Happy Hour with Friends Rich Hackman

When you're with Natalia Valencia, you either go hard, or you go home — you talk hard, you travel hard, you love hard — or at least that's the first impression you might get.

I took a trip from New York City to Elizabeth, New Jersey, and met up with Naty at one of her local hangout spots, Dolce, on Broad St. And while we do indeed talk about all those things, I quickly realize there's more to her than meets the eye.

Deeply insightful, brutally witty, and daringly over-opinionated, my good friend Aman Grewal joins me for a drink at The Immigrant, a speakeasy-esk restaurant, bar, and lounge in New York City’s lower east side of Manhattan. Discussing everything from babies in bars, Indian identity, being a millennial, and mental health goals, this episode is a rollercoaster of thought and emotion. Grab a drink and join us.

A little over a year ago, I made a friend, and found a kindred spirit in the art of storytelling. Ambitious, and empowered, fiercely passionate and funny - Yaindhy (Yai) Vargas, founder of The Latinista. Yai is a slick-talking, j-walking, DR princess who is going to take over the world someday. In this episode we head over to Tommy Bahama, a retail store and restaurant in midtown NYC for happy hour.

What happens when a Mexican boy in Southern California with a filthy mouth wants to be a rapper, grows up to be a New York designer, marries one of the baddest babes from Poland, becomes a conspiracy theorist, but has two beautiful daughters? Absolute podcast magic with Frank Xavier Contreras.

J. Aaron Boykin is an old college friend who went on to enjoy success as a musician in an a capella band called Duwende. In this episode we meet up at Dinosaur BBQ in Newark, New Jersey. We stuff ourselves on some slow-roasted meats, soul food, throw back some really strong cocktails, talk about music, family, and race, while laughing the whole way through.

In this episode we meet up with our good friend Tiana Charmaine Jones in Harlem, New York at D’Amore Winebar and Caffe on 116th Street & Lexington.

Tiana, a North Philly native is a fashionista, Zumba fitness instructor, and all round inspirational, and fun-loving person. We chat with her about what keeps her motivated and entrepreneurial, the upcoming Thanksgiving season and how to stay in shape, the 2016 elections, and gentrification in a new-age Harlem.