Local Voices (Miami)
Temporada 3
Raquel Pelayo - Studio Owner
Sammy Figueroa - Joyous Percussionist
Lian Navarro - Shelter Coordinator
Jeff Rechtman - Cacao Entrepreneur
Hannah Baumgarten - Artistic Director
Temporada 2
por LV TEAM - Simeon Dubois
Raquel is................basically the queen of South Beach, if we're talking vibes. Born in Miami, to Cuban & Puerto Rican parents, she went to UCF for undergrad, switching majors many times, before settling on business entrepreneurship. Taking advice from one great teacher, she decided to pursue what she loves, hot yoga, and make a business out of it. First experiencing Bikram when she was 19 at UCF, Raquel fell in love with her awakening, getting her official teaching degree from the Bikram Yoga College of India in LA, then teaching in Miami at different studios for 10 years, before accepting the call to adventure, when one of the studios needed a new owner. After spending a few years at the Miami Beach Community Church, eventually a space "fell from the heavens, and in 2017 with a new name change, officially Glow Hot Yoga was born. Offering Bikram, hot pilates, Yin Yoga, and other creative sessions, the yoga studio has become a pillar in the community, and one of those most visited in Miami. Visit http://www.glowhotyogamiami.com/ to sign up for a class, and don't forget, to share your glow.
Sammy is...........ready for some more comedy. Born in the Bronx, New York, he moved to Puerto Rico at age 8 to live with his grandparents, after his father died, a heavy bohemian. Noticing his love of music at an early age, he decided one day that he was going to be a percussionist, and was able to attend music school in Puerto Rico. One day at age 18, he decided to go hotel hunting with some friends, and ended up landing his first gig. When his band was invited to come play and live at the Piedmont Inn in NYC for two months, Sammy fell in love with the Big Apple, and when the band broke up, he walked into a music department store, Sam Goodies, and got a job, claiming to be a "jazz expert", becoming a manager after 3 years. One day his life changed, when he was invited to tour the world with famous flautist, Herbie Mann, and ended up becoming the #1 call for any recordings in NYC, winning the DownBeat Poll award for best percussionist, and networking himself into the scene. Always one to answer the call, Sammy ended up hanging up on Miles Davis three times in the middle of the night, before showing up the next morning, and becoming his #1 sidekick. After a career working with the likes of Mick Jagger, Sammy's next chapter began when he met composer Michel Camilo and friend Rachel Faro, and began recording his own records, winning Grammy nominations for "And Sammy Walked in" and "The Magician". With South Florida as his home, he has been developing more and more his creativity, hosting a radio show weekly for WDNA, and recently winning a grant from the South Arts Jazz Road initiative, to tour the country, and honor his father with a new album. Passionate about healing the earth and supporting fringe science, Sammy is enjoying his voice and his role, advocating for a more sustainable world, and always, forever, rejoicing, in his story.
Lian is.........glad she is helping save us humans. First joining the faith-based Rescue Mission back in 2012, originally thinking it was an animal shelter, she has since become an indispensable part of the organization helping more than 15,000 people in need each year. Born in Cuba, she moved to the US at age 15 with her family, attending FIU for a degree in education, and eventually joining the mission as an assistant, moving to volunteer coordinator, and eventually senior community development associate. As bubbly and joyful as can be, Lian has excelled at raising awareness for the organization's mission, helping both fundraise and attract volunteers with a mix of top shelf responsiveness and flexibility. Now spread over across Miami-Dade and Broward with several locations, the Miami Rescue Mission is soon to celebrate its 100th anniversary next year, and is showing no signs of slowing its growth, as a pillar in the community. Check out one of their radio shows, Saturdays and Sundays at 8am, and consider becoming a much appreciated Meals a Month donor, helping feed and advance the less fortunate, with just a few dollars out of your paycheck each month. You won't regret it >> https://www.caringplace.org/meals-a-month.php
Jeff is.........bringing bliss to South Florida. Born in Miami, and raised in the Fort Lauderdale area, he went to UF Gainesville for an undergrad degree in business, entrepreneurship, and real estate, before studying law and working at a startup in the area. When that project failed, he went out to San Francisco to work for Google, traveled the world for 9 months working remotely, and when COVID hit he was in New York, dealing with the lows, before making the decision last November to move to Miami, like so many others. After taking a handstand class in Bali, and learning acro yoga in NYC, he discovered an opportunity in Miami, to go stay on a Cacao farm in Nicaragua for 6 weeks. There he discovered ecstatic dance, the power of vasodilators, and met his girlfriend, coming back to Miami a changed man with a new connection to sustainably sourced cacao. Together they started their company, Cacao Sol, first selling at the farmers market in Coconut Grove, and now have plans for their very own store, in addition to providing cacao for all kinds of enlightened events here in Miami. Never tried raw cacao or experienced a ceremony? Follow @jeffmoves and @cacao.sol on Instagram, and open yourself to the power of Anandamide, the bliss molecule.
Hannah is.........living her dream. Born in Santa Cruz, California, she was put into ballet by her parents at an early age, and graduated high school in just 3 years, focused on her goal of pursuing dance professionally. After being initially rejected by the Juilliard School in New York City, she went to go study at the University of Utah, where she was introduced to modern dance, and fell in love with a new kind of technique, eventually quitting college to go back to NYC and dance professionally. She ended up re=auditioning for the Juilliard School and being accepted with a half scholarship, speeding through the program in 3 years. When love led her to move to Miami in 1994, she was immediately very active in the scene here, teaching dance in Miami Beach, when one day one of her students introduced her to her now professional partner Diego Salterini. Together they started Dance NOW Miami in 2020, and have now grown the contemporary dance school into an active force in the community, exposing more than 45,000 students at Miami schools over the years, to elite dance education through their partnerships with local programs and grant subsidies. Check out their website at https://www.dancenowmiami.org/ and come check out a live performance, next one happening this Sunday at the North Beach Band Shell, titled Fall for Dance NOW.
Daniella is.......the mayor of Miami-Dade County. Born in New York City in 1955, she had the opportunity to travel Brazil and Chile in her youth, before going to high school in Brooklyn, and studying psychology at Yale University. Having helped her mom in the slums of Rio de Janeiro as a little girl, she realized that community welfare was always her main ambition, and went on to graduate school at Colombia Law with a focus on Social Work. After meeting her husband in Atlanta, and relocating to Miami over 40 years ago, she eventually founded Catalyst Miami, an organization focused on helping low and middle income families through education and advocacy. There she launched the Prosperity Campaign to help those same people increase their income and savings, and gain more financial independence. Always looking for ways to better the community, Daniella shares with us her initiatives this year for more affordable housing, more walkable urban life, and more sustainable local trade employment. Down to volunteer more this year? Listen in for some great opportunities and the Mayor's very own suggestions.
Julie is the encouraging writing coach, respected nationwide, and based here in Miami. After studying English, and getting her Masters and Phd in Literature, she taught at the university level for 10 years, before starting her own company 3 years ago, to help writers, mostly adults, learn how to better tell their stories. With the barriers to publishing being much lower nowadays, Julie is passionate about helping more prospective authors get their thoughts organized and into a finished product. Follow her on IG @storybold, and send her a DM if you are interested in beginning a project or accessing her self study material. More interested in just journaling a bit more? Start a weekly habit of writing your life memories in chronological order, and wake up to a personal memoir someday!
Josh is the smiling fitness trainer here in South Beach, with a dream to bring more boxing exercise classes to the masses. Born in New Jersey, near Manhattan, he studied criminal justice in college, before pivoting to his true passion and getting a job at Equinox in Chelsea, New York, He excelled as a trainer and created his own group fitness concept called Ablab in Manhattan, when the pandemic struck, and he decided to take his talents to South Beach. Active in the nightlife and outdoor fitness spaces here in Miami, Josh is a humble and driven professional, and a great choice for anyone looking to elevate their personal fitness with a coach. Follow him on IG @joshcast_fit and send him a DM for more info. Learn how to be a lover and a fighter.
Stephanie is the sweet real estate agent from Panama, who is part of a great top rated brokerage here in Miami (https://miamiresidential.com/), and a great choice for anyone moving here or looking at at a new lease this year. After moving from Panama to the states 9 years ago, she finally found her way to Miami 4 years ago, and got her license in real estate while she was doing some marketing at the time. She specializes in leases in downtown Brickell and Edgewater, however her brokerage, Miami Residential Group, is top rated on Google, Facebook, & Yelp, and a great option for all kinds of real estate searches, such as new home purchases and condos. Follow Stephanie on IG @stephloxrealestate, and send her a DM when the time comes to search for a new property. See her at one of our Local Voices Art Walks where we showcase a different district each month (https://www.meetup.com/localvoices-miami/), or one of our Remote Workers Friday Happy Hours (https://www.meetup.com/remote-workers-of-miami/) at a different venue each week. Come join our growing community.
Brittany Brave is the marvelous Mrs. Maisel of Miami, born in New Jersey, raised in Kendall, and developed as an improv teacher, she has taken her personal hardship of the last decade and used it to evolve further as an artist, standing up on stage now all by herself and dishing jokes nightly. Initially in the PR industry after studying PR and Theatre at UF, she studied improv in New York & Second City, went full time into comedy in 2017, won Best New Artist at the 2019 New York Comedy Festival, and has embraced the challenge of COVID and thrived with her new online presence living back here at home in South Florida. Follow her on Instagram @BrittanyBrave, check out one of her many shows, virtual and in person, (https://www.brittanybrave.com/), and come by Showfields on Lincoln Road, Wednesday the 14th at 8pm, for one of her monthly events she hosts "Laughs on Lincoln" (https://www.eventbrite.com/o/showfields-30959176783). She's a riot.