Month: June 2020

266 KATHI SHARPE-ROSS: Author of Re:Invent Your Life! What Are You Waiting For?

“Reinvention is a personal intervention with yourself.” Listen as Andy, and his guest Kathi Sharpe-Ross discuss her book Re:Invent Your Life! What Are You Waiting For? Kathi gives specific ideas for moving forward and reimagining our lives and careers on this episode of The Wedding Biz.

Kathi shares that this book was something she decided to write ten years ago and how she had to reinvent her entire book launch plan since the pandemic. She speaks about how important it is to listen to yourself and acknowledge when we could use a little tweak. Kathi says that sometimes you need to reframe the brain and reframe your point of view.

Are you so caught up in your life that you forget how important self-care is? Kathi shares that you need to permit yourself to take a breath or a moment to clear your head. Self-care and occasionally being selfish is good for you and can be good for everyone around you. Take time and listen, so you will know when ah-ha moments happen.

Listen as Kathi shares how to change up the routines in your life, one of the 26 power tools from her book, and how important it is to schedule a time for yourself, even if you have to put it on your calendar. Kathi also discusses how to reinvent our lives while being cautious and mindful as we reopen after the pandemic.

“Failure can be your biggest success.” Kathi talks about what she means by this statement, and why sometimes we have to reframe our notion of failure. Andy’s conversation with Kathi is uplifting and inspiring. Read her book if you need a helping hand, getting your life back on track.

Also, Andy has launched a new podcast network called The Wedding Biz Network, in which he will produce podcasts for other people in the event industry, with Sean Low being its first member. Sean’s show now comes out every Tuesday and stay tuned for more new show announcements coming soon.

265 PRESTON BAILEY: Racial Injustice, A Conversation

I wanted to give floral designer Preston Bailey a platform to share his thoughts, given what is currently going on with the protests and increased public consciousness about race relations. As usual, Preston allows himself to be vulnerable and refreshingly direct. We touch on his personal experience, experiencing racism for the first time, when he moved to New York City from Panama at the age of 19. Preston also talks about his early and continued experiences, as a black man, working in the event industry. And he gives wonderful advice, to people of color, both in and out of events. Please enjoy this very special episode of A Conversation With: Preston Bailey.

264 THE NEXT LEVEL: JOHN EMMANUEL discusses DIANE KHOURY, Australia’s Premier Event Planner & Designer

“Diane has impeccable taste and style, she is a style queen” Andy and John Emmanuel discuss Diane’s social media following, and why she believes the more genuine you are on your feed, the more prospective clients will understand your style and who you are as a designer. John is Australia’s premier floral designer who appeared on The Wedding Biz in January, find the link to his episode here.

Diane Khoury is a Sydney-based event planner, with over 360,000 Instagram followers. Diane Khoury Weddings and Events has been credited for revolutionizing the planning, styling, and concept design of luxury weddings and events in and out of Australia. With her financial background, she can meld the creative and business sides of her company to create a uniquely successful business.

John handles the floral design for most of Diane’s events, and really has to understand what she wants so he can make it happen. Listen as they speak about the imagery she described from a christening she did in Lebanon, and how special she made her son’s virtual birthday party by sending all the kids gift bags with props for the party to their houses.

Diane has been in the industry for a relatively brief time to have achieved all that she has accomplished. She is an example of what you can do with hard work, determination, and the guts to take a chance.

Also, Andy is announcing the official launch of his new podcast network called The Wedding Biz Network, in which he will produce podcasts for other people in the event industry, with Sean Low being its first member. Sean’s show now comes out every Tuesday and stay tuned for more new show announcements coming soon.

263 DIANE KHOURY: Australia’s Premier Event Planner & Designer

Have you ever heard of a bride planning her own wedding with 500 guests and with no experience in planning an event of any size? Listen as Andy and his guest Diane Khoury discuss how she was able to pull it off and why it was the reason she started her own wedding and event business plus much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz.

Diane is a Sydney-based event planner, with over 360,000 Instagram followers. Diane Khoury Weddings and Events has been credited for revolutionizing the planning, styling, and concept design of luxury weddings and events both in and out of Australia. Diane’s weddings stand out as stunning works of art with a passion for glamorous detail and an appreciation for unique displays. After being sought after by celebrities and socialites, Diane continues to catapult the definition of celebrating love and luxury in Australia.

Listen as Diane speaks about how COVID-19 is affecting her business, planning her son’s virtual birthday party so he could have a celebration and her first retail job at age 13. She also speaks about guests at her wedding wanting her help to plan theirs, which gave her the idea that this might be what she should be doing.

Diane describes a magical christening she did for a client in Lebanon and a time when she almost had to cancel a wedding because of technical difficulties. Diane says that balancing her personal life with her professional life is difficult, but she makes it work with the support of her husband.

In six years, Diane has taken her business from nothing to amazing. Listen as she shares how she used social media to share her personality and cultivate clients. Showing her children that working hard and following your dreams can lead to success is something that Diane is passionate about.

Andy Interviewed by Lance Nicoll of In-FullFrame.com

If you’re ready to start your own podcast, you can learn from Kushner’s trials and tribulations. In the beginning, Kushner felt like there were times when interviews got away from him a bit. Kushner tries to steer his interviews with a direction in mind, but he also aims to create a dialog during his podcast episodes.

So much valuable information!
by Santija L. from Denmark
Andy does an amazing job with hosting the podcast, every episode is well-thought-out and packed with tips and strategies. Highly recommend for any entrepreneur involved in the wedding industry.
The Next Level!!
by Suzanne Delawar from United States
Andy is an amazing interviewer. The variety of conversations keeps you engaged every week. Being able to hear from some of the top influencers in our industry, leaves you feeling inspired and motivated to take your business to the next level.
The industry’s finest!
by TheWedding_AC from United States
It’s amazing to have the opportunity to listen to some of the industry’s finest talk about their work, life and craft. I think in this industry, it’s easy to keep our heads down and just stay busy but it’s SO good to come up for air sometimes and hear from other people in the community and to “get to know them” a bit. In short, this podcast is an incredible resource and I’m so thankful for it!
An Industry Standard
by morganmoana from United States
This podcast is a must-listen for wedding professionals. It is engaging and informative, giving you insight into the behind the scenes of the wedding industry in real time. Andy has conversations that make you feel like you are in the same room with the pros he interviews and it is so incredibly valuable!
Encouraging
by SpacePirateTomatoBride from United States
I am sincerely thankful for this podcast. I stumbled upon it last winter and listening to the interviews gave me huge portion of courage to launch my own bridal design business this year. It was a beautiful resource and the show is nicely paced and enjoyable to listen to. I will continue to listen and recommend this show to anyone and everyone who’s interested in business.