Interview

CPB: Kenneth Kellogg - Opera Singer

My Name is Kenneth Kellogg. I am a husband, father, and Opera Singer. The first of those 2 are the most important but when I’m not actively doing either of those I sing opera. This essentially means, I spend a lot of time working on my craft. I collaborate with a team that helps me train to be at my best when I perform. I have regular voice lessons and spend a lot of time at the piano working on learning opera roles that I get to perform on stages across the world. I travel from city to city, country to country meeting and making music for other artists with the hope of moving audiences that come to hear us.

Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in music? Where have you found the support you've needed to start and grow? 

Early on, it was amazing music teachers that inspired me to pursue music. Now it’s Music that inspires me to continue to pursue music. I’ve found support in friends and family who love me beyond  and despite my musical endeavors, and in those people who love music and appreciate what I have to offer to it through my love and dedication to the craft.

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?

The greatest challenge for me in this career is the time I have to spend away from my family. When I go on the road for work, my family travels with me sometimes but they also have lives at home that can’t and shouldn’t be disrupted. It gets harder and harder to leave home and my family to go on the road. But luckily I REALLY love what I do. 

Which performance are you most proud of? Why?

I’m most proud of the opera Blue by Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson. I was an opera that was written for me and it spoke to a lot of things that were happening in my community. It a really beautiful tragic story about a Black family and community and its the first time I’ve really been able to see people that “look” like me on stage in opera. It won the North American Critics Association Best New Opera of 2020. It has been a great vehicle to tell a poignant story.

What is your definition of success as an opera singer?

Success as a singer for me is to be able to work often, feel fulfilled, have fun, and surrender to the craft. 

Headshot of opera singer

Valentina Sadiul Photography 2021

Time you wake up: Most days at 6:30 am but it mostly depends on when one of the kids wakes up.

Morning routine: I spend sometime with the kids watching cartoons and having coffee before I make breakfast for the family and help get them ready for their day.

Best habit: I have to finish what I start.

Worst habit: (hahah) I have to finish what I start, I can get obsessive about it sometimes.

Personal philosophy: Everything has its purpose and I have to respect the things that are not mine.

Book you are reading now: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson

Most used apps: E-Trade, Robinhood, IG, Facebook

Time you go to sleep: Whenever I’m tired or finished what I’ve started during the day.

Kenneth_Kellogg@hotmail.com

www.Kennethkellogg.com

IG: Kenneth.kellogg and for Artwork: kenneth.kellogg.pen_to_paper

Twitter: kkellog79

Creative People in Business: Bastian Sascha Schmidt - Acupuncturist

My name is Sascha and I’m the owner of Tree of Qi Acupuncture Clinic in San Francisco. My interest is in bringing health and healing into the world and I feel very grateful to be able to provide my services to the lively and diverse community we have here in the city.
I focus on helping patients heal the underlying imbalances in their bodies and minds, thus creating what we call “flow” in Chinese medicine. Flow is what ensures movement that is free of pain as well as a state of mind that is free from suffering. 

With health costs on the rise and an emergence of many acute and chronic health concerns ranging from pain, digestive issues, women’s health, to stress, anxiety and depression, I believe that acupuncture and Chinese Medicine are valuable resources for people during this time, especially for those who’d like to take a more active role in their healing journeys.
I use acupuncture, Chinese Herbs, cupping, reiki and nutritional counseling to help my patients find balance in their lives and I’m excited about what I do.

© 2016 Valentina Sadiul Photography

© 2016 Valentina Sadiul Photography

Time you wake up: 7:40 am

Morning routine: I meditate for 20 minutes, then I have tea and listen to either NPR or a podcast. Recently I’ve been detoxing from politics (not always successfully), so I’ve been listening to spiritual talks.

Best habit: Daily meditation

Worst habit: I binge watch TV shows if they’re good.

Personal philosophy: Serve others; do the best I can

Book you are reading now: “Understanding Power” by Noam Chomsky

Most used apps: Sonos for music

Time you go to sleep: Between 10 pm - 11 pm

 

 

Tell me about your choice to open your own clinic and become your own boss: what motivated you? What were your fears and challenges, and how did you overcome them? 

I’ve always liked the look and smell of Chinese Herbs and have been fascinated with Eastern Philosophies and ways of treating the body even years before practicing Chinese Medicine. I used to live in New York City and would go to Chinatown often to be immersed in the colorful world of Chinese food and herbs and products. 

How long did it take for you to get your business running the way you've always imagined it? In other words, how did you "get on your feet"? 

I started my practice out of my apartment, because I was operating with a very low budget. This was surely one of the biggest challenges in the beginning.  However, within 6 months I moved into a nice big clinic space here in the Mission and today, almost 7 years later, I practice in a fully equipped 3 treatment room clinic. 

What do you enjoy most about your role in patient care?

Being my own boss has been a wonderful experience. I set my own schedule, take 3 day weekends, travel, and I get to do what I love most, which is to help people feel better.
A challenge of being my own boss is that I have to oversee all aspects of my business, even the ones that don’t come so easily, such as bookkeeping and marketing. For this reason, I hired a business coach, who recommended getting professional headshots. This is where Valentina comes in: she’s been an integral part in my public appearance - her images not only portray the true essence of who I am and what I do, but also the space and surroundings I practice in.
Having a community of talented friends and colleagues around me has been key to the success of my practice.

How do you balance your work and personal life?

In order to balance the demands of running a clinic I take long weekends, and often I leave the city and go into nature. In my spare time I also like to play music, read, go on long walks, go on meditation retreats, do archery, and visit the many naturally occurring hot springs in California.

What are some of your personal and/or professional goals for the future?

A goal of mine for the future is to open up a tea house in the San Francisco, a place where people can come to relax and ground, a place of community and respite of the city hustle and bustle. A big part of my spirituality and inner growth is to make an impact on the community that lasts even after I’m long gone. It is my hope that my clinic and my future tea house will provide the community with resources for many years to come.

Contact Information:

Address: 2460 Mission Street Suite 104 in San Francisco CA 94110
Web: TreeofQi.com
Tel: (415) 424-3479
Yelp

Creative People in Business: Italina Kirknis - Online Presence Export & Speaker

My name is Italina, and I’m an Online Presence Expert & Speaker. My team and I specialize in helping the Real Estate Community’s Top Realtors and Lenders upgrade their presence online via Social Media & Email Newsletters. 

Our Online Branding & Marketing Firm helps such business owners by relieving them of the time consuming task of managing their social media accounts and email newsletters. www.ItalinaImage.com

© 2016 Valentina Sadiul Photography

© 2016 Valentina Sadiul Photography

What time you get up: I applaud people who get up at 4 and 5 in the morning. I’m just not one of those people…yet. I’m a young woman, I play tennis competitively and work out on a regular basis. Plus I enjoy my social life. So I maintain a regular sleeping schedule of 10:30pm - 6am. 

All my life, I described myself as not being a morning person. Today, I am a morning person. When my eyes open with the realization that it’s morning, I’m excited at what the day has instore for me. 

 Morning Routine: I immediately hop out of bed excited to get started. My 1st stop is the kitchen where I drink a full glass of water with apple cider vinegar. Then I’m off to enjoy an outdoor run. 

My morning ritual also includes affirmations, meditation, visualization, reading, and journaling. In getting these things done before I hit the shower and start my work day, I already feel accomplished, empowered, centered and grounded. I basically feel like Super Woman, lol.

Best Habit: Mastering My Calendar is my best habit. I schedule things in my calendar, and I live by that schedule. I do not let seemingly pressing things interfere with that schedule. For example, every Monday and Wednesday morning, 1 or 2 hours is blocked out for making prospecting calls. Nothing interferes with that, and I schedule everything else around that blocked out time. Mastering my calendar is my best habit because this prevents me from having a hectic schedule, it prevents me from being stressed (which affects every other area of my life), and it prevents me from needing to cancel or accidentally forget meetings with others. 

Worst Habit: My worst habit is eating and drinking a little heavy at night, lol. I have a fun social life.  

 

Philosophy: My philosophy is to create your own rich life. I also believe that in order to do that, we must affect others. Affect others and create your own rich life. But what do I know, lol?

Your story, why did you leave corporate world?

Like a lot of people, I started off on the corporate path. I thought I wanted to be an Attorney, but you don’t really know what something is like until you actually try it. 

During law school I had great internships working with Attorneys and Judges. But the truth is, I didn’t love it. I thought I should just push through, give it a fair shot, in hopes it would grow on me. 

Then I got sick, literally. One day I was in the office by myself, I put my hand on the edge of the desk, and I bent over in excruciating pain. I clutched my stomach, the source of the pain. I had an ulcer that continued to flare up with each week I tried to give this job a fair shot.  

That day in the office all by myself, I decided I’d pursue another path. Not wanting to be stuck with debt and no degree, I stayed in school, completed my degree, and then taught law long enough to pay off my law school loan. 

Being a law professor, teaching classes, captivating students (I had no disciplinary issues in my classroom) groomed me for being a public speaker now. 

I also worked in a tax firm in their Marketing Department. That’s where I got a lot of hands on experience creating compelling marketing campaigns. When it became clear to me that online marketing was an essential addition to other forms of marketing, I decided to go out on my own focusing on Online Branding & Marketing.

Now with my law degree, Juris Doctorate (J.D.), and marketing experience, I get to work with fun people, helping them create and promote their brand online, providing them more visibility on sites like Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Yelp.  

And I haven’t been sick since. 

Your everyday passion?

My passion is creating brands from scratch. The journey of helping an individual discover and hone in on their brand has been a delightfully creative and inspiring process with the individuals I’ve had the fortune of working with.  

Once it’s time to promote their brand online, I’m just ecstatic. I love Branding, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and Marketing your brand.

What is special about your company? 

When I first started this company, I thought I would just be making a living and living my life under the radar. Then I started getting calls, emails, and facebook messages from people saying how I’ve inspired them to leave a job they hated but felt they needed to keep for all kinds of reasons- this is what my family expects of me, this is what I went to school for, I need to finish what I started etc. 

That’s when I realized this business isn’t about me. I was inspired to create a Mission Statement- To Inspire others to become aware of and act on their ability to accomplish.

The work I do with Realtors, Lenders and other Business Owners inspires other professionals to take a step beyond what they thought they were capable of. I’m showing audiences that they really can create the life they truly want for themselves.  

Create your life by design, not by default. As a Public Speaker giving over 40 talks per year, I blend this message in with the ‘Leverage LinkedIn for Leads’ and ‘Facebook for Business’ talks I give. Through my business and the way I live my life, I convey this message. 

The problem today is most professionals are on LinkedIn, but don’t know how to use it for Business. Business owners should be using LinkedIn to Promote and Market their services, versus merely accepting Connection Requests and Endorsements from people you don’t even know.

Here is a quick VIDEO giving you 3 Powerful Tips for networking with professionals who have the Power and the Connections to help you come in contact with the opportunities you're looking for.

See VIDEO here!

Naturally, there are people who’d rather just have their Online Presence managed for them, rather than having to post or market on social media themselves. This is why we offer 3 Done For You Services:

  1. Profiles - Most people just slapped a profile onto LinkedIn. We’ll recreate your profile so it clearly conveys the services you offer, what set’s you apart from your competitors, and ensure it’s Search Engine Optimized (SEO) so you show up higher on Google.

  2. Posts - For those who don’t have the time, desire, or know how, my team and I create customized posts/content just for you that no other person will have and post for you each week on your social media sites.

  3. Email Newsletters - my team and I create customized content for your email newsletter and send it out for you either monthly or quarterly. If you don’t have an email newsletter set up, we’ll set you up and even help you organize your database.

  4. Coaching - If you enjoy doing these things yourself or if you have an assistant that you want to have trained in best practices in these 3 areas, Profiles, Posts, or Email Newsletters, you can take advantage of Coaching Calls with me directly to better your Online Presence and increase your social media skills. 

Creative People in Business: Valentina Sadiul

Welcome to my new series, “Creative People in Business.” This project is inspired by people I have met on my career journey whose talent, dedication and work is often hidden away from spotlight. We all want be successful, but usually we don’t want to see what’s underneath the glamorous facade that we celebrate. This series will concentrate on the hard work, habits, goals, sacrifices and failures that each of these talented people faced to reach the top of their “mountains.”

I am a professional portrait photographer who specializes in headshot photography. My career choice was motivated by the opportunity to meet people, build friendships, and have flexible working hours. My goal was to be present with my family and friends when they needed me. Is it easy to build a career in headshot photography? No, but I love it every aspect of it on a creative, social and business level. My work gives me joy every day and I am feel rewarded each time my photography brings my clients the success and respect they deserve.

© 2016 Valentina Sadiul Photography

© 2016 Valentina Sadiul Photography

 

Time I wake up: 7 A.M.
Morning routine: My morning starts with small meditation on gratitude. Then, I shower, make coffee, and prepare my breakfast. I make sure to take both my vitamins and supplements. While I drink coffee, I write some ideas and thoughts in my journal. Once I check my daily agenda, my work begins.
Best habit: I run two to three times a week.
Worst habit: Very often, I catch myself multitasking instead of limiting myself to a single assignment.
Philosophy: Don’t compare yourself and your life to others; be thankful for who you are and what you have.

Book I am reading now: I tend to read two or four books at the same time . Currently, I am completely occupied with Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway by Susan Jeffers.

Most used apps: Skype, Blinkist and Productive
What I do before going to bed: Read a book.
What time I go to sleep: Around 11 P.M.

 

 

I’ve been attracted to the study of success, confidence and positive habits since I was 16 years old. I did not have positive role models in my home environment, so I started to look outside my comfort zone. I was in search of a “different life” that did not resemble my family’s patterns. I decided that success meant constantly improving the quality of my life regardless of my financial, social, or relationship status. Life really feels empowering when you stop comparing yourself, your skills, and your status to other people.

As a portrait photographer and creative individual, it took me time to develop my own brand, style, and professional values. I now believe every day is an investment in your health, happiness, and friendships. A dedication to your goals and habits brings rewards to your career.

We are humans, and all aspects of our life are interconnected: my headshot photography business is not exception to that rule. I have noticed how my personal challenges affects my state of mind and distracts me. I am aware that overbooking photoshoots will impact my friendships. There will be always sacrifices, but self-compassion and smart prioritization allows you to return to balance and move forward.

I am very excited to introduce my project, “Creative People in Business,”  and share interviews of successful professionals and their journeys. Please enjoy!