Are you going to sit back and ingest what everyone else is creating or are you going to be the creator? Tune in to get that kick you always needed to get out there and start creating something. Richard Podgurski Jr is the ultimate creator. He has been voted best DJ in the South Bay of Los Angeles for 7 years and frequently tours big name nightclubs all over the country. He is also known for his outstanding photography and was named top 7 fine art photographers in Los Angeles in 2023. He also created a mushroom extract product to boost creativity and is currently in the works of creating a video game of his life. You’ll hear his high vibe energy as he talks through how each one of these paths of creation came to be and how to find your own inspiration for doing what you want to create. Christina and Richard talk about how our creations can create a ripple effect of energy that can create an experience that can last beyond our physical life. There is so much advice in this episode about how to actually get off your phone and go create something that generates income. Follow Richard on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richardpodjr/ Richard Podgurski Website: https://www.rp-photography.com Visit Christina’s website at: https://christinaminutillo.com Need help with your project? Hire a freelancer on Fiverr

Do you believe that we all have a destiny? Tune in to hear how following one idea can change the course of your life and how being clear on your own core values is what attracts people and things to us that can create a vibrational energy that can ripple out to anyone around us. Marco Palazzo is a former water polo professional athlete turned coach who had a passion to bring his Italian food roots to Southern California by opening a restaurant with his childhood friend from Italy. The two friends saw an opportunity to create an environment built around team chemistry to bring friends and family together around the table to enjoy good Italian food made with love. Marco talks about his experience of immigrating to the US and the values that he lives and runs his business by which is what attracts so many to the restaurant experience he curates. Listen to the end to hear how opening Trenta Pizza & Cucina changed Marco’s life, proof that when we follow a calling it leads us on a path to our destiny. Visit Trenta Pizza & Cucina: https://www.trentapizza.com Follow Trenta Pizza & Cucina on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trentapizzacucina/ Visit Christina’s website at: https://christinaminutillo.com Need help with your project? Hire a freelancer on Fiverr

Do you feel like the clock is ticking and want to make sure that your life is as joyous and celebratory as possible? Tune in to hear tips on how to find the stillness to discover your truest essence of who you really are. Jessica Proulx is Co-Founding Director of the Direct Path Institute where she is a yoga, meditation, and Eastern philosophy teacher. She is also a wellness coach where she finds passion in helping people find their truest essence of who they really are and what they want to become in their life. Jessica talks about how we can strip away the identity masks that are created throughout our life and instead learn to find love and light that ultimately lead us on a path to purpose and meaning. Christina and Jessica connect over their love of creating community, connection, and transformation with travel. Jessica also gives advice on how to meditate when we don’t feel very good at it. This episode is packed with tips to live your best life and act as your compass to support you in finding your journey back to yourself to ultimately find more joy and peace. Connect with Jessica for yoga, meditation, wellness, and life coaching at: https://jessicaproulxwellness.com Check out the Direct Path Institute’s programs including their Costa Rica retreat at: https://yourdirectpath.com Follow Jessica’s wellness journey and coaching on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicaproulxwellness Connect with the Direct Path Institute on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/yourdirectpath Buy Jessica’s Whispers of Wisdom journal: Available on Amazon Visit Christina’s website at: https://christinaminutillo.com Need help with your project? Hire a freelancer on Fiverr

Do you have a passion to build a brand or product but are wondering how to get discovered? Tune in to listen to Francesca tell her story of getting discovered through intentionality and strategy as she passionately put her tomato sauce product out into the world.  Francesca Pittaluga is the Founder and Chief Tomato Officer of Ciao Pappy, a brand built around premium marinara for the modern family. Francesca talks about creating her brand out of a love for food and her Italian heritage and how she took her family recipe and turned it into a commercial product. Christina and Francesca bond over the passion projects that they both created that stem from their proud Italian family heritage and their traditions of the Italian food culture. Francesca also gives valuable advice on how to build a brand while offering great marketing tips to anyone wanting to get their product discovered. Visit the Ciao Pappy website to shop products and recipes at: https://www.ciaopappy.com Follow the Ciao Pappy story on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciaopappy/ Check out the Retail Ready program: https://www.alliball.com Visit Christina’s website at: https://christinaminutillo.com Need help with your project? Hire a freelancer on Fiverr

Have you dreamed of moving to Italy? Tune in to listen to Katie’s inspiring journey of making her dream of living in Italy a reality. Katie Parla is a Rome based food and beverage writer, culinary guide, a New York Times best-selling cookbook author, and cookbook publisher. Katie talks about her dream of living in Italy from when she was a child and how she made that dream a reality. She talks about how she got started in hosting tours in Rome and how she later evolved into a food and beverage writer by following her joy in telling stories of people working and living in Italy. Christina and Katie connect over their curiosity to immerse themselves in the Italian food culture. They also talk about what it’s like to create a cookbook and Katie gives advice to anyone looking to create one of their own. This episode will inspire you to get curious about the Italian food culture and you’ll be booking that trip to Rome to take one of Katie’s tours as soon as you finish listening!  Visit Katie’s website for more information on her culinary guides, cookbooks, podcast, city tours, and more at: https://katieparla.com For book publishing help, visit her publishing company at: https://parlapublishing.com Follow Katie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katieparla/ Visit Christina's website at: https://christinaminutillo.com Need help with your project? Hire a freelancer on Fiverr

Do you want to learn how to better understand your intuition and the signs sent to us from the universe? Then this episode is for you! Kirsten Stockton is a practicing soul activator who conducts reiki, energetic readings, and soul readings to help guide others toward their love, light, and purpose. Kirsten talks to Christina about her journey from choosing to leave her law career to becoming a soul activator to live out her purpose of being a messenger for different souls. She talks through how she discovered her gift of intuition and reading energy and how she channels with someone to receive messages to answer someone’s big or small questions. Kirsten gives advice on how to follow our own intuition and how to interpret signs sent from the universe. You’ll be inspired to slow down, be present, and be open to having a different perspective in life to be led into finding your own life purpose. To book a reading and sign up for Kirsten's newsletter: https://soulbabe.com/ To connect with Kirsten and follow along on her journey: https://www.instagram.com/the_soulbabe/ Visit Christina’s website at: https://christinaminutillo.com Need help with your project? Hire a freelancer on Fiverr

Christina shares a solo episode to reflect back on her year of 2023. She talks through how the podcast came to be and how it has changed her life. She also talks through how she manifested connections and experiences throughout the year. You won't want to miss this heartfelt reflection from our show host! Leave a comment in the Q&A if you'd like to hear more solo episodes in 2024! Christina's website: ⁠https://christinaminutillo.com/

Have you ever imagined what it was like to fix up an old house? Then this episode is for you! Tune in to hear Tyler’s journey of how he came to find this house renovation project and what challenges he has faced during the project’s evolution. Tyler Caine is an architect from NYC who fell in love with the town of Holyoke, MA through the window of a train. He had a vision as he peered at the town’s historic buildings that fell into disrepair and decided to make it his passion to save one home at a time in the town of Holyoke. Tyler talks through the steps he took to start the renovation project and where he is at now in the process. Christina and Tyler talk about the importance of finding resilience when faced with change and how to flow with what may come up in the process to see the positive in every outcome. Follow Tyler and his home renovation project on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chasingpapercity/ To collaborate with Tyler on a home renovation project of your own: https://www.dcparchitecture.com Visit Christina’s website at: https://christinaminutillo.com Need help with your project? Hire a freelancer on Fiverr

Do you have a hobby that you are obsessed with? Does it light you up and bring you joy? Then, this is an episode for you! Prepare to be inspired to turn that hobby into a full-time business. Courtney Hunter is the owner and creator of The Waight, Artful Pieces for Everyday Life. Courtney talks about finding a passion in ceramics and how she has turned that passion into a full-time business. She talks through her journey of going from corporate fashion in NYC to creating and selling her ceramics in her new home of Seattle, WA. Courtney and Christina talk about turning a passion project into a business and the importance of leaning on the support of your community to get you there. Together they talk through fears of putting their passion projects out into the world but once those fears are faced it leads to a path of joy and purpose. Visit The Waight website: https://www.thewaight.com/home Follow Courtney’s journey on Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/thewaight/ To shop The Waight ceramics locally in Seattle: https://www.florenceseattle.com/ Have someone that would be great to feature on an episode of What Lights Us Up? Share their details here: https://christinaminutillo.com/contact/ Need help with your project? Hire a freelancer from Fiverr: https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=650523&brand=fiverrcpa Are you working on starting your own podcast? Check out Riverside.fm to record studio quality podcast interviews virtually just like this episode was recorded: https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_2&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=christina-minutillo

How do we tell the story of what we are building? Tune in to listen to Lindsay’s journey of finding her purpose in connecting brands and the people behind them by creating stories to elevate their voices to earned media. Lindsay Colker is owner and creator of Elevate Communications, a full-service public relations and consulting boutique located in Los Angeles specializing in entertainment, technology, and lifestyle. Lindsay talks about her journey of finding her purpose in the PR world, why she went off to have her own company, and what she’s learned about the journey. Lindsay and Christina talk about facing fears to create the life you want by trying new things to find out what brings you joy. Lindsay also gives advice to anyone looking to find passion and how to promote it. To check out Elevate Communications: https://elevateprco.com/ Follow Lindsay on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevate_comms/ Have someone that would be great to feature on an episode of What Lights Us Up? Share their details here: https://christinaminutillo.com/contact/ Need help with your project? Hire a freelancer from Fiverr: https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=650523&brand=fiverrcpa

Do you dream of dedicating your life to doing something that you love? If so, then this episode is for you! Tune in to listen to Vasilis’s story to ignite that fire in your soul that will inspire you to go do whatever it is that is calling you toward finding your path to purpose. Vasilis Mantzouranis has created a personal brand by dedicating his life to traveling the world and documenting his travels through video. Vasilis talks about the vision that he had to create a story about his travel life and how he followed that vision to turn it into a reality. He talks about what it takes to make a big life change to pursue your calling, whatever that calling may be. Vasilis and Christina talk about how doing what lights us up creates a vibrational energy that ultimately leads us down a path to our greater purpose. Follow Vasilis’s journey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manbill8/ Subscribe to Vasilis’s You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@manbill8travels Have someone that would be great to feature on an episode of What Lights Us Up? Share their details here: https://christinaminutillo.com/contact/ Need help with your project? Hire a freelancer from Fiverr: https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=650523&brand=fiverrcpa

Have you been thinking of opening a restaurant and don’t know where to start? Tune in to hear Lauren’s journey to building multiple restaurants as well as invaluable advice that she gives to help aspiring entrepreneurs be successful in their endeavors. Lauren Storeby owns and operates the Snack Attack sandwich bar and Happy Trails Coffee Co. in Fort Collins, Colorado with her husband. She is also the co-creator and consultant for Online Restaurant Academy, an online educational program that offers mentorship for aspiring business owners. Lauren talks about her journey of moving from California to Colorado and while staying true to her and her family’s core values and needs, they created a community around the art of food and beverage with their restaurant businesses. Lauren talks about embracing times of transition to remind us that we are right where we need to be. This episode is packed with advice that she gives around the things to focus on when starting a business. Visit Snack Attack in Fort Collins, CO: https://www.snackattackit.com/  Follow Snack Attack on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snackattackit/ To check out Online Restaurant Academy mentorship programs: https://www.onlinerestaurantacademy.com/ Connect with Online Restaurant Academy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onlinerestaurantacademy/ Visit Happy Trails Coffee Co. in Fort Collins, CO: https://happytrailscoffeeco.com/ Follow Happy Trails Coffee Co. on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happytrailscoffeefoco/ Have someone that would be great to feature on an episode of What Lights Us Up? Share their details here: https://christinaminutillo.com/contact/ Need help with your project? Hire a freelancer from Fiverr: https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=650523&brand=fiverrcpa Are you working on starting your own podcast? Check out Riverside.fm to record studio quality podcast interviews virtually: https://riverside.fm/utm_campaign=campaign_2&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=christina-minutillo

Do you want to know how to make money doing what you love? Then this episode is for you! Kara Duffy is a business coach for entrepreneurs that want to turn their passions into profits. She is also the host of the Powerful Ladies podcast. She talks about her journey from working in corporate to building her Powerful Ladies community which led to the creation of both her podcast and her coaching business. Tune in as Kara gives advice on how to put focus towards finding what your passion is and how to make money doing what you love. Kara and Christina talk about the importance of tuning into intuition to be led onto a life path of alignment and purpose. This conversation will inspire you that anything is possible and that you can earn money doing what you love, you can’t afford to miss this conversation! You can connect with Kara at: https://www.karaduffy.com/ Follow Kara on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/kara_duffy/ Listen to the Powerful Ladies podcast at: https://thepowerfulladies.com/podcast Follow the Powerful Ladies podcast on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/powerfulladies/ Have someone that would be great to feature on an episode of What Lights Us Up? Share their details here: https://christinaminutillo.com/contact/ Need help with your project? Hire a freelancer from Fiverr: https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=650523&brand=fiverrcpa

Have you been thinking that you want to create something to influence change but don't know where to start? Then this episode is for you! Carolyn Siegel is the founder of a nonprofit organization, If You Heard What I Heard, an organization that provides a platform for filmed interviews of the stories from grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. Carolyn, a grandchild herself, talks about being fueled to share these stories because of the rise of antisemitism in 2020. She talks about the why and how of creating this project to ensure the world never forgets about what happened during the Holocaust. Christina and Carolyn together talk about building a community through their passion projects and overcoming challenges while putting their projects out into the world. To check out If You Heard What I Heard interviews: https://www.ifyouheardwhatiheard.com/ Follow If You Heard What I Heard on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ifyouheardwhatiheard/ Have someone that would be great to feature on an episode of What Lights Us Up? Share their details here: https://christinaminutillo.com/contact/ Need help with your project? Hire a freelancer from Fiverr: https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=650523&brand=fiverrcpa

Have you been thinking of leaving your corporate career to do something else? Then this episode is for you! Amy Lloyd is a consultant, coach, trusted advisor, and guide to help others find their driving force for change. Amy talks about the journey of leaving her corporate job out of a need for change that ultimately led her to build an entrepreneurial empire. She talks through how she went from relying on others to instead learning how to trust herself to allow space to discover what it was that lights her up. Christina and Amy talk about the impact of Amy’s Face It Today non-profit on the youth community and how we should all trust that we can be whatever it is that we want to be. They also talk about the importance of human design, what it is and how Amy uses it in her business today. This conversation will inspire you to slow down, be intentional, and look for the things that bring you joy. You can connect with Amy for consulting, coaching, and human design readings at: https://www.purposefulsolutions.net/ To connect with Amy’s Face It Today non-profit organization that empowers youth through self care while tackling self-esteem issues while helping guide them on discovering who they want to be: https://www.faceittoday.org/ Listen to Amy and her daughter share real stories of people overcoming challenges and adversity on The Face It Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-face-it-podcast/id1604089732 Have someone that would be great to feature on an episode of What Lights Us Up? Share their details here https://christinaminutillo.com/contact/ Need help with your project? Hire a freelancer from Fiverr https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=650523&brand=fiverrcpa

Christina Minutillo launches What Lights Us Up podcast with this solo episode to kick start this podcast series. She talks about the cookbook that she self-created and her experience with launching it into the world. Prepare to be inspired as you listen to her talk through her journey of self discovery fueled by this creation that has led her to find what lights her up and ultimately leading her to create this podcast. Buy Christina's cookbook: https://christinaminutillo.com/cooking-with-italian-roots/ Follow Christina on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cm_design_books/ Have someone that would be great to feature on an episode of What Lights Us Up? Send Christina a note: https://christinaminutillo.com/contact/ Need help with your passion project? Hire a freelancer from Fiverr: https://go.fiverr.com/visit/?bta=650523&brand=fiverrcpa