation #WomenInBusiness #Mentorship #FollowYourPassion _______________________________________________________________________ For any questions or inquiries regarding this video, please reach out to us @Wecan.Shecan 🔔 Don’t forget to Like, Subscribe, and hit the Notification Bell for more interviews with role models! 👉 Connect with us on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wecan.shecan/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shecan-world/ Substack: https://shecan.substack.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MAiuylxS5AhxCSQcm8cax?si=003fe73047cd465c Your Story Matters! You Matter! Role Models Matter! Lead By Example To Support Others! ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Role Models We Celebrate, Who Show Us What Is Possible

I want to honour and celebrate Shannon Watts today, our WECAN Role model and truly inspiring mentor who wrote “Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age” -get the book, it’s a real guide to starting new ventures. She founded Moms Demand Action. She now mentors people, writes an insightful and well-written Substack, “Playing with Fire, her latest one, explains how staying small has a cost and what that cost is. What are you waiting for to do what you want with your life?” My two role models of this week are an absolute must-watch or listen: Watch on YouTube and Substack or listen on Podcast; Danielle Crittenden: In this deeply moving episode, Danielle Crittenden, author and journalist, discusses her raw and profound journey of losing a child, grief, and her memoir, "Dispatches from Grief: A Mother's Journey Through the Unthinkable." Danielle is leading with light for anyone navigating life's darkest moments: surviving child loss, grief, mothering, and raw humanity. Her story completely shatters the uncomfortable silence around parental loss. Danielle opens up about why traditional grief advice fails, the reality of managing trauma through EMDR therapy, and the intense strain child loss puts on marriages and families. She leaves us with profound hope, reminding us that even in our darkest hours, we are never truly alone. brings ultimate hope to families facing the unimaginable. I am so deeply thankful to Danielle for her story and embrace her and her family in the best way I know how - by spreading her story as far and wide as I can, to help others! God, I am thankful for Danielle’s honesty. I feel safer in this world knowing she is leading with her story and vulnerability, and I cried after our interview as we mothers grieve alongside her for all the mothers and families who have lost children. Dr Markos Kounalakis: Award-winning foreign affairs columnist, Stanford University visiting professor, Hoover Institution fellow, author of "Freedom Isn't The Price of World Order", and the first-ever Second Gentleman of California to talk about Geopolitics, AI and, of course, his story and how he got to where he is today. His journey would take him from California classrooms to some of the most significant moments in modern history, including the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Romanian Revolution, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Dr Markos Kounalakis is the ultimate role model for the next generation, leading with decades of observing global change, teaching future leaders, and supporting his wife, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, in her campaign for California State Treasurer. He reminds us of what's possible when we choose to live with deep purpose and raw humanity. He leads with profound knowledge and a spirit of true servitude, showing each of us how we can find meaningful ways to impact our own lives and the lives of those around us. We are so honoured to have Dr. Markos Kounalakis and grateful for his leadership. Your Story Matters! You Matter! Role Models Matter! Lead By Example To Support Others! ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

From War Correspondent to First Second Gentleman of California: Dr. Markos Kounalakis x WECAN

In today's episode of WECAN, Stephanie sits down with Dr. Markos Kounalakis, award-winning foreign affairs columnist, Stanford University visiting professor, Hoover Institution fellow, author of "Freedom Isn't The Price of World Order", and the first-ever Second Gentleman of California to talk about Geopolitics, AI and of course his story and how he got top where he is today. Born into a working-class Greek immigrant family, Markos became the first in his family to attend college. His journey would take him from California classrooms to some of the most significant moments in modern history, including the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Romanian Revolution, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Dr. Markos Kounalakis is the ultimate role model for the next generation, leading with decades of observing global change, teaching future leaders, and supporting his wife, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, in her campaign for California State Treasurer. He reminds us of what's possible when we choose to live with deep purpose and raw humanity. He leads with profound knowledge and a spirit of true servitude, showing each of us how we can find meaningful ways to impact our own lives and the lives of those around us. Follow his journey: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markoskounalakis/ We are so honoured to have Dr Markos Kounalakis and grateful for his leadership. #MarkosKounalakis #WECANInterviews #SecondGentleman #Geopolitics #HooverInstitution #StanfordProfessor #FutureOfAI #DefendingDemocracy #CaliforniaPolitics #Resilience #ForeignAffairs _______________________________________________________________________ For any questions or inquiries regarding this video, please reach out to us @Wecan.Shecan 🔔 Don’t forget to Like, Subscribe, and hit the Notification Bell for more interviews with role models! 👉 Connect with us on: Instagram: / wecan.shecan LinkedIn: / shecan-world Substack: https://shecan.substack.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MAiuyl... Your Story Matters! You Matter! Role Models Matter! Lead By Example To Support Others! ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Surviving Child Loss: WECAN x Danielle Crittenden’s Book Dispatches from Grief

Losing a child and surviving child loss is one of life's saddest, most devastating realities a parent can endure. In this deeply moving episode, Stephanie from WECAN sits down with Danielle Crittenden, author and journalist, to discuss her raw and profound journey of losing a child, grief, and her memoir, "Dispatches from Grief: A Mother's Journey Through the Unthinkable." In 2024, Danielle’s life was shattered by the sudden loss of her 32-year-old daughter, Miranda, due to complications from a brain tumour. On a February morning, her world cleaved in two: the life before her daughter Miranda was found dead in her Brooklyn apartment, and the life after. Danielle is the most beautiful role model, leading with light for anyone navigating life's darkest moments; surviving child loss, grief, mothering, and raw humanity. Her story completely shatters the uncomfortable silence around parental loss. Danielle opens up about why traditional grief advice fails, the reality of managing trauma through EMDR therapy, and the intense strain child loss puts on marriages and families. She leaves us with profound hope, reminding us that even in our darkest hours, we are never truly alone. Her latest book, "Dispatches from Grief," is a powerful testament to a mother's love and an essential guide that offers comfort, reduces isolation, and brings ultimate hope to families facing the unimaginable. I am so deeply thankful to Danielle for her story and embrace her and her family in the best way I know how - by spreading her story as far and wide as I can, to help others! Connect with Danielle: Website: https://daniellecrittenden.com/ Buy the Book: https://infinitebooks.com/products/dispatches-from-grief Thank you, Danielle, for everything that you are and do. #DanielleCrittenden #DispatchesFromGrief #WECANInterviews #GriefJourney #ParentalLoss #HopeAndHealing #ChildLossSupport #EMDRTherapy #Humanity #Resilience _______________________________________________________________________ For any questions or inquiries regarding this video, please reach out to us @Wecan.Shecan 🔔 Don’t forget to Like, Subscribe, and hit the Notification Bell for more interviews with role models! 👉 Connect with us on: Instagram: / wecan.shecan LinkedIn: / shecan-world Substack: https://shecan.substack.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MAiuyl... Your Story Matters! You Matter! Role Models Matter! Lead By Example To Support Others! ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.