NYC Local Guides Jennifer O'Brien

Grace Lee always dreamed of moving to NYC and working in fashion, but talks about the harsh truths of finding a great apartment too far away to finding out a mouse moved in. She started as a content creator and blogger in fashion ten years ago. Learn about her early fashion internships and start up jobs that led her to leave her full-time position to start a career in social media working with clients. She talks about the feeling of being on vacation from working at home with her family in quarantine and how her definition of success as a content creator has changed over time. 

Adrienne Jordan or AJeveryday has been a travel writer for almost a decade. She talks about how she still has consistent writing assignments but how the narrative is changing. Her features include National Geographic Traveler, CNN, Travel and Leisure, Afar, and Forbes. She is currently based just outside NYC in Newark, New Jersey and has lived in the NYC area since 2015. She explains the benefits of living here for travel writers and how to build your portfolio and differentiate yourself in this dream career path. Often glamorized, she shares her first free trip, what it’s really like to travel for free, and how she goes above and beyond for each assignment. While many start as bloggers before becoming published journalists, she explains why it has helped her to pursue journalism before she is now launching her personal brand. If you’ve ever wanted to be a travel writer or curious about what this career path is like, this talk is for you!  

Laura Chung is a New York based spiritual healer, motivational speaker, Reiki master, Kundalini Yoga Teacher and podcaster, her show is called Awaken and align. The list goes on. She has a Masters in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and worked 6 years in finance to get that Tribeca apartment. She quickly realized that the Carrie Bradshaw dream was not as wonderful as it seemed to be, so she quit her job in 2017 to travel nomadically. She’s back in New York and helps guide others through their awakening, healing, and transformation. She tackles difficult questions on how to deal with fear and anxiety and small NYC apartments during quarantine. 

Jessica Hirsch is a New York City food and travel photographer who founded CheatDayEats and YourRoomService. She worked as a math teacher for 7 years before becoming a fulltime creative in 2017. Listen as she shares which NYC foodie creatives she follows and her tips for taking better food photos. She explains how to capture quick food moments like a dripping egg yolk or ice cream cone. Find out which restaurants she’s heading to first when NYC’s quarantine ends. This epic food lightning round reveals her favorite foodie spots for pizza, ice cream, mac and cheese, bagels and so much more! 

Cole Riley came to New York to attend NYU a decade ago. He recently pivoted his company Founders Market to become Founders Give to organize the largest food drive in NYC history to support the healthcare workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. He talks about a new found respect for human connection and what healthcare workers do day in and day out. 

Madelyn Moon, yes that’s her real last name, calls herself a walking permission slip, soul igniter and devoted teacher. Maddy started her podcast 6 years ago, Mind Body Musings, which is a top-50 ranking self-improvement podcast. She is an author and a coach on a mission to unite opposite elements and help people fight perfectionism in eating and in life. One of my last guests Jen Morilla recommended I talk to her as she might be able to shed some light on this confusing time of anxiety and uncertainty. Maddy moved here over a year ago and currently lives in Brooklyn with her dog Ollie. Maddy admits that New York “sparked something inside me that had not been sparked before!” When everyone told her to move to LA she felt drawn to New York. Despite the abundance of things to do, she reminds us to find the stillness and peace in this city and to let pleasure lead you. Instead of making a list of places she needed to go, she has a note in her phone of New York adventures from her moving initiation to spending an entire day finding a bathroom. She keeps it real at this time of heartbreak to feel the feels and gives people permission to embrace this great pause.

Check out Maddy's podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mind-body-musings/id866031519

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