Utalk Radio

Join the Utalk Crew as they interview artist Charles Thurston at WonderCon. His inspiration came from boredom and his time working at Walt Disney World. He is a Papercut (the art of paper designs) artist and makes a lot of Disney designs. He talks to us about how he makes his creations and the different kinds of paper involved in his art. You can find out more about his work at charlesthurston.com and don’t forget to check out our website utalkradio.com

Utalk host Steve had a chance to interview Actor Ryan Alessi from Nickelodeons All That at Shel Bailey’s Hollywood Burger Live Brunch. Ryan fills us in on the new version of All That and how it’s different from the original. He talks about how he got started in acting and does a few impersonations for us. Listen to the interview for more. Make sure you check out our website utalkradio.com and follow us on social media @utalkradio for more.

Join Utalk Hosts Steve, Larissa and Kati with our Special Co-Host Dr. Josh as we talk about being mad. Not the angry kind of mad but making a difference (m.a.d). On this episode we answer Chris’s question about wanting to do something that matters and making a difference in the world. Dr. Josh brings up the point we can make a difference in the jobs and careers we have. How we treat each other in our jobs can make a big difference. Kati Talks about unique ways you can go mad even when you’re sick and in the hospital. Steve suggests picking up trash and cleaning up our communities. Larissa tells us a story about a teen making a difference. We bring up the question: “What does it mean to really make a difference?” Is it in small gestures or huge life changing acts? In everything you do think of someone else. Anyone can make a difference find the need and fill it. There is so much more in this episode so make sure you take a listen. We want to hear from you. Do you know someone who is making a difference or are

Don’t forget to check out our website utalkradio.com and follow us on social media @utalkradio. Utalk Host Steve met up with NBA Player Keyon Dooling on Hollywood Blvd for a chat. Keyon had a 13 year career in the National Basketball Association and played against big names like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaq and Lebron James. Keyon has a new career working as a wellness counselor in the NBA Players Association as well as being an author and a mental health and sexual abuse advocate. He overcame sexual abuse as a child. He is passionate about people and those who have gone through adversity and overcome obstacles. He has some great advice about overcoming and getting through life. Check out the interview for more.

Check out our website utalkradio.com for more and don’t forget to follow us on social media @utalkradio. Utalk host Steve Russo had a comedic good time with Gimel Hooper at Sheldon Bailey’s Hollywood Burger Brunch. Gimel tells us that life is his art and that you can choose to be sad over things that happen to you or you can laugh and joke about them. He chooses to laugh at life but he emphasizes that you need a balance of hard things that happen so you can learn empathy and funny things so you can learn to laugh. Steve asks Gimel how he got started in Stand Up and Act Out Comedy. Gimel tells us his goal when he is on stage. Check out the interview to hear all this and more good advice from Gimel.

Make sure you check out our website utalkradio.com and follow us on social media @utalkradio. On this weeks episode Utalk host Steve met up with Johnnie Parker (Former College Basketball Star, Basketball Coach, and Department of Youth Services) at Shel Bailey’s Hollywood Burger Brunch. Johnnie talks about his time working with problem kids and kids with mental challenges. How he uses his talent to give back and mentor kids and make a difference for youth around him. Listen to find out about Johnnie’s foundation he created and his advice for how you can show love and kindness to your peers. You can check out Johnnie’s foundation hoopphi online. Follow him on IG @hoopphi007, facebook @JohnnieParker.

You can follow us on social media @utalkradio and don't forget to check out our website utalkradio.com. Utalk host Steve Russo had a chance to chat with Actor Bubba Ganter (Nickelodeon's Game Shakers). Bubba opens up about being homeless and having to live in his car for 8 months. He talks about ways you can help those who are homeless and being empathetic towards others. Listen to the interview for more.

Kati had a chance to interview the writer of the comic ‘Nutmeg’ James Wright. ‘Nutmeg’ is a teen crime saga about two best friends who fight crime with baking. James tells us it’s a mix of Nancy Drew, Betty and Veronica and Breaking Bad but the main characters are 13 year old girls. You can find it in comic book stores and online. Listen to the episode to hear more. Don't forget to check out our website utalkradio.com and our social media @utalkradio for more.

Join Kati as she interviews artist Mike Matola at Wondercon. Mike creates drawings out of scripts and lyrics. He creates movie characters by writing out the movie script in the form of the characters. Mike talks to us about how he came up with this idea, how he stretches himself as an artist and how long one piece takes to create. Take a listen and definitely go look up Mike and check out his unique work. His website is linebylineposters.com. Find him on social media @mikematola. Don’t forget to check out our website utalkradio.com and follow us on social media @utalkradio.

Steve and Kati interview Rapper Whitney Peyton about her music, Spoken Word, and dealing with anxiety. Whitney talks to us about how she spreads the message of being unapologetically yourself and being real. We have a discussion about one of her songs and the message of it. Which is are your choices making your life better? Whitney shares about her anxiety and how she deals with it and her thoughts on pharmaceuticals and drugs being glorified in music, TV and movies. Listen to the podcast for more. Don't forget to check out our website utalkradio.com and our social media @utalkradio.

Steve had the chance to sit down with Marc Ang the leader of Asian Industry B2B an organization that engages professionals to impact communities. He chatted with Marc about how the organization got started and some events they put on like film screenings. Steve had a chance to attend one of these film screenings of a movie called trafficked which is about human trafficking. Marc and Steve talk about why this movie was chosen to show and the meaning behind the screening and the film. Human Trafficking is a worldwide problem because traffickers move around so they don’t get caught. A victim may travel to a dozen or so areas with their captures. If you see something that doesn’t seem right say something because you very well may save a person from a very ugly situation. To hear more facts about human trafficking and what you can do to make a difference listen to the episode. You can find more on our website utalkradio.com and on our social media @utalkradio.

Join Steve, Larissa, Kati and Dr. Josh for a conversation about health and chronic illness. Kati shares her story living with multiple chronic illnesses and gives advice on how to deal with it. Dr. Josh shares advice about advocating for yourself and talks about the phrase “it’s all in your head.” We talk about how when you are suffering with an illness - mental or physical that you need a core support group. You need people around you who believe you and will help and support you on your journey. We have to be careful in the language we use when talking about people with chronic illness. Listen to hear more. You can find more on our website utalkradio.com and on social media @utalkradio

Join Steve, Larissa and Kati with our special guest Dr. Josh for a conversation about technology and relationships. Technology can help bring people together but it can also ruin relationships. Along the same lines is cyber bullying. We got a message from Collin who needs help dealing with bullying and feeling inadequate. We ask the question why is cyber bullying so much easier than face to face bullying. We talk about Collin and his struggle. If you feel worthless like Collin and have thoughts of suicide then we want you to know you are very valuable and worthy of love and respect. Find someone in your social circle to talk to about this and if you don’t have that core support reach out to a teacher, coach or someone else you trust. You can always reach out to us, we are here to help you. You can find more on our website utalkradio.com and on social media @utalkradio

Join the Utalk Crew along with our honorary co-host Dr. Josh in a conversation regarding school shootings and safety at school. This is something that unfortunately happens too frequently and has become a major issue that needs to be addressed. Dr. Josh talks about the effects the San Bernardino shooting 3 years ago had on him and how it’s changed him. The Utalk Crew talks about fear, what fear means and why we become afraid. We talk about how to deal with fear and how to prepare to help you face these real situations that can happen. You have to be aware of the dangers but you also have to have faith that things will work out. We talk about checking in on people, being kind and other ways that can help prevent violence. Check out the episode to hear more. You can reach out to us and find more on utalkradio.com and on our social media @utalkradio.

Join Steve, Larissa, Kati and our very own Dr. Josh for a conversation about Italian food, veggies and pain. Everyone experiences pain - physical and psychological so how do we deal with it? Dr Josh talks to us about getting to the root of the pain and finding good coping skills to help us deal with the pain. Even if we don’t know what the cause of our pain is; we can learn to deal with it in a healthy manner. Some healthy ways to cope are exercising and physical activity, expression through art and music and social support. You need a safe place / community to go to help you work through your pain. Find someone in your life who you trust and feel safe talking to and go to them for help and support. If you need help please reach out to someone or reach out to us. We are here for you. You can reach out to us on our website utalkradio.com or on social media @utalkradio

Join Steve, Larissa and Kati coming to you from the AT&T Shape event on the Warner Brothers lot. They have a discussion about video games and our health. You can become so addicted that video games can kill you or hurt your health. Video game addiction is a real problem and we have to practice self control when it comes to our time playing these games. You get so into the game that hours pass by and you don’t realize how long you’ve been playing. So how do we not become addicted? The Utalk crew gives us some practical advice and things we can put in place to help us not get addicted to video games but still be able to play. You can find more on our website utalkradio.com or on social media @utalkradio

Steve and our very own Dr. Josh have a conversation about Suicide. Suicide is one of the top leading causes of death it’s ahead of homicide and car accidents. The issue of suicide varies from area to area. Dr Josh talks to us about the importance of the language we use surrounding suicide and how important having coping skills we can turn to are. He talks about how big hope is in suicidal thoughts. If a person has hope that the pain will end and the situation will change they have a reason to live. You want to come alongside your friends and family and remind them you are there for them. You don’t have to say anything just be there with them. It shows them they are not alone. If you or someone you know is thinking of taking your life please reach out to us or someone you trust. We want to help you through this. Send us a message on our website utalkradio.com or on social media @utalkradio.

We had a chance to interview Daria at CatCon who is the creator of the Catsu the Cat comics. Daria is from Estonia and her inspiration comes from her fat cat. She had a booth at CatCon and was telling us her best sellers are the cat phone cases. She had many funny stories about her cat and decided to start writing a comic based on her life as a cat parent, that’s how Catsu the Cat came about. Daria and Kati exchange funny cat stories. Check out more on our website utalkradio.com and instagram @utalkradio. You can find Daria on Instagram @catsuthecat

Steve had the chance to sit down with one of the founders of the organization Can You Hear Me (CYHM) to get more information about the organization and what they do. CYHM was founded out of tragedy but used that tragedy to do good. Ashley started the organization with her mom after she tragically lost her cousin to suicide. Ashley and her family wanted to use their pain and what they went through to help others through rough times. Can You Hear Me is an online platform for teens and young adults to share without fear any issues they are going through and to get help for them from their peers. Ashley shared with Steve about her struggle after she lost her cousin and what helped get her through that dark time. She has some great advice about dealing with tough times and reminded us that everyone struggles with mental health in some way and that it’s okay to come out and say; “I’m struggling and I’m not okay.” Listen to hear the rest of the conversation. You can find out more about Can You Hear Me at cyhm.org. I

Steve and Kati got to hangout with 150 adorable Cats and Kittens who are looking for a permanent home at the Adoption Village at CatCon. We talked to Julie from the Humane Society who gave us the details about what they do and how the adoption process works. She gave us some tips on how to be a responsible pet owner. Her top advice is to make sure you cats or any pet know they are part of the family and that they are loved. You can show them this by petting them, playing with them and just spending time with them. For more information on how to adopt a cat listen to what Julie has to say and go visit an animal shelter in your community. Help make a difference for a Kitten today!You can find more on our website utalkradio.com and on social media @utalkradio.